What is WordPress & What is it used for?
So you are probably asking yourself, “What is WordPress?” “What exactly is it used for?”
It would amaze you to know that WordPress powers about one third of the websites in the world.
WordPress is a site building software and content management system that works to let anyone at all from small business owners to large corporations create an online presence in few minutes. It’s beauty is in it’s flexibility, scalability, and the fact that it is free to use!
Let’s take a look at some major features of the most popular site building software in the world.
*WordPress is Software that is free for everyone and anyone.
WordPress is among the endless list of Open Source Software and is built with the programming language PHP. It is licensed under General Public License which permits anyone to not just use the software but also modify it to suit individual requirements and also share the modifications with others. Open Source Software is one that is available to the public and always free so you can download it at any time or install it as part of a web hosting package.
Due to the fact that it is free, it has a large support base which consists of developers and designers.
To get started with a WordPress site, you first of all have to download the software from wordpress.org or you can use the WordPress installation feature offered by most web hosting providers.
*WordPress Works for anyone! Even you.
From complete beginners to seasoned web developers, WordPress can be easily learnt and used. For users who don’t have any design or development experience, a WordPress website can be setup at the click of a button on a hosting platform, and any of the hundreds of free to use WordPress themes can be installed alongside it. These themes allow you to customize a lot of features like the website header, footer and colors using the dashboard, without the need to know any code.
Experienced web developers can access all parts of the software such as the theme and plugin systems, scripts and application framework to customize it to meet the requirements of any site. Due to it’s flexibility, it can be changed and adapted to meet the needs of a growing business.
*WordPress is highly Flexible
One reason WordPress is so popular is because of how flexible it is. WordPress by default gives you access to an extensive gallery of free themes that users can choose from any time they wish to alter the looks and functionalities of a site.
Even more, you can purchase and install custom WordPress themes and plugins built by designers and developers across the world.
*WordPress.org
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WordPress.com
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You can get WordPress from WordPress.org which provides alongside the essential software, access to information, tutorials and access to the WordPress community.
WordPress gives users full administrative rights over the look and management of the site because it can be installed anywhere and modified to taste.
WordPress.org which is the source for WordPress is often mistaken for WordPress.com, which is only a third-party hosting solution that let’s users freely and easily set up a site as a subdomain of WordPress.com itself. WordPress.com’s basic features are free to use, but it offers a premium version that provides more options coupled with a unique domain name.
Unlike WordPress itself which can be installed anywhere and modified to taste, there are limitations to WordPress.com’s users choice of themes and access to the site’s PHP code or the many plugins available with WordPress itself.
Major things to be considered when building a WordPress site are the versatility of themes, plugins and security features.
WordPress is a flexible, scalable website builder and content management system which can be used by anyone. Right from it’s early days as a simple blogging platform, it has evolved to become the most used site builder in the World, offering users of all categories a free and easy platform for sharing a message with the world.
Stick with us to learn more about WordPress and how to use it effectively.