If you’re a business start-up or looking to create a blog for the first time, finding the right platform to set up your website is essential. One platform that you will undoubtedly come across in your research is WordPress.
That’s because it reputedly has around half of the CMS market in its pocket and has had for some time.
It’s estimated that the company helps power as much as 34% of the online world and around 50,000 new sites are set up on it each day. WordPress gets nearly 30 million more unique visitors each day than global retail giant Amazon. That’s a surprising statistic when you realise that no-one technically owns the platform.
Because it’s well designed and regularly maintained, businesses that use WordPress also tend to do well on the biggest search engine in the world, Google. Major publishing firms like Time and USA Today use it as do many celebrities including Beyoncé and Kobe Bryant.
So, what makes WordPress so popular?
Since it began in 2003, WordPress has been through several updates, but it remains one of the easiest platforms to download and use. It started initially as a blogging platform but quickly evolved into the content management system that we see today. Most web hosts and developers have it installed for clients simply because it is now seen as the industry standard which users can get up and running in next to no time.
WordPress is a Powerful CMS
There are others on the market, but WordPress is undoubtedly one of the most powerful. That may be because it’s open source and aided by numerous developers around the world who supply all sorts of value-added extras like plug-ins and themes. There are well over 60 million websites currently powered by WordPress, and many more are added each day. Content management is vital to any business, whatever its size and WordPress makes it easy not only to organise but create and upload.
Customising WordPress
Because it’s open source, you get numerous ways to customise your site whether you are simply using it to blog or want to run a fully-fledged e-commerce store. You can swap and change designs and incorporate multiple templates, either free or for a very low cost. You can tailor a site to your own specific needs if you want to. The platform also has upwards of around 50,000 different plug-ins which you can add to your site, everything from measuring your SEO to analysing visitor engagement. That’s a lot more than other competitors on the market today.
The Simplicity of WordPress
Perhaps the most significant benefit, however, is the simplicity of the platform. An easy to use and simple to understand dashboard has been integral to its success over the years. It’s aimed at people who don’t have much in the way of web development or coding skills but attracts expert designers as well. From the moment you log on, there are easy to follow sections from customising your site and checking your stats to installing plugins and uploading content.
The whole package is also eminently scalable. That means you can start small and then expand with the minimal of effort. WordPress designers is also continually evolving and keeping up with the times. You get mobile responsiveness for your site as a matter, of course, today which means your business looks great on a range of different devices from the get-go. You can add all sorts of content to your site including videos and images and link to social media via an easy to download widget that runs on every page.
If you are looking for a content management system that really delivers on your needs, WordPress currently stands head and shoulders above the competition. With thousands of different themes and over 50,000 separate plug-ins, you have complete control over your web presence, brought together on one, easy to understand and operate dashboard.
