Why use WordPress? There is a good chance that you have heard of WordPress if you have ever heard anyone discuss creating a website. Since its initial release in 2003, WordPress has grown to become the most widely used content management system (CMS), currently powering over 60 million websites. 

Whether you are a novice or a seasoned web developer, WordPress can assist you in quickly and simply building a website that looks professional.

We will delve deeper into what WordPress is, how it functions, and how you can use it to create your own website or blog in this beginner’s guide.

What is WordPress?

Open-source and cost-free, WordPress is a content management system (CMS). It is a popular tool for those who want to create websites and blogs but have no prior coding knowledge. It costs nothing to use the software. Installing, using, and customizing it are all free for anyone.

What Websites Can WordPress Make?

Hobby or Lifestyle Blogs

Due to WordPress’s origin in the blog space, its features for this purpose are rich, including:

• The ability to differentiate between posts and pages
• A robust WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor for easy post creation
• Using posts, tags, and categories to build a robust content management system
• Users can choose to post comments, and you can easily moderate them.

The first thing you should do after installing WordPress is pick a theme that suits your tastes and the goals you have for your blog. Themes are available for news, magazines, tiled layouts, and more.

Then, add plugins for any functionality you require that is not already included in the theme, like social sharing buttons or click-to-tweet.

Professional Resumes

WordPress is a great platform for showcasing your personal brand because it also has a wide selection of themes for professional portfolios. While the “Posts” functionality can be used for the specific items you want to highlight, whether they are in an image, text, audio, or video format, the “Pages” functionality can be used for your homepage, about page, contact page, etc.

You have two options: install slider or portfolio carousel plugins, or select a theme with an integrated gallery.

Business Websites

Since a business website frequently has more pages and posts than the average personal blog or website and requires extra functionality, it needs to get even more use out of WordPress. However, WordPress is excellent at satisfying those needs due to its potent built-in CMS capabilities and the open-source community’s ongoing development of solutions.

You can select a website theme that best serves your objectives and then modify it to reflect your brand. The layout process is made even simpler by page builders like Elementor and Divi.

You will be able to use WordPress to integrate and expand your business thanks to plugins for SEO, lead capture, analytics, and other purposes.

E-commerce Websites

WordPress is especially effective for building online stores. E-commerce plugins like WooCommerce allow you to manage products, payments, and shipping from the back end while ensuring that your customers have a positive shopping experience.

Mobile Applications

For some users, accessing your site’s features through a mobile app rather than their device’s browser may be much more convenient. Although creating an app can be expensive, WordPress plugins make it simple to turn your website into an app.

Membership Sites

WordPress supports plugins to build membership sites if you are looking to monetize your efforts by making premium content only accessible to members. You will be able to control payments, establish member levels, and keep track of registrations.

Why use WordPress?

WordPress is a popular blogging and business platform. WordPress is actually used by more than 40% of all websites. WordPress is so well-liked for the following reasons:

• WordPress is an open-source platform.

The platform WordPress is open-source. The software could potentially be modified and distributed by anyone, according to this. It is intended for users to add their ideas to enhance the platform. The development of WordPress is supported by an open-source community.

• WordPress is easy to use for a beginner.

WordPress does not need you to have a degree in computer engineering. Actually, it is designed for non-technical people. The user interface is intuitive and friendly.

You can easily download a theme to change the look of your website. Simply install a plugin if you need to add a new feature, like a contact form. Hours-long web development tasks can now be finished in a matter of minutes.

• WordPress is SEO-friendly.

Building a WordPress website alone is insufficient. You want search engine optimization to help people find and visit your website. You can improve your rankings with internal linking recommendations and meta description templates from SEO plugins like Yoast SEO.

• WordPress supports all media types.

No significant media types are restricted by WordPress. Your website can therefore contain any combination of text, images, and videos. It is comforting to know that you have creative freedom on the platform in this cutthroat battle for consumers’ attention.

• WordPress is secure.

Businesses are very concerned about security, and you want assurance that your data (and the data of your customers) will be protected given the prevalence of data breaches. One of the safest and most secure CMS platforms is WordPress, provided that you keep plugins up to date and passwords secret. The platform provides a number of security features, such as the ability to log off inactive users and enable two-factor authentication.

• WordPress is free to use.

WordPress is available for free. Using the software will not cost you anything. However, in order to make your website accessible online, you will need to pay a third-party hosting provider.

The Rise of WordPress

WordPress became more popular after a rival altered its pricing policy. Users began looking for substitutes, such as WordPress. Matt left his job and founded his own business, Automattic. From a number of investors, including True Ventures, Radar Partners, and Polaris Ventures, he raised $1.10 million in Series A funding.

The WordPress of Today

The number of bloggers, designers, and developers using WordPress is increasing. With the introduction of the Gutenberg editor in 2017, WordPress overhauled its user interface. The showcase theme is new and improved in WordPress 5.0 (Bebo), the most recent version. Major industries continue to recognize the platform’s value.

Resources to Build Your WordPress Website

It is easy to become overburdened when creating your website. When it comes to hosting companies, page builders, and plugins, there are a ton of options. Therefore, we trimmed the list to give you a head start.

• For your website, WP Engine offers managed WordPress hosting. This company provides a secure and dependable service designed for agencies, enterprises, and small businesses.

• The WordPress platform, WPMU Dev is all-inclusive. You receive everything you need to run a successful website, including hosting, security features, and marketing tools.

• WordPress has a full SEO toolkit and plugin called All in One SEO. Your website’s pages and posts can be quickly optimized for better search engine rankings using the TruSEO score and actionable checklist.  
• WooCommerce makes it simpler to create an online business. To aid in the expansion of your business, this e-commerce platform offers unrestricted customization and integrated blogging. 

• More than 3 million websites use Elementor’s WordPress page builder, according to the company. You do not need any technical knowledge to create beautiful web pages using pre-made templates.

• With its visual editor, GravityForms enables you to create sophisticated forms. With its conditional logic feature, which configures your forms to show or hide fields depending on the visitors’ selections, converts more visitors.

• A free WordPress tutorial for beginners is available at WP Beginner. Their blog provides guidance and pointers for enhancing your website.

• Users of the WordPress Events Calendar tool family have access to both free and premium options for calendars, RSVP and ticketing, and complete event management.