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There are a few reasons why WordPress powers nearly 25% of all websites you see today. If you’re in the beginning stages of getting a website built for your business, you’ve most certainly heard of WordPress. But did you know that there are 2 different types?
Yep. There’s WordPress.com, where you can register a subdomain like myawesomesite.wordpress.com and you have a rather limited selection of customizations available to you. And, let’s be honest, who’s going to take you seriously with a domain name like that?
No, the way to go is with a hosted WordPress website. WordPress is Open Source, which means that the basic framework is FREE!! You read that right! FREE! FREE! FREE!!! And what started out as primarily a blogging platform has seriously matured to something that can easily accommodate everything from a simple landing page to a complex ecommerce website. Of course, if your goal is to create a kick ass blog, it’s still got you covered there too.
Following are just a few of the outstanding reasons to choose WordPress as your backend – regardless of whether you hire a professional developer to create a fully custom experience, or you start out by building your own WordPress site.
The WordPress application is free to download. Additionally, most website hosts (try BlueHost or Dreamhost – I’ve used both and they each have unique and valuable services at an affordable price point) Will install the system for you automatically so you don’t even need to know how to create a database in your hosting account.
Additionally, there are literally thousands of free themes and plugins to make your website look any number of ways, and add tons of different types of functionality.
Buy a domain at GoDaddy, then sign up for hosting at one of the places mentioned above, get WordPress installed, and have fun!! Then, when you’re ready for some true customization, contact me to help you take things to the next level 😉
What was one of those top 4 mistakes you’re making on your website that are costing you money? Yup, not having a mobile optimized website. What’s mobile-optimization? Pretty simply, it’s a way of building a website that allows it to change layout depending on the device it’s being viewed on without having to zoom in and out to see everything.
As I mentioned in Item 1, there are literally thousands of free templates and plugins you can add to your WordPress installation to create a really customized website. You can add plugins that will:
…and more.
But again, once you’re ready for some serious customizations that can only be done by writing custom functions, that’s when you’ll want to invest in hiring a professional WordPress developer like…ME! LOL
Building out your website doesn’t need to be a journey you walk alone. Since WordPress is open source, there’s a large online community of developers and people like you who use the platform every single day.
If you have a technical issue you need to resolve, then chances are someone else has had a similar problem, and the solution exists out there. All you need to do is search Google or the WordPress forums to find it. If you purchase a premium theme, then most of these come equipped with dedicated support teams to handle your tech issues as well. Most hosts also offer a certain amount of WordPress support as well.
You are Not Alone!
WordPress is already set up for good SEO (Search Engine Optimization) right “out of the box”. And if you want further control over your SEO efforts, there are tons of plugins available that will help you implement your SEO strategy effectively, and improve your rankings. And what’s the point of that beautiful website if no one’s seeing it?
Even Matt Cutts of Google is on the side of WordPress, saying, “WordPress automatically solves a ton of SEO issues.”
So, remember that initial core functionality that WordPress was built for? Blogging. That remains. If you’re looking to grow your website through a robust content strategy, then you’ve already got a leg up with the BEST system out there handling all the technical heavy lifting.
It’s been out in the wild for more than 10 years now (initial release was May 27, 2003) and is constantly being improved and updated to take advantage of new technologies and standards. Of course, one advantage to using a platform that has been around for so long is that bugs and kinks have been worked out.
Like, seriously. My cat could manage a basic WordPress site if he had opposable thumbs! Once you familiarize yourself with the framework – like the difference between Pages and Posts – you’ll wonder how you ever conceived of the notion of NOT using a CMS (Content Management System). For my clients who prefer to maintain their own content, WordPress is hands-down the most ideal system. Customizations done right basically “dummy-proof” things. You don’t need to know any code in order to add content and functionality to your site.
Businesses, celebrities, politicians and more, such as Dole, the Chicago Sun Times, Angry Birds, Walt Disney, the Jane Goodall Institute, Boston Market, Clorox, WNBA, Garth Brooks, Alanis Morissette, Mercedes Benz, Vogue, Canadian Museum of History, Nancy Pelosi, The Sacramento Ballet, The New York Times Company, Georgia State University, Variety, Snoop Dogg…ad infinitum…use WordPress to power their websites. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for you.
4 MISTAKES You’re Making on Your Website that are Costing You MONEY!
