I still remember buying my first hosting domain and installing WordPress on it.
“Is that all?” I said to myself.
I couldn’t believe that my website works and simply put, it also looks like a website.
It took me about 30 minutes to create my first website. The design was not the best. But I was still amazed that when I typed the name of the page into the browser, there really was a page. My site.
WordPress was (also for me) love at first sight . I coughed up the site after a few weeks. But when I made another website, I was clear about which content management system to use.
After several personal pages and 6 months of working for a company that created WordPress sites, I can only say one thing: WordPress is amazing .
…but why?
# 1: WordPress handles (almost) everything
Some people think that WordPress is just a content management system for bloggers. Others are afraid that their website will become so popular that WordPress will no longer be enough for it.
But people in TechCrunch , BBCAmerica and the creators of The Walking Dead obviously have no such concerns. All of these sites proudly use WordPress.
# 2: Google respects WordPress
You’ve probably heard that WordPress is SEO-friendly. That is not quite true. After installing WordPress, you will still have something to do to ensure that your website is really well optimized for SEO.
Tip: At SearchEngineWatch.com you will find 12 steps to set up your WordPress for better SEO .
By creating a WordPress website, you are not yet becoming a best friend of Google. However, the WordPress code is high-quality, and we can safely say that Google respects WordPress sites at least as much as traditional sites.
# 3: An incredible selection of great themes
It is up to you whether you decide to invest in a premium topic. In any case, you will be able to choose from a large number of luxurious-looking themes.
Personally, I’m a big supporter of premium themes, but I have no doubt that there are also perfect themes for free. You can read more about the differences between paid and unpaid topics here .
# 4: If you can imagine a feature, someone has already programmed it for WordPress
There are more than 42,000 free extensions and several thousand paid ones on WordPress. If you can imagine something, there is a WordPress plugin.
Banner with your Facebook page? Yes . Great looking reviews from your customers without coding? Of course . Kitten as a reward for comment? Don’t doubt it .
Tip: I wrote more about WordPress extensions in Article 21 of WordPress Plugins, which you need to know about .
# 5: WordPress can be fast
I deliberately used the words “can be” instead of “is”. WordPress has good speed potential. I didn’t bother much on my website and it’s faster than 90% of the sites tested.
3 basic steps to speed up your WordPress site
- Use quality hosting . You can find one of the best price-quality ratios at WebSupport , which also hosts this website. The biggest connoisseurs will pay extra for WP Engine .
- Choose a well-coded topic. If you don’t understand programming (like me), then you don’t have a chance to tell which topic is coded well and which isn’t. In this case, either get advice from WordPress experts or use a topic from a reputable company.
- Do not install unnecessary themes or plugins. This is common sense. Don’t slow down the web with what you don’t need.
# 6: You will learn WordPress to use it well in a short time
As always, when you start with something, you will need some time to orient yourself. This also applies to working with WordPress. Despite the fact that it is full of great features, the novice is also well-versed in it.
After installing WordPress, I recommend that you follow these 11 steps . If you are just getting started with WordPress, there is no need to set anything except these steps.
# 7: Not sure? You can always find someone to help you
This is due to the huge community of great people that has developed around WordPress. If you have a problem, it is usually enough to write on the forum or in one of the meetup groups on Facebook and someone will advise you. Free.
If your problem is more complicated, it is relatively easy to find someone who will do it at an affordable price. Freelancers who do with WordPress will find it blessed and their price lists tend to be reasonably set.
# 8: WordPress is secure
WordPress itself is well secured, especially if you support it with some security plugin (such as Wordfence or Sucuri ).
But again, the human factor comes into play. 3 basic tips to protect your website:
- Always update everything. Out-of-date themes and plugins are often a way for hackers to gain control of a website.
- Do not use admin as your username .
- Use complicated passwords. The more complicated, the better.
# 9: WordPress is cheap. In the good sense of the word
WordPress itself is free, which is great. In addition, it saves you money in other ways.
As I mentioned, WordPress plugins tend to be free. Even if some cost something, their price is in the tens of euros. Which is a ridiculous amount compared to how much you would have to pay an IT company for something similar.
# 10: You don’t even have to touch the code
My blog is over 3 months old and I only changed the code once. I just copied something I found on the internet. And it wasn’t necessary at all.
If you manage to choose a good topic, it is very likely that you will not have to change anything in its code. You can handle everything important (for example, changing the font, logo or favicon) directly from the WordPress environment.
# 11: You have complete control over your comments
By using an anti spam plugin like Akismet , you get rid of the worst. But you can’t avoid manual spam or insults.
However, WordPress allows you to set comments to display only what you approve. So you decide which comments appear on your site and which don’t.
# 12: Writing without interference
If you are like me, even small things can disturb you while writing. Any sound, clutter on the table, or too many features in the interface you’re typing in.
I create articles for my blog directly from the WordPress admin. But it also has its drawbacks. For example, while writing, I still see all the possibilities of managing a website. But once I turn on interrupt mode, I can focus entirely on the words I type on the keyboard.
# 13: Clean design
Sometimes I play one weird game. When I find myself on a website that reminds me of WordPress, I immediately look into the code to see if my guess is correct. In 80% of cases, I’m right.
If there is something that is characteristic of WordPress, it is a clean and clear design. Of course, there are themes that are different, but the standard for WordPress is a clean, sometimes minimalist design.
# 14: WordPress is constantly evolving
Matt Mullenweg registered WordPress.org in 2003. Today, 13 years later, WordPress is still being worked on.
New updates are released on a regular basis to improve security, increase speed, fix bugs, or add new features. And this trend does not seem to have stopped.
# 15: Auto Save
Articles you write in WordPress are automatically saved every time you write something. This is a great help for anyone who has ever lost an unsaved job (and we probably all).
All you have to watch is your internet connection.
# 16: WordPress handles photos, audio and video
WordPress Media Library lets you store and share your photos, videos, and audio files.
WordPress has no problem with videos on Youtube, PDFs, or audio playback (such as podcasts).
# 17: Scheduled publishing
This WordPress feature is also one of the better ones. If you wrote your article at midnight and you suspect that this is not the ideal time to publish it, then you are probably right. In this case, you will miss the scheduled publishing feature.
Just edit the date and time “immediately” in the “Publish” window and the article will publish itself. No need to be online.
# 18: Multiple user option
WordPress uses a hierarchy of admins. This means that not everyone who can log in to the administration of the website has the same rights.
With WordPress, you can allow your editor to add articles to the web without having to worry about something messing up on the site.
# 19: WordPress goes with the times – of course it’s responsive
In 2016, you probably shouldn’t really write that every website should look as good on a mobile as it does on a PC. Unfortunately, this is still not understood by many website owners.
WordPress fully supports responsive sites and finding a WordPress theme that is not “mobile-friendly” is almost impossible. And so it should be.
# 20: You can easily move a WordPress site to another hosting provider
You may have made the wrong hosting provider when you created your website. And you may have chosen well, but you want to switch to a provider that is even better.
Many hosting providers use their own systems in which you can create your own website. But if you do, you become a hostage to the company. If your site is built on their platform, you need to do what they tell you. And that often means paying more.
With a WordPress website, it is not a problem to change providers. WebSupport makes it easy for you through the automated Migrator tool, and Webglobe even moves your site to you .
# 21: Do you want an e-shop? No problem
WooCommerce is the most popular e-shop solution mainly due to its rich features and ease of use. The great news is that it is translated into Slovak.
# 22: Other content management systems aren’t catching on
I once helped a friend with a website that ran on Joomla (WordPress’ biggest competitor). Long story short: it was horror.
Everything seemed so chaotic. Even the most basic adjustments looked complicated. There was a problem setting the slide show to the article. Unlike other systems, WordPress is intuitive.
# 23: WordPress meetups are a hit
A friend from high school sent me a link to an event on Facebook: WordPress meetup Košice . I was intrigued.
I didn’t show up for the event in the end, but I wrote to Petě Furmaník , who takes care of these meetups in Košice, and he invited me to come to the next one.
When I went to the meeting place, I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. In addition, the founder of the Slovak WordPress community and the WP.sk portal, Peter Nemčok , was to come.
The meeting far exceeded my expectations. I finally met people who could talk about WordPress, blogging and the internet business. The atmosphere was relaxed and everyone tried to consult each other.
Conclusion
I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to use WordPress. WordPress has made it possible for people who would not otherwise be able to afford their own website. Or they just couldn’t do it.
WordPress sites look great, they can be fast, and Google loves them.
The unique advantage of WordPress is the huge number of great extensions. I haven’t found anything I want on my site yet and there would be no free WordPress plugin.
An amazing community has also developed around WordPress, and that’s one of the reasons why I think I’ll stay with WordPress while it’s here.
(There is an affiliate link to hosting from WP Engine in the article. If you order something through this link, we will receive a small commission and you can support the Slovak WordPress community.)
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