How to Know if a WordPress Website is What Your Company Needs
When you’re building a WordPress website for your business, the options can seem overwhelming. There are so many questions to answer: How will it look? What’s the best way to navigate through the site? Where should everything go?
You’re probably also looking for functionality and value. If a content management system (CMS) is too complicated, you’re not going to want to update your website, and you’ll end up neglecting the online face of your business. WordPress is basic enough that beginners at your company will find it easy to use and versatile enough that more expert users can build a richer website that can grow with your business.
7 Reasons to Build a WordPress Website
Consider these seven reasons a WordPress website could be the best option for your company.
- WordPress is popular. More than 20 percent of websites are built on WordPress. That reach among users means you have a huge population to draw from when you need help or inspiration.
- WordPress is, essentially, free. You may pay for plugins or other add-ons, but compared to buying an enterprise-type system or licensing software, the value you get from WordPress’ open-source model is unbeatable.
- WordPress is one of the easiest pieces of content-management software. Its tools and interface make WordPress very straightforward — whether you’re creating a blog post, uploading media, or designing a look for the website itself — and it’s consistent across modules and terms.
- WordPress’ plugin directory has more than 30,000 plugin options. Most of them are free. The paid plugins go above and beyond what most websites will need, and it’s easy to find the choices and functionality you want. If there’s a change or addition you want to make to your WordPress site, chances are there’s a plugin to help you do it.
- Google loves WordPress. The search engine tends to rank WordPress websites higher on its search results. Google also likes WordPress sites that include plugins for social sharing and similar options. If you’re looking to boost your website’s SEO, opting for a WordPress site can help.
- WordPress isn’t just for blogging. It’s turned into a full-blown CMS that you can use to easily build websites, applications, and e-commerce sites. If you need to add functionality, it’s consistently going to be the best option.
- WordPress makes it easy to change your website’s look. Because WordPress uses a theme system, it’s fairly straightforward to swap out a design just by installing a new off-the-shelf theme or creating a custom theme. That means you can refresh or rebrand without having to build a new site from scratch.
Other Considerations
There are a few downsides to WordPress websites that you should be aware of, as well. Because it’s so popular, WordPress sites are often the target of attacks. Fortunately, tested plugins from reputable authors make it easy to boost security on your WordPress site, and WordPress continuously releases new updates.
The platform’s flexibility can sometimes be overwhelming for beginning users, so it’s important to develop a standard approach to publishing on your website that anyone can use. Also, because WordPress is an open-source platform, there isn’t a “help desk” where you can direct questions. Instead, you’ll need to work with a developer who has a strong track record of building business websites who can help you get up to speed using WordPress.