What is WordPress used for?
Whether you're planning to create a blog or shift your business online, the thought of building your own website can be overwhelming. Goosfraba. Goosfraba. Followed by some very labored breathing.
Here's where WordPress steps in. It is undoubtedly the simplest way to create a website online. Let’s take a moment to understand WordPress in-depth and what it has to offer.
What Is WordPress?
WordPress is an easy-to-use website operating system. It is a content management system that contains a template system and plug-in architecture to help you build and customize a website according to your business, online store, portfolio or blog needs.
While WordPress is certainly not the only platform for website building, it is undeniably the leader in this sphere. More than a third of the websites on the Internet are powered by WordPress.
WordPress lets you create and manage the essential aspects of your website easily without requiring any knowledge about programming. This makes website building accessible to everyone — even those who aren’t developers.
We know that it’s a dream for many to own an online business or e-commerce website, and WordPress makes it easier to transform these dreams and visions into reality.
Difference Between WordPress.com and WordPress.org
If you type WordPress on Google, you’ll find two primary results — WordPress.com and WordPress.org. Here’s what you need to know about these two sites:
- WordPress.com: It is a paid, for-profit service powered by WordPress.org that hosts your website on your behalf. Here, you don’t need to manage a server or download any software on your computer. This service is for people who would like someone else to handle their workload of creating and managing a website. When you choose WordPress.com for your website, its URL will look like — www.websitename.wordpress.com. You can upgrade your account and purchase a custom domain name to avoid the 'wordpress.com' suffix.
- WordPress.org: It is a free, open-source WordPress software, often known as self-hosted WordPress, that lets you create a website that you can fully control. You can download the software, purchase a domain name on a third-party website and effectively manage your server while getting hands-on experience with web hosting.
If you truly want to own your website and experience the process of website building and managing, WordPress.org is your best option. If you feel stuck at any step or encounter a problem, our dedicated team of WordPress experts can skillfully handle all your issues.
What Types of Websites Can WordPress Make?
WordPress offers an extensive ecosystem of plug-ins and themes that can help you build almost any kind of website you want. Whether you wish to create a blog or a full-fledged e-commerce website, WordPress has the tools for everything. Here’s a list of types of websites you can build with WordPress:
- Blogs
- Forums
- Membership sites
- Social networks
- Resumes
- Portfolios
- E-commerce stores
- Business websites
- Multilingual websites
- Knowledge centers
- Magazine publishing sites
What Is WordPress Used For?
Apart from the common uses of building a website, blog or an e-commerce site, WordPress offers a full spectrum of features to help its users effectively manage, operate and customize their website according to their requirements and taste. Here’s what you can do with WordPress:
Build a Multisite
Using this feature, you can convert your online site into a network of websites. First introduced in 2010, this feature lets you break your website into sections like online shops or forums, and each section can have a different theme to help visitors easily distinguish between each page.
You can even hire an employee as a super administrator, who will have complete control over each page on the network. Think WordPress-ception, its WP within WP within WP.
Security Enhancements
Security has always been a serious concern for websites and other online activities. According to Forbes, nearly 30,000 websites of legitimate businesses get hacked every day. It’s essential to ensure that your website is coded well and regularly scanned to detect any unauthorized activity from hackers. Something we offer to every one of our clients as part of their plan.
WordPress offers the iThemes Security plug-in that provides advanced safety features to protect your website. Some of its security features are:
- Two-factor authentication
- Database backup
- Website monitoring
- Hiding WordPress security vulnerabilities
- Protection for multiple sites
- Banning troublesome bots and users
- User action login
- Import/export settings
You can also use the WordPress All in One Security & Firewall plug-in, which offers security features to protect user login, user accounts, file database and registration. This free plug-in also features firewall functionality and blacklist functionality.
Our preference is WordFence and has been for the better part of 10 years now and they are a leader in the security space.
We are however currently testing Shield Security and really like what we are seeing so far from their platform.
Support Through Live Chat
Most websites that offer any type of product or service also provide customer support. Using WordPress, you can provide real-time support through live chat that can significantly boost your chances of closing a sale. You can easily enable the live chat functionality on your website by using various plug-ins. One such cost-effective chat solution for small businesses is the WP Live Chat Support plug-in that features translation capabilities, Google Analytics integration and predefined themes for the live chat box. (Our preference is Tidio.)
Take a look at our review of 10 of the top Live Chat Plugins here: Speed Testing the Top 10 Chat Plugins
Creating a Knowledge Base
You can also add a knowledge base to your website that includes general information to help reduce support inquiries. A knowledge base, also known as a support garage or support portal, will help people quickly find answers to their queries. Heroic knowledge and WP knowledge base are some widely used WordPress knowledge base solutions. Because knowledge is power!
Why Is WordPress Important to Your Small Business?
What's scarier to small business owners than running out of coffee on a Monday morning? Having a website that looks like it's from a time when Nokia phones were popular. WordPress is here to save the day! This website builder is a lifesaver for small business owners who don't have a clue about coding or web design. WordPress is user-friendly, customizable, and has an incredible community of developers who are constantly improving it.
Okay, let's get serious. As a small business owner, your website is your digital store or office. You want to create an online presence that'll represent your brand and make a great impression on potential customers. WordPress is one of the most popular website builders out there, and for good reason. It solves the problem of having to hire a pricey web designer for a site that you can update, maintain and edit without breaking the bank. With WordPress, you have full control of your website's content, design, and functionality. Plus, it's SEO-friendly, which means you can easily optimize your website for search engines to drive traffic to it. So, get your caffeine fix, and start building your website with WordPress.
Get a Fast and Reliable Solution for All Your WordPress Concerns
We understand how tiring it can be to handle all the WordPress tasks and ensure that your site is protected and running at all times. At Your WP Guy, we save you from website headaches by offering quick and trustworthy services to keep your WordPress website on track. Whether you need help with security, plug-ins, themes or maintenance plans, we are here to solve all your problems in the fastest time possible.
Schedule an appointment today to get instant help with your WordPress issues and create a polished, high-quality website.
What is WordPress used for? Summary
• WordPress is the simplest way to create a website online and more than a third of websites on the Internet are powered by it.
• It offers an extensive ecosystem of plug-ins and themes that help build almost any kind of website.
• It provides features like Multisite, Security Enhancements, Live Chat Support & Knowledge base.
• Your WP Guy offers professional services to keep your WordPress website on track.
