WordPress is an extremely powerful CMS (content management system), nearly 80% of all websites on the internet are powered by PHP, the core language that WordPress utilizes for its software. I didn’t start out working with WordPress, but over the years the demand has increased and more of my clients request that they have complete control over their website. WordPress, in my opinion, is a great way to go. If you’re not already using WordPress, here’s a list of reasons why I think you should:
1. It’s easy to use and easy to set up!
With most web hosts these days, GoDaddy, Bluehost, HostGator, Media Temple, etc., there’s a one click set up button to install WordPress on your hosting server. This will typically install the latest version of WordPress along with whatever add-ons your host provides. This allows people of all skill levels to get the website up and running in a matter of a few clicks.
2. Plenty of premade designs and themes to choose from
As with most free to use website platforms, you have an array of website designs and templates to choose from. Although these themes or templates are often limited in functionality/capabilities, with WordPress you are not restricted to the core offerings of the theme. You can extend the features of the theme with plug-ins and custom functionality. You can also easily change your theme, keeping all of your website content and information intact.
3. Free to use and build on!
WordPress is, and has always been, an open source platform — meaning that the platform is free to use and manipulate at your discretion. This not only gives you the control to customize the website to your liking but it also allows for literally thousands of developers and enthusiasts to contribute to the success of the platform.
4. Plug-ins, plug-ins, and more plug-ins!
Because the platform is open sourced, developers have been creating their own plug-ins for years. These plug-ins extend the core capabilities of the platform and give users the ability to customize the website to their needs/liking. Many of these plug-ins are written for non-developers to be able to manipulate various aspects of the website that they could not before. These plug-ins can also improve the performance and functionality of your website, improving the user experience and search engine ranking of your site.
In one of our previous articles we outline our favorite WordPress plugins that add functionality, improve performance, and enhance the user experience of your website.
5. Free support from a community of developers
Since the platform is so popular, there are literally thousands of developers to offer support and often answer any questions you may have. The official WordPress forum is a valuable resource for any website owner where you can ask questions about simply making a change to your website, about a specific plug-in or theme, or even hire a developer to do some custom work on your website.
6. One of the best platforms for SEO
WordPress has built-in features, and additional plug-ins that allow you to customize the various aspects of your website that contribute to a strong SEO presence. Utilizing these features will give you a leg up on the competition and help you climb the ladder of Google rankings. I highly recommend Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress, this plugin provides valuable insight into the “SEO health” of your website and provides tips for users to improve their search engine visibility and customize meta tags of posts and pages.
7. User-friendly dashboard
One of the biggest hurdles to managing your own website is learning how to code. WordPress provide users a custom dashboard that allows you to edit/add content to your website post, pages, and media content without any need to fuss with the code. I often tell my clients that if you can manage social media accounts, you can manage a WordPress dashboard. This dashboard was created for users of all skill levels and will give even the least tech savvy consumer the ability to make changes to the site.
8. It’s not going anywhere anytime soon
Every year, developers will speculate the longevity of PHP as a programming language. And each additional year that passes by, PHP has stood out as a strong contender as one of the most popular programming languages on the Internet. With about 80% of the Internet websites powered by PHP, and a large majority of them running the latest version of the language, I think it’s safe to say that this popular website platform isn’t going anywhere anytime soon!
9. (Mostly) responsive design
In this day and age, and with a continuing trend of increased use of mobile devices accessing the internet, most prebuilt themes are created with responsive design. A responsive design is a website design/layout that “responds” to the resolution/orientation of the screen, optimizing the layout for the best user experience. That being said, the majority of templates out there are responsive, but make sure you check for yourself (you can either access the theme demo on a mobile device or simply resize your internet browser to see the responsive features of a theme), before you make the purchase.
Conclusion
WordPress is an extremely powerful, extendable, efficient platform supported by thousands of developers across the globe. With the amount of customization, ease of use, and popularity of this platform, I think we can expect this content management system to hold strong for years to come and should be a primary contender for your next web development project.
Have any questions about WordPress? Need help customizing various aspects of your website?
Feel free to reach out to me directly via my contact information below or our contact form and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have!
