What is WordPress CMS?
WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that enables you to create a website or blog from scratch or to improve an existing website. It’s a free and open-source platform that is used by millions of people around the world, including many large organizations, such as The Guardian, Forbes, and The New York Times. WordPress CMS has over 20% of web traffic worldwide and is considered the best CMS there in 2022.
Wondering why WordPress is the best CMS? From adaptability to ease of use and customization, its benefits are numerous. In this article, you’ll discover why WordPress is the biggest content management system in the world, so you can decide if it’s the right fit for your website.
1. WordPress Is Free
The first and most important reason why WordPress is the best CMS in 2022 is that it will cost you nothing. WordPress is a free tool anyone can download and use. Instead of being owned and operated by a single entity, it’s been built as an open-source community project, which means thousands of people have contributed to its development and ongoing improvement. As such, the software itself is free and will probably always be free.
This means that you can use it for any purpose, including commercial projects, without having to pay anything. WordPress is also constantly being updated by a team of developers, so you can always be sure that you’re using the latest version and there’s always room for improvements.
Of course, certain plug-ins, themes and functions come with a price tag, but you have full control over what you spend and can get a pretty impressive website for zero cost.
2. Ease of Use / Easy to Customize
Another reason why WordPress is the best CMS is its ease of use and easy customization. If you can use Microsoft Word, there’s a good chance you’ll become an expert at creating content on WordPress. You don’t need to be fluent in HTML or Python as all formatting is done by clicking buttons and using drop-down menus.
What’s more, you can use page builders to create more complicated designs without knowing a single line of code. But if you’re a developer or coding hobbyist, you still have the option to adapt any aspect of your site’s code.
3. Make Any Type of Site
While WordPress was originally built for blogging, it’s come a long way since 2003. One of the reasons why WordPress is the best CMS is that you can use themes and plug-ins to turn a simple WordPress blog into any of the following:
- Business website
- E-commerce
- Forums
- Portfolios
- Rating sites
- E-learning
- Membership sites
- Chat rooms
- Galleries
- Nonprofit sites
- Job boards
- Q&A sites
- Personal websites
- Wikis
- Coupon and auction sites
Keep in mind that blogging is a major driver for search engine optimization. The more blog posts with relevant keywords you have on your WordPress site, the better it’ll perform in Google searches. As WordPress has its roots in blogging, it’s got one of the best interfaces for clean-looking, fast-loading blogs.
4. Creative Control
Another popular reason why WordPress is the best CMS is because of its creative control. Websites like Wix, Squarespace, Magento, Joomla and Shopify aren’t open source and limit the features you can use in free versions. To customize your website with these programs, you’ll usually have to upgrade to a premium version and pay a monthly fee.
WordPress isn’t just free, it also gives you free rein over code, logos, menus, widgets, colors, fonts and themes. If there’s a change you want to make on your WordPress site, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to make it yourself.
5. WP Supports Multiple Media Types
In its early years, WordPress is only for text, but this is no longer the case. In fact, you can use the built-in media uploader to take care of video, audio and image files. Plus, you’re able to embed files from any oEmbed-enabled site, such as SoundCloud, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Global brands such as BBC America, Sony Music, Microsoft News, The Walt Disney Company, The Rolling Stones, Beyoncé and The Harvard Gazette use WordPress. Take a look at their websites for a taste of how impressive and complex WordPress sites can be.
6. WordPress Themes and Plug-Ins for Customization
Another reason why WordPress is the best CMS is its themes and plug-ins. While WordPress is popular with programmers and web designers, it’s also used by people with no background in website development. Start off by choosing a premade WordPress theme that matches your company’s branding.
There are plenty of WordPress themes
WordPress offers an array of prebuilt WordPress themes and designers are constantly creating new themes for the WordPress community. Whether you’re running a blogging site, business site or online store, there’s a WordPress theme to suit. Even better, you can use the control panel to customize many of the themes so the color, logo, background and sliders look exactly as you want them to. There are also some theme options based on your need or category: eCommerce, portfolio, blog. All this, and you don’t need to know how to code!
There’s a WordPress plugin for everything
There are WordPress plugins for just about everything, from social media integration to speed optimization. No matter what you want to do with your site, there’s likely a plugin WordPress for it. One of the great things about WordPress is that it’s very easy to install plugins. You can do it right from your WordPress dashboard. Just click on the “Add New” link under the “Plugins” menu item. On the next page, you can either search for WordPress plugins or upload one that you’ve already downloaded.
Once you’ve found a plugin that you want to install, just click on the “Install Now” button. The plugin will be installed and activated automatically. Always check the list of all your WordPress plugins to see if ti needs updating.
Free vs. premium WordPress themes & plugins
There are thousands of free WordPress themes and plugins available, so you’re sure to find one that suits your needs. Free themes and plugins are a great way to try out a new design or website without spending any money.
However, free themes and plugins are often less feature-rich than premium ones. They may also not be as well-designed or supported. If your website requires more complicated features such as shipping and payment options or social media platforms integration, it’s best to see the wide range of premium themes and plugins available in the WordPress community. Prepare to spend around $30 to $200 or more for premium themes and plugins.
7. Search Engine Optimization
SEO is another reason why WordPress is the best CMS, Search engine optimization is crucial for marketing your business online. The more you can adapt your website for SEO, the easier it is for Google and other search engines’ algorithms to rank your site as high up on the results pages as possible. And when it comes to search engines, WordPress is practically untouchable.
WordPress offers automatically generated meta titles and meta descriptions for each post and page, which search engines love. Plus, you have the option of incorporating WordPress plug-ins to get additional SEO tools for things like schema markup and checking broken links. Yoast SEO is a hugely popular plug-in that helps you manage SEO and provides vital insights into how effectively you’re using keywords on your site.
8. Scale Up
So you’ve made your WordPress blog or website a success, but there are certain functions and features customers keep asking you for? As your business grows, you’ll need a platform that can scale with you. WordPress is built for scalability, so it can easily handle increased search engine traffic and demands on your website. Whether you’re adding new products, expanding your team, or growing your audience, WordPress can help you take your business to the next level.
You can use plug-ins to quickly and easily add something like a membership section, quiz or even an online store. For instance, membership plug-ins transform your website into a community hub, and quiz plug-ins instantly bring a new dimension to your site. Some are free and some come at a small cost, depending on which WordPress plug-in you prefer.
9. Website Security
One of WordPress’s major focal points in cybersecurity, which is vitally important for anyone running a business. One of the main reasons why WordPress is the best CMS is because, provided you maintain your website correctly, it’s super-secure. Intruders have tricks for hacking into all sorts of websites, but you can fully protect your WordPress site provided you know-how.
There are many different ways to secure a WordPress website. Some of the most common methods include using a strong password, installing a security plugin, and backing up your website regularly. your website.
10. Mobile optimization
With each day we get more and more website visitors through mobile devices and yet more websites are still not optimized for different screen resolutions.
One of the main reasons why WordPress is the best CMS is because it is mobile-friendly and responsive. This means that your website will look great on all devices, from smartphones to tablets to laptops. And, if you ever need to make changes to your website, it’s easy to do so without having to learn to code. From mobile site design to image scaling, all the functions in WordPress are automatically implemented – no code needed.
WordPress vs competition
When it comes to website creation, WordPress is often pitted against its competitors. Which platform is the best option for you? If you’re looking for an easy-to-use, beginner-friendly platform with a wide range of features, WordPress is a great option. Here’s a closer look at how WordPress stacks up against its 5 main competitors:
Wix CMS Platform: Wix is a popular website builder that offers a drag-and-drop interface and a wide range of templates much like the WordPress development backend. It’s easy to use, but it lacks some of the advanced features WordPress offers.
Weebly CMS Platform: Weebly is a popular blogging platform that offers a similar drag-and-drop interface. It’s slightly more expensive than Wix, but it includes some additional features, such as the ability to sell products online. Although weebly is a pretty dependable content management system, it is more likely to be used only as a blogging platform
Squarespace CMS Platform: Squarespace is a premium website builder that offers a sleek and modern interface. It’s more expensive than both Wix and Weebly, but it includes some powerful features, such as eCommerce capabilities. However, WordPress offers more freedom in customization and WordPress development.
Shopify CMS and eCommerce Platform: Shopify is a platform designed specifically for online stores. It strongly rivals what WordPress offers and is also loved by search engines. It includes everything you need to create a professional online store, including hosting, security, and payment processing. However, it’s more expensive than WordPress, even the plugins and themes needed are more expensive than most WordPress themes.
BigCommerce CMS platform: BigCommerce is another eCommerce platform that offers similar features to Shopify. It’s slightly cheaper, but it doesn’t include some of the advanced features offered by Shopify and WordPress.
Get Help From WordPress Management Professionals
Once your WordPress website is up and running, you’ll need to perform daily, weekly and monthly maintenance to ensure it runs as smoothly as possible. Let the experts at WP SitePlan take care of managing your website so you can get on with running your business. We also offer white label WordPress maintenance for digital agencies. Contact us today.
