In our previous blog post, Why Agencies and Developers need WordPress Management Services, we mentioned that how Matt Mullenweg told the audience at Wordcamp Europe that WordPress is becoming a primary choice for businesses around the world.
We also discussed that business owners have a difficult time in keeping pace with the developing technologies on the web. This is why they seldom have a clue which can cost when a hacker or malware attack or plugin suddenly malfunctions. This can be dangerous to their business and there is chance that they might lose their clients’ trust due to frequent downtimes.
To magnify the importance of such issues, we contacted business influencers that have experience of serving large companies. Our first Q & A session about WordPress for business is with Mr. Mark W. Schaefer.
Mark Schaefer is an acclaimed college educator, author, speaker and consultant who have been featured in Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and CBS News. He consults on marketing strategy, business development, and social media marketing. His clients include IBM, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, and the U.K. government. Mark also writes a very popular blog which has an active following from all corners of the world.
Cloudways: Why do you think so many businesses are turning to WordPress for powering their website?
Mark Schaefer: I think the last data I saw showed that approximately 50% of the biggest blogs in the world are using WordPress. It’s easy to use and continually evolving and it is very cost-effective compared to other CMS solutions. [My business] site is based on WordPress, including my eCommerce.
Cloudways: Do you think businesses are finding WordPress easier to use than other CMS solutions present in the market?
Mark Schaefer: It [WordPress] is about as easy to use as a Word document and also highly flexible. I think ease of use is a major advantage.
Cloudways: How do you see WordPress being used by bigger companies in the future?
Mark Schaefer: It will depend on their strategy and the complexity of the business: security might be an issue for some companies; or heavy needs for eCommerce. Some companies might even have proprietary web technology that is important to their marketing strategy. WordPress certainly would not fit the business needs in many cases. I think the sweet spot for WordPress is probably going to be in small to medium sized businesses.
Cloudways: How important is it for businesses to consider investing into reputable hosting for WordPress?
Mark Schaefer: The bigger my business becomes the more important this issue becomes! The more traffic I receive, the more vulnerable I become to problems, so it is very important to have a partner watching out for both problems and opportunities.
Cloudways: Do you suggest business owners to self-host a WordPress site, or managed hosting for WordPress is a better option?
Mark Schaefer: Again, it depends on the strategy. Many large companies may want to keep their data behind a firewall, but small and medium sized companies might benefit from a managed service.
Meet 25+ WordPress Stars and Read Their Success Stories.
Cloudways interviewed these people to help you succeed in the WordPress world too.
Thank You
Your Magazine is on its Way to Your Inbox.
Cloudways: Do you think the WordPress security and backing up the data is very important for a business or a digital agency that holds client details on site?
Mark Schaefer: This is absolutely critical. Today, there is a lot of equity in a website and its content. This is a huge investment for many companies. There have to be safeguards in place.
Conclusions:
- Approximately 50% of the biggest blogs in the world are using WordPress. It is very cost-effective compared to other CMS solutions.
- Security might be an issue for some companies or heavy needs for eCommerce.
- More traffic, the more vulnerable I become to problems so it is very important to have a WordPress hosting management partner watching out for both problems and opportunities.
- Small and medium sized companies might benefit from a managed WordPress hosting service.
- Today, there is a lot of equity in a website and content. This is a huge investment for many companies. There have to be safeguards in place.
If you any questions, please share with us in comment section.
You can also download our Free Guide “10 killer tips to optimize WordPress for peak performance”.
Saad Khan
Muhammad Saad Khan is a Director of Product Marketing at Cloudways (by DigitalOcean), a Growth Hacker extraordinaire, and a force to be reckoned with on the table tennis court. He's spent a decade building innovative customer-led growth strategies that helped Cloudways grow from 0 to 89,000 customers & is a regular at WordCamp events worldwide.