There are approximately two billion websites worldwide, and that figure is increasing every second. When building your own website, your possibilities are virtually endless. And fortunately, WordPress makes it possible to build the website of your dreams even on a small budget.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is a CMS, which stands for ‘Content Management System’. A CMS allows you to develop a website in an easy-to-use online platform, easily arranging the design and content of your site. WordPress comes in two forms, WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
WordPress.com is a free web platform that is hosted by WordPress. However, because WordPress is the host, your site’s customization options are severely limited.
WordPress.org is free to use as well, however, it differs from WordPress.com in two ways. WordPress does not provide hosting when you use WordPress.org. This means you’ll have to pay for a host, such as xneelo or Afrihost, which start at R40 per month. WordPress.org also allows you to completely customise your website. This is the preferred choice for companies and brands. You pay a little hosting charge, but you have complete control over your website.
WordPress is a simple and popular website construction platform used by many businesses. Is WordPress, however, worth all of the hype? Why not use another CMS service, such as Squarespace?
Here are the top 10 reasons why WordPress outperforms all other CMS alternatives.
1. Adaptability
WordPress began as a blogging platform, but thanks to its adaptability, it has grown to become one of the world’s largest CMSs.
You can choose from thousands of pre-made themes after installing WordPress. These themes, which are available in both free and premium versions, allow you to customise your site however you want.
There are millions of WordPress plugins to choose from as well. With a few clicks, you can extend the functionality of your website. WordPress can be used for almost anything thanks to plugins. Set up an online store, a membership site, or a blog.
If you are familiar with HTML or CSS, you can use it to further customise your WordPress theme or plugins, because it is an open-source platform that you can customize to your liking.
2. Conserve time
With WordPress, you can have your site up and running in five minutes. WordPress plugins can be installed in seconds and immediately add functionality to your site. Plugins can also help you manage your website more efficiently by automating tasks and saving you a lot of time.
3. Conserve funds
WordPress is extremely inexpensive. You may be required to pay hosting fees, purchase a domain name, and possibly purchase a theme and plugins. Aside from these startup costs, which can range between R1000 and R5000, there are no recurring fees for using WordPress. The platform is free to use and includes lifetime free upgrades. Create a site on WordPress to save money.
4. Intelligent integrations
Look no further than WordPress if you want a site that automatically integrates with third-party tools.
Use WordPress, for example, to create an eCommerce store with Woocommerce. You can connect with Buddypress to create a private or paid members-only community, or with Salesforce to automatically track your sales pipeline.
5. Simple to use
WordPress does not require you to be a coding genius. Of course, some knowledge of computers and the internet is required, but you do not need to know PHP to set up your site. WordPress is intended to be installed quickly and managed with minimal fuss.
Do you want to create a page or a blog? Simply use the text editor. The WordPress text editor was created to function similarly to a Word document. On the Appearance tab, you can easily customize your theme to add more detail in an intuitive, simple way. For added convenience, you can download a drag-and-drop page builder.
6. A sizable support community
WordPress is used by millions of people. Check out their free forums if you’re having trouble with your site. You can either read previous threads or have your questions answered for free by WordPress experts. If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the forums, you can always contact the creator of your theme or plugin. When in doubt, YouTube has thousands of WordPress tutorials.
7. Increased security
A secure website does not have to cost thousands of rands. With regular updates, WordPress provides Fort Knox-level security. You can add additional layers of security by installing free plugins. Use Akismet to prevent spam comments and Wordfence to protect your site from malware.
8. Search engine friendly
One of the most important strategies for making your business shine online is search engine optimisation or SEO. SEO can be time-consuming and technical, but WordPress simplifies SEO to bring you more customers.
To make your site stand out, install the free Yoast SEO plugin. The plugin allows you to change meta descriptions, title tags, and keywords. Don’t worry if that sounds like a lot of jargon. Even if you are unfamiliar with SEO, the plugin provides suggestions as well as a step-by-step guide for installation and use.
9. Marketing that is a no-brainer
WordPress enables you to automate key aspects of your marketing in order to attract more customers in less time. Connect your social media accounts to automatically post new content without you having to lift a finger. To split test your landing pages, install a plugin like Simple Page tester. Connect with ConvertKit (soon to be known as Seva) or MailChimp to send forgotten cart emails automatically.
10. Quick site loading
CMS platforms such as WordPress have a reputation for being slower than HTML sites, but this is largely dependent on the content of your site. Choose a fast theme with fewer bells and whistles to keep your site running quickly. Reduce page load time by reducing images, caching, and minifying code. Use a content delivery network, or CDN, for even faster results. Cloudflare is a popular option for delivering content with faster load times.
In conclusion
For an ultra-personalized experience, it’s tempting to try coding a website from scratch. But why waste time, money, and aggravation? WordPress is the place to be if you want a low-cost, easy-to-use experience in the long run.
If you are having trouble understanding the process, setting up WordPress or need help with your Website Design, get in touch with us via our contact page.
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