19 reasons you should be using WordPress

19 reasons you should be using WordPress for your business website

2016 has been a great year for Caro Creative so far. We’ve had loads of enquiries and this website seems to be climbing higher and higher in the Google SERPs for various, WordPress, web design and WooCommerce terms in the Banbury and Oxfordshire area.

All of our new clients have either requested a new “site build” that they can edit themselves or have requested a “WordPress website” specifically. The enquiries for just a normal site build have all heard of WordPress but don’t know too much about the platform. It doesn’t take long to prove that it is the best CMS platform to use for a business website.

Here are 19 key reasons why WordPress is one of the biggest CMS systems in the world and why I have chosen to develop all of my client websites on WP rather than building a bespoke website platform.

1. Speed and security updates from WordPress

When the newest version of WordPress comes out, all one needs to do is backup your website (there are a variety of backup plugins for WordPress) then click on the upgrade button. Similarly, plugins upgrades are just clicks within the administration panel.

2. SEO friendly – historically a blogging platform

You can set up a blog within your WordPress website and create the ability to add new content often to your site. With a blog, you also get feedback and engagement via comments. Readers that like your content will be tweeting or sharing your content on popular social media platforms, giving your business more exposure. Although the blogging capability lies at the heart of WordPress, its possibilities stretch far and wide to e-commerce stores, real-estate, restaurants, job boards, on-line directories, classified ads, dating sites and more.

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3. Site visitors can engage via RSS feeds

Your WordPress website comes with a built-in RSS feed, so readers can follow your posts in their RSS readers. You can also use the feeds that come built-in with WordPress to set up an email list.

4. Not tied in with a web design agency

With bespoke CMS systems you can sometimes be tied in with a web design agency. WordPress designed websites are future-proof and scalable and the website and code is all yours! If it comes to it that you have to move web design agencies than it is easy to do with the open source WordPress platform.

5. The big boys are making the most of WordPress

You’re in good company if you use the WordPress CMS system for your website. Brands such as Mashable, Metro, Spotify, Jay Z, Katy Perry, Sony, FlickR, Top Gear and VW all utilise WordPress. You can see more notable users of the WordPress platform here.

6. Total control on updates and changing your website

You will find when using WordPress that it becomes quite addictive, with new plugins and themes being released at a phenomenal rate, you find yourself learning new skills and tips every day. With WordPress being quite fool proof, it gives you the confidence to explore new things as your website and business grows.

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7. Multiple contributors and guest bloggers know how to use your system

You don’t have to have a team of WordPress website designers on hand to manage a site that works well for your business, but it will help if others can contribute posts and content, you will half the amount of time that you spend adding the unique and fresh content that Google and other search engine love. WordPress make it simple for you to add contributors to your website and easily set privileges so that people can only have access to the admin panel of your website.

8. Move quickly and organically up the search engine rankings

WordPress also makes it easier to optimise your website for the SERPS (Search Engine Result Pages) such as a Google search. This means that your WordPress website is more likely to position high up on the first page of Google results. How did you find my website? A Google search…

9. Large community support – it’s popular!

When a community as large as WordPress exists, you will be able to find plenty of websites and tutorials to answer any questions you may have.

10. WordPress is designed with end-users in mind

You can be assured of a user-friendly experience when using the software. Of course, there will be a learning curve as there are with all software programs, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll find that it is extremely intuitive and logical.

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11. WordPress is here to stay – future-proof

Given its growing popularity, you can be sure that this is one software package that’s with us for the long term. WordPress powers around 35% of ALL websites on the web. And in business terms, that translates into stability and peace of mind for you. I now only develop sites on WordPress and occasionally static CSS/ HTML websites that aren’t database driven when necessary.

12. Free

Free as in freedom, and in this case free as in beer. Anyone can download the software and start using it. But not everyone can build a great WordPress website, and that’s where we come in. Have a look at some of our work if you want to see what WordPress can really do.

13. Open source

WordPress being Open Source Software is great. It’s about security, trust and most importantly, online collaboration.

14. WordPress is a community

WordPress doesn’t rest in the hands of a few people that call the shots. WordPress is boosted by a close community that provide updates for security and new features all the time.

15. Popular

In a recent survey WordPress was shown to be powering over 30% of all websites that are online. That’s an incredible statistic that reinforces that using WordPress is the best platform for my business and yours.

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16. WP integrates with some great software!

Websites usually benefit from connecting to other websites and services – whether that’s your social media pages or your email marketing platform. WordPress has a huge array of plugins that can make life easier for you and your colleagues.

17. Well-supported

Software can be quite complicated – knowing that there are millions of other people using WordPress websites means that whether you’re a developer or an end-user, you’re going to benefit from all that collective knowledge and experience. WordPress’ online documentation is the best we’ve ever seen and you” always find help on forums from a Google search!

18. It’s just like using Microsoft Word

One of the reasons for WordPress’ popularity is the fact it’s so accessible: that stands true from the perspective of a developer or a blogger. That popularity then creates a positive feedback loop as people strive to make it easier still to use. Moreover, if you’ve used a WordPress site before, you’ll be able to transfer all that learning to other WordPress sites too!

19. A flexible web management system

Some bespoke website systems look and feel the same as every other website online. Whilst I can sometimes spot a WordPress site instantly, it’s also true that you can build a WordPress website to look exactly the same as any other website. WordPress is a platform that you really can make your own through customisation to both the front-end and back-end of your website.

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