WordPress powers over 455 million websites worldwide, which is quite an impressive number considering that there are around 1.3 billion websites across the world wide web. What’s even more impressive is that the open-source CMS (content management system) powers not only small blogs but also big corporation websites, like those of Sony, Time Inc, and the New York Post.
Considering all of that, you must be wondering, “what are the benefits of using WordPress?”
Well, that’s what we’re going to cover in this article!
Without further ado, keep reading for the main 10 benefits of using WordPress.
First, what is WordPress?
WordPress is one of the content management systems (CMS) that you can use to create, publish, and manage your website’s content.
Other free CMSs, like Drupal and Joomla, are also free to download and use. They also come with several add-ons that you can use to add extra functionalities and features. That said, to use one of those systems, you need a certain level of technical know-how. WordPress, on the other hand, can be used by both experienced developers and non-tech-savvy users.
Compared to paid CMSs, like Wix, WordPress offers several extra features and more flexibility when it comes to customisation. That’s why it’s used to create not only one-page websites but also blogs, online business cards, eCommerce sites, social media platforms, forums, and much, much more. For example, to create a social media platform using WordPress, you can use Peerboard or Buddypress, both of which are WordPress plugins geared toward creating community websites.
10 benefits of using WordPress
#1 – It’s user-friendly
Traditionally, if you wanted to create a website, you’d have to either hire a developer to do it or take matters into your own hands by mastering HTML, CSS, PHP and other programming languages and technologies.
Today, if you want to manage a website yourself, all you have to do is use WordPress.
Even if you’re not tech-savvy, you can still get WordPress up and running in a matter of minutes. All you need to set everything up is a domain name and a hosting account. Once you get those, all you have to do is install WordPress for free directly through your WordPress hosting provider or upload it from WordPress.org.
Once WordPress is up and running, you can easily play around with the settings and add new pages and posts from the admin dashboard. Of course, if you wanted, you could also outsource this to our website design team.
#2 – WordPress is backed by a friendly community
WordPress is open-source, which means that many developers contribute to its development. Those developers constantly work on making changes to the source file and keeping the CMS updated.
So, what does that mean for you, a normal WordPress user?
Well, it simply means that no matter what problem you face while using WordPress, you can easily find answers and all the support you need. All you have to do is join one of the hundreds of WordPress communities on different platforms, such as Facebook groups, forums, subreddits, etc. One of the biggest WordPress forums to look for help is StackOverflow.
#3 – Hundreds of themes to choose from
WordPress has an ever-growing directory of free and premium themes. Those themes offer a wide array of options that allow users to fine-tune not only the appearance but also the functions of their websites.
To get a WordPress theme, you have three options:
- Choose one of the hundreds of free themes within the WordPress theme directory
- Purchase a premium theme from a design marketplace, such as ThemeForest, or a third-party designer
- Hire a developer to create a custom theme for you. Note that this is the costliest option. On the bright side, your theme will be exclusive to your site, and it’ll (hopefully) include all the features you need. Just remember that you get what you pay for, so don’t cheap out if you decide to go this route
#4 – Benefits of using WordPress: Anything can be done using the right plugins
All the elements and features you need to create a basic website are already available on the WordPress dashboard. That said, if you need some advanced features or specialised functions, you can easily obtain them using WordPress plugins.
What are those, you ask?
Simply put, WordPress plugins are small pieces of code that are designed to achieve specific tasks. Some of the features that you can add using plugins include shopping carts, contact forms, galleries, etc.
- Say you want to hone your SEO skills, for example. For that, you can use an SEO plugin, like Yoast SEO
- Or, if you’re looking to remarket to your users on Facebook, perhaps you’d be interested in a plugin like PixelYourSite
- Of course, WordPress plugins can also be used to back up your website (using something like UpdraftPlus), secure it (Wordfence comes to mind) or speed it up (WP Rocket).
- And the list goes on and on!
The built-in WordPress plugin directory includes hundreds of plugins that you can use. If none of those can perform the task you need, you can easily find other paid plugins and install them manually.
Note that you can easily activate, deactivate or uninstall plugins as your WordPress website grows.
#5 – It’s mobile responsive
If you want your site to have a chance of ranking on Google, it has to be mobile responsive and look good on any device. After all, more than 50% of the world’s Internet traffic comes from mobile devices.
These days, most WordPress themes are optimised for both desktop and mobile screens, making them ideal for powering modern websites.
#6 – WordPress makes managing content effortless
Using WordPress’s editor, you can easily add posts, save them as drafts, schedule them or publish them. You can simplify things even more by assigning authors, editors and administrators and assigning every one of them specific tasks to handle.
It’s simple, really; if you can edit a Word document, you can certainly manage content on WordPress.
#7 – Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has never been easier
SEO is hard work, there’s no denying that, but WordPress can make the process a bit easier. That’s mainly done through SEO plugins, like Yoast SEO, All-In-One SEO Pack and Rank Math. Such plugins make the process of adding H tags, placing your keywords, and adding meta tags a piece of cake.
There’s also the fact that WordPress’s code is pretty clean compared to custom made sites. That makes it easy for search engines to crawl and index your content.
#8 – Benefits of using WordPress: It’s easy to scale
We get it; your website has one purpose, and you only need a simple, one-page site at the beginning. Regardless, you may find yourself needing to scale up in the future when your business grows and thrives.
Well, if you use a custom-coded website, you might need to hire a developer to take care of the whole process from the start (again). But if you use WordPress for your site, scaling up becomes as easy as switching the theme or adding a couple of new plugins.
#9 – WordPress is stable and up-to-date
As mentioned above, WordPress has an ever-growing community that contributes to its development. Thanks to that, the CMS is constantly being updated to follow the latest trends and technologies in web design and development.
In other words, WordPress is always relevant, and all the problems that may arise are quickly taken care of. Not to mention that new and exciting features are always being added.
#10 – WordPress makes eCommerce accessible for everyone
As we said above, WordPress is used for a plethora of different purposes. Those purposes include creating eCommerce shops and stores.
How can that be done?
All you have to do is connect your site with WooCommerce, and your website will have most of the functionalities offered by platforms like Shopify and Magneto for free!
Note that when it comes to eCommerce, Shopify and other exclusively eCommerce-related CMSs are easier to use since they’re designed for the average user. Still, WordPress is a viable alternative if you’re willing to put in the time to go over the learning curve.
Other benefits of using WordPress
Here are some honourable advantages to WordPress:
- It’s self-hosted: This means that you can use any hosting provider you want. Thanks to that, you don’t need to waste wads of cash on hosting every month just to maintain a simple blog or small website
- WordPress is W3C compliant: W3C compliance means that if you use WordPress to power your site, it can run smoothly and seamlessly in any browser
- Decent security features: You can secure your WordPress website thanks to several powerful security plugins, such as Sucuri and Wordfence Security
- WordPress makes it easy to manage your media files: Thanks to its drag-and-drop editor, WordPress allows you to easily integrate pretty much any media file, from images to videos, into your content
- WordPress is not going anywhere soon: Several CMMs have come and gone in the past (such as GeoCities). Being open-source, WordPress is here to stay
We can help with WordPress development
If you’re convinced that WordPress is the best CMS to use but don’t want to go through the process of creating a website yourself, shoot us a message, and we’ll take care of the rest.
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