If you are thinking about starting your website, the chances are you already heard about WordPress. It is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) in the world. And there are several good reasons for that.
In this guide, you’ll find out why it is the best choice for any type of website.
WordPress Overview
First of all, it is important to note that this article is about WordPress.org. The .com version is a simple way to start a blog, sure. But it has limited functionality and customization compared to the other one.
WordPress is a solution used by 43% of all websites online, according to W3Techs. And it is also used by 64.2% of platforms with CMS.
Some of the sites that use it are:
- Indeed;
- Zoom;
- Salesforce;
- GoDaddy;
- Grammarly.
It is a reliable and trusted CMS that fits a multitude of needs. Now, let’s dive into the reasons to use it.
1. It is Free
One of the main reasons to opt for it is that it is completely free. So whether you are an entrepreneur or a student blogger, it helps significantly reduce the cost of starting a website. Anyone can download WordPress and customize it according to their needs free of charge, which is a great benefit. Sure, you’ll still have to pay for hosting and domain name, but it is still a great deal.
Students might particularly enjoy that as they usually have to live on a budget. Saved money can go to better things like educational disbursements or WritePaper.com services. It is a professional academic writing service that helps students with all kinds of papers. You might opt for editing, proofreading, or writing assistance to ensure your assignment is polished to perfection.
And it also gives more time to get into website and content creation, which is very important to both bloggers and small business owners. So if a student needs some help with their college papers, it is a sure way to get the best results in almost no time.
2. You Control the Site and Data
Some platforms offer to host a website (Squarespace and Medium). However, in such a case, you do not get full ownership of your page and the data on it.
With WordPress, it is the opposite. When you start it for the first time, you get full control over everything you do. You can back up everything, from themes to databases. And you can also export and save all the media and files.
This is useful when one wants to:
- Migrate to another CMS at any point;
- Transfer the page to a new template;
- Prevent data loss;
- Transfer to mobile-optimized CMS;
- Move to a new hosting provider.
Also, if you host your page on another platform, if it goes down, you risk losing all your work. But by having your own website, you can eliminate such an issue.
3. It is Easy to Use
Another major advantage of WP is that it is beginner-friendly. Surely, there is some learning curve there, and you’ll spend some time figuring things out. However, you can study WordPress and use it without any coding knowledge or prior experience.
The dashboard is quite simple and straightforward. It is easy to create posts and customize the design elements as you like them. Also, there are regular updates and new plugins released.
As it is widely used worldwide, the community is quite big as well. So there are plenty of tips and tricks, tutorials, and manuals on how to make the best of it.
4. It is Great for eCommerce
This CMS is particularly amazing for small business owners or anyone who intends on selling their services or products online. With the WooCommerce plugin, one can launch an online store in minutes.
There are plenty of features that help promote products and sell them. Also, one can have paid subscription, sell tickets to online or offline events, or run an affiliate program.
Here is another benefit – you can choose almost any payment processing out there, including:
- PayPal;
- Payoneer;
- Google Checkout;
- Stripe;
- QuickPay;
- 2Checkout;
- Bitcoin;
- Authorize.net, etc.
So even if you are starting small, it is easy to scale up and go global as your business grows.
5. It is Fully Customizable
Besides the wide payment options and great functionality, WordPress offers a high level of customization. One can create a unique website easily and often without spending a dime on it.
There are thousands of free themes and templates for various types of platforms, from blogs to clothing shops. And there are thousands of free plugins as well. They serve as functionality blocks. Whenever you need to add some features, you can download and install a plugin to do so.
Plugins can be used for:
- Contact forms and signups;
- Site analytics;
- SEO performance;
- Added cybersecurity;
- Social media incorporation;
- Schedule managing;
- Create a membership program;
- Customer service features;
- Invoicing, etc.
Basically, anything you need your platform to be can be added with a WordPress plugin. This is what makes this CMS so flexible and usable for a multitude of individuals. One can create a custom and unique site that fits their specific needs.
Also, beginners might not know that even if you opt for a free theme, you can change all the elements in it to your branding. One doesn’t have to be a web designer or programmer to do it. There are drag-and-drop builders that make the process easy for anyone.
One can choose colors, upload logotypes, or change the background.
6. It is SEO Friendly
Search engine optimization is crucial for any website. It drives organic traffic and ensures people can find your platform. The fact that WP is built with SEO in mind makes it a perfect choice.
It is designed with semantic markup, the one search engines like Google or Bing love. This ensures that sites created with WP rank higher than their competitors on the search results page.
And you can also optimize your content and page even more with plugins like WordPress SEO, Yoast SEO, or All in One SEO. According to Ahrefs report, WordPress sites gain about 45% of search traffic monthly while Squarespace ones only get 15%.
With plugins, you can optimize each individual page, from meta titles to keyword stuffing. It is much easier to get into the SEO game, even if you do not know much about it yet.
7. It is Secure
Although it is an open-source technology, it is safe and secure. There are in-built security features as well as additional plugins to ensure all the data is protected.
This is particularly important to eCommerce sites as they deal with sensitive information on clients. And it is here to stay. Since the initial release, it has been only growing in popularity and shows no signs of slowing down.
Summary
WordPress is a perfect option for any type of website you want to create. It is free, scalable, and highly functional. It allows the creation of unique sites with any type of features one needs. It has a great community of users and a wide range of customization options. Also, it is secure and SEO friendly.
