A detailed explanation of WordPress and how it can be used to create a great website.
Table of Contents
Summary
WordPress is one of the most popular website content management systems in the world. It is used to create and take care of websites, with many easy-to-use DIY features, plus there are lots of specialists and developers out there who can help you with it. It’s great for businesses, not-for-profits, e-commerce, creatives and individuals. It was initially released in May 2003 and continues receiving regular development and support. WordPress is free and open-source, with an extensive range of free and premium plugins that can extend its functionality.
What Is WordPress and How Can I Use It to Make a Website?
WordPress is a content management system (CMS), used for the creation and management of websites.
WordPress is available as a self-hosted free and open source CMS, available from wordpress.org. Self-hosted means that you require a web host to store your website files. There’s also the WordPress.com paid option, which is more restrictive than using the self-hosted version of WordPress. Generally, when people mention they’re using WordPress, they mean the self-hosted version. This post primarily focuses on the self-hosted version, too.
Plugins are available for WordPress that extend its functionality. These plugins can enrich the DIY editor features, provide courses for your users, integrate shopping carts and products, along with many more options. These plugins can also help you integrate third-party systems for processing payments and accounting, like PayPal and Xero, or gathering data in a CMS, like HubSpot.
What Types of Websites Can I Make With WordPress?
WordPress can be used to power many different types of websites, including:
- Commercial websites
- Brochures
- E-commerce
- Online courses
- Forums
- Social networks
- Membership sites
- Galleries
- Blogs
- Personal websites
- A mixture of all these website types
A WordPress website can be as incredibly complex or as simple as you like. Do you have a small business in your local area that you want to tell people about? WordPress can help with that. Want to sell products across the world with a forum to keep your user community connected? That can be done with WordPress, too. These are just some of the examples of what can be done with a WordPress website. Keep in mind that, naturally, adding complexities to your WordPress website increases the time required to set it up and manage it.
Is WordPress Good for a Business Website?
Yes, WordPress can be incredibly effective, powerful and fast for a business website. It’s great for a startup or small business. It’s also great for large companies and enterprise projects with a national or international target market.
It can be designed to look incredible, too. Full-screen images, background videos and elegant minimalistic interfaces are all possible with WordPress.
The History of WordPress
WordPress was initially released in May 2003. Originally used more for just blogging, it has now transformed into a complex system capable of being used for a e-commerce site, a business site or other complex systems.
Is WordPress Secure?
When set up well, WordPress can be incredibly secure. WordPress plugins add great security features, like multi-factor or two-factor authentication (MFA and 2FA). The developers behind WordPress actively review and improve its security.
Anti-spam features exist for WordPress that can reduce or eliminate your contact form spam.
Getting Help with Your WordPress Website
There’s many DIY features available for WordPress, though it’s understandable that at a point, you may prefer to have a skilled WordPress developer take care of your WordPress website for you – whether you don’t have the time, the interest or you’ve hit a DIY wall and need help.
If you need help setting up a WordPress website or want a hand improving your existing site, then a WordPress developer or web developer could help you there.
