Nixbly
How WordPress turned an entire generation of developers into copy-pasters
Need a form?
Plugin.
Need a slider?
Plugin.
Need SEO, security, caching, GDPR, social buttons, popups, analytics, and custom post types?
Plugins. Plugins. Plugins.
Building with WordPress today often means stitching together 30+ plugins and hoping nothing explodes.
🤯 WordPress turned convenience into a crutch
- Devs installing plugins instead of learning how things work
- Sites crashing because two plugins conflict
- Performance sinking from bloated front-end scripts
- Security holes introduced by abandoned extensions
WordPress isn’t low-code. It’s too-many-dependencies code.
📉 The real-world cost
- Sites that take 8+ seconds to load
- 10+ MB homepages from plugin bloat
- Plugin updates breaking production because no one tested properly
- Clients stuck in ecosystems they don’t understand — and can’t scale
You’re not building a custom site. You’re building a WordPress Jenga tower.
🧠WordPress development ≠plugin installation
But that’s what many freelancers are selling:
- Drag-and-drop page builders as “custom design”
- WooCommerce + 12 add-ons called “custom eCommerce”
- ACF and CPT UI stacked on top of third-party themes with no real logic
You’re not developing. You’re assembling. And it shows.
âś… What needs to change?
📚 Teach fundamentals: PHP, SQL, hooks, filters — stop hiding behind plugins
🧱 Build with code first, plugin last: Use plugins as support, not the core
⚙️ Audit every plugin: How often is it updated? Is it really necessary?
🧰 Fewer, better tools: Custom functions > 30 plugin settings screens
🧠Own the solution: If it breaks, can you fix it without support threads?
âť“Ask yourself:
- Can you build a feature without a plugin?
- Is your site fast because it’s optimized — or just because you haven’t installed enough yet?
- Are you a developer… or just a plugin operator?
👉 WordPress is powerful — when you use it with intention.
It’s time to stop outsourcing skill to plugins.
Post inspired by the bloated, insecure, and poorly maintained WordPress sites developers are cleaning up every day — and the growing need for real craftsmanship in the CMS world.