When WordPress was first developed back in 2003, it was originally used as an open-source content management system, or CMS. Since then, WordPress has blossomed into one of the top sites on the Internet. As of January 2015, WordPress had created over 60 million websites, making it the most popular platform of its kind. But, its popularity obviously stems from somewhere, right? There are hundreds, if not thousands of web-creating, open source platforms floating around the Internet when it comes to building custom websites, so why does WordPress continue to stand out, aside from its history?
Free, Free, and Free
Of course, everyone loves whatever they can get for free, right? Not costing anything to create a WordPress site is obviously a huge appeal to most people, since when you’re building a website for a business, brand, or yourself, chances are you’re starting a new project, and don’t have a lot of funds to back it up. But WordPress isn’t just free to use when you sign up for an account and start building. Virtually everything WordPress surrounds itself with is free, too, aside from domain hosting, which has to come from another site altogether.
The very nature of WordPress encompasses freedom, because it’s actually a community. WordPress has always been an open-source community when it comes to its software, which means anyone can contribute to making WordPress better, 24/7. And WordPress does get better from this community volunteering their time, all the time. This includes:
- Writing patches
- Support/Forums
- Plugins
- Themes
- Updates/li>
- …and more!
When you create your very own WordPress site, you instantly become a part of the community, and can actually contribute to it yourself. But, for as many users as there are on WordPress who offer their solutions and expertise on different things, there are also a large number of users who sign into WordPress for an entirely different reason: They have no idea how to build a website.
WordPress Is A Beginner’s Dream
Thousands of people sign up for WordPress each day, adding onto the millions of users already utilizing the site for various reasons. The truth is, most people who sign up for WordPress have little to no experience in design, or programming. So, how can a site that is a premier place for people who do have that kind of experience also cater to those simply looking to create a quality website with no prior knowledge? Somehow, WordPress bridges that gap.
For starters, WordPress allows users to select from templates when it comes to building a website. There are virtually tons of templates to choose from, and you can even narrow it down by specific categories and genres, based on your business or what you’d like to promote with your site (from photography to food, and from eCommerce to retail, you’ll find a theme to fit your needs). From there, the WordPress world is your oyster.
Once you choose a theme for your site, you can begin the customization. This is where the WordPress community has already made things easy for you. Chances are, whoever designed that template also built a lot of customizable features into it, so you can keep the overall look and feel of the theme you selected, but easily put in your own content, including words, pictures, logos, etc. You can even change the color, font, and just about anything else you’d like, depending on how willing and comfortable you are when it comes to making changes. That’s why no two WordPress sites really ever look alike.
When you’re familiar with how WordPress works, you can put together a really great website in just a few minutes. From there, you can utilize plug-ins, and other fun features that are considered ‘extras,’ but yes, are still totally free. Using things like these can really help your site to stand out, and be more functional as a whole. You can also update your site just as easily, any time. WordPress often includes updates, and will notify users when updates are available, so you can always make sure your site is at the cutting edge of WordPress’ technology, and make sure it’s as up to date as possible with fresh content, and fresh plug-ins.
The Internet Loves WordPress
Unlike many of its competitors, WordPress is actually extremely search engine friendly, and sites like Google pick up on WordPress sites almost instantly once they’re created, with the right tagging, of course. You can even add SEO plug-ins on your WordPress site to make it more appealing to Google, Bing, etc. Plus, WordPress works hard to be a secure site, so your website is about as safe and secure as it can be when you utilize a content-building site. Many people don’t consider how important this is, but think about it; if you went through all the trouble of building a quality site for yourself or your business, do you want it to get hacked right away? WordPress has every security installation in mind to prevent that from happening.
When it comes to building a website, no matter the reason, there are so many options to choose from. But, the beauty of WordPress stems from the community aspect of it from start to finish. WordPress is truly a site made by the people, for the people, and a great, cost-effective, easy- to-use option for anyone needing a professional website.
