To WordPress or Not To WordPress

That is the question. I have been developing websites for clients for several years now. When I first started the business, I do not use open source software for my clients because I feel like I cheated them out of my own personal work. I’m really big on a static website (like only I know how to do it) and themes.

At fully custom time, I knew little about the form of a Content Management System (CMS). I do, however, learn very quickly what “website maintenance” could possibly require. I saw my time to create a new website is fast shrinking with only three clients – all desired changes have been made on their site yesterday. And of course, without any form of user system can be used to edit their own content, a simple word change required me to dig into the code to make it edits.

Meanless to say, this that fun.So then I stumbled across WordPress. I do not mean hosting free blog at WordPress.com – spine instead of “download and install your own” type found at WordPress.org. Yes, there is a difference! Well, as I find some spare time between the end-client calm, I started playing with my own personal site. I’ve heard of WordPress for the first time, and I decided to install and try it. My first installation took about four hours (and, sad to say, no matter how I get into the database you need to fix something that I try to import and failed miserably on – I tried to make over an active forum as well as using BuddyPress). Then I realized the installation can take as little as 11 minutes! I have a red “facepalm” signing for hours.

Well, I immediately began to install WordPress for new clients, but continue to charge the same price as before (which honestly is not much to begin with – I learned a few lessons in self during the same). Guilt crept in at tenth time spent doing better work. I started doing some research and came up with the following analysis:

WordPress is free for me to use, but I will charge for it

Themes that have been made and often beautiful, but credit must be given to look

Child theme (my own version based on another template theme) is time-consuming and difficult to make (for beginners), but offset with free installation, and does not need to be credited (or may have My own personal ad there)

Plugin add functionality I can expect to achieve with my level of programming

The client will create and maintain their own contentThis author holds no more guilty for using open source software, especially WordPress. Can I put my time into a custom design and even do not worry about the content. Better yet, I can show others how to use this software once and did not even touch the fact myself.

In, I started doing it, and you can check it out for yourself! I’d rather not take my word for it anyway.