WordPress. It’s probably something you’ve heard of if you recently thought about creating a website for your business. In fact, you may have heard the term being used when meeting with representatives from trusted website design services like White Label Club—but what exactly is WordPress?
To make things simple, WordPress is a type of Content Management System that helps organize your entire website. Among the many different types of CMS available, WordPress is currently the top one. According to research from our friends at BuiltWith, 51 per cent of all websites on the Internet is made with WordPress. A good number of Fortune 500 companies and Fortune 500-level organizations also use WordPress for their websites, including Microsoft, Sony, UPS, Best Buy, Walt Disney, Time Inc., The New York Times, and Marks and Spencer.
Despite the fact that WordPress is used by some of the biggest names in the world, many web design companies recommend the CMS to their SMB clients for one important reason: WordPress is FREE! This means your web design budget goes further than if you went with a paid option.
Of course, there are many other reasons why WordPress is so popular among web designers and SEO companies. Some of these reasons include:
It’s Ready for Mobile-Responsive Design
Did you know that mobile devices have overtaken desktops and laptops as the world’s Internet accessing device of choice? It’s true! According to Google, nearly 60 percent of searches are made on mobile devices. Hootsuite also reports that 52 per cent of all webpage traffic comes from smartphones. Given these numbers, web designers need to make sure that their clients’ websites are mobile-responsive. WordPress is readily available for mobile-responsive designs and can actually accept a special plugin (Jetpack) that allows the website to comply with Google’s mobile website standards.
It’s Optimised for Flexibility and Customisability
WordPress is kept in high regard thanks to the flexibility of its themes. The CMS comes with 20 pre-loaded themes, but you can easily find a new theme that fits any kind of website. Need a theme that fits your e-commerce platform? No problem. Want to create a forums section so your customers can discuss topics among themselves? WordPress has got that too! Why does this matter? It’s because developers can create the framework of your site faster with these themes, which means you get your website faster.
It’s Open Source
One of WordPress’ defining features is that it’s an open source platform. This means that any developer can create a plugin and share it with the entire WordPress community. If you like a particular user-made plugin, just download and implement it and your site will benefit from the new plugin’s function. There are literally millions of plugins from the community on top of the ones supplied by WordPress themselves. If there’s a particular function you’re looking for, there’s a good chance it’s already available as a WordPress plugin.
These are only some of the reasons why WordPress has been the most successful CMS in the world, and why you are likely to get a WordPress site when you choose to outsource web design. Before you dive into WordPress, however, make sure you have a sit down with your web design team and discuss exactly how you want your new website to look. Be as specific as you can so that the designers can provide you with the exact website you want and need. You’ll also want to keep the following tips in mind:
Take Care to Avoid Going Overboard with Plugins and the Like
Due to the near limitless number of plugins available, it’s easy to get carried away and stuff too many of them into your website. Unfortunately, this can make your page load slower—and that’s a bad thing! Google has officially announced that page load speed is an important ranking factor for mobile sites. Google claims that the average mobile page load speed is roughly 22 seconds, but research shows that majority of users get impatient and only wait about 3-5 seconds before trying another website.
Study Your Competitors’ Websites and Improve on It
“Good artists borrow. Great artists steal” is a famous quote from Pablo Picasso that is applicable when building your business website. Take a look at your competitors’ websites and get a feel for what they are trying to deliver to your shared target market. Don’t copy it though! Take notes on what you find is lacking or subpar on those sites and make sure that your website improves on those points. Don’t “borrow” their ideas. Steal their inspiration and apply your own personal twist on it to create a complete experience for your customers!
Don’t Forget to Add Social Buttons!
If you have outsourced your web design needs, there’s a good chance the company you’re working with will also handle your digital marketing campaigns. In that case, make sure that you have the web designer add social buttons for your social media profiles at the bottom of every page. This makes it easier for visitors to find and follow your social media profiles. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are good choices to start with. Considering that roughly 2.62 billion people in the world use social media, social buttons can be a quick way to get a few extra hundred likes and follows on your profiles.