If you have ever even considered building a website, you know that WordPress is incredibly popular. No matter what type of website you need, a quick Google search will give you more than enough encouragement to use WordPress. It is the most popular platform for designing websites efficiently and easily.
WordPress has been so successful that similar platforms like Wix and Elementor have sprung up in an attempt to emulate them. These platforms have been successful, but cannot live up to WordPress’s high standards and haven’t become quite as ubiquitous as WordPress.
Why is WordPress so popular? Before we discuss this topic, it’s important to clarify the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.com is what you’ve used if you have ever set up a quick and easy blog. It provides everything you need to get online fast. You’ll get your own WordPress domain, along with a simple-to-use website builder. You don’t have much control over the features of your website, but if you’re going for this option you don’t need that control.
WordPress.org, however, is free software that you can use to create your website. It is more technical in nature, and gives you full control over everything you do. It is up to you to find your own hosting and get your website off the ground, but its features make this relatively easy. We’re going to be focusing mainly on WordPress.org.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, here’s why WordPress is just so popular.
What is so special about WordPress?
There are a number of reasons WordPress is so popular.
It’s Totally Free
The WordPress.org platform is 100% free. And by free, we don’t simply mean it won’t cost you anything. More importantly, it is open source software, and you are free to do with it whatever you like. If you are tech-savvy, this gives you the opportunity to bend it entirely to your will. On the other hand, if you don’t have strong tech experience, you can use it in its absolute simplicity.
WordPress is far above the rest of the pack because of this freedom. It is used by amateurs and experts alike, which goes a long way to explaining its seemingly disproportionate popularity.
Easily Customizable
Furthermore, the WordPress platform does not force you to conform to any particular themes or setups. On the contrary, WordPress itself has thousands of themes and there are many external websites which exist solely to create new themes for WordPress.
You are also free to install any external plugin you can find. These plugins can help you do anything, from optimizing SEO to creating contact forms to tracking analytics. Functionality with WordPress is therefore not limited by the ideas of the WordPress team.
SEO Advantage
In addition to running plugins which optimize SEO, WordPress is itself designed to give you an SEO advantage. The software is written in such a way that it complies perfectly with Google standards and semantics. This is why WordPress websites tend to fare better on Google searches than any other websites. When you’re trying to get your website to the first page of search results, any advantage counts, and this one is significant.
Dedicated WordPress Hosting
While WordPress is free to download, you will need to pay for your own domain and hosting. Choosing web hosting is not always straightforward. However, because WordPress is so ubiquitous, you can find dedicated WordPress hosting. This web hosting provides you with all the features you need to effectively run WordPress, keeping it updated for you and giving you assistance with plugins and features. It also means that your website will run faster, as the hosting is optimized for what WordPress does.
Security
Another important factor to consider is that WordPress is one of the most secure website building platforms. Because it accounts for such a huge proportion of the market share, security is crucial. Any major breaches would have such a massive impact that they could destroy WordPress’s reputation. WordPress is therefore constantly updating to handle the newest threats the web has to offer. Of course, you can never be 100% secure, but unless you’re dealing with highly classified information, it is safe to rely on WordPress.
Summary
WordPress is insanely popular, and it’s not just down to good marketing. The WordPress platform is easier to use than any other, free, customizable, and more. It is used by amateurs and experts alike, and will do what you need, no matter what purpose you are building a website for. WordPress deserves its popularity and, in 2020, there is still no better option.
