Why we trust WordPress websites

As a development team, we often get asked: “Why are you still working with WordPress?”
The answer isn’t that we’re “fans,” or that we’ve always done it this way. We keep choosing WordPress because we continuously evaluate it against today’s standards.

We closely follow developments in web technology, research and test new tools, and continuously assess what works best for our projects and clients. In this blog, we’ll explain why we continue to choose WordPress consciously and with care.

How we stay up to date in web development

If you want to assess whether WordPress is still the right choice, you need to know what’s happening in web development. That’s why we intentionally set aside time in our team to explore new techniques, tools and technologies.

We regularly experiment with new plugins, front-end techniques, animation libraries, and more in a sandbox environment. Every two weeks, we review our findings as a team and decide what’s worth using in our projects and what’s not quite there yet.

We rely on trusted sources like WP Tavern, Smashing Magazine and CSS-Tricks. Our hosting partner WP Engine shares regular updates and best practices, and whenever possible, we attend WordCamps or other tech events for fresh insights and inspiration.

This approach helps us stay sharp and ensures our choices are always well-informed.

How we evaluate tools for client projects

Every new feature we add is a deliberate choice. We make conscious decisions about which tools to use whether that’s plugins, external services or reusable code components. Not every tool is right for every project.

That’s why we assess each one critically before we implement it:

• Functional value: Does it solve a real problem we can’t efficiently build ourselves?
• Maintenance and reputation: Is it actively developed? Are there regular (security) updates?
• Performance impact: Is it lightweight? How does it affect site speed?
• Security: Does it meet our internal security standards and those of WP Engine?
• Compatibility: Does it work smoothly with our WordPress setup, PHP versions and hosting environment?
• Ease of use: Is it logical and easy for clients to manage?
• Documentation and support: Is solid documentation available? Is support accessible?
• Code quality: Is it maintainable, extensible and built according to WordPress coding standards?

Only after a test phase and thorough evaluation do we decide whether to use a tool in a live project.

Common misconceptions about WordPress

We hear them often:

“WordPress is insecure”
At its core, WordPress is highly secure. It’s actively maintained by a dedicated security team. Issues usually arise from poorly coded plugins, low-quality themes or outdated software.

What we do:

• Use only carefully selected plugins
• Build our own themes, free from unnecessary bloat
• Keep everything up to date
• Rely on WP Engine’s security-focused hosting
• Apply security best practices across all projects

“WordPress is slow”
It’s not WordPress itself, but how it’s used that affects performance. Poor hosting, too many (or slow) plugins, heavy themes and unoptimized images are often the real culprits.

Our approach:

• Custom themes focused on performance
• Hosting with WP Engine, optimized for speed
• Only essential, well-performing plugins
• Performance optimization from the ground up

“WordPress is just for blogs”
That may have been true once but not anymore. Today, WordPress powers everything from marketing sites to complex e-commerce platforms and community-based web apps. Its flexibility and vast ecosystem make it suitable for nearly any type of website.

The strength of WordPress lies in the execution

Using a pre-built theme combined with multiple plugins often leads to problems with performance, security and maintainability.

We make conscious choices:

• Custom themes with only the functionality that’s needed
• Managed hosting via WP Engine as a solid foundation
• A streamlined backend tailored to client needs
• Ongoing investment in our own knowledge and development approach

WordPress continues to evolve and so do we.

Our conclusion as a development team

Voor ons als ontwikkelaars is WordPress nog steeds een van de krachtigste en betrouwbaarste CMS’en die er zijn. Niet omdat het “gewoon werkt”, maar omdat we er bewust voor kiezen op basis van technische kennis, ervaring en constante toetsing aan wat er speelt in webontwikkeling.

For us as developers, WordPress remains one of the most powerful and reliable CMS platforms out there. Not because it “just works,” but because we choose it deliberately based on technical expertise, experience and continuous evaluation of what’s happening in web development.

Want to know if WordPress is the right choice for your project?
Take a look at how we use it on our WordPress development page or get in touch if you’d like to ask us something.