▷ What is WordPress? Why choose WordPress?

WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that allows you to create your own website quite easily. In addition to its ease of use, it has many other advantages. Here is my Ode to WordPress…

WordPress is free, open source, and customizable.

CMS or content management systems make it much easier to create and manage a blog or website. WordPress is a free and open source system. As a reminder, the installation and use of WordPress does not involve any registration or subscription costs.

Not to be confused WordPress.com with WordPress.org.

There are hundreds of themes available, and many of them are free to use. Thus, everyone can find his own style, his own world, and choose a theme that perfectly suits his business. And in addition to finding an original template among the hundreds available, you can also customize your template by changing colors, fonts or plugins, for example.

There are hundreds of WordPress plugins available, with new plugins being added regularly. This makes it a very cost-effective way to create a website, while still having a professional and customized result.

Using WordPress = Simplicity

WordPress is extremely easy to use. It installs very quickly and is very intuitive to use. Managing pages, themes, links, media and plugins is very smooth and easy. You don’t need to have any knowledge of html or web page creation, nor do you need to have a special gift for computers or graphics.

The interface invites you to add text, images, menus and other gadgets in a few clicks. It classifies the contents into sections, subsections and allows you to easily manage the rights of different users.

In addition, WordPress has become a worldwide reference for site creation, so it is very easy to find help and support forums. The platform is so widespread that it is often possible to find the answer to a problem by entering it in any search engine.

Optimized for search engines

WordPress is recognized as one of the most effective tools for search engine optimization. The CMS is highly capable in this area. Its source code is optimized with each update and the management of permalinks, categories and tags is facilitated.

A good use of tags also helps to boost SEO. A WordPress website can also be enhanced with powerful SEO extensions designed specifically for the platform. Some of them are quite formidable, but the basic version is free, which is considered sufficient for most users.

Some basic web copywriting techniques and a good command of social networks will complete the job to ensure optimal SEO and, consequently, regular traffic to the various articles and pages of the site.

Use of a Responsive interface

With the rapid increase in the use of cell phones and tablets for web browsing, it is obvious that websites that do not adapt to them will lose a lot of traffic and effectiveness. On the plus side, WordPress technology does not integrate flash elements, which are difficult to read on tablets and smartphones. It uses “jquery”, which facilitates interactions but also browsing on mobile devices.

More and more WordPress themes, even free ones, integrate a fully responsive technology, that is to say, perfectly adapted to all types of receivers: computers, smartphones and tablets. Indeed, responsive design allows a different display and ergonomics depending on the size of the screen used. It does not discourage any user and facilitates navigation on the site.

For industry professionals, creating a website in 2013 without responsive technology is heresy, given the current and expected growth in the use of mobile devices. Therefore, the use of WordPress is an advantage in this area.

Boost your website

While WordPress is certainly the best CMS developed today and the one that offers the most scalability, it can present a certain disadvantage: the weight and slow loading. We know that a slow view discourages Internet users and has an impact on referencing, since Google now takes into account the speed of response of a website to define its positioning.

However, there are effective solutions to boost WordPress. The first one is the choice of a quality host. Industry professionals advise investing a few extra euros in a quality host, rather than a premium theme that does not impact the display speed and therefore the referencing. To be efficient, hosting should include at least 1GB of RAM, 1GB of disk space and the ability to install a recent version of PHP/MySQL.

Also choose a theme with proven performance in terms of speed and SEO. You can check them on sites like GTmetrix.com or Pagespeed by Google. Use a caching plugin (WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache) and a CDN to lighten the server. Clean your database with the WP-Optimize extension and don’t abuse plugins, which make your site look heavy.

What can be done using WordPress?

If at first it was used mainly for blogs, we must recognize that today its possibilities give it a new dimension. Here is a brief list of what you can do with it:

• A blog, a showcase site, an e-commerce site
• A forum, a classifieds site
• An online magazine
• An exchange platform
• A Directory, a WiKi
• A social network, an intranet
• See examples of WordPress sites

As you can see, this list is long and growing from version to version. All this is possible thanks to the large community of developers and the fact that WordPress is open source. WordPress allows maximum flexibility and offers the end user the ability to update or modify content, publish news and manage newsletters with ease. So, whatever your website project is, take a close look at WordPress, it might be the right one for you…

The shortcomings of WordPress

Apart from possible weight issues related to plugin abuse, WordPress has some other shortcomings. The search within the site is not really optimized. However, you can add a search extension to compensate for this shortcoming if necessary. The contact form is non-existent in the basic version. User and media management could/should be improved.

Sometimes WordPress is also accused of slowness, in most cases it is a bad use of WP associated with bad hosting that together make the site slow.

However, these shortcomings are not an impediment to the use of the CMS. In fact, there are always ways to optimize WordPress, plugins, modules and external possibilities to compensate for these shortcomings. A real WordPress trainer/expert will be able to tell you what solutions exist for each type of problem and advise you on effective extensions.

WordPress courses

To get started, it is advisable to follow a training course. Although the CMS is easy to use and relatively accessible to beginners, a trainer will help you explore all its possibilities, create a site or a blog that fits your needs exactly and optimize your traffic.

To choose a good trainer, look at their website, check their credentials and check the experience they have with WordPress. Usually, the trainer or consultant will also provide support after installation, especially if there are any problems, questions or updates. They will also be able to advise you on choosing a theme, extensions, hosting, domain name, SEO and the various features available.

In just a few days of training, you can be sure that you will be able to get the most out of WordPress and use all of its features. In addition, the customized training will respond to your specific needs, which may be very different from those of other users.

Finally, it will save you valuable time on personal research and troubleshooting. WordPress training is an investment of time and money that pays off in terms of performance.

Still not convinced? Let us give you 50 more reasons

Here are 50 good reasons that will help you decide whether you want to use WordPress for your business or convince customers who are not yet convinced of the leading CMS:

1. Freedom of action: WordPress allows you to download its software for free. You can use it and modify it as you wish. WordPress allows you to design a site to your liking.
2. Ease of use: Millions of people use WordPress to create their first websites, simply because it is easy to use.
3. Customizable with themes: WordPress allows users to design a site with thousands of free themes. Just select one and make your site look visually professional.
4. Customizable with plugins: One of the main reasons WordPress is so popular among beginners is the thousands of free, flexible and quality plugins available.
5. SEO friendly: WordPress is designed to produce semantic bookmarks. This optimizes it for SEO, which helps your site rank better in search engine results.
6. Easy to manage: WordPress has an integrated update system that allows you to constantly update themes and plugins.
7. Safe and secure: WordPress is designed with security in mind. Therefore, it is considered safe to use it to build your website.
8. Media Versatility: WordPress is a platform that allows you to add different media, such as videos, images and sounds, to your website, enhancing your visitors’ experience.
9. Powerful right out of the boxOnce you install WordPress, you can go wild. No need to look for other add-ons or plugins.
10. FlexibleAs a platform, WordPress is extremely flexible and versatile. Thus, it can be used for many purposes, from hosting a high-traffic commercial website to a personal blog.
11. Customizable: As WordPress comes with several themes and plugins, you can customize your site as much as you want.
12. Mobile friendly: Today, your business is stillborn if your site doesn’t work on mobile. WordPress is designed to ensure that your site is optimized for mobile devices.
13. Integration: It is very easy to integrate WordPress with any website, which helps to boost your business.
14. Ease of learning: It is easy to learn how to use WordPress. You can master it in a few hours without professional help.
15. More than a blog: Although WordPress is very popular among bloggers, it also allows you to create a complete website.
16. Building a community: WordPress encourages interaction between users. Whether you communicate with them through your comments or share your posts on social networks, you can build a strong community.
17. Saving money: In addition to being a free platform, WordPress allows you to dispense with the help of a professional designer.
18. E-commerce solutions: There are numerous e-commerce solutions that you can use to turn your WordPress site into an online store.
19. Create your own subscription service: If you want to make some money, or if you want to create a loyal visitor base, you can turn your WordPress site into a subscription platform.
20. Scheduled Publishing: With WordPress you can prepare your articles in advance. No need to go in to publish them, it’s automatic.
21. Multiple users for one site: You can assign different tasks to different people when designing your site through WordPress. There are different user roles such as administrator, editor and super administrator.
22. Install testimonial plugins: Testimonials are vital, they let your visitors know what you offer and help build your credibility in the marketplace.
23. Publish with a single click: You can publish your content very easily with WordPress. Once you have finished your article, just click on the “publish” button.
24. Universal platform: As the WordPress control panel is always the same, regardless of the language, it acts as a universal platform.
25. WordPress is improving: WordPress started as a blogging platform, but over the years it has also evolved into a competent content management system. The system continues to improve, with more tools, plugins and themes. WordPress is limited only by your imagination.
26. Accessible: You can use a computer anywhere in the world to make changes to WordPress, whether to add, delete or edit your content. You won’t need any additional software besides your browser.
27. Speed of communication: you won’t have to wait hours for your changes to take effect. With WordPress, your content is updated live.
28. Manage your time more efficiently: Because you can prepare your content in advance and delegate certain tasks to other users, you can manage your time more efficiently.
29. Social plugins: Several WordPress plugins allow you to share your content on various social networks with a single click.
30. InspirationThis open source platform inspires developers, designers and content managers to bring new and innovative ideas to life. They can share their projects and act as part of a global community.
31. Assign articles to categoriesIf you want to separate your content into different categories, you can simply create these categories and assign your content to them.
32. Communicate with visitors: You improve your comments section and your interaction with visitors when you take the time to personally respond to visitors. You can even encourage them to use keywords in their comments to improve your ranking.
33. Increase your authorityWordPress allows you to keep your content constantly updated. This not only builds relationships with your visitors, but also builds authority and credibility in your niche.
34. Automatic syndication: Syndicating content is easy with WordPress. You can automate both gathering content from external sources, such as RSS feeds, and sharing your content elsewhere.
35. One-click publishingYou won’t have to go through traditional FTP servers to publish your content. The WordPress dashboard allows you to publish your content with a single click, from a single place.
36. More functionality, lower costs: WordPress is packed with multiple tools that allow you to edit your site without having to hire a developer.
37. Free updates: WordPress software updates are free, unlike programs such as Photoshop or Dreamweaver.
38. Automatic backup: With automatic backup plugins, WordPress ensures minimal risk of data loss.
39. Easy integrationIt is extremely easy to install multiple plugins on WordPress. You can install social media plugins and various applications and tools without any special knowledge.
40. Stylish themes: You will have numerous choices of theme styles. You can select a free theme or purchase the one that best suits your needs.
41. Large community: If you need professional help, WordPress has a large community around the world. You can ask for help in the numerous forums and tutorials.
42. Protection against spam and hacks: WordPress is fully protected against all kinds of hacks and spam, which are very common on open source sites.
43. Simple management tools: it’s easy to manage your site with WordPress administrative tools. The internal login system allows you to log in quickly and easily.
44. Preferred by Google: This is probably the most important quality of WordPress. With quality SEO plugins, it is easy to get a good search engine ranking with a WordPress site.
45. Application integration.: It is very easy to integrate different applications and tools, such as Google Maps, SoundCloud and YouTube.
46. Accessibility on other platforms.WordPress sites are easily accessible through Linux and/or Windows servers.
47. Easy to maintainWhen you create a WordPress site, you don’t have to worry about its maintenance. Updates are easy and can be done directly from the back office.
48. Endorsed by millions of usersFrom small businesses to large enterprises, more and more people are using WordPress to develop not only blogs and websites, but also e-commerce portals.
49. Encryption: WordPress sites can be encrypted using SSL and HTTPS certificates. This ensures that data is transferred securely.
50. Quick installation: the installation time for a WordPress site is about 5 minutes, while for Drupal and Joomla CMSs it is usually 10 minutes. This makes WordPress the ideal platform, especially for small businesses and freelancers.

With so many benefits to offer, it’s only natural that WordPress has taken the web world by storm and has become the CMS platform of choice for many business websites.

Have a question about WordPress? No problem. We regularly receive many questions about WordPress, and to help you, we share the answers to the most common questions in our article: The 50 most frequently asked questions about WordPress.