Whether it’s an update or a full rebuild, you have no shortage of decisions to make when it comes to updating your website. There are plenty of free resources available on optimizing your website, best practices for design, and even how to write engaging copy, but it’s crucial to set a strong foundation with your Content Management System.
A CMS is essentially a portal that allows you to manage your website, and while there are dozens of options to choose from (even some come free with your marketing automation software), WordPress is the way to go. If the impressive stat that 30% of all websites are powered by WordPress doesn’t encourage you to consider it as an option, here are eight other reasons we’re advocates for it.
1. WordPress Is User-Friendly
We’ll get to the technical marvels in a minute, but WordPress’s ease of use is a win. It comes with easy-to-install templates (and completely customizable code if you’re working with an agency) and an editing interface that requires no HTML experience to make changes, alter layouts, and more.
You need access to update your company information, product information, and tweak content on your website. And the benefit of WordPress is that there are millions of tutorials on YouTube and across the web on how to make these updates.
2. Clean Code = Better SEO
Jumping into the technical side of things, WordPress, essentially, keeps it simple.
While we just discussed why it’s best for your ease of use, you’re not the only person benefitting — search engines love it, too. WordPress’s interface streamlines the process for you to enter meta descriptions, add image alt text, and a few other crucial pieces that help index pages properly.
On the back end (stay with us, we’re almost done talking technicalities), the platform is developed in a way that’s accessible and continually optimized. As you know that search engine algorithms are updated frequently, websites using WordPress perform exceptionally well when buyers are searching for their potential suppliers.
3. WordPress Is An Open-Source Platform
Believe it or not, WordPress is the epitome of altruism.
The original source code for the platform is available for free, and it can be modified and redistributed — again — for free. There are many plug-ins for the platform that can help you with search engine optimization, capture forms on your website, and customize your pages with add-ons. Most of them are easy to use and affordable (but some of our favorites are free).
4. WordPress Is A Secure Platform
We’ve talked endlessly about the importance of website security (and if your website is not using HTTPS, you need to stop reading this article and contact us right away), so you’re worried about the safety and security of your website, you should be at ease with WordPress.
Its core software is very safe and secure — just make sure to keep updating so you’re on the latest version, as sometimes there are bugs they end up squashing.
If any WordPress website has a security vulnerability, it stems from the use of old software, weak passwords, and other preventable issues. And if you have questions or concerns regarding any of those, the platform’s security team does an excellent job of quickly resolving issues.
5. WordPress Is Completely Customizable
We touched a little bit on this in the first section of this article, but we want to reiterate the benefits of working with a platform that is completely customizable — or as out of the box as you need it to be.
Templates are a great fit for those who want a DIY website, but if you’re looking to create pages unique to the look, feel, and needs of your business, you (or your agency) can build from scratch. Even if you move ahead with the latter, a uniquely developed website still adheres to the native user experience of the platform, meaning you don’t lose any of the user-friendliness you see on your end (but it’s completely customized on the back-end).
6. Using A Mobile-Friendly CMS
Mobile-first indexing is here, meaning that search engines are using the site experience on a phone as the basis for crawling in their algorithms. For you, this means your website needs to look great and work properly whether your prospective buyer is viewing it on a phone, tablet, computer, or anything in between.
Responsive website design is the norm for websites these days, so if you have a different version of your website appearing on mobile vs. desktop, it’s time for a change.
WordPress’s responsive themes and mobile plug-ins help viewers easily interact with your business online. Its native user interface shows previews of what your website looks like in different viewports, so you can easily see how your website looks even if you don’t have a tablet with you at the moment.
7. WordPress Has Multi-User Capacity
Multi-user capability sounds like a phrase you need a dictionary to help decipher, but if you have multiple teams, agencies, or even freelancers working behind the scenes on your website, you need to give them access.
With WordPress, you have complete control over who has access to your website (again, security is important!). You can create new accounts with permissions specific to the user’s accessibility needs, while keeping them out of other areas if needed.
Permission levels include:
- Super Admin
- Admin
- Editor
- Author
- Contributor
- Subscriber
And you can easily add and remove people as needed.
8. Offers Plugins For Testimonials
Testimonials are a powerful selling tool.
We use them for our business and encourage our clients to do the same, as they are a great feature for your website when buyers are researching your company. You can, of course, include information from your happy customers on your custom pages or you can incorporate product and/or service testimonials through plug-ins as a selling tactic to help you reach buyers.
Additionally, it’s important to touch on the existing testimonials for WordPress. Just as you can’t expect to onboard a vendor without speaking to their current clients or reading their case studies, take a look at what other people online are saying about WordPress.
We’re more than happy to talk through more in-depth of why WordPress is a great option for your website and answer any other questions about your website design project — just contact us today.
