After finding out the massive number of users WordPress has, it may leave you wondering, why is it so popular? A mixture of several factors should be taken into account. The general viewpoint is that WordPress is a simple blogging tool, however, it is much more than that. Due to the fact that WordPress is free and an open source project, it allows anyone to improve and edit its code according to one’s liking. It also features thousands of free plugins, themes, widgets and other tools.
All these features allow you to create any type of website, starting from simple blogs, personal websites or portfolios, ranging to e-shops, knowledge bases or job boards. Another factor is that WordPress is completely free and supports all hosting platforms with PHP and MySQL. On top of that, this CMS is constantly updated with new versions which improve security, include new features and improve overall performance. Last, but not least, WordPress has a huge community with dedicated forums and discussions all over the internet. The amount of data that is available and thousands of WordPress tutorials also make WordPress one of the easiest to use content management systems out there.
The Benefits of Using WordPress
1. The software is free
How many times have you been given something for free that is fully functional and ready to use? And if you want to upscale your site a little with premium themes and plugins, you’re still going to save tons of money over what you would pay for a custom designed site.
2. It’s easy to use
Seriously. If you can send an email, use Microsoft Word, or set up a Facebook account, then you can use WordPress. In other words, if you’ve already used a computer, chances are you are already skilled enough for the WordPress basics. And even better, it’s hard to mess it up. You can easily add and delete pages and posts without accidentally messing up the overall design of your site.
Owning your own site, and being able to make changes to it yourself, is the ultimate in online freedom. You don’t have to rely on an expensive web designer to make changes or fix a tiny error for you whenever they can squeeze you in. You’re in control of your site—and your wallet.
The way WordPress is organized and structured makes it friendly for search engines such as Google and Yahoo! to recognize it. Traffic from search engines is crucial to your website because it’s free and the visitors tend to be more loyal because they are looking for something specific.
There are thousands of free and premium templates and plugins available for WordPress with hundreds created each day. There are lot of free and premium themes, that are customized, give companies a unique look with half the cost. Plugins are features you download for your blog. There are literally thousands of them that range from a shopping cart system to a poll. The combination of both a customized theme and innovative plugins allow for a great-looking functional site.
6. Huge support of community
WordPress isn’t just a software, it has become a community. Some might even say a movement. In fact, WordCamps (1-3 day training sessions) have sprung up from grassroots efforts. They are informal, community-organized events put together by other WordPress users just like you. You’ll meet people of all backgrounds, ages, and nationalities at WordCamps. Plus, there are thousands of people and hundreds of resource and tutorial sites set up just to help you with your WordPress site.