WordPress is the fastest-growing platform for both web design and blogging, now used by nearly a quarter of all websites. An open source software that can be used with all major operating systems, WordPress was launched in 2003, initially as a blogging tool. Since then, it’s been released in 24 distinct versions — most of them named after jazz musicians.
10 benefits of WordPress
- It’s easy to use. Building a website in WordPress requires no knowledge of coding, and it can be done in your browser on any device.
- The user has full control of changing and updating the site, without having to go through the web designer.
- Easy accessibility makes WordPress a very cost-effective option for any company on a tight budget.
- A huge range of templates are available, and you have the option of customising, so that your site is unique to your own branding.
- A WordPress site can be anything from a single-page blog to a website with thousands of pages, and you have the option of developing it organically as you need it, with your chosen theme automatically applying to each new page.
- WordPress has loads of plug-ins available, mostly free or very cheap, such as event calendars, Twitter feeds or video galleries. You can also add RSS feeds for instant updates to your customers.
- WordPress allows you to set up multiple users for your site and assign specific permissions for each.
- Since WordPress started as a blogging system, it goes without saying that it’s easy to incorporate a sophisticated blog into your website, carrying over the same theme as the rest of the site.
- WordPress is very SEO friendly, allowing tags and descriptions for each page and element. Its code is very search engine friendly, so you’re likely to get good rankings on Google and elsewhere.
- It’s easy to integrate a WordPress site into your social media. Updates, such as new articles on your blog, can be set to be automatically posted onto your chosen social media sites, such as Facebook or Twitter.
Is there a downside?
Not really. Early versions of WordPress suffered from substantial security issues, but these have been gradually fixed, and it’s now a fairly safe system. In spite of the use of plug-ins, often seen as a vulnerability, WordPress offers the tools to make a site more hacker-proof than most traditionally built websites.
On 10th December 2014, version 4.1 was released (jazz name: Dinah Washington) and at time of writing the latest version is 4.1.1. The growth of WordPress shows no sign of slowing down.
Get in touch to find out how the ID:10 team could help you get the perfect WordPress website design for your business
