Here are 15 reasons I use WordPress for any website I build.
When I build a website, I use WordPress. If anyone asks me what website platform they should use – Wix, Squarespace, Kajabi and others – I ALWAYS recommend WordPress.
I manage all my sites on WordPress. I love that I can jump back and forth between them and not have to think too hard about how to add a post or change the theme – they all work the same.
Here are the 15 reasons I am such a fan…
1. Price
It’s FREE!
Come on, you can’t argue that one. You still have to pay for your domain name and hosting but the platform itself is free.
2. Flexibility
WordPress can be as simple or as complicated as you need it to be. Install a theme, add images and words where the theme tells you to and you’re good to go.
Need more functionality? Maybe e-commerce? Maybe a contact form? There’s a plugin for that.
You can start small and grow your WordPress website as your business grows.
3. Themes
A theme is what gives a WordPress website its layout, fonts, and colours. There are thousands to choose from. They have them for all sorts of industries, free and paid.
Can’t find one you like? There are builders that let you put together pages like building blocks.
You can even develop your own theme!
Choose your theme, add words and images and, voila!, you have a website. I know, it’s not quite that easy but it’s a great start!
4. Portability
With WordPress, you are free to choose where your website lives. You can set it up with one host and move to another if things don’t work out.
You can choose the hosting service that suits your needs and your budget. There are a lot of options out there!
5. Suitability
A WordPress website can work for any type of business. Here are just a few…
- Blog
- Online Store
- Education
- Non-profits
- Membership Sites
- Galleries
- Auctions
- Knowledgebase
Don’t see your business category listed above? Let me know! I’ll add it to the list because I’m pretty sure WordPress would work for it, too!
6. Open Source
This probably means more to the more techie folks but being open source means that there is a community of developers working together to come up with new ideas and who are available to fix any issues that come up.
Open source code can be modified without worrying about violating the terms of service so it provides a level of flexibility that you don’t find in proprietary software.
7. Customization
WordPress themes are suggestions only. You can start with the framework of a theme and change it just about any way you’d like.
Background colours, borders, fonts, font colours – you get to choose.
You can add images, audio clips and videos to spice up your site.
In addition to the customizations controlled by the theme, you can add CSS, HTML and PHP code to take the customization even further.
Have an idea for a layout but can’t find a theme to match? Builders like Divi Builder and Elementor allow you to use building blocks to create a design all your own – without adding any code!
You can create anything in WordPress.
8. Support
With so many people using WordPress every day, there is a huge amount of support online.
WordPress.org itself is a great source for all sorts of help. From beginners to experienced WordPress developers, there’s something for everyone. All available free for the asking.
In addition to WordPress.org, there are lots of independent sites that regularly write about WordPress features and fixes.
9. Plugins
WordPress themes only get you so far. If you need additional functionality – contact forms, optin forms, backups, counters, SEO and performance monitors – you can easily add plugins.
There are a variety of paid and free plugins that will extend the functionality of your website.
10. Integrations
Not only does WordPress play nice with plugins, it also easily integrates with a variety of 3rd party tools.
Email marketing platforms like MailChimp and MailerLite for opt-ins and landing pages.
E-commerce services like Woo Commerce for your online store.
And, of course, you can link to social media right from your site.
11. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Google loves WordPress sites. Want to get noticed on Google? Create your site with WordPress.
WordPress sites are easy to update. Adding a blog post is simple. Updating information on a page is quick and easy. Since Google puts a high value on new content, WordPress sites rank high on its list.
Another thing Google likes are sites that look good on mobile devices. Most WordPress themes are “responsive” meaning they scale to fit different size screens and still look good. You should make sure any theme you choose is labeled “responsive” – and test it, too!
12. Security
Well-maintained WordPress sites are relatively secure. Not saying they’re foolproof but WordPress at its core is known to be secure.
Since it’s not my strong point, here’s a great article with loads of information about WordPress security.
13. Multiple Roles
Each WordPress site can have multiple users. Each user can be assigned a Role.
The roles limit what each user can do on the administrative side of your website. Here are the basic WordPress roles:
Administrator – has access to change, add, or remove anything from the website.
Author – can upload files, write, edit, publish, and delete their own posts.
Contributor – has access to write and edit their own posts but until they’re published.
Editor – can do anything with their own or others posts.
Subscriber – has a profile for the website but can’t change anything.
Some plugins, like Yoast (for SEO), add roles to your site. These additional roles will have their own set of rules.
There are also role-specific plugins that add custom roles to further refine what users can access.
14. Accessibility
WordPress has a team dedicated to making websites accessible to all. Not just the reading, the maintenance of them, too.
The WordPress accessibility guidelines suggest being aware of how people access a website. Not everyone can point and click. They want to be sure that people can
Use just the keyboard to navigate a site.
View the site on all different types of browsers. Google may be popular but it’s not the only one!
Take advantage of assistive technologies like
- Screen readers
- Screen magnifiers
- Head pointers
- Voice recognition
WordPress wants to include everyone in the website experience.
15. Community
With so many people online using WordPress, there is a huge community. This community is always growing and improving the platform. There is always someone willing to help or to share.
As someone who wrote their first website using CSS, HTML, PHP, and MySQL, I love the simplicity of WordPress. It has taken the complicated world of coding websites and made it accessible to everyone. I know I won’t be going back to hand-coded sites any time soon!
So, those are my 15 reasons I use WordPress. Do you have any to add? I’d love to hear them – let me know in the Comments below!
