WordPress is one of the most popular Content Management Systems (CMS) in the world and there are many reasons why it is a crowd favourite.
We are going to talk you through why it’s a good idea to consider using WordPress as your chosen CMS if you are planning to build a business website to boost your online presence.
But first, let’s explain what is a CMS.
What is a Content Management System?
Back in the day before the CMS became popular, you would need to be skilled in HTML, CSS and other programming languages to build a website. Or hire someone with those skills.
A CMS is a platform that lets you create and manage a website without having to code from scratch, and today it means it can be very easy for someone to build a website from scratch.
A CMS will make it simple to add a product to your online store, add a photo to your portfolio, or change your contact information on your website. No need to call a developer to edit any lines of code.
Aside from adding or editing content on your website, you can also change how your website looks by using themes or templates and add some functionalities through plugins, extensions or modules.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is one of the most popular and widely used content management systems available. It was created by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little in 2003. It started out as a blogging platform but evolved to become one of the most powerful CMS products on the market.
WordPress powers around 40% of all websites in the world, which is pretty incredible to think about!
Why Choose WordPress as your CMS?
There are many CMS systems out there, each with pros and cons, however many web design agencies will recommend WordPress, especially for business websites.
Here are some of the reasons why WordPress is the top choice of CMS for many businesses.
It is free and open-source
Anyone can download and use WordPress for free. It is an open-source software meaning its source code is available for anyone to study, modify, and distribute.
That said, you will still spend some money when you want to build a website using WordPress.
The costs of having a WordPress website will vary depending on your particular needs.
At the minimum, you need to buy a domain name for your website and get a hosting plan from a hosting provider.
You may still need to hire the services of a web designer and developer to build your website and/or to purchase themes and plugins to add functionality to your website which would entail additional costs.
WordPress is for all Types of Users
Pretty much anyone can use WordPress regardless of skill level. Even if you have never used a CMS platform before, you can easily learn how to use WordPress. It has great online tutorials to help you with step-by-step instructions and the interface is mostly intuitive for beginners.
It Allows you to Build any type of Website
WordPress started out as a blogging platform but it has come a long way since. You can build any kind of website with this platform: an online store, a portfolio, a business website, a membership site, a news website, and a lot more.
WordPress is fully Customisable
You can customise the look and feel of your website and add features that are not out of the box.
You can choose from the free and premium themes available for WordPress if you have the skills and would like to create a website that aligns with your brand look and feel or special functionality.
Otherwise there are many WordPress developers in the industry who you can partner with to help you to customise your website and change functionality. It is important that you bring in the experts for your business website if you want to create something different that isn’t out of the box so you can ensure that it looks professional and is easy for your customers to use.
For example, if you want to build an eCommerce site, you can add an eCommerce plugin like WooCommerce to your WordPress site. This plugin will facilitate buying and selling on your website through features like an online shopping cart and payment gateway. But WooCommerce is not easy to configure and a professional website development team will ensure that there are no issues with transactions and that you keep your customers happy, all day, every day!
You Can Scale up your Website
Perhaps you started a blog in WordPress, but since then you have gained a significant following and are thinking you would like to scale up your blog to a membership system. The great thing is that with WordPress, you can turn your current blog into a membership website using a simple membership plugin like MemberPress.
With WordPress you can start small and then as you grow your business, you can add functionality or customisation. It’s important to remember though that with increased functionality and customisation comes risk, so it’s always good to engage an expert to help.
WordPress Supports Many Types of Media Files
WordPress enables you to upload images, documents, audio, and video in different formats.
You have Full Control of your Website
Some website builders like Wix or Squarespace include hosting in their website package. It means that when you build a website using these platforms, your website will be hosted on their servers.
On one hand, this is convenient because you have everything on one platform. On the other hand, this setup can also be disadvantageous because they may suspend your website for some reason or you may find that the performance of your site isn’t great.
With WordPress, you are not tied to a single hosting provider. If you are not happy with your hosting, you can migrate your website to another host. And more importantly you also have full ownership of your website.
WordPress has a Huge Community
The fact that WordPress is one of the most widely used CMS platforms is a massive advantage to anyone wanting to build a WordPress site.
Having a huge community of users means that there are a lot of developers building themes and plugins that are reliable and well built. Some you can use for free, others will cost money. It is also easy to find good web developers that can provide custom solutions for you.
Another great thing is that if you encounter any problem using WordPress, you can find the answer in the many resources out there like WordPress documentation, blogs, forums, training and more.
Summary
WordPress is one of the most popular website CMS platforms and for good reasons.
It is a powerful content management system that lets you build any type of website and is flexible enough to meet the needs of most users.
Managing a WordPress website is easy enough even for those who don’t have a background in programming.
With its wide user base and pool of developers, you are sure that WordPress is not going out of fashion any time soon.
WordPress Developers in Brisbane
If you need an expert in WordPress development for your new or existing website, Mettro is ready to give you a hand.
We are a proudly Queensland, independently owned and operated digital agency that has been delivering award-winning website design & development and digital marketing for over 20 years. We are dedicated to solving our client’s business problems with smart, simple digital solutions and have the testimonials to prove it.
We’ve built thousands of digital solutions including apps, eCommerce websites, custom software, eLearning applications, WordPress websites and Shopify websites. Our website design team is second-to-none with a focus on real user experience and creative interface designs, and our website development team delivers quality online customer experiences and measurable benefits to our clients every time. We have a talented marketing strategy and creative team, renowned for designing and producing compelling digital campaigns, effective content marketing strategies, digital marketing and results-driven SEO.
Contact us or book a one-one-one to discuss your website design project!