Why should I use WordPress? Isn’t my old site good enough? Why do I need to switch to WordPress from another platform? Is it recommended to create your website on WordPress? If you’re asking these questions, then you’re at the right place. In this blogpost we share 6 good reasons to use WordPress. We will also cover all applications of WordPress as well as showcase popular sites which use WordPress.
While WordPress started as a blogging tool, it has evolved throughout the years into a powerful website builder and a robust content management system (CMS).
The best part about WordPress is that it’s easy to use and flexible enough to make different types of websites. That’s the main reason why WordPress has grown so much in popularity. According to a recent survey, WordPress powers 29.3% of all websites on the internet. That’s about nearly 1/3rd of the whole Internet.
Due to its robust features, many of the top brands use WordPress to power their websites including Disney, Skype, Techcrunch, Toyota Brazil, Fortune, Variety Magazine, Ripley’s, Microsoft Blog, Rolling Stone, Capgemini, Mozilla Blog , Facebook Blog, Sony Music, Rolling Stones Band, and Personal Websites like Usain Bolt, Katy Perry, and Sylvester Stallone.
Let’s take a look at why you should use WordPress to make your website.
1. The Software is Free and Open-Source.
WordPress.org is a self-hosted version where you control more of your site and take advantage of advanced plugins.
It’s an open-source project that’s been around since 2003. This means that WordPress is developed by a collection of contributors. Open-source projects are typically free, with large communities. You don’t have to pay money to WordPress for using their services like Shopify or Webflow. The users often take part in this community as beta testers or simple brand advocates, but there’s really no requirement for any participation if that’s not your style.
2. Wide range of Applications
The list is endless, but here’s a taste of the types of websites you can make with WordPress:
- Blogs
- Business websites
- Portfolios
- Forums
- ECommerce sites
- Ratings websites
- Membership sites
- eLearning modules
- Chatrooms
- Galleries
- Personal websites for self-promotion
- Job boards
- Business directories
- Q&A websites like Quora
- Non-profit websites for collecting donations
- Wikis and knowledgebases
- Media-centric sites like YouTube
- Auction and coupon sites
3. It Supports Numerous Media Types
Feel free to check out the long list of accepted file types for WordPress, but know that the following primary categories are all accepted:
- Images
- Documents
- Audio
- Video
In my own experience, I’ve never heard WordPress not supporting most of the popular file types. You can expect to upload common files like .jpg, .png, .gif .pdf, .doc, .pptx, .mp3, .m4a, .mp4, .mov, .wmv, and .avi. Along with that, you won’t have any problems with more obscure file types like .odt, .key, .ogg, and .3gp.
And while the are some file formats, such as SVGs, that aren’t allowed, there are good solutions to get around this. In short, if you’d like to put a photo, gif, video or document on your website, it’s usually fair game with WordPress. It’s even common to host documents and presentations on a website without publishing them on a specific page.
4. SEO- Search Engine Optimization
WordPress is known for having SEO built into the platform. In fact, WordPress automatically generates title tags and meta descriptions for all of your pages and posts. This lets search engines know about your content, and it will get you indexed and potentially moved up in the rankings. As with everything in WordPress, there are also more advanced features offered by plugins and online tools.
5. The Blogging is Hands Down the Best in the Business
WordPress was born as a blogging platform. It’s had its competitors, but nothing currently compares to the power, elegance, and advanced tools you find in the WordPress blogging engine. Options like Tumblr, Medium, Ghost, and Blogger are all perfectly fine for hobbyists, but the pros go for WordPress. An incredible set of tools is located inside the WordPress blog editor.
You can run a simple, one-author blog by taking advantage of the formatting and media tools. There’s also the option to build a full online magazine by scheduling posts far in advanced and setting multiple user types for contributors and editors.
6. Security
WordPress is developed with security in mind, and it is considered to be a very safe and secure platform to run a website. However, just like the real world, the internet can be an uncertain place.
There are intruders out there who want to get their hands on as many sites as they could. To protect your WordPress site, there are a few simple things that you can do to make it even more secure.
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Contact us to build your WordPress Website today. Even if you want to build your website on another Platform, we can help you out.
Sources: Kinsta.com and wpbeginner.com. + Research.