Why WordPress is an Excellent Choice for Your CMS
WordPress is an open source content management system (CMS) that has become one of the most used platforms on the web. It has become the CMS of choice for businesses, bloggers, designers, and online marketers for a variety of reasons that I’ll discuss in this article. As a marketing company in Saint John, New Brunswick, my business uses WordPress extensively and we’ve been getting great results.
WordPress.com Vs WordPress.org
For business owners who are not so tech savvy, a distinction has to be made between WordPress.com and wWordpress.org. WordPress.com is a free blogging platform much like Blogger or Tumblr or Posterous. It is hosted and controlled by WordPress. It’s great for someone who wants to write an interest blog in their spare time or post a few stories and pictures of their kids for their extended family and friends. It is not the best option for serious businesspeople and bloggers who want to monetize their site.
That’s where WordPress.org comes in. It is a free content management system that can be loaded on your own servers at your own hosting account and controlled by you or your developer. When I ask “Why Use WordPress” I’m talking about WordPress.org.
Why Use WordPress?
- Google likes WordPress. As a marketer, I need a platform that is structured in such a way that the search engines can read it and rank it as quickly and efficiently as possible. WordPress is structured for on page optimization so Google and other search engine crawlers can see what is important to the site and to the page and put it in the right category to get ranked more easily.
- The structure is not only optimized for Google, but it is naturally set up for an intuitive user experience. Information can attractively presented in a logical and easily consumed manner.
- It loads fast, which is also great for both search engine optimization and user experience.
- We already mentioned that you can use WordPress as a self-hosted CMS so you can maintain control of your site and its content.
- WordPress is easy to use. The dashboard in the admin area is clear and easy to follow. Small changes to text and features can be handled by people with little to no coding experience.
- WordPress is flexible. It can be a simple blog with a few simple and easy to use features…or a full blown site with multiple pages and plugins.
- There are plugins for everything. You (or your developer) can install plugins to control the code and inner workings of the site, or insert ads or coordinate with social media sites like facebook and Twitter to enhance the user experience on your site.
Like any platform, there are pros and cons. Some people complain that the structure is too familiar with so many people using WordPress, but companies like Dream Driven Designs in Tampa can create very different sites on the platform…and some degree of familiarity makes people more comfortable on your site. Familiarity can breed trust and make them more willing to pull out their credit card.
Why Use WordPress for your website? I believe it is the best options available for businesses and organizations to get their message out to prospective clients, improve their online image, and most importantly, increase their bottom line.
Roderick MacKenzie
Freedom Ability Marketing