The most powerful and best tool today for building all types of websites is WordPress. You must have heard of this software. But you probably don't know yet all the advantages you can get from its use. Indeed, this management tool has several features that will be of great help to you, especially if you want to improve your image on the net. Find out in this article what kind of website you can create with Wordpress and why WordPress is so effective.
What is WordPress?
Simply put, WordPress is the best way to build your own blog or website in the easiest way possible. WordPress is indeed the best-known and most widely used tool for building a website. In more technical terms, WordPress is an open source Content ManagementSystem licensed under GPLv2. This means that it is software that can be used and modified by anyone freely and without charge.
Note that a Content Management System is software that allows you to create, modify, organise and publish content on the Internet. Its purpose is to make it easier to manage the most important elements of your website.
The WordPress management system makes it easy to create and publish content on the web. Most importantly, it is accessible to everyone. This means that you don't need to be a developer or programmer before you can build your website with WordPress. In other words, you don't need to have any technical knowledge to create content with WordPress. You can easily create any type of website.
Also, you will often hear about WordPress.org and WordPress.com. Is there a difference between them? They are different in that they are both versions of WordPress.
WordPress.org
Also known as self-hosted WordPress, it is the free open-source management software. It was born in 2003 and was the core solution of WordPress. Once you install it and create your website, you have total control over it and it is totally (100%) yours. You will also benefit from the most powerful and advanced plugins. However, you will have to self-host your site. In other words, subscribe to a hosting plan and buy a domain name.
WordPress.com
Born in 2005, WordPress.com is a pay-per-use platform that is tied to the WordPress.org software. It is best suited if you know absolutely nothing about creating content online. However, it is not very suitable for profit-making businesses. Since in the long run the hosting costs are quite considerable. And since it's not self-hosted, you don't have much flexibility. But apart from the hosting, the site is also completely free.
Also, note that usually when people talk about "WordPress", they mean self-hosted WordPress. Since it is really suitable for all types of businesses and can be used by anyone.
The different types of websites made with Wordpress
From small and large companies, to individuals, to universities and colleges, and more, all use Wordpress. So what sites can you create with Wordpress?
The showcase site
The showcase site is one of the sites that the WordPress software makes possible. Indeed, the creation of a showcase site with WordPress is today adopted by companies as well as by individuals. It is the best way to build a showcase site adapted to the different needs of the company.
In reality, the showcase site is a website that presents the company's services, articles or goods to Internet users. However, it is not possible to buy or sell online. Thus, the objectives of a showcase site are generally to provide information about its various activities. But also to promote its services and goods, or to be able to make sales. The latter will obviously not be carried out through the site. You will therefore understand that the showcase site is not a commercial site. It does, however, have the potential to lead to an e-commerce site.
For example, you may have browsed sites that present CVs, recipes, or display paintings online. These are all examples of showcase sites. You will see thatnone of them feature online sales offers. However, they all have certain characteristics and specificities. The creation of a showcase site is therefore not based on a standard model.
Therefore, WordPress allows the creation of a website adapted to the needs and objectives of each person, whatever their passion, whatever their field of activity. It will be ''tailor-made' ' as we often say. Your visibility on the net will only increase internationally.
E-commerce
E-commerce, also known as electronic commerce or online shop, refers to all the sales activities of a company, online. It therefore refers to the measures taken by a merchant to better sell its products and services directly to its customers. An e-commerce site is therefore an online sales website. A platform where a trader sells his services and products. The goal is to increase its visibility in order to reach many more people, depending on its target. Yes, many more people than if he was content to display his products in his real shop.
This is why an online shop is indispensable for all commercial enterprises today. But you may think that creating an online shop is complex or requires a considerable investment! It is true that some management systems offer excellent solutions for creating your shop, but they are still excessively expensive.
However, the WordPress Content Management System allows you to create an e-commerce site for free and easily. It provides you with simple but powerful tools that make it easy to build an e-commerce site. This is mainly the free WooCommerce plugin. It allows you to easily create your e-commerce site and gives you access to a large number of free features. These features are extremely efficient and powerful. All you need to do is to self-host your site. Don't worry, because the prices are very affordable.
The blog
The blog is the website par excellence that allows companies, influencers or entrepreneurs to generate traffic. This site is a kind of newspaper whose contents are authentic, original and pleasant. Well designed, it arouses great interest from Internet users, because they have the opportunity to express themselves and give their opinions.
As far as its advantages are concerned, the blog will optimise your positioning in the results of Google queries. In addition, the content created on your blog can be used for your social networks or in your newsletters. But the best part is that you can build a trusting and lasting relationship with your users.
This type of site is therefore available to everyone:
- individuals who wish to share personal information and stories with the world;
- individuals who wish to address issues that are important to them and that they care about;
- to professionals who share their experience and background so that recruiters will take notice;
- companies to keep their customers up to date with the latest offers and news regarding their business;
- associations that publicise their actions and activities through a blog.
So, you probably know of platforms where you can create a blog. But we highly recommend WordPress as it is very intuitive in terms of building a blog. You will have access to many features, such as emailing. It also helps you write quality content, so you can attract more and more prospects.
The portfolio
The portfolio is a document through which you trace your career. You can prepare it in digital form or on paper. It will therefore be addressed to your potential employers that you have targeted. Let's say you are an architect. The portfolio will allow you to show some of the plans for the projects you have completed. But at the same time it will describe your different potentials. You should absolutely have it at your job interviews. It will be a great asset for you.
Moreover, the writing of the portfolio, unlike that of a CV, is not subject to any particular rules. You have a choice as to the design of your portfolio. You just have to make sure that it is exciting, well organised, well structured and that it has a logical sequence of content.
So with WordPress, you have all the tools you need to build your online portfolio. You don't need to know anything about " code ". The various features (themes and extensions) of WordPress will help you create a custom and original portfolio.
In addition, you will have access to several extensions such as the contact form or WP Review. The contact form allows you to configure your online portfolio in your own way. The WP Review extension allows you to have the opinions and recommendations of other users on your portfolio. So you can improve it if necessary. So understand that WordPress extensions are simple and easy to use. So WordPress is the tool to have for creating good websites and portfolios.
Why choose Wordpress?
Wordpress manages no less than 43.0% of all websites on the internet. And you may be surprised to learn that entities such as Microsoft and the White House use Wordpress to manage their websites. Can you imagine? So you can understand why this software has become the best way to power your website on the Internet. But what is the specificity of this management system? We will find out by reviewing its main advantages.
Free of charge
WordPress software is completely free and open source. As we learned earlier, WordPress.org and WordPress.com are completely free. The difference between them is mainly in the hosting plans. Hosting is necessary! And that's why WordPress.org is much more widely used, because of the fact that you will be doing the hosting yourself.
So, WordPress can be downloaded for free by anyone. Remember, we said that it is an open-source software born in 2003. What does that mean? Well, it means that it is a free project that was built with the help of a very large community (contributors, organisers, moderators and WordPress volunteers). So you can use WordPress and modify it to your liking. But more than that, you will be able to create your sites and customise them as you wish.
Ease of use
WordPress is easy to use. And that's one of the features that makes it so popular and used. It really can be used by anyone. So no matter what your field, your skills or your budget for hosting, you'll have no trouble using it. Obviously you will have a lot to learn. There will be a lot of features that you will have to learn to master. But the fact remains that its interface is quite pleasant and interesting.
You will be able to create your own blogs, showcase sites, and e-commerce sites without much difficulty. With practice and with time, you will master the contours of WordPress. And all this with the help of a large community of contributors and users ready to accompany you. So you won't be alone in your projects. So understand that WordPress is the tool that you must have.
Total control over the site
You know, content management systems that are not open-source are difficult to control. In fact, they don't give you full control over your work, your websites. So you are limited in what you can do even with the best packages they offer. We are talking about systems like Shopify, Squarespace, WIX or Weebly. What are their limitations in a concrete way:
- Since the hosting is provided directly by the software, you do not have much freedom. You also can't shop around to see what's best for you, as the hosting is provided to you immediately. With WordPress, however, you can self-host your site, for greater flexibility;
- you cannot modify the software as you wish. This makes it difficult to use because you will have to use the services of a developer. Since you won't be able to manage the various changes yourself. With WordPress, on the other hand, the language is so simple and easy that you don't need a programmer;
- you also do not fully own the sites you create from a technical point of view. As a result, when you stop paying hosting fees, all your work is lost or the company owns it completely. But with WordPress everything is simpler. And your sites are 100% yours. Plus, you can move your files to other hosts.
Simply put, with WordPress, you can be sure that your information, files and achievements are completely yours. Unbelievable but true!
Adaptability
WordWpress adapts to your needs. So whatever website you want to create, you can do it easily. You may hear some people say that WordPress can only be used to create blogs. But we've just learned that this software allows you to create many types of websites.
However, it is true that at one time it was mainly used for blogging. But over the years and with the various improvements that have been made, this has changed. WordPress allows you to create and publish articles through different types of sites. The best part is that all the options for blog design are included right from the start.
We've just seen four different sites that WordPress allows you to create. But there's more. WordPress has no shortage of functionality. So whatever your content creation needs, it is and remains the safest and fastest way to get it done.
The use of themes and plugins
The themes and plugins that WordPress provides are actually tools to make your sites as attractive as possible. With the different themes you can easily build your sites and really customize them. Adjusting the design of your site will be much easier. Whether it's a business website, a portfolio or a blog.
In addition, over time, you may want to add some new features to your site. Maybe you want to make your customers' experience on your pages more pleasant. And that's where plugins come in. They are very effective in solving problems with your site's functionality.
Finally, you will also need to change the design of your sites from time to time. To give it a fresh look. For this purpose, WordPress provides several powerful themes to make the task easier.
SEO in the spotlight
With WordPress, remember that SEO is at the heart of everything. It automatically produces meta descriptions and HTML tags in your posts and on your pages. By doing this, your pages are much more likely to be indexed by search engines. In other words, you can be sure that a site created with WordPress will quickly be propelled to a higher ranking in Google results.
In addition, it offers several features and plugins that will help you climb the rankings. As an example, we will tell you about the Yoast SEO plugin. It is an indispensable extension for your websites. With WordPress you can easily access it. It will provide you with the necessary tools to properly reference each of your pages.
Also read: How to get started with WordPress - 9 things to know
Almost anything can be created with Wordpress
Ultimately, WordPress is a content management system that helps you build different types of websites. It gives you access to a multitude of simple and easy-to-use features. And it's all free. So don't you think this software is particularly clever?
So what type of site would you like to create with WordPress? Portfolio or Blog? Tell us in the comments.
