Whether being used for a blog, a business website or e-commerce platform, many content creators consider WordPress to be the best CMS (content management system) available for website design and management and because of this, it has made WordPress the most popular and in-demand CMS for website management powering a truly staggering 455,000,000 websites.
WordPress makes it easy for website owners to run their website. It is a multi-functional platform which allows easy customisation and creation of content. Why is WordPress so popular? Simply put, it is the most versatile, adaptable and user-friendly way to build a website.
WordPress CMS powers millions of websites across the web. It provides all the tools and features needed to make a versatile website which looks professional and is easy to use.
WordPress's popularity cannot be understated as it is by far the most popular CMS used on the Internet.
W3Techs states that WordPress is now used by more than 38% of all websites that it monitors, meaning that WordPress powers 455,000,000 sites. A huge amount of content creators consider it to be the best CMS available; especially now the post and page editing experience has been improved, with the Gutenberg editor, please click here to read more about the differences between the Classic Editor and Gutenberg.
WordPress has humble roots as a blogging platform; however, it has become so much more than that. One of the main reasons why WordPress is so popular with users is its versatility.
It’s entirely up to the user what type of website they would like to create, be it a hobbyist, personal blog, wiki or well known eCommerce store.
Many website hosting companies have their own bespoke website building software built-in. These all-in-one platforms seem attractive at first, as they are intuitive and easy to use. However, what many first-time website creators don’t realise is that they make it very difficult to export or move across to a new provider.
This isn’t an issue with WordPress. WordPress is completely open-source with a large, active community providing ongoing support. It also prides itself on its no gimmick, free for life price planning. Although there is the option to upgrade, the free package includes the Jetpack toolkit which has all the necessary features to create a fully customisable website from scratch.
One of the reasons why WordPress is so popular is that many hosting providers now offer a one-click installation of the CMS for new website owners.
Savvy providers have recognised that it is the best platform for many customers and make it as easy as possible to launch on their new domain. WordPress can be up and running in just a few minutes without the need for an FTP to upload and deploy the installation package making the learning curve for new content creators much easier.
WordPress has media library functionality which makes it easy to embed and manage images, videos, audio and other documents. With drag and drop ease, creators can upload files straight onto their webpage.
Inserting images into webpages can be tricky for new website creators as sometimes they don’t embed at the right size or rotation as initially intended. Thankfully, WordPress has a built-in image editor so tweaks like cropping or rotating can be quickly applied. WordPress also supports oEmbed, so it recognises content from other platforms such as YouTube, Twitter and Soundcloud.
SEO (search engine customisation) can make or break a new website.
If a new site isn’t optimised for SEO, it more than likely won’t get indexed or appear in search engine results and will struggle to receive organic visitors and those all-important clicks.
Things like title tags and meta descriptions can be overwhelming to new content creators, and this is why they use WordPress to build a website. It has all the tools and plugins needed to make sure that any content published using the platform can be pushed up in the search results and rankings.
WordPress has a very intuitive dashboard which has been designed around the user experience. Although a little tech-savvy goes a long way, no coding knowledge is needed to get a website up and running.
Over time new content and webpages can be added in just a few minutes, and there’s even a mobile app which makes it easy to write, edit and publish new posts from a mobile device.
WordPress popularity means that there is a vast amount of online support available which can answer any question or problem which new users may run into.
From quick fixes to professional development support, one of the reasons WordPress has become the most popular CMS is that solutions are always on hand for novice and advanced content creators alike.
One of the most challenging aspects of creating a new website is the design. Even the most exciting and engaging content can often be overlooked if presented on a bland, visually unappealing website.
The user experience is so vital, online content needs to be easy to navigate and searchable if websites are to ensure they keep their visitors happy and bounce rates low.
What is WordPress's answer to this critical issue? You don't need to worry if you needn't have an eye for design. If you are working with a small budget for your website, then a huge range of themes are available providing templates and stylesheets which take care of the entire design experience; however, a DIY website can also have many drawbacks too, to read more about the issues users face with a do it yourself websites, please read our blog post here.
The WordPress theme library can be searched for specific website types, such as a wedding blog or a photography business. Alternatively, you can search for a particular style aesthetic, for example, ‘abstract’ or ‘retro’. Themes are fully optimised to ensure a responsive browsing experience so that they can be automatically scaled for mobile devices as well as support all different browsers.
Although many themes are completely free, some premium ones offer additional features as well as developer support. These are worth considering if you need a very specific design for your website, and they can often be previewed before purchase.
WordPress has a vast range of plug-ins such as our favourite SEO plugin RankMath which provide additional features for any website.
These can be installed to provide functionality such as analytics, e-commerce, SEO, security and many other enhancing extensions.
Simply put, plug-ins can transform a simple website into a multi-functional platform. Like everything else with WordPress, they integrate seamlessly with easy installation, and developers provide support resources for any issues that may arise.
Unfortunately, the nature of the Internet means that malicious hackers target online accounts to gain access or to alter content for their own means. WordPress is no exception to this, and its popularity means that hackers will target any vulnerabilities however the platform has a wide range of features (alongside additional plug-ins) to make their websites as secure as possible. If you are concerned about keeping your WordPress website secure, then please take a look at our WordPress support plans here.
Common threats such as malware and brute force attacks can easily be evaded without specialist security knowledge. By taking the time to review the security settings on any websites which are being built, website builders of all skill levels will make sure that their content is safe and secure.
