Why We Don’t Build WordPress Websites

At Oaken Digital, we’re often asked why we don’t build websites using WordPress — especially when it’s the most popular CMS in the world. The short answer? Because it doesn’t serve our clients’ best interests.

WordPress: Great Idea, Misused in Practice

WordPress was originally created as a blogging platform to empower non-technical users to update their content easily. While that sounds great in theory, the reality is very different.

We’ve seen that about 95% of business owners with WordPress sites still rely on developers to make updates, defeating its core purpose. Instead of empowering teams, WordPress often becomes a source of frustration and hidden maintenance costs.

Security Vulnerabilities

WordPress is open source and widely adopted, which makes it a prime target for hackers. Most security breaches happen because of outdated plugins or poorly maintained themes — and keeping them up to date isn’t as simple as clicking a button.

These vulnerabilities expose your business to risks like data breaches, downtime, and even SEO penalties if your site gets blacklisted.

Plugin Overload and Speed Issues

To achieve modern functionality, many WordPress sites rely on dozens of plugins, each adding weight and increasing the chances of conflict.

This plugin bloat, combined with heavy themes, makes WordPress sites notoriously slow. Speed is critical for SEO, user experience, and conversions — and a bloated site can cost you real business.

Plugins Breaking Each Other

Even if your plugins are up to date, they don’t always play nicely together. A simple update can cause unexpected errors or take down entire sections of your site.

This creates an ongoing cycle of patching, testing, and praying nothing breaks — not exactly a scalable or stress-free solution.

Our Alternative: Fast, Purpose-Built Websites

Instead of retrofitting generic themes and patching together plugins, we build custom, purpose-built websites that are fast, secure, and truly designed around your business goals.

We leverage modern frameworks like Next.js, React, and headless CMS platforms like Payload and Sanity. The result? Sites that:

• Load fast and rank better in search results
• Are easy to maintain and update (even for non-technical users)
• Scale as your business grows
• Integrate seamlessly with other business applications

Surprisingly Affordable

Many business owners are surprised to learn that our custom solutions often cost less than a WordPress build. Why? Because we don’t waste time fighting plugin conflicts or retrofitting templates that don’t fit. We focus on exactly what you need, nothing more.

Final Thoughts

Your website should be a growth engine, not a headache. If you’re looking for a digital partner who builds websites that are secure, fast, and truly tailored to your business, WordPress just isn’t the right tool — and that’s exactly why we don’t use it.