WordPress is popular among bloggers and web developers. But if you are wondering what is WordPress while you are thinking of creating your own website, you are not alone. In this article, we will take a look at what WordPress is and why you should use it. So, read on.
What is WordPress
There is an ongoing debate about what WordPress is. Some say it is blogging software. Some say it is a tool for website design. Some even go further and say that it is a CMS i.e., content management system. Some say it is an open-source, free for personal and commercial use. But don’t get bogged down by these words. Let’s see what WordPress is.
WordPress was created out of the need of bloggers to create blog posts without the knowledge of HTML. It released in May 2003. So, it is true that it is blogging software. It initially served as a free and easy way to create and publish blogs. This included a visual editor and a publication system that would edit the blog post with one click. This did not require any knowledge of HTML and other languages. Thus, WordPress became popular among bloggers; even today, it remains popular.
Over time, WordPress evolved and included features such as Themes and Plugins. Using these, one could create a functional website within minutes. Again, you didn’t need to be an expert in web design to do this. This made WordPress an immensely popular website creation software. Currently, it said that WordPress powers more than 40% of websites on the internet. This speaks of its powerful and efficient functionality.
Currently, WordPress powers all types of websites ranging from single page websites, blogs to e-commerce, online galleries, business websites.
Basically, WordPress manages your content on the website. This can be images, multimedia, blog posts, web pages, etc. All of these can be managed using the content management feature of WordPress. This makes it easy to manage, edit and update content. So, basically, WordPress has evolved into a Content Management System (CMS).
Now, does WordPress charge for all of this? The answer is No. Since its inception, WordPress has been an open-source software. It means that it can be downloaded, edited, and modified by anyone for free. It can get used for personal, commercial, or learning purposes. And you be charged nothing for this. Thus, it is true that WordPress is an open-source, free to use the software.
Now that we have explained what WordPress is, let’s have a look at the features offered by WordPress.
Features of WordPress and Why you should use it
- SEO Friendly: SEO is an important thing if you want to grow your business or blog. Thanks to WordPress, this is no hassle. You can create tags, categories and even make your URLs keyword-rich. Also, there are numerous free and premium plugins that make SEO even more optimized.
- Plugins for Everything Under the Sun: If you are planning to add any new functionality to your website, there is a plugin out there. Plugins make it easy to add a new function without having to change the source code yourself. There are thousands of free plugins available on WordPress.org. There are premium plugins as well that offer commercial services. There is definitely a plugin for your unique needs. And finding that is also easy.
- Themes: One of the key features of WordPress is themes. Themes are a basic layout of how the website will look like and how the different elements will be arranged. There are plenty of free themes available. And there are paid themes as well. Themes can be customized. You can change the themes without any cost or hassle.
- Support: WordPress is supported by a large community of web developers, contributors, and volunteers. It is well documented and help is available all over the internet. There are tons of articles covering virtually everything about WordPress. This provides an outstanding support if you are using WordPress.
- Simplicity: WordPress focuses on simplicity. Though, there are many complex websites created using WordPress, the process of creating them does not require advanced knowledge of web programming languages. There are no complex structures or documentation that require hours of study. You can your website up and running in no time. Plugins are simple to use as well. Themes make it easier to change website appearance as and when you want to.
- Flexibility: There is no restriction on what type of website you can create with WordPress. It has been tested on blogging websites, multimedia websites, image, and video galleries, e-commerce stores, government websites etc. You are not bound by one type of website either. You can change your website to any other type you want.
- Free: With all these diverse features, the amazing thing is WordPress remains free. All you need to do is to install WordPress package on your server. You may need to purchase web hosting for this. But in itself, WordPress.org charges you nothing to use their software. This comes fully featured with all the free and premiums themes and plugins. The installation is quite easy and does not take much time. Some web hosting providers offer pre-installed WordPress. There is an option to opt for premium service including hosting by WordPress.com. But WordPress.org remains free.
Before you judge WordPress, give it a try. Millions are using it to create websites that are awesome, functional, and popular. This can’t be just a hype. Consider the features we listed above and at least try WordPress out before you want to switch to more complicated options. Even this site (Nestify.io) is created using WordPress. WordPress is a powerful tool at your disposal.
If you are already using WordPress, we will like to know your experience. What are your favorite themes? What plugins do you find useful?
Share your recommendations and contribute to the WordPress community here. Did you like this article? Let us know in the comments.
