What exactly is WordPress?

WordPress is a global open-source project that’s free to download and install. It started as a blogging platform, but it has turned it into a powerful website building tool with input from thousands of people all over the globe.

It’s important to note that there are two versions of WordPress, self-hosted WordPress CMS and WordPress.com. In this article, we discuss the self-hosted WordPress CMS (Content Management System).

As the name suggests, for a self-hosted WordPress site, you will need a WordPress hosting account and host your own website. At Cultivate, we can install and set this up for you, so you can jump right into the good stuff.

So, without further ado, here are the top 5 reasons to WordPress for your website in 2022.

1. It’s user-friendly and widely used

43% of the internet is powered by WordPress! That’s an astonishing 455 MILLION websites across the globe. ⁠There are a large number of notable big name brands globally that use the WordPress platform to power their websites. If it’s good enough for the big guns, perhaps it could be a fit for you too.

WordPress is highly flexible and boasts a beginner-friendly admin panel alongside a massive theme and plugin library. WordPress can be set up quickly, without writing any code. The WordPress platform is highly customisable and allows users to create bespoke website experiences using different themes, website builders and plugins. We’ll go into more detail on the next point.

2. Plugins, Builders and Themes

Plugins

If there’s specific functionality that you’re looking to achieve on your website, it’s highly probable that there’s a plug-in for it!

Photo Galleries, pricing pages, portfolios, blogs, catalogues, online product sales, email funnels and integration, marketing tools, social media integration, SEO setup and management, Google analytics tools, contact forms, polls, memberships and membership only content – the world is your oyster! In fact, there are over 59000 free and premium plugins that can be used to extend the functionality of your website.

WordPress plugins also make it easy for you to connect & integrate your website with popular business tools, so you can automate and streamline your daily operations.

Content builders

Content builders such as Elementor and WP Bakery make it possible to build your own WordPress site with a drag-and-drop interface. Some themes, Like Avada or Divi, even come with their own builders for an all-in-one experience. Most builders even do all the responsive settings for you, so your site looks amazing on both desktop and mobile view.

Even with no coding knowledge, you’ll be able to achieve a professional looking site with minimal cost.

There may be a learning curve and it can feel a bit difficult in the beginning, but the best content builders are quite intuitive, and your biggest investment will be your time.

WordPress Themes

WordPress offers too many theme options to count! The theme for your website sets the foundation for your content. Contrary to other website software that limits you to their inbuilt themes, WordPress offers a large variety of themes by different developers, most of which are highly customisable so your website has the potential to be completely bespoke.

There are some great free themes to choose from, and even more paid theme options at different price points. Many of the paid options come with demo content that can be imported at the click of a button, allowing you to establish the design for your site quickly and easily. All that’s left to do it replace the content with your own!

3. WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS)

As the name suggests, a CMS allows a user to manage their own content. Gone are the days where you have to rely on a developer or website professional to edit and update your content.

Even if you employ a designer, developer or an agency to install, set up and create your site from scratch, you’ll be able to edit your own content once they do a handover.

At Cultivate Design Studio, we believe in empowering our clients to manage their content efficiently, so we offer complementary training with every website project. Make sure the professional you choose to work with does a comprehensive handover so you have full control of the end product, and get the most out of your shiny new site. (Psst, check out Lucidity’s website that we recently gave a huge makeover on WordPress)

Want to find out how Cultivate can help with your website?

Contact us for a free quote, no strings attached!

4. Social media Integration

Brand visibility and familiarity goes a long way when you’re looking for new clients – building rapport and recognition is crucial to any business. Social media can be your best friend in this endeavour – so why not make sure your website and social media comms are fully integrated? WordPress offers a host of solutions to help you ensure a happy marriage, creating a cohesive and seamless online presence.

Some social media integration examples:

Facebook Messenger

Easily connect your brand’s Facebook messenger to your website, so users can reach you without ever needing to leave your site. Messenger notifications mean you can respond quickly and easily.

Social Media Posts

Connect your Instagram or Facebook feed to your website, so users can see all the latest posts right on your website home page, without any extra input from you!

Featured News

Set featured images to your news posts, portfolio items or articles and activate social media sharing to allow one-click sharing to different social media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

5. Specialist Support is readily available

Because WordPress is widely used, it’s also widely supported. Paid themes often come with free support for the first year, which can then be renewed as required. Alternatively, there are great free resources online if you prefer to troubleshoot on your own.

If you’re having issues that you can’t resolve with the options above, you’ll almost certainly be able to find support in the form of a WordPress specialist individual or agency either locally or online. As with most things, a professional in the industry can yield some amazing results, so don’t shy away from using a specialist to get you up and running.

The wrap-up

WordPress is a cost-effective solution with endless potential and very few limitations on what you can achieve.

From its roots as one of the key platforms for the early internet, WordPress has become an exceptionally powerful tool which in the right hands can deliver light-weight, high functionality websites that will represent your brand flawlessly.