WordPress is a platform for both blogging and full-scale web development. It allows a novice to get a website up and running in just a few minutes, while allowing the creation of advanced websites with heavy customization, multiple users and millions of visitors. Some noteworthy sites that run WordPress include the New York Times and CNN.
Why is it so popular?
First of all, it’s a Content Management System. In simple terms, this means that when someone creates a website using WordPress, they don’t need to develop all the code themselves, but instead rely on a pre-built system consisting of a number of PHP files and a MySQL database that together dynamically generate webpages based on content residing in a database. All an end user needs to do is choose a “theme”, or skin, that defines how the site looks, and then enter content (both text and media files) into “pages” or “posts” on a user-friendly “dashboard” (or control panel) without needing to understand much or any HTML code. It’s possible to add additional functionality using plugins, which are often as easy to install as a few button clicks.
Because it’s a CMS, that makes it easy to add new content (either a blog post or an entirely new page in the navigation) without having to hack the code; it’s also extremely quick to make global changes to the header, font colors, etc. Some of these changes can be done literally in seconds.
Second, it’s open source, meaning that the code that runs WordPress is open to everyone to view, embellish, or change. Furthermore, because it’s so easy to get under the hood, anyone with minimal programming skills can modify themes or create new ones, and others have built new plugins and other features unimaginable by the original creators of WordPress (some of which have been incorporated into core functions over time). Even better, many people have shared their themes and plugins for free, allowing quite a bit of customization without any expense.
Third, it’s just easy to use. Most people can pick up the basic features of WordPress and the Dashboard and create a website or blog in just an hour or two.
Isn’t WordPress for blogging?
While it is often used for this purpose, using WordPress it’s very easy to create a regular business website without a blog feature. In fact, more and more websites are migrating away from static HTML (in which, to make changes, a webmaster had to manipulate the code manually, making for more time-consuming and costly changes) to WordPress.
So why should I use WordPress?
Choose WordPress if you want:
- direct control over your content
- to be able to easily make changes to the look & feel and organization of your site over time
- to start/migrate a blog
- to post photos, events, calendars, or anything that will require regular updates
- a large and vibrant community and detailed documentation in the WordPress Codex
- a website with minimal upkeep and little to no ongoing expenses
- easy access to Google Analytics
- the ability to link to Facebook, Flickr or other social media
- the ability to choose whether to have free hosting on WordPress.com or on your own server/hosting company