People from all over the world are aware about how the internet works. Aside from connecting people through different computer and mobile apps, the internet is also used in different industries either to introduce the company or to sell goods and services.
This is why both small and established companies are building their own websites. In fact, anyone who wishes to have their own space on the World Wide Web can do so by building a personal website. Among the many ways to build a website using WordPress is probably the most common method.
What is WordPress and Why Is It Popular?
For starters, WordPress started out as a blogging tool. A blog is a microsite, which can be built in minutes. Since it is easy to use, many aspiring bloggers use it to create their own blog sites. Years later, WordPress became a content management system that may be used to create both big and small websites. There are many features that come with it, including themes and plugins that make any site functional. The best thing about it is that most of the resources are free, easy to use, flexible, and SEO-friendly.
WordPress.com Vs WordPress.org
If you are just learning about WordPress, you may be wondering why there are WordPress sites that end with a -.com on their URL while some have -.org. Basically, the major difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org is who is hosting your website.
WordPress.com takes care of the hosting for you. It is free and you do not have to download any software, manage the server, or pay for customizing your site. The downside to this kind of hosting is that you are very limited in what WordPress allows you to do for your site. The URL, for example, will always include wordpress.com at the end. So if your website, for example, is MySite, it will be www.mysite.wordpress.com. Customization options for how the website looks are also limited according to the free themes or plugins provided by WordPress. However, if you are willing to pay, they also provide upgrade to access more advanced features like installing your own themes or plugins.
As for those with .org, you are hosting your own site. It could also be other people or companies called managed WordPress hosting providers, who run your site. It is still free to download the software but you need a couple of other things to make the website live. First, a separate web hosting account is needed. Most managed WordPress hosting plans offer one-click installation if you do not want to be bothered with the technical aspects of building the site from scratch. You will also need to have your own plugins and themes if you want to customize your site and extend its functionality. With .org, you get to name your site using a custom domain name.
Why Is WordPress the Best Platform to Build a Website
Now that you have learned about what WordPress is and the two kinds of hosting that is based on it, it is time to learn about the benefits of having WordPress for your own website.
1. It Lets You Save a Lot of Money
A managed WordPress hosting is the best way to go if you are not a whiz in building website. Aside from being a low-cost solution, it also allows you to create more content for your site rather than deal with the technical aspects of coding it.
Now, how can you save money if you are using WordPress? There are hosting providers that are dedicated to WordPress. For as low as $30 per month, managed WordPress hosting company, will give you basic WordPress hosting services that includes WordPress virus removal and WordPress security. Buying hosting security alone can already cost you a lot of money if you are going to use another platform instead of WordPress.
2. It Allows You to Build Any Kind of Website
With WordPress, especially if you are having a managed WordPress hosting, you can virtually build the website of your dreams.You will be surprised that some major companies, like Music labels, are using websites that are powered by WordPress. This means that no matter how small or big you want your site to be, WordPress can handle it.
3. You Do Not Need a Full Time Web Developer
If you are not familiar with how website building works, do not hire a web developer just yet. Search a little about managed WordPress hosting and that is all you need to start building your site. You see, WordPress is built both for novice and expert users. In fact, almost all the commands are point-and-click. This means that you can build a pro-looking site, with the assistance of a managed WordPress hosting provider. These companies have a technical team who can answer all your questions pertaining to managing your website so hiring a web developer is eliminated from the solution.
4. There are Thousands of Ways to Customize Your Site
Perhaps the well-loved quality of WordPress is their customization options. For both a self-hosted and WordPress hosted site, you have access to thousands of themes to design your site. There are also managed WordPress hosting providers that include premium themes to their hosting plans so you have more options to make your site as beautiful as you want it to be.
5. Add More Functions to Your Site
WordPress has a lot of plugins that extends functionality of any website. For example, if you want to give your site visitors a way to contact you, a plugin that can add a contact page may be used. There are also plugins that improve WordPress security, SEO, and even for creating a check-out system if you are having an online store.
6. It Will Take as Fast as Five Minutes to Build a Website
Installing WordPress, setting it up, and start creating content literally takes more or less than five minutes to complete. Most managed WordPress hosting have single-click install options, or they can install WordPress for you if you like.
7. It is Beginner-Friendly
If you think you cannot build a website because you do not know about codes, or don’t have a web design experience, think again. WordPress has a beginner-friendly user interface that is not confusing to use when managing the entire website. The dashboard is not complicated. You have the Live Editor to add new pages, content, and media. The Appearance section lets you customize the website using backgrounds, widgets, menus, etc. Everything is basically there in the dashboard and displayed in a plain manner so that it is easy to navigate and use.
8. Continuous Support and Updates
WordPress may be free but its quality is premium. There are millions of WordPress users around the world and they help one another using forums and discussion boards. Any of your questions will be answered by experts or other users. The company behind WordPress also regularly releases updates and they are always free. With an independent web designer, you will have updates but it will never be for free.
9. Mobile Devices are Supported
It can be frustrating to open a website from a mobile phone and see that it is not supported on your device. This kind of frustration is also felt by website owners. Some developers charge more if you want to have your website optimized for mobile use. One of the best things about WordPress is that it is fully responsive. This means that you do not have to change anything in the website to make it work on mobile devices. This is helpful if you are targeting users who are more-likely to use their phones and other gadgets when browsing your site.
10. Better Security
Hosting security is important whether you are building a free site or having a managed WordPress host. WordPress virus removal is tricky since malicious content are surfacing every now and then. WordPress is aware of this and are doing their best at providing security measures like updates and sending information about how you can protect your site against hackers.
Before going ahead and paying for a web designer to create your website, why not explore what you can do using WordPress? Having all these benefits (there are more!) should be enough reason to consider WordPress for your website. This is important because if you want your website to be a representation of yourself or the company, you need to be familiar with how it works.
WordPress is so easy to use and there will be no trouble of you learning the ropes on how to use it effectively. Throwing away thousands of dollars for a website that you have no idea about is useless. As a new website owner, it will give you more pride if you are aware about how everything works, or at least give you room to learn along the way. There are many WordPress hosting plans that can assist you in your goals of creating a website. It is a low-cost solution but is efficient in every way because WordPress is an established platform.
