Magento and Prestashop still carry an aura of robustness. They smell like the early 2010s and the false comfort of “real developers use this.” The problem? Very few developers actually want to use them anymore.

Magento is heavy. It requires advanced technical knowledge just to keep running. Prestashop suffers from a fragmented plugin ecosystem and a UX/UI that feels more like an accounting tool than a modern web experience.

You won’t find a young dev eager to build their future on Prestashop, and Magento specialists are slowly becoming a rare species.

Shrinking Community, Shrinking Horizons

A tech product without a lively community is a zombie. No tutorials. No Stack Overflow support. Fewer devs. Fewer plugin updates. Fewer security patches. Less innovation.

In short: if you’re not Apple or Amazon with your own in-house team and maintenance budget, you’re going to hit a wall.

A solution without an active user base becomes a liability. And worse: a silent one. It works until it breaks—and then it’s already too late.

Custom CMS: The Trap of Control

Many companies still say things like:

“We needed something custom, more aligned with our business logic.”

Okay, sure. But let’s be honest.

Developing an in-house CMS is like building your own Excel to manage your finances. Fun idea for a dev sprint. Nightmare over time.

A tailor-made CMS isn’t a guarantee of performance—it’s a guarantee of:

• Devs that never really leave your company (or else)
• A stack no one else wants to touch
• Over-complicated onboarding
• A product that’s impossible to scale without reinventing the wheel every time

You’re not buying long-term performance; you’re buying long-term dependency.

Scarcity Isn’t Value

In branding, scarcity can be sexy. In tech, scarcity is dangerous.

If there are only 3 people in your country who know how to manage your CMS, that’s not a moat—it’s a trap.

The more niche your solution, the less likely it is to grow with your company. You’ll hit limits fast: API connections that don’t work, plugins that are abandoned, performance bottlenecks, SEO headaches, and worst of all—time lost on things that should be easy.

Your team isn’t here to fight your tools. They’re here to build with them.

The ROI Mirage

Magento and Prestashop are rarely chosen out of joy. They’re often chosen out of habit, legacy, or fear of going mainstream.

But let’s be clear: when your solution eats more resources than it saves, it’s no longer an investment. It’s a cost center.

Choosing scalable, widely supported platforms isn’t lazy. It’s smart. It means your developers have documentation, your marketers have automation tools, and your clients get a faster, more reliable experience.

What to Choose Instead?

Honestly, any tool is good as long as it’s:

• Actively maintained
• Supported by a broad, responsive community
• Easy to evolve with your business
• Onboardable in less than two weeks

Whether that’s WordPress with Elementor, Shopify, Webflow, or even a headless setup with modern stacks—it all depends on your real needs. But it should never depend on your dev team’s heroic ability to maintain a half-dead codebase.

Complexity Is Not a Badge of Honor

If your digital stack makes your team suffer, it’s not your team that’s weak—it’s your toolset that’s outdated.

A smart digital strategy doesn’t just chase performance. It chases autonomy, maintainability, and adaptability.

Your tools should move as fast as your ideas.

And in 2025, that means letting go of zombie platforms and choosing tech that’s alive and kicking.

Post-scriptum: If you have managed to build something great on Prestashop or Magento in 2025 without crying, please write to me. I owe you a beer. Or maybe an intervention.

If you were on Upwork, you’ve also saw an endless feed of people looking for “highly skilled dev” to build a TikTok’s clone in 24h for $500, but that’s another story.

It’s like the wild west out there, with everyone claiming to have the magic formula. Here’s the deal: real performance optimization starts way before you even think about installing those fancy plugins or diving into complex code tweaks.

(None of the links here are sponsored, but real advices coming from the real world and based on my own experience. Yes I use the Squoosh app, and I’m not afraid to say it loud and clear.)

Why Your Performance Problems Might Be “By Design”

First things first—let’s talk design. One of the biggest mistakes people make when building a WordPress site is relying on ready-made templates. Sure, they’re quick and easy, but they can be loaded with unnecessary code, features you don’t need, and bloated designs that slow your site down.

Instead of grabbing the first template that catches your eye, consider a custom design. A site that’s built from the ground up with performance in mind will always outperform one that’s patched together from pre-made parts. By using Elementor, you can build your own template and reach at least that 90+ grade on Lighthouse.

Now, Let’s Talk Tech: Caching, Minifying, and More

Once you’ve got a solid design foundation, there are still plenty of ways to give your site a serious speed boost. Here are some tips to help you out:

1. Caching Is Your Best Friend: Caching is like giving your website a memory. Instead of reloading the entire page every time someone visits, caching stores parts of your website so it can be delivered faster. You can use plugins like WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache to make this happen with just a few clicks.
2. Minify Your Code: When you minify your CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files, you’re basically stripping out unnecessary characters like spaces and comments. This makes the files smaller, so they load faster. Tools like Autoptimize or WP Rocket can handle this for you automatically.
3. Optimize Your Images: Images can be a huge drag on performance if they’re not optimized. Use tools like Smush or ShortPixel to compress your images without losing quality. Smaller images mean faster loading times. Alternatively, you can convert your images into WebP using the Squoosh app, because the less plugin you use the better.
4. Lazy Load Images: Instead of loading all your images when the page loads, lazy loading only loads them when they’re about to appear on the screen. This can drastically improve your initial load time.
5. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN stores copies of your website in data centers around the world. When someone visits your site, the CDN delivers it from the location closest to them, speeding up load times. Cloudflare and MaxCDN are popular options.
6. Cut Down on Plugins: I told you already. Yes, plugins are great. But too many can slow your site down, especially if they’re poorly coded or doing the same job. Keep your plugin list lean and mean, and deactivate or delete anything you’re not using. You can also consider using homebrew snippet to deal with simple tasks who don’t require the use of a full plug in.
7. Choose a Fast Web Host: Not all web hosts are created equal. Some are optimized for speed, while others are…well, not. Make sure your hosting provider is known for good performance, or you could be fighting a losing battle from the start.

Final Thoughts: Speed Is a Journey, Not a Destination

Improving your WordPress site’s performance isn’t something you can just check off a list. It’s an ongoing process. But by starting with a solid design and following up with smart optimizations, you’ll be miles ahead of the game. So, next time you see an ad promising to fix your site’s performance overnight, remember: real speed comes from smart choices, not quick fixes.

WWWWEB: Four Indicators to Guide Our Actions

WWWWEB, beyond being a catchy acronym, embodies our vision of agile and responsive web project management. Each component of WWWWEB – World, Wild, Weird, and Web – represents a unique performance indicator that helps us efficiently allocate the budget and make strategic decisions with our clients.

• World symbolizes global impact, strategy, management, and consulting.
• Wild evaluates the uniqueness and originality of content and design, as well as the user experience.
• Weird measures the boldness and innovation of the integrated features.
• Web focuses on content creation.

By analyzing these indicators each month, we can adjust our approach, ensuring that the site remains not only performant but also continues to surprise and delight its users.

Ongoing Collaboration with Our Clients

One of the pillars of our method is close collaboration with our clients. Every month, we hold a dedicated meeting where we review the WWWWEB indicators together. These discussions allow us to understand the client’s current or emerging needs, identify areas requiring improvement, and determine new features to add to the site.

This collaborative approach ensures that the adjustments made are not only reactive but also proactive, anticipating future needs and capitalizing on emerging trends. Thanks to this flexibility, we are able to add features on the fly, constantly adapting the site to best reflect the company’s identity and objectives.

The Advantage of a Dedicated Consultant

To ensure the success of this continuous improvement strategy, each client benefits from a dedicated consultant. This professional is not only a web expert but also a strategic partner who deeply understands the specifics of the business. This close relationship allows priorities to be adjusted quickly and efficiently, ensuring that each improvement made is perfectly aligned with the client’s needs.

Continuous improvement at WWWWEB is not just a theoretical concept; it is a commitment to evolve your website throughout the year. With regular performance analysis, active collaboration, and the flexibility of a dedicated consultant, we offer our clients a web platform that is not only high-performing today but will remain so tomorrow and beyond.

An Evolving Strategy for Lasting Success

In the digital world, stagnation is synonymous with falling behind. That’s why at WWWWEB, we have made continuous improvement our mission. By combining innovative performance indicators with a collaborative and flexible approach, we help our clients stay ahead, evolving their website in line with market needs and user expectations.

Choose WWWWEB, and give your business the means to grow and adapt continuously in a constantly evolving digital world.

• You can renew your contract.
• You can put your site in sleep mode (“sleeping mode”).
• You can choose not to renew your contract.

Renewing your contract

When renewing your contract, if you previously opted for a 12 or 24-month contract, you can renew it for 1 month, 12 months, or 24 months.

The rates, however, will be different. When renewing from a contract of at least 12 months (the monthly offer does not allow for a discount), we will apply several discounts to your new contract.

• -20% : The monthly offer will be €420/month.
• -40% : The 12-month offer will be €3400/year.
• -50% : The 24-month offer will be €4,260, or €2,130/year.

For details on services

Sleeping mode

“Sleeping mode” preserves your site as it is: we will no longer create new content or add new features.

In sleeping mode, your existing site will remain:

• Hosted
• Secured
• Updated (in the case of a WordPress installation)
• Maintained
• Statistically monitored

You will continue to receive your monthly report.

The “sleeping mode” is offered at €948/year, or €89/month.

Not renewing your contract

Of course, we would be very sad to see you go, but we will do everything we can to ensure that we part on good terms.

Your site will be exported and sent to you so that you can install it on the server of your choice, in the way that suits you best.

We will keep a copy for one year, in case you decide to return to us.

In the event of returning to our services for the creation of a new site, related discounts would not apply.

In all other cases, for the creation of a new site, discounts do not apply. The contract is attached to the specific website, not the client.

For any additional questions, do not hesitate to contact us

Steps to Create a Website

1. Define the Website’s Objective

Before starting to create a website, it is crucial to clearly define its objectives. Whether it’s selling products online, promoting a brand, or providing information, having a clear vision of what the website should accomplish is essential to guide all subsequent steps in the creation process.

To help you with this task, we have created this form. It’s really going to help you clarify the needs of your project.

2. Choose a Development Platform

There are many website development platforms, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Among the most popular options in 2024 are WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify for e-commerce sites. The choice of platform will depend on the specific project needs, the level of customization required, and the available budget.

At the moment, WordPress dominates the market by a wide margin, for many reasons that we will detail in a future article.

3. Design the Site Architecture

Designing the site architecture involves creating a clear and intuitive navigation structure, allowing users to easily find the information they need. This includes defining main pages, navigation menus, and possibly categories or tags to organize content.

4. Create Content

Content is at the heart of every website. This includes text, images, videos, and any other multimedia elements that effectively communicate the brand’s message and engage visitors. Content should be informative, relevant, and optimized for search engines to improve the site’s online visibility.

5. Design and Development

Site design and development involve creating the user interface, laying out visual elements, and programming interactive features. This stage requires a combination of skills in graphic design, web development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript), and possibly back-end programming for more advanced features.

6. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization is essential to ensure that the site ranks well in search engine results. This involves using relevant keywords, optimizing HTML tags, creating high-quality content, and managing backlinks. In 2024, with the constant evolution of search algorithms, staying up-to-date with SEO best practices is crucial for the long-term success of the site.

7. Testing and Deployment

Before officially launching the site, it’s important to test it to ensure that it works properly on different browsers and devices, and provides an optimal user experience. Once testing is complete, the site can be deployed to the production server and made accessible to the public.

8. Continuous Maintenance

Creating a website doesn’t end once it’s deployed. Continuous maintenance is necessary to ensure that the site remains secure, functions properly, and stays aligned with technological advancements and changes in business or brand needs.

Required Skills for Website Creation

Creating a website requires a wide range of skills, from graphic design to web development to digital marketing. Here are some key skills needed to succeed in this field:

• Graphic Design: Ability to create attractive and intuitive user interfaces using graphic design tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or Sketch.
• Web Development: Proficiency in web programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, as well as popular frameworks and libraries like Bootstrap and jQuery.
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Understanding of the fundamental principles of SEO and the ability to optimize a site’s content and structure to improve its ranking in search engines.
• UX/UI Design: Knowledge of user-centered design principles and the ability to create smooth and intuitive user experiences.
• Project Management: Project management skills to plan, organize, and effectively coordinate all stages of the website creation process.
• Communication Skills: Ability to effectively communicate with clients, team members, and end-users to understand project needs and goals, as well as to gather feedback and user insights.

Conclusion

In conclusion, creating a website remains a dynamic and ever-evolving profession that requires a unique combination of technical, creative, and analytical skills. In 2024, as the demand for high-quality online presences continues to grow, professionals who can master the entire website creation process will have many exciting and lucrative career opportunities. By following best practices and staying constantly updated with the latest trends and technologies, website creators can not only meet their clients’ needs but also contribute to shaping the future of the web.

Easy and Cost-Effective Setup

Setting up a website can be a daunting task for small companies with limited resources. However, WordPress simplifies the process by providing a user-friendly interface and a range of affordable hosting options. With its one-click installation feature offered by many hosting providers, getting a WordPress site up and running is quick, cost-effective, and doesn’t require extensive technical expertise or hiring external developers.

Flexible and Scalable Design

WordPress offers an extensive library of themes and plugins that cater to diverse business needs. Small companies can choose from thousands of professionally designed themes or opt for custom themes to reflect their unique brand identity. This flexibility ensures that websites are visually appealing, functional, and can evolve alongside the business. As the company grows, WordPress allows for easy scalability by adding new features and functionalities through plugins without significant coding requirements.

Content Management Made Easy

Content management is vital for small companies to effectively communicate their brand message and engage their audience. WordPress excels in this area with its user-friendly editor, allowing businesses to effortlessly create, edit, and publish content. The intuitive interface enables non-technical staff to manage web pages, blog posts, and media files without relying on external assistance, saving both time and money on content updates and revisions.

Extensive Plugin Ecosystem

The vast plugin ecosystem of WordPress empowers small companies to extend their website’s capabilities without investing in custom development. Whether it’s adding e-commerce functionality, integrating email marketing tools, or optimizing for SEO, there are plugins available for almost every requirement. This eliminates the need for expensive development costs, enabling small businesses to achieve their goals efficiently and at a fraction of the price.

Enhanced Productivity and Collaboration

WordPress incorporates features that enhance productivity and streamline collaboration within small companies. Its user roles and permissions functionality allows different team members to have designated access levels, ensuring efficient content creation, review, and publishing processes. Furthermore, the ability to schedule posts and automate social media sharing reduces manual effort and increases productivity, enabling small companies to focus on core business activities.

SEO-Friendly Nature

Small companies often face challenges in gaining online visibility due to limited marketing budgets. WordPress, with its built-in SEO-friendly structure, can level the playing field. The platform generates clean and optimized code, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index the website. In addition, WordPress offers SEO plugins that provide valuable insights, helping small businesses optimize their content, meta tags, and other SEO elements, ultimately driving organic traffic and improving search engine rankings.

WordPress’s inner scalability offers small companies a powerful solution to save both time and money. By providing a cost-effective setup, flexible design options, simplified content management, an extensive plugin ecosystem, enhanced productivity features, and SEO-friendly capabilities, WordPress empowers small businesses to focus on growth and core operations. With WordPress as their foundation, small companies can unlock the potential to create a strong online presence, effectively compete in the digital landscape, and achieve their business objectives while optimizing resources and costs.

User-Friendly Interface

WordPress boasts an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it accessible to both beginners and experienced users. Its user-centric design enables non-technical individuals to build and manage websites effortlessly. With a straightforward setup process and a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, content creation and customization become a breeze, eliminating the need for coding knowledge.

Extensive Plugin Ecosystem

One of the standout features of WordPress is its vast plugin ecosystem. With over 50,000 plugins available, users can easily extend the functionality of their websites without writing a single line of code. Whether it’s adding e-commerce capabilities, integrating social media feeds, optimizing for search engines, or enhancing security, there is a plugin available for almost any desired feature. This versatility makes WordPress a true no-code platform, empowering users to build sophisticated websites with ease.

One of the standout features of WordPress is its vast plugin ecosystem. With over 50,000 plugins available, users can easily extend the functionality of their websites without writing a single line of code. Whether it’s adding e-commerce capabilities, integrating social media feeds, optimizing for search engines, or enhancing security, there is a plugin available for almost any desired feature. This versatility makes WordPress a true no-code platform, empowering users to build sophisticated websites with ease.

Customization and Theming

WordPress offers a wide range of themes and customization options, enabling users to create unique and visually appealing websites. From the WordPress Theme Directory to premium theme marketplaces, there are countless design options available for various industries and purposes. Additionally, the WordPress Customizer allows users to modify layouts, colors, fonts, and other elements, providing a highly customizable experience without the need for coding expertise.

Content Management Capabilities

As a content management system, WordPress excels in managing and organizing content efficiently. It offers powerful features such as categories, tags, and custom taxonomies that enable easy content structuring. With its built-in media library, users can effortlessly upload and manage images, videos, and other media files. Furthermore, WordPress’s scheduling feature allows content creators to plan and publish posts at specific times, enhancing productivity and consistency.

SEO-Friendly Structure

WordPress is inherently designed with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. Its clean and semantically structured code, coupled with customizable permalinks, enables search engines to crawl and index websites efficiently. Additionally, WordPress offers various SEO plugins that provide valuable insights, help optimize meta tags, generate XML sitemaps, and enhance website performance, resulting in improved search engine rankings and visibility.

WordPress continues to stand out as one of the best no-code platforms available, offering a seamless website development experience. With its user-friendly interface, extensive plugin ecosystem, customizable themes, robust content management capabilities, and SEO-friendly structure, WordPress empowers users to create and manage professional websites without any coding knowledge. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, blogger, or small business owner, WordPress provides the tools and flexibility to bring your online presence to life, making it a versatile framework in itself.

By harnessing the power of WordPress, you can unlock your creativity, build stunning websites, and focus on what truly matters – delivering valuable content to your audience.