“WordPress is the most popular CMS on the internet. It is the third most used technology for web development” - Freelancinggig

Introduction To WordPress

Are you of the opinion that WordPress is for blogs? The answer is it was, and it is no more. WordPress is not only for blogs, but it is a complete Content Management System (CMS). It is much more than a blogging platform and website builder. It helps you build, maintain web pages and write blogs without coding knowledge. No wonder many small bloggers to large brands like Sony Music, CNN Press Room, Disney Books, Spotify Newsroom, Vogue, use WordPress to power up their sites. Also, with WordPress by your side, you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on hiring professionals to make nitty-gritty changes to your web pages. So, you are wondering what WordPress is? This blog centers around WordPress websites and its benefits and covers the following topics for you:

• A brief history of WordPress
• What is WP?
• Who uses them?
• Top 7 benefits of WordPress websites
• Additional three benefits of using WP sites Let us get started!

  Brief History of WordPress

  WordPress started its journey as blogging software, and the project was dropped down by the developers. In 2003, Mike Little and Matt Mullenweg built a new cafelog platform. Little were they aware at that time that it would benefit millions of designers, developers, web publishers, bloggers, businesses and make their living through it. On May 27, 2003, the WPs first version was released. Later it has evolved in its plug-ins, themes, admin screen, block editors, and much more. The latest version of WP is 5.7.2, which was released in May 2021.

  What Is WordPress?

  In simple words, WordPress is a simple, easy-to-use, open-source platform to create websites for all types of businesses, from eCommerce to portfolio sites. WordPress is a one-stop solution for both small and large websites. In technical terms, WP is a popular CMS written in PHP programming language which uses MySQL/MariaDB to store all information. In general terms, it is a solid blogging platform and website builder in high demand and existence nowadays.

As it is a versatile platform, it finds application in various domains. In the next section, you will know who uses WP the most.

Who Uses WordPress?

Do you know that 39.6% of the websites use WP? Do you know that it has a whopping 61% of CMS share? WordPress websites is used by:

• Media companies
• Musicians
• Car manufacturers
• Tech companies
• Artists
• Corporations
• Fashion brands
• eCommerce businesses
• Sports personalities The array of flexible tools and themes makes WP unarguably the best publishing platform. So how does WP benefit your business? Let us discuss the top benefits WordPress websites deliver for your business.

  Top 7 Benefits Of WordPress

WordPress is open-source (free): Are you wondering what makes WordPress so popular among its users? Yes, it is an open-source CMS that you can download from WordPress.org for free. But it has a drawback. You cannot host your website on WordPress. So, what are your hosting options in this case? You can go with: Managed host: When you choose a service provider, it is managed WordPress hosting. This option is suitable for non-technical buzzing entrepreneurs. Few companies like InMotion Hosting, WP Engine, GoDaddy offer hosting services at reasonable prices. Self-hosting: When you buy, download, install a web hosting plan from WordPress.org all by yourself, then it is self-hosting. It is a better choice when you have ample technical expertise.

Flexibility And Adaptability Do you know that WordPress initially supported only blogging and online publishing? Yes, you heard it right. But today WP platform empowers complex websites of large corporations, personal bloggers, small businesses, and much more.

WordPress can help you:

• Run an eCommerce store
• Display a portfolio
• Host podcasts Whatever be your business requirements, WordPress offers free and paid plugins suitable for your budget. Also, its unlimited access to various themes and related source files makes WP adaptable to your evolving business needs.

Beginner-friendly What are the requirements to set up a WordPress site? A domain name and web hosting. Now you can install your website within minutes and get started. You can install your free WordPress through your WP hosting provider or WordPress.org. After a few customizations on Admin Dashboard, you can start creating your website or blog post straight away. Fast And Simple To Add Content What makes people bewildered about web design and building? Tons of coding and design tasks to create a single web page. Well! It is not the actuality with WordPress as it is already in-built. So, with this platform, you can create and post your blogs online with a single mouse click. The WordPress website design part has some pre-installed themes that come to life and beautify your page or post with just a mouse click. With WordPress as a website partner, you can create a new post or page, add a title, paste your content and then click publish to get your work done. Sounds simple yet fast? Right?

Multiple Options For Themes What is your favorite WordPress feature? Themes, of course. You can find a collection of premium themes that boosts your site. Where and how can you find and get these themes?

• You can get instant access to WP themes after the site creation
• You can also purchase customized ones from the marketplace or designers
• You can preview the themes live and change the WP site layout at your convenience. Some popular themes of 2021 are:
• Impreza
• Avada
• Divi
• Salient
• Flatsome Extensive Help From Plug-ins Do you want more customized functions for your website or post? In addition to the simple website elements, WordPress has a directory of customized plug-ins that helps you perform some specific tasks. For instance, these help you add elements like galleries, survey or questionnaire forms, and shopping carts specific to your site requirements. You can purchase customized ones from many third parties too. Do you want to switch off specific ones and turn them on later? Yes, it is possible to activate or deactivate this feature. I have profiled a few popular plug-in types for your quick reference: Contact forms - Hubspot, Contact Form 7, WPForms, Ninja Forms Security - Wordfence, iThemes Security, Jetpack, Sucuri eCommerce - WooCommerce, Shopify, BigCommerce SEO - Broken Link Checker, All-in-one SEO, Yoast. Rank Math *Tip: Make sure you delete inactive themes or plugins and update them frequently to stay safe.*

WordPress Community Support Do you know that there are more than 50k WordPress contributors around the globe? The stats may vary at the time when you read this blog. The WordPress fanatics are proactive round the clock and do everything to keep this platform updated and secure. This community also conducts several Word camps across the globe to extend its support to the local user groups. *Tip: Tutorials, videos, WordPress community forums can help you learn WordPress. Apart from the above, a few benefits need some honorable mention here.*

Other Additional Benefits of WordPress Websites

The following section provides some extra three reasons for you to choose WordPress.

Mobile-responsive Does your site look and work well on mobiles? If not, you need to make your website mobile responsive with several WordPress responsive themes and plug-ins. Many underrate this aspect. But it is a vital factor in Google rankings.

In-built Blog Features As WordPress is a CMS software application, naturally, it has numerous features that make publishing content a cakewalk. You can also access this in-built blog feature any time, anywhere, and from any device. Even non-blogging sites can use this feature for making their contest announcements or the latest updates.

Rank Higher On SERPs How do your visitors search and find your website? Google! So, optimizing your website with high-ranking keywords can increase your visibility and rankings on search engine result pages. WordPress offers numerous SEO plugins and tools to make your site content Google-friendly.

Summary

Below I have summarized the benefits of WordPress for your convenience: WordPress is free It supports businesses of all sizes and types Easy and simple steps to download and install the software even for beginners Fast and simple to create websites or blogs and publish them with a single mouse click Flexible and adaptable to the evolving business requirements and trends Free WordPress themes are available. Third-party designers provide customized ones Specific plug-ins available for security, eCommerce, SEO, contact forms, and much more Large WordPress community and resources make the learning process easier WordPress offers Mobile-responsive and SEO-compatible themes and plug-ins that can make your site earn top SERP rankings

Conclusion

Every popular software application always has to face contradicting opinions from the users and experts. WordPress is no exception. Today many people state that other exclusive applications offer more benefits than WordPress. Well! It can be true. But they don’t have the efficiency and adaptability that WordPress brings to your desk. To realize the true potential of this software, you have to use it to understand why millions across the world love it. Many have already succeeded with WP, and you can, too. Are you looking for professional assistance with WordPress website design? Then visit our site or drop us an email for a discussion.