Why WordPress? 5 Reasons You Should Use The World’s Most Popular CMS

Your website is a centerpiece of your business. It’s what brings in customers and keeps them coming back for more. But how do you choose which platform to use?

Over the years, I’ve tested many content management systems (CMS). I now choose to only build on WordPress.

Here’s why I think WordPress is the best website platform for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

 

Free

Yes, that’s right — WordPress is 100% free. The software is open-source, meaning you can use it at absolutely no cost. The only expenses are a domain and hosting, which are required no matter which website builder you use.

Other website builders such as Squarespace and Showit offer monthly plans. Although their prices may seem inexpensive at first, the costs quickly add up. $24 per month x 1 year = nearly $300. That’s just a single year for one of the less expensive Showit options!

For many business owners, an affordable website is important. With the low pricetag of $0, WordPress is the best option.

Flexible

WordPress is incredibly flexible. It powers over 35% of all websites, from personal blogs to government sites.

As a popular, well-established website builder, WordPress has a thriving community of designers and developers. The community has developed literally tens of thousands of unique themes and plugins.

The result? You aren’t constrained by limited platform features or missing integrations. If you can dream of a feature, it’s nearly guaranteed that someone has already developed a plugin to make it happen. Your website can be as simple or complex as you like.

Beautiful

Remember those themes I mentioned? You can choose from thousands of themes to fit your aesthetic and style. Many themes are cutting-edge and elegant — and they’re only getting better.

Plus, modern WordPress tools have made beautiful designs a breeze. Drag-and-drop editors such as Divi and Elementor make it easy for anyone to design a gorgeous site, no coding experience needed.

(That said, it does still take time and experience to design a website that meets design and performance needs. That’s where the Studio Anansi team comes in, saving you time and money with a beautiful custom design! Get in touch today to inquire about availability.)

Scalable

One of the top complaints I hear from clients is that their existing non-WordPress website is unable to keep pace with them. While their website may have suited their early needs, it doesn’t offer the features they need now — or face huge new monthly fees just to add features like…

  • E-commerce
  • Email list integrations
  • Blog posts

With other platforms, these types of features incur additional costs that quickly add up — if they’re even possible! For some platforms, you’re stuck with ineffective workarounds as you wait on platform developers to release new features.

But for WordPress, scalability isn’t a concern. You won’t have to wait around on developers to improve your website. The huge library of plugins and integrations means you can add features quickly. And since WordPress has existed since 2003, it’s already a standard integration for social media platforms and digital tools.

SEO

WordPress has an edge over other platforms thanks to powerful SEO plugins. Tools such as Yoast and Rank Math make it easy to enhance your SEO by customizing keywords, tags, search results, and images. Once you choose your SEO keywords, these WordPress plugins will help you optimize content for increased search visibility.

Another SEO benefit of WordPress — native blogging. WordPress started as a blogging platform, so it’s no surprise that the blogging side of the platform is still strong. In fact, website builders such as Showit use WordPress to offer blogging on their own platform!

I highly encourage blogging to grow your online authority and audience. By regularly posting, you can target specialized keywords — and count on the blogging prowess of WordPress to enhance your efforts.

 

Common WordPress Myths

Myth: WordPress is mainly for bloggers.

Nope! WordPress started as a blogging platform, but it now powers many non-blog websites. The New Yorker, MTV News, Time Inc., The Walking Dead AMC, and Sony Music websites are all powered by WordPress.

With tens of thousands of plugins and themes, WordPress is perfect for many types of websites. Whether you’re starting a personal blog, restaurant, yoga studio, online store, or legal office, WordPress is right for you.

Myth: WordPress is vulnerable to security hacks.

Like other platforms, WordPress does attract attention from hackers. However, many security breaches are due to weak passwords and cheap shared hosting — problems that can plague any platform.

Unlike many platforms, WordPress offers enhanced security with powerful plugins such as Wordfence. Plus, WordPress developers are constantly improving security with new safety features.

Myth: All WordPress sites look the same.

In my experience, it’s actually other website builders such as Squarespace and Showit that feel more cookie-cutter!

Some of the earliest WordPress sites did look similar, but they quickly evolved to provide unique designs. Modern WordPress tools such as Divi and Elementor make it easy for beginners to create customized drag-and-drop designs. You can even start with a template and customize from there.

At Studio Anansi, we build entirely custom designs — so your WordPress website is unique to your brand.

Myth: It’s hard to manage a WordPress website.

Yes, WordPress themes, plugins, and core files come with frequent updates — and this is a good thing! As internet standards evolve, your software needs to keep pace.

Your website is like a house, requiring maintenance to keep it in top condition. WordPress makes it easy by providing one-click updates, so you can easily keep your website secure and up-to-date.

Myth: WordPress doesn’t support e-commerce.

This myth is simply wrong. WordPress provides exceptional e-commerce options.

Plugins such as WooCommerce make it easy to sell products and services with nearly endless customization options. S’well Bottles, Airstream, Bata, Nalgene, and Björk are just a few of the many popular names selling through WordPress.

Myth: WordPress sites are slow.

WordPress gets a bad rap for slow performance, but much of these perceived issues are due to cheap hosting and inexperienced website developers.

With tons of people using WordPress, many new sites are hosted on inexpensive, shared hosting plans that provide sub-optimal speeds. New website developers also oftentimes install unnecessary plugins and themes, which slow down website responses.

There are straightforward ways to improve WordPress site speeds. Removing unused plugins and themes, reducing image sizes, and investing in better WordPress hosting can dramatically improve your website speed.

 

WordPress FAQ

Is WordPress free?

Yes! The core WordPress software is 100% free. The only expenses are a domain and hosting, which will typically cost you $10-100 annually (domain) and $5-50 monthly (hosting).

Can WordPress be used for e-commerce?

Absolutely. WordPress plugins such as WooCommerce make it easy to sell products and services. You can customize options, set shipping, and automate purchase emails with extensive customizations.

Why is WordPress better than Squarespace? Or Wix or Shopify or Showit…

The web design world is prone to “shiney object syndrome.” When we see a sleek new tool, we want to check it out right away! But many modern website builders have great marketing that hides underdeveloped capabilities.

Unlike other website platforms, WordPress is incredibly well established, powerful, and flexible. It powers over 35% of all websites, and comes with a thriving community of users and developers. When you want to add new features and enhance your site, you’ll never be stuck waiting for a platform to catch up with new web standards.

How many versions of WordPress are there?

There are two versions of WordPress, and it’s important to know the difference.

WordPress.COM is less flexible, has fewer themes and plugins, and does not allow for e-commerce/membership sites.

WordPress.ORG is fully customizable, allows all themes and plugins, and is the option we use for all our website designs.

Which version of WordPress should I use?

At Studio Anansi, we only design and build with wordpress.ORG. This allows you to have greater flexibility and control over your website.

I want a WordPress site, but I don’t know where to start.

Great news — we’re here to help. Ready to invest in a fantastic website that you’re proud to show off? Let’s talk.

Our team of branding and design experts will craft your custom strategy and website. We handle all the technicals to set you up for success. The process feels simple — but our results are extraordinary.

Get in touch today to inquire about availability.

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