Frequently, individuals inquire about the rationale behind choosing WordPress: “Why should I adopt WordPress? Isn’t my current website sufficient? What prompts the shift from another platform?”
If these queries resonate with you, you’ve landed on the right page.
This article will elucidate the key reasons supporting the use of WordPress. Furthermore, we will delve into the diverse range of websites achievable with WordPress, accompanied by examples of well-known sites employing the platform.
One prevailing misconception surrounding WordPress is its perceived role solely as a blogging platform. However, the reality is far more expansive.
While WordPress did originate as a tool for blogging, it has since transformed into a formidable website builder and a highly capable content management system (CMS). Its versatility and user-friendly interface have contributed significantly to its widespread adoption, making it a popular choice for diverse website creation.
Remarkably, recent research indicates that WordPress powers a substantial 43% of all websites on the internet, underscoring its dominance. Its robust features have attracted major brands, with notable names such as Time Magazine, Facebook, The New Yorker, Sony, Disney, Target, The New York Times, and others relying on WordPress to drive their online presence.
In exploring the reasons behind this widespread adoption, let’s delve into why choosing WordPress is an advantageous decision for building your website.
1. WordPress Grants Freedom at No Cost
WordPress is open-source software, providing users with the freedom to download, install, utilize, and customize it according to their specific requirements—all without incurring any charges. This means you have the liberty to create a wide range of websites using WordPress. For a more in-depth exploration of why WordPress is free, refer to our dedicated article.
While the WordPress software itself comes at no cost, you’ll need a domain name and web hosting to set it up.
A domain name serves as your website’s internet address, allowing users to access it by typing it into their browser’s address bar (e.g., https://blogswizards.net/).
Web hosting acts as your website’s virtual house, housing all the files associated with it.
Looking for additional hosting options? Explore our selection of top-notch WordPress hosting providers.
Should you prefer the assistance of seasoned professionals in setting up your WordPress site, our skilled staff members are eager to guide you through the process with our complimentary WordPress blog setup service.
2. WordPress Boasts User-Friendly Functionality
Despite its reputation as the most versatile and robust platform, WordPress remains remarkably user-friendly, especially for beginners.
Its interface features an uncomplicated dashboard, presenting various menu options conveniently listed in the sidebar. This intuitive design facilitates effortless tasks such as creating posts and pages, customizing website aesthetics, incorporating navigation menus, and more.
For those entirely new to website maintenance, WordPress offers a seamless experience without technical obstacles.
Primarily, managing updates is a breeze. WordPress consistently rolls out core updates that can be effortlessly installed with a simple click. The same user-friendly process applies to updates for WordPress plugins and themes, ensuring a hassle-free experience for even the most inexperienced users.
When it comes to backups, there are excellent WordPress backup plugins available, with many being free. These plugins enable you to establish automatic backup schedules and store the backups remotely, utilizing platforms like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Furthermore, addressing security concerns is straightforward. By implementing fundamental WordPress security best practices, you can enhance the overall security of your website (more details on this will follow).
While navigating these aspects may seem daunting initially, particularly for beginners, rest assured that, as the foremost WordPress resource site for novices, we can guide you through the process.
Over the past decade, we’ve witnessed countless beginners swiftly progress to intermediate and advanced user levels. Some have even transitioned to crafting WordPress websites professionally to sustain their livelihoods.
At WPBeginner, we offer an extensive collection of WordPress tutorials covering topics from beginner to advanced levels. For instance, if you’re looking to create your first page or blog post, refer to our comprehensive guide.
3. WordPress Offers Unparalleled Customization
The majority of WordPress users are not web designers or programmers; many venture into WordPress without any prior experience in website design. This makes WordPress an ideal solution for those not well-versed in technical aspects.
For individuals lacking technical expertise, WordPress stands out due to its extensive array of free website templates, known as themes. With thousands of options available, there’s a suitable WordPress theme for every type of website, whether it’s a blog, business site, or online store
What makes customization even more accessible is that many WordPress themes come equipped with their own options panel. This feature empowers users to modify colors, upload logos, alter backgrounds, create dynamic sliders, and tailor the website to their preferences—all without the need for coding.
Take, for instance, Astra—a theme often recommended for its user-friendly design. Astra provides over 90 ready-made templates that are easily customizable, making it effortless for beginners to craft a professional-looking website.
To enhance your design customization, consider employing a drag-and-drop builder such as SeedProd. This tool enables you to effortlessly create visually appealing landing pages, sales pages, product landing pages, and a variety of other content without the need for intricate coding.
Enhancing the functionality of your WordPress site is easily achievable by incorporating plugins. Think of WordPress plugins as applications for your website, enabling you to integrate advanced features such as analytics, contact forms, membership areas, and more.
Similar to themes, a vast array of both free and premium plugins is at your disposal. For a deeper understanding of what WordPress plugins are and how they operate, consult our dedicated article on the subject.
In addition to providing extra functionality, certain WordPress plugins have the capacity to completely transform your website into a new and dynamic platform.
While the vast selection of plugins may seem overwhelming, we’ve identified some essential ones that we recommend for every website:
- A contact form plugin to facilitate visitor communication.
- An analytics plugin for tracking and analyzing visitor statistics.
- A search engine optimization (SEO) plugin to enhance your website’s visibility on Google and attract more traffic.
Furthermore, depending on the specific nature of your website, you may need to select additional plugins.
To discover the most suitable plugins for your requirements, a quick Google search with the addition of ‘WPBeginner’ can lead you to our expert recommendations. Rest assured, our team rigorously tests each plugin before extending our endorsement.
4. WordPress Embraces SEO Excellence
Even the most exceptional website won’t flourish without attracting traffic and visitors.
Fortunately, WordPress is designed with search engine traffic as a top priority.
Built with high-quality code featuring semantic markup, WordPress earns favor from Google and other search engines.
As a result, WordPress sites often achieve higher rankings in search engine results.
To further enhance your site’s visibility and attract more traffic, we suggest employing a WordPress SEO plugin.
Our foremost recommendation for an SEO plugin is All in One SEO (AIOSEO), a trusted choice employed by over 3 million websites. It boasts user-friendly functionality coupled with remarkable power.
5. WordPress Prioritizes Safety and Security
WordPress is crafted with a strong emphasis on security, rendering it a reliable and secure platform for website operation.
While WordPress itself is inherently secure, taking additional measures can further fortify your website against potential threats such as hackers and malware.
