Simply put, WordPress is a software script you can download for free and install to instantly create a web site. Don’t get scared away by the term ‘script.’ The developers of WordPress have made it so easy to set up. You don’t need to be a computer geek to have a web site up and running in 15 minutes with WordPress.
There are many reasons why you should use WordPress as a CMS (content management system) in your new website. If the price didn’t convince you, maybe these other reasons will…
Unlimited Uses
WordPress has unlimited uses and applications. It’s the Swiss Army knife of knives. WordPress can be used to create a personal web site where you can write about your family and friends, share pictures, keep in touch with distant loved ones, and make all of this available from anywhere in the world at any time of the day. You can also use WordPress to create a web site for your business that will allow you to easily publish marketing materials on the Internet. You can also use WordPress to create a personal blog about yourself and use it to meet people that share your likes and dislikes.
Stand-alone Software
WordPress is stand-alone software. This means you don’t have to buy a copy of FrontPage or Dreamweaver to use it. Much less learn how to use any of these programs. Once you install it, you login to the ‘Admin’ page and set it up any way you like. You also use the admin page to publish new posts and articles to the Internet. You also don’t need HTML experience.
Open Source Software
WordPress is released as Open Source software which means that you are allowed to use it free of cost. You can use it for any type of personal or business website without having to pay a single penny for it. It is built on the PHP programming language and the MySQL database server (which is again Open Source), and are both Internet-standard systems that offer a high degree of security and reliability.
User Friendly
You don’t really have to be experienced to use WordPress for your website. Most of today’s web hosting companies give you the ability to install WordPress with a few simple mouse clicks. I highly recommend HostGator. Their administration section is easy to navigate and its even easy to add articles and web pages to your site. I have had so much success with HostGator that they are the only hosting company I recommend.
Plugins Extend Functionality
WordPress plugins allow you to add functionality to your website. They can do just about anything that you want and can be installed in a few mouse clicks as well. For example, if you want to show rotating testimonials on your site, you just need to download a quotes plugin, activate it and you’re ready to rock.
Standards Compliant
WordPress follows all the Web Standards and keeps your blog or website compliant with all the rules that define a proper website. What this means to you is that visitors to your website will not have problems accessing your content because of bad programming by lazy developers. The WordPress developers work hard to ensure that WordPress is 100% compatible.
SEO Friendly
Like it or not, the Internet is mapped by the three big search engines: Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Almost everyone goes to these search engines to search for websites by keywords. These search engines ‘crawl’ your website and then index your website in their system based on your content… this is a good thing. If your website is not indexed, it will never get found by people searching for your website, unless they type your URL directly in their browser. WordPress uses different techniques which optimize it to be search engine friendly, so it can be quickly and easily indexed. For example: sending pings to other sites, making categories, tagging your posts, and the use of h1/h2 tags, etc.
Large community Support
Recent statistics show that WordPress is used on more than 1% of the websites on the Internet in the world. There is a large user community supporting the development of this software. In case you ever run into a problem or want to do something more advanced with your WordPress website, you can go through all the available WordPress forums and communities and find answers for all your questions. More than likely, there are several WordPress users that have run into the same problem as you, or are already doing what you want to do, and they’re more than willing to help you out.
Bottom Line
If this article has sold you on the benefits of using WordPress for your next website, or for your first one, consider contacting me to help you get started. I can set you up with the hosting, your own email account, install a customized theme of your choice and have you up and running in a matter of days, not weeks or months!
