When starting your very first website, one usual question that comes to mind is “what is the right platform for my website?”.
Also known as a CMS or “content management system”, this will determine how you interact with your website when uploading posts, images, editing, product lists and heaps more.
Some CMS’s you may have heard of include:
While all of these are great contenders and work extremely well for niche specific websites like online stores or portfolio websites. There is however another CMS that I believe and many other web developers agree is the best.
And that is WordPress.
Is WordPress The Right Platform For Your Website?
So What Is WordPress?
WordPress is the largest CMS in the world as it currently hosts 50% of all websites online! That’s a massive piece of the pie. In real world numbers, thats close to 80 million websites and counting.
Some Fortune 500 companies such as eBay, GM and Reauters use WordPress for there websites.
Another amazing thing about WordPress that draws in soooo many people is that it is absolutely FREE! One way to look at WordPress is like the CMS of Wikipedia. It is an open source platform that allows developers to edit and tweak the platform before it is reviewed then released.
Because of this massive community that is the backbone of WordPress, it has quickly become the number one CMS for beginners and professionals since 2003. I personally have been using WP since 2010 and have built everyone of my websites on the platform and couldn’t speak more highly about it.
So if you want to get started with your very own website. You can check out my massive guide on the best WordPress hosting Australian picks. There’s also some great tips on how to setup and make your website blazing fast!
Other Benefits & Features Of Using WordPress
1. Massive library of plugins
If you were to ask any developer what makes a website tick when the curtains are lifted. It would most definitely be plugins. Another way to look at plugins is like furnishings and fittings for a house.
There are hundreds of thousands of plugins available on WordPress that allow you to cache your site, make it into a shop front, image slideshows, compression, contact forms, tables, buttons, SEO, anti spam, social media sharing, analytics, pop ups and so so much more!
2. Simple to use
Another draw card for WordPress is the insanely easy to use dashboard where you can easily navigate around the backend of your website. You can simply add a post, manage comments, adjust SEO settings, change menus, add media and much more. Even better is that there is ZERO coding involved!
So for those starting a local business or starting their very first site in Australia. I would definitely go for WordPress as it is extremely beginner friendly.
3. Huge catalogue of themes
Like WordPress’s massive range of plugins, they also have a HUGE catalogue of free and paid themes for any type of website. I have used free themes in the library for sites like blogs, online stores, news sites, forums, niche websites, photography sites, plumbing sites and the list goes on.
There is also the option to download third party themes from providers like StudioPress or Divi that provide stunning and extremely well made themes that your visitors will love!
4. Constant updates
With the ever changing landscape of the internet realm, there is always the need for updates to keep up to date. Whether this be design, security, usability, features and more. Thankfully WordPress is built by thousands of developers that role out new updates nearly every month.
5. Free to use
As I touched on above, WordPress is 100% FREE. Which after you read everything above, is kind of hard to believe. But when a community of like minded people come together, amazing things can be done!
Final thoughts
So is WordPress right for your local site or next blog? Well if you have come this far, I hope I have persuaded you into opting for this amazing platform which I’m sure you will not regret! Even if you are making an Aussie based website, WP is still a great option as it is used throughout the world.
If you have just created your very first website, I would love for you to share it down below in the comment section so more people can see how easy it is now to share ones thoughts or business ideas to the world!