Since its release back in 2003, WordPress (WP) has become the world’s most popular Content Management System (CMS) software and has grown exponentially to the point it now powers around 37% of all published websites.
Where once WP was considered almost exclusively as a blogging platform, its scope and capabilities have expanded massively over the years and the software is now the most widely-used online publishing system accounting for around 65% of all CMS-powered sites. Indeed, while the software is still popular among bloggers, the increased sophistication and capabilities of WP have made it the backend website tool of choice for some of the world’s largest companies, including BBC America and Sony Music.
Reasons You Should Use WordPress For Your Site Build
Whether you’re looking to hire the services of a professional website development company or want to try and set up a site yourself, WordPress is a great choice of CMS. The easy-to-install setup files coupled with the incredible number of available plugins make building a site using WP a breeze compared to using other rival management systems.
Best of all, WordPress is provided completely free of charge and, once you’re up and running, the simple interface and built-in support for a huge variety of media formats make updating your pages and adding new content very simple. In short, if you want an easy-to-use, reliable, and secure CMS, you couldn’t do much better than WordPress.
Go It Alone Or Hire Help?
Before you even begin, you’ll need to ask yourself one fundamental question – are you going to go it alone and take a DIY approach or would you prefer to partner with a skilled development company? In truth, while WordPress is undoubtedly much simpler to use than many other CMSs, if you don’t have any previous coding or design experience, you’re almost inevitably going to run into issues further down the line. Note – this point also equally applies to other website builder tools like Wix.
Building and designing a site requires artistic and programming skills that go far beyond the knowledge and experience of most web users. Indeed, in most cases, you can immediately tell a home-built site against one that’s been produced professionally.
Some Advantages Of Working With A Development Company
In truth, unless you possess design or coding skills, you’re likely to end up with a rather lackluster site – so think carefully before taking the plunge yourself. Also, most development companies offer ongoing website maintenance services (for example, keeping your site secure, updating plugins, etc.) which will mean you can concentrate purely on producing the best content possible rather than worrying about the upkeep of your site. Lastly, a professional firm will look after the majority of the points listed below – again, giving you peace of mind and avoiding having to get too embroiled in the actual production side of things.
The Importance Of Finding A USP
If you’re thinking of launching a site, you likely already have a very clear idea of the subject area and type of content you’re going to feature. Ideally, you’ll have picked a niche topic or have worked out an angle that will help you stand out and offer a special service in some way – often referred to in sales talk as your Unique Selling Point (USP).
In a world where there are now more web pages than people, finding a different angle or subject will increase the chances of your site attracting visitors and driving traffic.
Key Steps Involved In Building A WP Site
As mentioned previously, if you decide to use a development company, they will guide you on most of the steps below – but it’s still useful to have an idea of what’s involved in a WordPress build project so you can plan ahead and keep the job on track. Of course, should you go it alone, you’ll need to think about these considerations to get your site online.
Choose A Professional Host And Pick A Domain Name:
Without a hosting service, you won’t be able to post your site online however hosting goes beyond just publishing. A good web host should provide additional security, be able to upscale your storage capacity or bandwidth, and give you support as and when you need it. Search online and for testimonials on sites like Feefo to help pick a recommended service provider before committing. You will also need to buy a domain name (the address users will input to visit your site). Most professional hosting companies also offer domain registration services where you can check availability.
Select Your Ideal Theme:
One of the greatest benefits of working with WordPress for your site development is the vast choice of pre-built themes that are available to install. No matter what your site is going to be about, chances are good you’ll be able to find a template that works for you and covers everything you need. Search online for a theme that suits your project and be sure to watch the descriptive videos or view demos before purchasing.
Start Right And Install Seo And Google Analytics From The Off:
Whether you’re building a site for an established enterprise or are just starting with a new blog, the majority of your traffic (certainly new traffic) is going to come from search engines. For this reason, it’s a good idea to start as you mean to go on and get your pages optimized and referenced by Google. You’ll find a huge range of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plugins that will help you get a higher ranking in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Also, adding Google Analytics will give you a head start in climbing their rankings.
Optimize Images:
We all know how annoying it is to visit a website that takes forever to load and one of the primary reasons for slow-loading pages is bloated images. Before publishing any pictures on your site, you should run them through optimization software to reduce their size and resolution. If you don’t have photo editing software, you could use online services like ImageResize or Kraken.io.
Keep Your Site Updated:
While WordPress offers great security right out of the box, new threats are constantly emerging so you must keep the CMS updated to the latest version to avoid cybersecurity issues. The same also applies to any plugins you installed.
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