Why WordPress is a Great Option for YOUR Next Website
So, you’ve signed up for web hosting. Now all you need to do is set up a website. But wait…. How on earth do you do that?
Well, first of all, you need to pick a content management system for it.
A content management system (CMS) is akin to macOS on a Mac, or Android on a smartphone. It’s the operating system that enables you to do stuff, like build your website and upload all your killer blog posts.
We recommend WordPress above all other content management systems for most people. Another option is Joomla, but it’s nowhere near as good.
The adoption rate is proof: WordPress accounts for more than 35% of all websites – which means over a third of all the websites in the world are built on WordPress. Joomla, the second most popular CMS, is used by less than 3% of websites.
In plain speak, WordPress is the world’s #1 CMS.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is an open-source and free website creation tool. With it, you can create a beautiful website or blog.
The beauty of WordPress is its flexibility. With a little training, know-how, and the right tools, most people can create a simple website.
And with good training, resources and time, anything is possible. You could build your own forum, an online platform for an app, or even a magnificent online shop.
The world’s your oyster with WordPress if you know how to do it. And even if you don’t, there’s probably a plugin for it (more on this later).
What Makes WordPress So Good?
We can think of fifteen reasons why WordPress is a great option for your next website.
1. You Only Need Two Things to Get Started
You only need two things for WordPress:
- A domain name
- A suitable web hosting package – aka, a server where your website will live.
That’s it. Two things. No more, no less.
2. It’s Easy to Install and Setup
It’s easy to install and setup WordPress on your domain within cPanel.
Here’s how to do it:
- Login to your cPanel and find the WordPress icon. Utilise One-Click installation and WordPress will be installed for you, asking only for your language. Select it, and away you go—your website will now have WordPress installed.
- Now you’ve installed WordPress on your domain, visit your website where you’ll be asked to set up your admin email and password. Create these and write them down somewhere, so you don’t forget them.
- You will now be logged into your website, free to design and build. If you’ve never seen the WordPress back-end before, here’s what it looks like:
Editor’s note: Not all hosts offer one-click installation. We do. It’s provided within cPanel with all our hosting packages free of charge. If you do not have one-click installation, the process is a little more complicated. Read the guide here.
3. It’s 100% Free
WordPress is free. You can download it right now and use it without paying anything at all.
The only costs with WordPress are optional. For example, paid themes, paid plugins, and custom coding.
You will pay for these, but they are optional extras. The CMS itself is free, and in many cases, you can get by just fine without paid plugins and themes.
4. It’s Versatile
You can use WordPress for an online shop, corporate site, landing page, photo site, blog, forum, directory, portfolio. Literally anything.
5. It’s Easy to Use
The WordPress back-end is a triumph in simplicity. You have an ordered sidebar menu, a top menu that takes you to your site and displays plugin options (if applicable), and then the rest of the page displays content. There’s nowhere to get lost.
6. It’s Open Source
WordPress is open source. In other words, it’s for the people.
It’s owned by the WordPress Foundation, a non-profit. So, unlike Wix, Weebly and other website builders, no one is in it for the money. People are in it for the community, to create and develop a fantastic platform everyone can use.
7. It’s a Proper Platform for Proper Websites
- The Walt Disney Company.
- TechCrunch.
- The New Yorker.
- BBC America.
- Bloomberg Professional.
Can you guess what these big websites have in common? They are all built on WordPress. So, the next time someone says WordPress is just a blogging platform, throw those names at them. And if that doesn’t convince them WordPress is a proper platform for proper websites, give up and go grab yourself a soda.
8. You Don’t Need to Know Code
You don’t need to know code to build a website with WordPress: just download a theme and configure it (okay, there’s a little more to building a great WordPress website than that, but a basic website can be thrown up in minutes).
9. You Can Use Themes
WordPress themes are essentially pre-built website templates. When you upload and activate a new theme, its design becomes your website.
Themes span all types of design, and some are better than others; while some require a great deal of configuration, some look dandy right out of the box.
10. You Can Use Drag and Drop Page Builders
Page builders are all the rage right now and for a good reason—they enable you to build a website with a simple drag and drop interface. Modules are pre-coded and styled, so they fit together and function beautifully on all devices.
11. There are Thousands of Plugins Available
Plugins are small pieces of software packaged in .zip folders. They allow you to add functionality to your website without doing any coding yourself.
For example, you could add a carousel plugin to create a slider for the top of your site. Or you could download a cache plugin to make your website faster. Or you could download an analytics plugin to track your visitors.
There are thousands of plugins out there. Some are paid, most are free. In any case, finding a plugin to solve something you want to do is easy. Just use Google, or you can log into your site and search for plugins there.
12. If You Mess Up, Changes Can Be Reverted
Reversing mistakes in WordPress can be achieved in a few ways:
- If you mess up a page or post when editing it, you can revert to a previous revision within the editor so long as you saved your changes at a point in time.
- If you download a dodgy plugin or mess up code that renders your website inaccessible, you can restore a backup in cPanel. You’ll lose changes made after the backup, but it will at least restore your site.
- If you use Elementor or Divi, these allow you to view and restore page revisions (old versions of a web page) within their visual builders.
13. It’s an SEO Powerhouse
WordPress is a fantastic CMS for SEO. It’s lightweight out of the box, conforms to and is continually updated to the latest coding standards, and there are loads of really good SEO plugins you can download to optimise your site.
14. It’s Mobile-Friendly
WordPress is built for mobile. 99% of new themes are responsive, which means they conform to the size of the display they are being viewed on. And if they’re not responsive, you can use the Jetpack plugin to create a mobile version of your site.
15. It’s the Best Platform for Content Creation
If you’re going to create content for your business, WordPress makes it easy. WordPress was created as a blogging platform, and it hasn’t forgotten its roots. It remains the best platform for content creation, with a fantastic post editor on desktop and mobile enabling you to nail your articles and blogs. You can even add a shortcode plugin to spice up your posts with tables, tabs and other goodies without writing a line of code.
WordPress has never been easier to setup, manage, and optimise. Remaining the most popular platform in the world for hosting nearly any kind of website, it’s easy to see why millions of people use WordPress every day.
At UKHost4u we aim to make the job of setting up your first WordPress website as simple as possible. Our WordPress hosting plans offer unparalleled performance, security, and availability – at affordable prices.
Our helpful team is always at hand to help with any issues or queries you may have. Contact us at any time via live chat, our support portal, or telephone.
