We came across a recent post from another agency that is deeply involved in the Umbraco community. We noticed that while there are a few valid points the author was also propagating a handful of myths, half-truths, and falsehoods. We appreciate both CMSs for their strengths and weaknesses. But somethings cross into the silly space where its just nonsense.
As widely adopted solutions, both WordPress and WooCommerce are often surrounded by misconceptions that may undervalue their potential. Here, we dispel some of the most common myths about WordPress as a CMS and WooCommerce as an eCommerce solution, clarifying their capabilities for enterprise and complex use cases.
Myth 1: WordPress is Just a Blogging Platform
Originally designed as a blogging tool back in 2003, WordPress has evolved into a powerful CMS capable of managing complex websites, eCommerce stores, content libraries, and even enterprise-level digital experiences. Through its extensive ecosystem of plugins, themes, and customizations, WordPress now supports websites across diverse industries, including retail, media, government, and education.
Myth 2: WordPress Can’t Handle Custom Taxonomies
WordPress supports custom taxonomies that allow for more complex data organization than simple categories or tags. Custom taxonomies enable developers to structure and display information in flexible ways, making WordPress suitable for intricate content architectures, such as large knowledge repositories, eCommerce sites with multiple product categories, or multimedia galleries with advanced filtering options. We would argue the majority of WordPress sites are using custom content types as part of their theme or ecommerce implementation. While WordPress has maintained its out of box posts and pages with categories and tags, this is by no means a limiting factor with the CMS.
Myth 3: WordPress and WooCommerce Can’t Scale
Both WordPress and WooCommerce are often perceived as suitable only for small to medium-sized websites. However, with the right infrastructure and optimizations, they can scale to accommodate high-traffic enterprise environments. Many large organizations leverage WordPress and WooCommerce for high-traffic sites and online stores. Managed hosting, caching solutions, and database optimization allow WordPress and WooCommerce to support demanding traffic loads and maintain stable performance. In fact, WooCommerce powers some major online retailers, proving its ability to scale when configured with enterprise-level hosting and optimizations.
Some absolutely huge WordPress sites include Tech Crunch, Sony Music, the official White House website, and Rolling Stone. AdTelic is not affiliated with these sites but they are great examples of WordPress websites at scale.
Myth 4: WordPress and WooCommerce Are Inherently Not Secure
While both WordPress and WooCommerce rely on open-source models, they are not inherently insecure. WordPress’s core is maintained by a community of developers who issue regular security updates, and WooCommerce receives dedicated security support to address eCommerce-specific vulnerabilities. A wide range of security plugins, managed hosting solutions, and industry best practices—such as regular updates, secure plugins, and firewalls—enhance the security of WordPress and WooCommerce, making them capable of meeting high-security requirements when configured appropriately. WordPress can be hardened to meet security certifications. WP Engine obtained ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification and SOC 2 requirements. We are not saying it is easy, but it can be done. To say otherwise is nonsense.
Myth 5: WordPress and WooCommerce are Slow
Performance issues with WordPress or WooCommerce are often related to poorly optimized setups or low-quality hosting rather than limitations in the platforms themselves. With proper performance configurations—such as caching, image optimization, and content delivery networks (CDNs)—WordPress and WooCommerce can be optimized to deliver fast, responsive experiences, even for content-heavy or complex eCommerce sites. Many managed hosting providers offer specialized configurations for WooCommerce that address common speed bottlenecks, ensuring smooth operation at scale.
Myth 6: WordPress is Not Headless
WordPress supports headless configurations, allowing it to act as a decoupled back-end that serves content via API to various front-end frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue. This capability enables WordPress to function as a versatile content API for multi-channel digital strategies, from mobile apps to IoT devices. WooCommerce can also be part of a headless setup, allowing its eCommerce functionality to integrate seamlessly into other front-end frameworks, enhancing flexibility and enabling faster content delivery across digital channels.
WordPress and WooCommerce
WordPress and WooCommerce provide far more than basic blogging and small-scale eCommerce capabilities. With support for custom taxonomies, scalability optimizations, advanced security measures, and headless configurations, WordPress and WooCommerce are robust solutions for a range of business needs. Understanding these strengths enables organizations to assess WordPress and WooCommerce based on their actual capabilities, free from common misconceptions. Skip the lazy comparisons of Umbraco and WordPress and start with your business requirements when selecting a CMS or DXP.