Written by Want to take your business online? You need to start building a website first. But it takes a lot of effort and time, right? Don’t worry, this WordPress Guide has got you all covered. The great features of this open-source software let you create something extraordinary that your users will love. It doesn’t require any hard technical skills or coding that takes up several months. Instead, you can get a fully customized and responsive website with only a little drag and drop.
Being a free open-source platform, WordPress is the easiest and most powerful website builder that lets you create a variety of websites effortlessly. Through this guide, we will introduce you to the amazing features of WordPress that you’ll love. Here we go!!
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Why is WordPress Used?
WordPress is a simple, easy-to-use, and free open-source software built on PHP language using a MySQL database. In a layman’s language, it is a Content Management Software (CMS) that allows you to build a variety of websites without any hardcore technical skills.
In the beginning, it was used only for building blogging websites and is now developed as a fully-functional CMS that helps you create any kind of website.
Whether you want to create a business website, blogging site, portfolio, membership website, or e-commerce store, WordPress has got you covered.
What Types of Websites You Can Create With WordPress?
- WordPress Guide
Blogging Websites
As mentioned earlier in this WordPress guide, WordPress was initially used for creating simple and easy blogging sites. A blogging website is basically created to share your thoughts, tutorials, reviews, and a lot more. All you need to do is choose a nice theme for your WordPress blog and start adding the required plugins to set up your blog.
Professional Portfolio
Showcasing your professional skills was never this easy. WordPress allows you a platform where you can easily show your professional skills for better opportunities. You can either choose a theme with an in-built gallery or install a plugin to showcase your skills professionally. Add your About section, contact page, homepage, etc to give it a nice and professional look.
E-commerce Store
Building an e-commerce store was not this easy before. The launch of the WooCommerce plugin has made the journey of businesses easier for having an online store. The great features of the WooCommerce plugin allow you to manage purchases, products, shipping, and payments effortlessly.
Membership Sites
Membership sites are an excellent platform used by brands to bring their actual and potential audience together. Through this, they can share premium content with their members who are actually paying for it. There are several themes and plugins that can be used for creating membership sites for easy management of payments, approvals, signups, and a lot more.
Tutorial Website
Online tutorial websites are very much in demand due to the increasing trend of e-learning. Students can purchase online courses, download resources, record videos, complete assignments, and a lot more using the e-learning WordPress Websites.
Why is WordPress the Right Choice?
- WordPress Guide
You must be wondering why there is so much noise about WordPress.For this, we have explained below the top reasons to choose WordPress as your go-to CMS:
Free Access
One of the top reasons WordPress is so popular is its free access and use. Anyone can download the software for free and start building their website. However, you need to purchase the themes, domain, and hosting to create your website.
Versatility
The versatile nature of WordPress allows you to build as many types of websites as you want. There is almost nothing that WordPress doesn’t have. Whether you need to build your e-commerce store or a membership site, WordPress makes everything possible.
Premium Themes and Plugins
We know there are loads of free themes and plugins available on WordPress. But the most reputed brands depend on paid tools to provide more secure and reliable solutions. It allows them to get more features and customizations that are not possible with the free ones.
Easy to Customize
Besides all other advantages of choosing WordPress, the biggest reason is the easy-to-customize nature. You can easily customize the themes and add new features using plugins to give your website an extraordinary look.
WordPress.com Vs WordPress.Org: The Difference
Before we move further, you need to first learn an important thing about WordPress. Those who are new to WordPress must be a little confused with WordPress.org and WordPress.com. Below we have explained the major point of difference to make it easier for beginners. Let’s start:
WordPress.com
- WordPress.com is a hosted version of WordPress where users can signup and start their own blog or website.
- It is owned by Automaticc, a company owned by the co-founder of WordPress Matt Mullenweg.
- You don’t have to buy a hosting plan or domain to get started with WordPress.com.
- The platform allows free usage of up to 3GB and you need to get a premium version when it exceeds.
- No need to update and monitor site performance as WordPress will take care of everything.
WordPress.org
- WordPress.org is the non-profit self-hosted software by Automaticc that lets you create your website using a hosting and domain.
- It offers you full control over your website and cannot be taken off by anyone for not complying with the terms of service.
- It offers full ownership and customization freedom to the owner so they can design the website as per their needs.
- You can also monetize your website by placing Ads over your site without having to share your revenue with third parties.
WordPress Plugins – An Introduction
Plugins have great importance in WordPress websites. In common words, there are a bunch of additional codes that give ease to website owners for adding new functionalities and features. There are tons of plugins available these days in the market that offer website owners a chance to expand the functionalities of their websites. Here is an introduction to the top plugins your website should have for better performance:
Yoast SEO –
Yoast SEO is a complete SEO package that allows website owners to optimize their websites for search engines. It contains all the features that focus on improving the overall SEO performance. Whether you want to optimize your page or post, Yoast SEO has all the features to make it rank on search engines.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is the most important plugin you should have if you want to create your eCommerce store. It contains loads of features and customization options that let you create your e-store effortlessly and in no time.
WPForms
WPForms are among the most popular plugins used by WordPress website owners to create a variety of forms quickly. Create customized forms with a modern touch that improve both engagements and conversions. Save your time with loads of pre-built templates as an added advantage.
WordPress Themes – At a Glance
WordPress themes are a strong pillar behind the overall look and functionality of websites. Whether it is about the look and feel of a website, or about the page layouts, the right theme matters a lot. Before deciding on the perfect WordPress theme for your website, you must look at the most popular themes mentioned below. Have a look:
Astra
The list of WordPress themes is incomplete without Astra. It is among the top-rated, user-friendly, and responsive themes that give your website a beautiful look and feel. This lightweight and easy-to-integrate theme goes well with all kinds of websites whether it is e-commerce, e-learning, blog, or a business website.
OceanWP
OceanWP is another highly responsive and free theme that tops the list of WordPress themes. The best thing is it also supports the WooCommerce plugin and lets you create a fully-functional e-commerce store. It comes with a great number of extensions and features that allows easy customization for your website.
Eclipse
Eclipse is another excellent theme used for personal photography and blogs. The theme has many attractions such as featured slideshows, widgetized columns, an Instagram image carousel, Ad placement space, and a lot more. The easy-to-setup features make it one of the best beginner-friendly themes that suits best for photographers, authors, and bloggers.
Conclusion – WordPress Guide
Many factors come into play while building your website. However, choosing the right platform always remains the top concern. The exciting features and flexibility of WordPress allow website owners the ease to get rid of the exhaustive website creation process.
You must have gained enough information with the above points about WordPress. Now is the perfect time to get started with your online journey using this excellent CMS. The possibilities of earning money through WordPress are continuously increasing and it is the best time to choose one for yourself. Now install WordPress, and buy a domain, hosting, and theme to set up a fully-functional website with only a few steps.
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