When I say WordPress, you say…? Blog. It’s true many a great blog were designed on WordPress, it’s one of the more successful web apps and blogging platforms online today. But did you know that you can also use WordPress to build a fully customizable website? In fact the post you are reading right now is on the WordPress platform. The reason we chose WordPress for our fourfour media site is simple: it’s easy to install, it’s free, VERY customizable and it’s easy to update. We’ve also set up a few of our clients on WordPress because it speeds up the development process or just so the client can get creative update the content as often as they like.
Some of the WordPress features that we love include:
Plug-ins!
A lot of developers have spent time coming up with resources for WordPress sites that let you the user stay in the drivers seat. For instance you can add social media buttons, shopping cart options, image galleries, contact forms etc. All these plug-ins are easy to use and easy to install without having to go back to your developer every time you want to add something. Now this won’t work in every situation and sometimes an experienced set of hands is required. Think of it like a car, as the owner can change the oil, pump up the tires and maybe change the spark plugs. But if you want to swap the engine or add new brake pads….. you really need to take it into a professional. Make sense?
Ease of use:
WordPress text editors have what is called a WYSIWYG, which stands for “What You See is What You Get”. Which means that the text editor is VERY easy to use. It has familiar text editing buttons (bold, bullets, spell check etc.) just as you would see in MS Word and the way the layout looks in the editor is exactly the way it will look when published. You don’t need to know any HTML to make things appear the way you want them.
And finally, customized themes:
A theme refers to the look or design of your site. You can lay any design on top of the WordPress platform and luckily there are thousands of free themes you can choose from. Although the best way to get a design that fits you and your business is to hire a team to do it for you. Whichever way you go, there are a million different options to make your website stand out and make it completely you.
Bottom line:
WordPress is great for business, it’s great for blogs and there are new updates and plug-ins coming out every day. WordPress can improve your site, keep your customers up to date and you can feel in control of your online presence.
