WordPress: Not Just for Blogs

[Josh]

Having a website has become more important than ever, but building them has also never been easier. One of the major improvements in the technology for building websites has been the development of WordPress. WordPress is often referred to as blogging software, but it's much more powerful than that.

Although WordPress is a great system for running a blog, it's also been a platform that has received a great deal of attention from website developers because of how easy it is to adjust the look and feel of the site. Part of the reason it's so popular is that it's completely free. You do need to have a website hosting company as well as a domain, but the platform itself has been developed by a community and has been made freely available to anyone for any reason.

One of the features that makes WordPress so attractive is that you can add plug-ins to create additional functionality above and beyond the basic WordPress core. A common example of this would be a contact form. By default WordPress does not have an option for a contact form, but you can choose from many different contact forms freely available. In addition to the free contact form plug-ins, you can purchase others for even more options and flexibility.

One of the other major reasons to use WordPress is that it is easy to update. Even if you have to pay someone to help get you up and running, you can login and update your content as well as add pages and posts almost as easily as checking your email.

If you want to get started with a free wordpress site to get a feel for it you can visit WordPress.com — Get a Free Blog Here .

 

[tomlarson_enhance]

WordPress also has plugins that can greatly enhance your search engine optimization. You don't need to know a lot about website design and still have a site that is clean, attractive, and easy to navigate for your consumers. I know of many businesses who don't have a blog, but still run their website off of WordPress for its ease of use. You'd definitely have a good deal with WordPress.

Independent Insurance Agents | Information and Resources | Enhance Insurance

 

[mediorg]

Wordpress is beautiful. I would recommend purchasing the Thesis Wordpress theme to any beginner. It is primed to help them change the look and feel easily, plus it is the best SEO-ready theme I've come across. Thesis all day.

 

[bitsdawg]

Is it easy to get started with thesis? How would you compare it to Headway?

 

[Josh]

Is it easy to get started with thesis? How would you compare it to Headway?

I love headway, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone new.

 

[Larry Tew]

Someone told me that since WorPress is open-source, malicious code can be an issue versus using a host's website builder such as GD's Website Tonight.

She said to make sure to use a site scanner (?). Make sense?

 

[Josh]

Someone told me that since WorPress is open-source, malicious code can be an issue versus using a host's website builder such as GD's Website Tonight.

She said to make sure to use a site scanner (?). Make sense?

She's right.

You can also install safety precautions and keep it updated frequently to avoid problems.

 

[Daytona_Guy]

Someone told me that since WorPress is open-source, malicious code can be an issue versus using a host's website builder such as GD's Website Tonight.

She said to make sure to use a site scanner (?). Make sense?

Hey Larry,

I know that with Wordpress plug-ins, you really have to know and trust the source, otherwise you're simply installing someone else's code on your host's server and, you are right, it could do anything they want it to do.

It's also important to not just blindly install WP updates the second they're released. It's best to make a backup of your site and then try the update once you've read from experts that it is stable without significant issues. Some of the best plug-ins I use have initially had issues with WP updates and I had to wait until the plug-in authors updated the plug-ins, themselves.

All of that said, it's my humble opinion that Wordpress as a content manager is far superior to almost any other available.

 

[Larry Tew]

Thanks for the info. Do you guys consider the built-in site builders (HostGator for example) to come close to WordPress for safety, simplicity, etc?

If I use HostGator / WordPress, do they have a built-in scanner or similar protection or am I on my own?

 

[bitsdawg]

I love headway, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone new.

Thanks for the response. I had actually heard it the other way - that thesis was harder. It pays to do some research I guess.