Thinking about using WordPress for your website?
Well, good!
Super versatile and easy to use, this all-popular content management system's become the go-to choice for both individuals and businesses.
Heck, WordPress is so dominant in this space that it now powers almost 40% of all websites on the internet!
Want to find out what all the fuss is about and learn more about why it's such a first-class platform?
We can help.
As you may already know, there are actually two versions of WordPress out there to choose from: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. Now, going into detail on the differences between them is a job for another article!
The most important thing to note is that WordPress.org is self-hosted and is open-sourced , whereas the .com version isn't. Both give you:
WordPress is a better option for anyone other than someone running a small, personal blog.
Whether you opt for WordPress.com or .org, though, you won't pay a dime to get started. Both versions are 100% free to download, thanks to their open-source nature, allowing teams of contributors to use the software in their projects.
That's a big deal if you want to experiment with the platform without investing any of your hard-earned cash!
However, because WordPress.org is self-hosted, you will have to purchase your domain name and pay for web hosting. Thankfully, countless budget-friendly hosting services only charge a few dollars each month for it!
You don't have to be an IT expert or technological whiz kid to learn how to use WordPress either. Indeed, one reason for its mass popularity is that anybody can use it.
You can be a complete website newbie or a professional coder with 30 years of experience, and both enjoy using this platform. It costs little to nothing to get started and offers premium customer support only adds to the accessibility. And don't worry if you do get stuck somewhere.
WordPress users have created many online resources that outline every aspect of setting up and running a WP site. You'll find a stack of free blog articles, YouTube videos, e-books, and seminars explaining the solution no matter the issue.
There are even designated WordPress forums for you to post questions and receive answers from fellow users! Failing that, browsing through peoples' past questions could provide an answer too.
Like people and businesses, the best websites change and adapt.
Everything from the color scheme and layout to the overall user experience shifts over time to reflect the latest online trends, SEO rules, rebranding efforts, and so on.
Unfortunately, other website-builders make this a challenge. But not WordPress! Thanks to the many plugins and themes available, scaling up and/or altering the course couldn't be simpler.
That's right, the purpose of these handy features doesn't stop at the setup phase. They're invaluable when you need to upgrade your site too. Imagine a business that offers customers different membership options. If they decided to add another income stream by selling digital products one day, they could simply use the WooCommerce plugin and have it running quickly.
And that's just one example! With 54,000 free plugins and thousands of paid ones now available, the options for scaling your site are endless.
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We noted earlier how WordPress' self-hosted nature puts you in total control. But it's worth explaining why that's so valuable for your website!
In short, it gives you options. Similar to owning a house, you can decide exactly what it looks like and how it functions. You can also change your mind at any point and alter course in line with your vision for the site.
Alas, this isn't possible with other website builders, such as Squarespace or Wix. To continue with the housing analogy, the fact these platforms aren't open source means you're essentially renting a website from them.
They decide where it's hosted, and complex changes require experienced programmers to complete. If they choose to update their processes, then you're forced to go along with it. And the worst part?
If you stop paying for that particular service, you'll lose access to all your pages, files, and work. With WordPress, you own everything, putting you in the driving seat at all times.
Contrary to what many people think, WordPress isn't just for bloggers!
It may have started out like that, but it's shifted focus over time to become a much better-rounded and more versatile platform.
Whether you want to create an e-commerce site or a job board, a business directory, or an online forum, there's almost no limit to the type of website you can develop on WordPress these days.
The best part?
Developing the site you want couldn't be easier. Generally speaking, all you do is pick the theme and plugins that feel right and follow the setup instructions. Throw an occasional bit of code into the mix, and voila, you're up and running.
This isn't to say anything bad about its blogging acumen, though!
Because its origins are in this niche, WordPress continues to shine here too.
Indeed, whereas other site-building services seem to treat their blogging interface as an afterthought, you'll enjoy a swift, simple, and polished way to publish blog posts if that's on your agenda.
Imagine a musician setting up a website to promote their latest album. Or a photographer who wants an online portfolio to show their work to prospective clients.
Thanks to WordPress, they'd have no trouble uploading any of their respective files.
Why?
Because this multipurpose platform supports almost every type of media under the sun. Whether you need to upload something commonplace, like a .JPG, .GIF, or .PDF, or something more obscure, like an .OGG or .3GP, you'll almost always be able to do it.
We say "almost always" because certain files (SVGs are a good example) aren't permitted.
But even then, you should be able to find a workaround that lets you upload them! Simply Google the file format (e.g., "how to upload SVGs to WordPress") to find a tutorial that explains the process.
Worried about the maintenance side of things?
Don't be!
Although there are perks to paying a web development company to handle it, you can save sizable sums of money by taking the DIY approach instead. Furthermore, having a good host and some relevant plugins make handling the main tasks relatively straightforward.
In a world where cyberattacks are increasingly common, for instance, it's imperative that your website's backed up and secure at all times. What's great about WordPress is that you can either install a simple plugin to do both or pay for a managed hosting plan to do the same.
And remember, the mass of trouble-shooting and "how-to" style resources online should shed light on anything you're unsure about!
The secret to success for any site is search engine optimization (SEO).
After all, this is what helps Google (or any other search engine) find, understand, and rank your content online! Get your SEO strategy right, and you can reap the rewards of huge amounts of traffic without spending a cent on ads.
Want to find out how this pertains to WordPress?
With various SEO capabilities built into the platform, WordPress makes this crucial and complex part of running a website much simpler. Not only does it automate key SEO elements, such as generating meta-descriptions and title tags, but there are also many plugins designed to facilitate this specific task.
Yoast SEO is a prime example. A must-have for any WordPress user, it'll reveal everything from how effectively you've targeted your keywords in an article to how compelling your titles are.
Leverage the Benefits of Using WordPress for Your Website
As you can tell, there's no shortage of reasons to follow the crowd and use WordPress for your website!
A content management system that's used by millions of people around the world, including some of the biggest sites on the internet, you can rest assured that you're in safe hands.
Trust us, whether you're setting up an e-commerce site, a personal blog, an online portfolio, or anything else, you'd be hard-pressed to find another option that's as versatile, powerful, or convenient.
Ready to give it a try? Contact Bright Vessel today for best-in-class support building and managing your new WordPress site.
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