If you are thinking of creating a website, either for your own use or as a job for a client, there is no better website builder to use than WordPress. Initially designed as a blogging platform WordPress has greatly developed in the last decade and it can now handle any kind of website, and if nothing else can convince you that WordPress is the way to go, then the stats will.
You may be wondering how many WordPress sites there are today but I bet you didn’t imagine that WordPress currently runs 35% of the sites available on the internet did you? With a staggering 19 ½ million websites currently active on the platformWordpress is far in the lead when it comes to content management systems (CMS) for the internet.According to Technorati, about 8% of the top 100 blogs are managed by WordPress. More than 500 new sites are built daily using WordPress compared with only 60-80 for Shopify and Squarespace. Some of the popular sites run by WordPress include the New York Observer, TED, New York Post, Thought Catalog, CNN, Time.com, just to mention a few. There is a reason why so many people choose WordPress over other content management systems and we shall discuss a few of them below.
One thing that makes WordPress highly convenient is that it comes absolutely free. This is to say that you get the software for free and you can modify it to meet your needs. The installation process is quite simple and after downloading, it shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes before you begin using it on your device. However, if you want to build a professional website, Wordpress hosting services is a must.
Why you should use WordPress
1. It is convenient to use
One thing that makes WordPress highly convenient is that it comes absolutely free. This is to say that you get the software for free and you can modify it to meet your needs. The installation process is quitesimple and after downloading, it shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes before you begin using it on your device.
It comes along with a couple of free themes that you can use to customize your site as you desire and all this is possible without having to know a single line of code. There are also premium themes that you can easily pay for, so your choice is almost limitless.
The WordPress customer service ensures that your experience is smooth so you do not have to worry about putting in your own effort in solving issues that may arise with your use. Whether you choose to pay a fee for dedicated support or ask for help from other WordPress users in the provided forum, you’ll be sure to beat any hurdle that comes your way.
Like I said before, WordPress was primarily a blogging platform and though you can now use it to run any website, the convenience for bloggers remains unbeaten. It comes with inbuilt SEO features that ensure your content is found easily by search engines. The default SEO tools are efficient but I would recommend YOAST SEO for users looking to enjoy more benefits of search engine optimization.
With YOAST, all your posts are analyzed and you get to know how effectively you are targeting your keywords. The plug-in also suggests different title tags for you to choose from as well as generating Meta descriptions for your articles. All these work towards ensuring that you get the best SEO you can for every page improving your ranking on search engines.
2. Flexibility
The notion that WordPress is for bloggers only doesn’t hold water today. With WordPress, it is possible to design any kind of website to solve whatever needs you may have. The list is endless but here is a taste of some websites you can make using WordPress:
- portfolios,
- forums,
- eCommerce sites,
- business websites,
- rating sites,
- chatrooms,
- galleries,
- Q&A websites like Quora,
- non-profit sites for collecting donations,
- media-centric sites like YouTube and so on.
WordPress comes with a ton of free themes and plug-ins that you can use to turn your site into whatever platform you desire. For example if you are looking to create a business website with capabilities for payment on the website, you can choose a business theme style and add a plug-in like WooCommerce. With WooCommerce, your site becomes an online store complete with payment processing, a shopping cart, and product galleries.
You may also find the need to improve your site for additional benefits and by installing suitable plug-ins for your purpose this becomes possible. For example you may want to add a membership section for your users or make your website mobile-friendly to make it easier for your audience to get you.
3.Wordpress supports various Media Types
WordPress doesn’t only support text and with their inbuilt media uploader, you are free to upload audio files, videos, and images. Personally, I have never had WordPress tell me that a file isn’t supported and I run three of my own sites and work on 2 others regularly.
Whether you are working with common files like .jpg, .pdf, .doc, .png, .mp3, .mp4 or more obscure options like .3gp you can be sure not to encounter difficulties uploading them. In short, if you are looking to add videos, images or audio on your website, it is a fair game with WordPress.
Note:As much as WordPress supports almost every media type, you should ensure you follow the rules and not break any copyright rules when dealing with media that is not your own. Below are examples of sites where you can get legally get media for use on your sites
- Visual Hunt
- Unsplash
- Pexels
- StockSnap
Conclusion
It is an undeniable fact that WordPress is the most popular website builder available today and with the constant improvements they are making daily, the trend is bound to remain. The bottom line is, if you are interested in creating your own website, in an easy and professional fashion, WordPress is the way to go. With no coding skills required and the capability to get everything set up yourself, you can build your site from scratch and join the ever-supportive WordPress community today.
