I’ve been pondering this for some time. It appears that nearly every web agency I encounter develops their client sites using WordPress. I understand its popularity, but there are plenty of alternatives available that could be more efficient.
Options like drag-and-drop website builders and straightforward CMS platforms require minimal technical skills. Some of these modern tools seem much more intuitive and quicker to implement.
So, why do agencies remain committed to WordPress? Is it merely a matter of tradition, or are there unique benefits that make transitioning away from it difficult? I’m interested in the real motivations behind this situation.
WordPress gives you something most alternatives can’t - complete control over your client relationships and revenue. Build on proprietary platforms and you’re just renting space, following their rules. With WordPress, you actually own the relationship.
Client retention is way stronger too. Moving away from WordPress takes serious effort and money, creating natural barriers that protect your recurring revenue. Clients using website builders? They can switch providers with a few clicks.
There’s also the credibility factor. Clients expect agencies to deliver custom solutions that actually reflect their brand. WordPress lets you do this without the massive overhead of building from scratch. Clients see more value in custom code and tailored functionality versus template solutions.
WordPress also lets you offer comprehensive long-term services - security monitoring, performance optimization, feature development. These generate steady income streams that simple website builders just can’t support effectively.
it’s all about economics, really. agencies have their workflows tight with wordpress - hosting, backups, staging, all that stuff. switching means starting over, which eats time and cash. plus, finding wordpress devs is a breeze compared to digging up specialists for other platforms.
Agencies don’t stick with WordPress just because they’re stuck in the past. It’s about money and automation.
WordPress has this huge ecosystem you can automate everything around - client onboarding, deployments, content updates, maintenance, backups, billing. All seamless.
Those drag-and-drop builders? They’re closed boxes. Try automating client handoffs or pushing updates across 50 sites on different platforms. Total nightmare.
WordPress scales better too. With 100+ client sites, you need systems that talk to each other. APIs, webhooks, automated workflows - WordPress plays nice with everything.
The learning curve thing is backwards. Yeah, builders might be faster for one-off sites, but agencies need repeatable processes. Training your team on one flexible system beats managing a bunch of limited tools.
From what I’ve seen, the agencies killing it are automating their WordPress workflows. They’re not manually building sites anymore - they’re running automated systems handling everything from setup to maintenance.
Want to see how powerful WordPress automation gets? Check out Latenode. It connects WordPress with any tool through visual workflows. No coding needed, but way more powerful than any website builder.
WordPress beats other platforms because it’s technically flexible. I’ve worked with tons of different tools over the years, and client needs always outgrow what drag-and-drop builders can do. WordPress adapts to complex business requirements without making you start over. When clients need custom integrations - CRM connections, inventory systems, specialized payment setups - WordPress handles it. Most website builders hit walls fast with this stuff. The plugin ecosystem is huge and mature. You’re not rolling the dice on whether features will stick around. The dev community actually maintains and updates the tools agencies depend on. Business-wise, WordPress sites just perform better long-term. SEO is more robust, page speed has more optimization options, and you can fix issues yourself instead of waiting for platform updates. Those simpler tools work fine for basic sites, but agencies have clients who want to grow. WordPress scales with them instead of becoming something they’ll need to ditch later.