WordPress has been a popular choice for many looking for a suitable Content Management System, since its first appearance in 2003. Created by programmer Matt Mullenweg for personal use, WordPress has since seen a growth into the behemoth content management system that today powers a third of the websites on the internet.
This standalone figure suggests that there some key characteristics about WordPress that make it so alluring, so what are the benefits of WordPress?
WordPress is super easy to set up
The first commonly acknowledged benefit of WordPress, is how easy it is to set-up! Well-known for the famous “5-minute install”, WordPress is beneficial to use for those who are not very technical. Simply upload some files to a server, set up a database, configure a few settings and you are done! In fact, because WordPress is so popular, many web hosts come with one click installers that make the process even easier.
WordPress is a breeze to use
Following from the easy set-up process, WordPress is an absolute breeze to use. The built in WYSIWYG content editor that comes with WordPress means you can format content on your site any way you want. Additionally, you can provide other writers or editors access to your site, and manage the privileges they have by assigning them user roles that come with WordPress by default. This provides you with full control of who can access your site, and what level of access they are permitted.
WordPress is highly extensible
Initially, WordPress was created as a blogging platform. But today, it is used to build all sorts of websites, including brochure, ecommerce, forum and even social networking sites. This is thanks to what are known as “plugins”; you can think of these as apps that can be installed within WordPress, to add additional functionality to the core features it offers.
There are thousands of WordPress plugins out there that allow you to do all sorts of things, such as add contact forms, set up payment pages and build pop up modals for your site.
There is no shortage of design options
There are thousands upon thousands of themes that you can install on your site, to make it look attractive. These themes can be customized in terms of colour scheme, layout and design, to fit your brand. However, if you are looking for a custom design with bespoke functionality, you can always work with a WordPress developer to build your website from the ground up.
WordPress websites are SEO friendly
For the most part, websites that are created using WordPress are search engine friendly, straight out of the box. However there are also plugins you can install to optimize your site for search even further; these plugins help you to optimize things you may have overlooked, such as title, meta and h1 tags. Working with an SEO agency can further boost your SEO efforts.
There is a large community behind WordPress
Due to the vast number of people and businesses making use of WordPress, the community behind it truly is thriving. This means there is plenty of support and guidance available out there for any kind of technical issues you may face with your site!
Conclusion
WordPress is an ideal CMS for all kinds of businesses. Thanks to the reasons listed above, we at Polaris use WordPress as the backbone of around 80% of the websites that we build for our clients. Our developers have a decade of experience working with the CMS, so you can rest assured you are in good hands.
If you are looking to build a new website for your business, or want to transfer your existing website over to WordPress, contact us today!
Polaris is an award-winning B2B SEO agency in London specialising B2B, PPC, e-commerce and the healthcare industry.