WordPress is a great site building platform, with some major missing features.
Missing features that I think prevent it from being properly accessible to those who don't know how to code or manage web hosting.
I think these updates would make @WordPress (self-hosted) better...
1. Backup & Recovery
Making WordPress backups is currently left to plugins, the web host (ie JetBackup), or direct file + db backups.
Many of these solutions are not very consumer-friendly, leaning more towards a task that technical staff would perform
1.1 Backup & Recovery
As a platform that is considered low-code (or no-code), WordPress should really have a built-in backup and recovery system.
Modern no-code platforms like @webflow allow for automatic backups and/or manual backups when you need to.
1.2 Backup & Recovery
These @webflow backups are very easy to restore/recover back to, with just a few clicks.
Having the ability to take a quick backup, try something new on the site, then rollback if something doesn't work out would be infinitely helpful
2. Easy Roll-Back
The biggest problem spot for many websites is updates. WordPress plugins and themes update frequently and randomly, just as mobile apps do.
This issue is compounded when WordPress itself needs to be updated.
2.1 Easy Roll-Back
A built-in system for rolling back recent updates to plugins, themes, and/or WordPress itself would be crucial to allowing users to reliably update their websites (or even allow auto-updating in some cases).
2.2 Easy Roll-Back
As it sits, updating a WordPress site is easy...but recovering from any problems is difficult - leaving consumers stumped in a lot of cases.
Even the popular @elemntor site builder recommends using a staging environment and backups for many of their updates
3. Disaster Recovery
Once you experience the WordPress White Screen of Death (WoSD), that's it...you can't access the admin panel anymore and the website goes down.
This error is more common than you think, a simple plugin update can trigger it.
3.1 Disaster Recovery
The only way to recover from it is to have knowledge of file management on your host, or some development experience.
The frequency of the WoSD makes WordPress a dangerous platform to use for anyone looking for an entirely consumer experience.
3.2 Disaster Recovery
WordPress needs to have some sort of recovery mode (ie safe mode) that is always ready to spring into action in the event of a critical error. It should allow users to disable plugins and/or restore from a backup.
I hope these points drive some conversation on solutions and workarounds that people have successfully implemented.
I'd love to know how to improve my WordPress installs for my customers!
If you'd like to hear a full conversation/debate on this topic, we just released a podcast episode on it via @htmleverything
It is available right here: htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/if-you-cant-code-dont-use-wordpress