There’s a reason why just about everyone you know has a WordPress-based website. It’s excellent for beginners (as well as more advanced website owners and web designers), and it comes with a ton of features, perks, and possibilities. Here’s why beginners love WordPress.
1. WordPress is free.
If you’re just learning web design basics and you’re not sure if you’re going to like web design or be particularly good at it, why bother spending a lot of money on a fancy website platform? WordPress is free, other than having to purchase a hosting plan (which are inexpensive and generally come with WordPress integration) and, if you want, a custom domain name. Even many of the themes are free, which is a good place to start if you just want to start tweaking them instead of building one from the ground up.
2. You can create any type of website you want.
There’s no limit to the type of website you can build with WordPress. While it’s true WordPress is most commonly associated with being the best blogging platform available, it can be used for so much more. You can offer your dog grooming services, share photos from your latest travels, host video webinars, let visitors stream your music, etc. You can set up a membership website, create a retail shop or simply maintain a blog. WordPress is incredibly versatile, especially when you consider the number of themes and plugins available. Plus, as a web designer, you’ll be able to make even more custom tweaks and changes until you get it exactly right. With numerous layouts, widget spaces and add-on tools, there’s almost nothing you’ll want to do that you can’t find out there.
3. There’s a vast support community out there.
WordPress has been around for more than a decade, and in that time it’s sparked a huge community of users and developers. This community has complete forums and websites dedicated just to WordPress, and if you have any questions, you’re bound to find the answer with just a quick search. You’ll also be able to connect with a broad community of other designers, including beginners, who are happy to share their experiences, successes, and failures (which serve as good learning lessons). WordPress itself is also highly secure, and it regularly has updates to keep it safe (you’ll get a notification whenever an update has been made).
4. It’s really great for SEO.
What’s the purpose of designing your first-ever website if nobody can find it? Google favors WordPress websites, which means they’re often ranked in searches. With SEO-focused plugins, you can get even more traffic to your posts, media, and pages.
5. You can start selling premium themes.
Let’s say you love WordPress and realize you’re actually great at designing websites. There’s a huge market out there for designers who create premium themes and sell them to novice WordPress users. By starting out with the platform and learning the ropes from the beginning, you’ll know exactly what customers are looking for, which will guide you to create themes that people want to buy.
Knowing that everyone else is on WordPress isn’t enough of a reason to jump on the bandwagon, but knowing the reasons why people love it so much may be enough to do the trick. Consider using WordPress if you’re setting up a new website or blog.