Why WordPress is a Great Option for YOUR Next Website
A Comprehensive Guide to Setting Up Your WordPress 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? What exactly is WordPress?
First of all, you need to pick a content management system (CMS) for your site.
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 things like build your website, upload all your killer blog posts, and manage your content seamlessly.
We highly 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, and for good reasons. Its ease of use, flexibility, and powerful features make it an ideal choice for both beginners and experienced web developers alike.
Choosing WordPress for your next website ensures you’re using a reliable, scalable, and highly customizable platform that can grow with your business needs.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is an open-source, free website creation tool that empowers you to create a stunning website or blog with ease.
The beauty of WordPress lies in its unparalleled flexibility. With a little training, know-how, and the right tools, most people can create a simple website. 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 use it. And even if you don’t, there’s probably a plugin for it (more on this later).
WordPress’s vast ecosystem includes thousands of themes and plugins, allowing you to customize your site to your heart’s content. Whether you want a sleek professional site, a vibrant personal blog, or a comprehensive e-commerce platform, WordPress provides the tools to make it happen.
With its user-friendly interface and robust community support, WordPress stands out as the go-to choice for website creation, making it easy for both beginners and experts to bring their vision to life.
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 set up 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 completely free. You can download it right now and start using it without any cost. The only expenses you might incur are for optional features, such as:
- Paid themes
- Paid plugins
- Custom coding
These are optional extras that can enhance your website, but the core CMS itself is free, and in many cases, you can get by just fine without paid plugins and themes.
4. It’s Versatile
WordPress is incredibly versatile. You can use it for virtually any type of website, including:
- Online shops
- Corporate sites
- Landing pages
- Photo sites
- Blogs
- Forums
- Directories
- Portfolios
Literally, anything you can imagine can be created with WordPress. Its versatility makes it an ideal choice for any project, whether you’re a small business, a large corporation, or a hobbyist.
5. It’s Easy to Use
The WordPress back-end is designed with simplicity in mind. You have a neatly ordered sidebar menu, a top menu for quick access to your site and plugin options (if applicable), and the main area for displaying content. The intuitive layout ensures that users, whether beginners or experts, can navigate and manage their sites without getting lost.
6. It’s Open Source
WordPress is open source, meaning it’s developed by and for the people. Owned by the WordPress Foundation, a non-profit organization, WordPress is driven by a community of developers and enthusiasts. Unlike proprietary website builders like Wix and Weebly, WordPress isn’t about profit; it’s about creating and continuously improving a fantastic platform that everyone can use and contribute to. This community-driven approach ensures ongoing innovation and support.
7. WordPress Powers Top Websites
The Walt Disney Company, TechCrunch, The New Yorker, BBC America, and Bloomberg Professional. These high-profile websites all use WordPress. If anyone tells you WordPress is just a blogging platform, share these examples. WordPress is a robust and versatile platform trusted by major brands for their online presence. This proves that WordPress is a powerful platform capable of supporting professional and large-scale websites.
8. No Coding Skills Required
One of the biggest advantages of WordPress is that you don’t need coding skills to build a website. With WordPress, you can download and install a theme, customize it, and have your website up and running in minutes. While building a sophisticated website may require more effort, a basic WordPress site can be created without any coding knowledge. This accessibility makes WordPress an ideal choice for beginners and small business owners looking to create and manage their own websites.
9. Utilize WordPress Themes
WordPress themes are pre-built website templates that you can easily upload and activate to transform your site’s design instantly. Themes come in a wide variety of styles and functionalities, catering to different types of websites. While some themes might need extensive customization, others can make your website look professional right out of the box. This flexibility allows you to choose a theme that best suits your brand and design preferences.
10. Benefit from Drag and Drop Page Builders
Drag and drop page builders have revolutionized website creation. These tools allow you to design your website with a simple, user-friendly interface. You can add and arrange modules, such as text boxes, images, and buttons, by dragging them into place. Page builders like Elementor, Divi, and Beaver Builder make it easy to create a professional-looking website without touching a single line of code. This feature is particularly beneficial for beginners and those looking to save time on website development.
11. Access Thousands of Plugins
WordPress offers a vast repository of plugins, which are small software add-ons that extend the functionality of your website. With plugins, you can add a wide range of features without any coding skills. For instance, you can use a carousel plugin to create a dynamic slider, a caching plugin to enhance your site’s speed, or an analytics plugin to monitor visitor behavior. The WordPress plugin directory contains thousands of plugins, both free and paid, ensuring you can find a solution for virtually any need. To find plugins, you can either search within your WordPress dashboard or use Google to discover the best options available.
12. If You Mess Up, Changes Can Be Reverted
One of the greatest advantages of WordPress is its flexibility in handling mistakes:
- Reverting Page or Post Edits: If you make an error while editing a page or post, WordPress allows you to revert to a previous revision within the editor, provided you saved your changes at a specific point in time.
- Restoring from Backups: If a faulty plugin or code makes your website inaccessible, you can restore a backup through cPanel. Although you may lose changes made after the backup, this feature ensures your site can be restored to its previous state.
- Page Builder Revisions: Page builders like Elementor and Divi enable you to view and restore previous page revisions within their visual builders, making it easy to recover from any design mistakes.
13. It’s an SEO Powerhouse
WordPress is an exceptional CMS for SEO, providing numerous tools and features to optimize your site:
- SEO-Friendly: WordPress is lightweight out of the box, adheres to the latest coding standards, and is regularly updated.
- SEO Plugins: Numerous SEO plugins, such as Yoast SEO and All in One SEO Pack, can be installed to enhance your site’s search engine optimization. These plugins offer features like XML sitemaps, meta tags, and keyword optimization. Learn more about top WordPress SEO plugins.
14. It’s Mobile-Friendly
With the increasing use of mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is crucial:
- Responsive Themes: 99% of new WordPress themes are responsive, meaning they adjust to fit the size of the display they are viewed on. This ensures a seamless user experience across different devices.
- Jetpack Plugin: For themes that are not responsive, the Jetpack plugin can create a mobile version of your site, ensuring it looks great on any device. Explore more about responsive themes.
These features make WordPress an excellent choice for anyone looking to create a robust, user-friendly, and SEO-optimized website.
15. WordPress: The Ultimate Platform for Content Creation
If you’re looking to create compelling content for your business, WordPress makes it effortless. Originally developed as a blogging platform, WordPress has stayed true to its roots and remains the best platform for content creation. It boasts a fantastic post editor on both desktop and mobile, allowing you to craft engaging articles and blogs with ease. Additionally, you can use shortcode plugins to enhance your posts with tables, tabs, and other features without needing to write a single line of code.
WordPress has never been easier to set up, manage, and optimize. As the most popular platform globally for hosting nearly any kind of website, it’s clear why millions of people choose WordPress every day.
Setting Up Your First WordPress Website
At UKHost4u, we strive to make setting up your first WordPress website as simple as possible. Our WordPress hosting plans offer unparalleled performance, security, and availability at affordable prices. Our dedicated team is always available to assist with any issues or queries you may have. Contact us anytime via live chat, our support portal, or telephone.
- Learn more about WordPress.org
- Explore cPanel Documentation
- Discover Yoast SEO
- Find out about Jetpack Responsive Themes
By following this guide and utilizing the resources provided, you can create a stunning and functional WordPress website that meets all your needs. Start building your online presence with WordPress today and experience the transformative impact it can have on your business.
