The WordPress Question
Almost everyone who needs a website hears it at some point: "Just use WordPress." And yes — WordPress has its place. But it's not the best solution for every case.
WordPress: The Strengths
- Huge ecosystem — thousands of plugins and themes
- Familiar CMS — many users know the backend
- Quick setup — a simple site is up in hours
- Low entry cost — shared hosting from €5/month
WordPress: The Weaknesses
- Performance — Plugins, themes, and database queries slow the site down. A Lighthouse score of 50-60 is not uncommon.
- Security — WordPress is the #1 target for attacks. Plugins need constant updates, and every plugin is a potential vulnerability.
- Maintenance — PHP updates, plugin conflicts, theme updates. The site doesn't "just run" — it needs active maintenance.
- Customization — Once a theme isn't enough, it gets expensive. Custom WordPress development is often more work than building from scratch.
Custom Website: The Strengths
- Performance — Lighthouse scores of 90+ are the standard, not the exception
- Security — No plugins, no known attack vectors. The attack surface is minimal.
- No overhead — Only the code that's needed. No 50 plugins for basic functionality.
- Full control — Every detail is customizable, without plugin limitations
Custom Website: The Weaknesses
- Higher initial investment — A custom website costs more than a WordPress template
- No self-editable CMS — Content changes go through the developer (or a headless CMS)
- Smaller market — Fewer developers who work with it
Who Should Choose What?
WordPress is good for:
- Blogs with frequent content changes by non-technical users
- Very tight budgets
- Projects where performance isn't a critical factor
Custom is better for:
- Business websites that need to look professional
- Projects where performance and SEO matter
- Long-term projects with ongoing operations
- Anything beyond a standard website
Our Approach
At Benetos, we build custom websites with Next.js. The initial investment is higher, but ongoing costs are lower (no plugin management, less maintenance, better performance). And the results speak for themselves: Lighthouse Performance 90+, SEO 100, Best Practices 100.