WordPress

WordPress still pays the bills because it gives you ownership and flexibility you actually use. You can spin up a site, swap a theme, or build a custom template and control every detail of typography, spacing, and interaction. The ecosystem hands you mature solutions for SEO, forms, memberships, and commerce through plugins and integrations, so you rarely have to invent basic features.

For production work the platform scales cleanly. You can self host if you want full control or pick a managed host to outsource updates and backups. WooCommerce turns a site into a proper store that can grow with your needs. APIs and plugins let you connect headless pieces or bespoke services when a project needs something custom.

With control comes maintenance. You manage updates, security, and performance unless you pay for managed ops. Plugins can add bloat, so curate what you install and keep the stack tight. Do that and WordPress becomes the practical, long game platform for portfolios, editorial platforms, shops, and projects that must scale.