Why Go WordPress?
10 Reasons Why WordPress is the CMS for You:
If you are trying to decide on a content management system to give your website a new edge – look no further. WordPress is what you need!
1. It’s free in more way than one.
WordPress costs nothing. If that isn’t enough to convince you, you should know that it is developed as open source software. WordPress is licensed under a GNU General Public License. That means that you can see the code, mess with the code, and use the code for whatever you want and never pay a dime for it. The software is constructed by a massive community of kind-hearted web developers and it continues to grow better and better with each new release.
2. Plugins galore!
There are currently more than 10,000 plugins available for you to add to your site. “What are plugins?” you may ask yourself… allow me to answer! Plugins can be almost anything; that’s what is so great about them. Do you want to take the time to code a contact form for your website? Of course not… luckily, there is a plugin for that. That and thousands of other things. Fusioncharts, calculators, weather forecasts, SEO packs, anti-spam filters… you name it. And guess what? Plugins are totally free too.
3. Free (or inexpensive) themes.
You can save a ton of money by allowing your web designer to work in WordPress. It is very likely that the template your web designer will use for your site already exists, and that means less work, which means a smaller cost to you. There are more than 1,200 free themes, and hundreds of inexpensive themes beyond that. Themes are still editable so that you can get the feel you want for your site, but they get the project off to a great start every time.
4. You can update your site.
In my humble opinion, WordPress has, by far, the most intuitive control panel of any content management system out there. Drupal and Joomla are each great in their own rights but WordPress is king. Even the computer illiterate will find that they are able to add posts and update content on their sites with ease. Total win.
5. Easy install.
Most web hosts (even the evil giants like Network Solutions and 1 & 1) allow you to install WordPress with the click of a button. What is better than that? If you are using a smaller host that utilizes cPanel, access your account and check in Fantastico or Softaculous. One of the greatest things about WordPress is that after you have it installed, updates are a breeze too. The click of a button will update any plugin and even the entire CMS.
6. SEO friendly link structure.
WordPress allows you to do pretty much whatever you want with your link structure, and it can change your entire sitemap with a few simple modifications. One of the most essential parts of search engine optimization is having a crawler-friendly link structure. Google, Yahoo, and Bing love websites that are straightforward about the content of their pages in linkage. With WordPress, it is easy to make your page and post titles become the base for your link text. And if you want to go crazy with the SEO, install a few plugins!
7. W3C compliance like no other.
Not going to bring up Internet Explorer 6 here. WordPress is W3C compliant, the way the web is meant to (and, with luck, will eventually) be. Throw your website pretty much anywhere, and it is going to look great.
8. Superb integration.
Isn’t this what the world wide web is all about? WordPress has so many extensions you can blast just about anything out of it and absorb just about anything in. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, LinkedIn, Digg, Delicious, Google Buzz… you name it, it is easy to do in WordPress.
9. It is growing.
It’s not the blob, but it is definitely getting bigger. WordPress was once just for bloggers – but that era is long since past. More and more industries are turning to WordPress to build their online presence, and with a great number of very diverse users, comes a great heaping helping of number 10!
10. The best online community around.
Do you have a question about your WordPress site? Google it. Chances are, whatever is going on has probably been encountered (and documented) before. With millions of users dedicated to making WordPress a better experience for everyone, there are answers to just about everything. If it isn’t on the WordPress Forums, it is probably somewhere (maybe here!) and just like that, your problem shall be solved!