Why Is WordPress So Hard to Use: Reasons and How to Fix Them

In this blog, we’ll explain why is WordPress so hard to use in the early days as a beginner. Additionally, we’ll provide practical solutions and best practices to help make WordPress more approachable and user-friendly, empowering you to unlock its full potential.

WordPress is undoubtedly one of the most popular and widely used website platforms, powering millions of sites, from small blogs to business pages and ecommerce stores. However, despite its popularity and user-friendly reputation, many people still find WordPress difficult to use, especially when they’re just starting. From the initial install and signing up for WordPress Hosting to creating and managing your website can be difficult, especially for beginners.

Reasons Why Is WordPress So Hard to Use

WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS) with a vast array of features, settings, and options. While WordPress offers immense creative freedom and flexibility, it does come with a steeper learning curve, especially for beginners to get comfortable with its interface, core features, and functions.

Steep Learning Curve

WordPress is a powerful and flexible platform that offers multiple benefits for building your website. However, the initial WordPress installation process can be a challenge for beginners. This is because it requires users to understand the requirements of WordPress Hosting and purchase a domain name before they can install the software.

The initial setup process involves configuring various settings within the dashboard. While these settings are labeled, it might not be clear what their purposes are and their impact on the website. This can be overwhelming for WordPress beginners who don’t have prior experience managing websites.

Next, WordPress relies on a database to store all its essential information. This information includes posts, pages, user data, configurations, and more. Without a database, you wouldn’t be able to launch your WordPress site.

When you install the core software, it prompts you to provide this information to connect to the database. Connecting your WordPress installation to a database, usually, the MySQL database management system, requires accurate information. This includes a username, password, and hostname, usually given to you by your hosting provider. Entering incorrect details will prevent WordPress from functioning.

WordPress also tends to use jargon and terminology that may be unfamiliar to non-technical users, such as posts, pages, permalinks, and more. Understanding these concepts and how they interrelate can be challenging for beginners.

Finally, while optional during the installation, customizing the website’s appearance and adding functionalities involves additional steps like installing plugins and themes. This can be tempting, however, choosing the right ones and managing compatibility can add an extra layer of complexity for beginners.

Admin Area, Dashboard, and Settings

If you’re new to website creation and management, terms like “Admin Area” and “Dashboard” might be unfamiliar. It can take time to understand what these sections are for and how they differ.

Admin Area refers to the entire backend section of WordPress, where you manage your website and its settings. It contains a collection of menus where you can configure your website, like general settings, writing options, and user permissions. As a beginner, it might be hard to find the specific setting you’re looking for.

The Dashboard is the main page in the Admin Area. It typically shows an overview of your website’s activity, recent posts, and quick access points for common tasks.

Like the Admin Area, the WordPress dashboard can present a lot of information at once. New users might be unsure of what each menu option, widget, or notification means. This again can be overwhelming for someone just starting out.

WordPress uses technical terms in the Admin Area and Dashboard like “posts,” “pages,” “categories,” “tags,” and “widgets” which can be confusing at first.

Accessing some functions requires navigating through multiple menus and sub-menus. This layered structure can make it difficult to find what you’re looking for quickly.

While menus are labeled, they might not provide enough context for beginners to understand their purpose. Clicking on an option might lead to a new page with even more unfamiliar settings.

Reliance on Third-Party Plugins and Themes

WordPress offers extensive customization options with its vast ecosystem of paid and free themes and plugins. These extensions offer incredible functionality and design flexibility, but their reliance can also be a source of complexity after installing the WordPress CMS. These options, while powerful, can be overwhelming for users who simply want to get their website up and running with a basic design.

Plugins and themes from different developers may not always work seamlessly together, causing conflicts or unexpected behavior on your website. Not to mention, poorly coded or outdated plugins can introduce security vulnerabilities to your website, making it susceptible to hacking attempts.

Keeping plugins and themes updated is crucial for both security and functionality. However, managing updates and potential conflicts between multiple plugins can be time-consuming.

Understanding the purpose and configuration of different plugins can add another layer of complexity for beginners.

Security Concerns

Newcomers to web site management might not be familiar with the different types of security threats and how they work.

Configuring security features like user roles, passwords, and other features is essential for protecting your website from unauthorized access, malware, and data breaches. Security features like firewalls and user permissions can involve settings that might be difficult to understand and implement for beginners.

Thankfully, while configuring security features can involve some technicality, it’s not necessarily overly complicated. Many security settings in WordPress are presented with clear options and explanations. Additionally, they are often designed to be user-friendly with guided setup processes.

Next, maintaining security requires keeping WordPress core, themes, and plugins updated with the latest security patches. Doing this manually for each can be time-consuming and if not done correctly can still leave gaps when it comes to securing your website.

Outdated or poorly coded plugins and themes can introduce security holes in your website. Hackers can exploit these vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access, steal data, inject malware, or deface your website.

How to Make WordPress Easier to Use

While WordPress does have a learning curve, there are ways to make using it easier and more manageable, especially for beginners.

Get WordPress Hosting with Hosted.com

One of the challenges of using WordPress for beginners, is dealing with technical aspects such as website performance, security, updates, and backups. These tasks can be time-consuming and require a certain level of technical expertise.

WordPress Hosting from Hosted.com helps keep your experience with the platform as easy and user-friendly as possible. On the back end, we handle server maintenance and daily automatic Acronis backups, freeing you up to focus on creating content, managing your website, and growing your site without worrying about the technical aspects of server management.

Our hosting servers are designed and tuned specifically to give your site the best possible performance, stability, and security. All WordPress hosting plans include LiteSpeed caching and SSD storage so your pages load quickly and keep your visitors engaged.

They come with a free SSL Certificate, cutting-edge anti-malware software, automatic updates for your software to secure your new website, and expert support to help you with any issues.

Our Client Portal offers 1-Click WordPress installation, the cPanel control panel, and simplifying the setup process. You also have access to all the tools you need for easily managing your WordPress website, hosting plan, and domain in one place.

Use A Page Builder

One of the most common challenges with WordPress for beginners after the initial setup is the design of the website. Creating custom layouts and page designs from scratch can be difficult, especially for those without coding or web design knowledge.

Page builders like Elementor allow you to design your website layout using drag-and-drop functionality. This eliminates the need for coding knowledge and provides a more intuitive way to customize your website and create visually appealing pages and layouts.

Many page builders come with a library of pre-designed templates and layouts. These templates are often customizable, allowing you to adjust them to your specific needs and branding. You can easily copy and paste your content across these templates, saving you time and effort compared to building a website from scratch.

Pre-designed templates not only provide a head start in creating a professional-looking website but also offer a consistent design across different pages, ensuring a cohesive user experience.

Keep in mind that even though page builders are easier than building your site from scratch, they still have a learning curve to understand the interface, elements, and features.

Start with a Beginner-Friendly Theme

Choose a theme designed specifically for beginners. These themes typically offer a clean interface, and simple settings, and focus on being easy to use and install.

While beginner themes might have fewer customization options compared to more complex themes, it’s important to note that these options are often focused on the most essential website design elements. This allows beginners to have a professional, good-looking site without getting lost in a sea of settings.

The standard WordPress themes that come with the software and popular third-party themes like Astra and OceanWP are known for being easy to use. They also give you the flexibility to create most kinds of websites from blogs to online stores. They offer a good balance of customization options, making them suitable for both beginners and more experienced users.

When selecting a beginner theme, consider things like a responsive design so your website displays well on different devices. Regular updates and support from the theme developers, compatibility with popular page builders and plugins, are also essential for beginners.

Additionally, look for themes that let you preview before you publish your site. This feature allows you to see the changes you make reflected on your website in real time. This is incredibly helpful for beginners to visualize their website as they customize it.

Choose And Install Plugins Carefully

Plugins can add functionality but can also introduce complexity and potential security vulnerabilities. Identify the core functionalities missing from your website and start with only the ones you absolutely need.

Popular choices for essential plugins include contact form plugins, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and security plugins. You can also look at using ones that combine features and functionalities, reducing the number you need to install.

Choose plugins that are actively updated to ensure compatibility with the latest versions of the core WordPress software and PHP (the scripting language it runs on) to make sure they work correctly and patch any security vulnerabilities that might be discovered. Additionally, use plugins that are lightweight and well-coded to avoid slowing down your website.

Remember, it’s always better to start with a few well-chosen plugins and add more as your needs evolve.

WordPress Tutorials and Resources

The official WordPress website has a wealth of comprehensive resources for learning about features, settings, and troubleshooting common issues. Additional websites also offer a wide range of beginner-friendly tutorials, guides, and videos covering assorted topics. Online forums and communities dedicated to WordPress can be a valuable resource for getting help with specific issues or asking questions from experienced users.

Consider taking online courses from reputable platforms like Udemy. These courses can provide a structured learning path and in-depth guidance on using WordPress effectively.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. The WordPress CMS has many features and options, which can overwhelm inexperienced users. Initial installation and setup can be difficult.
2. WordPress’s Admin Area and Dashboard can be confusing and cluttered, making it difficult to navigate and find specific features in the beginning.
3. Installing and managing plugins and themes can often lead to compatibility issues, causing conflicts and errors.
4. WordPress sites can be vulnerable to security threats if not properly maintained and updated, which can be a daunting task for non-technical users.
5. Hosted.com handles the technical aspects, such as security, updates, and backups, making it easier for non-technical users.
6. Choosing a simple and well-designed theme can improve the user experience for beginners.
7. Installing only essential plugins and keeping them updated can help mitigate compatibility issues and improve site performance.
8. Utilizing WordPress’s extensive documentation, tutorials, and online communities can help users learn and overcome challenges more effectively.

FAQs

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