One of the most popular website building platforms is WordPress. Thanks to the platform’s ease of installation, one design theme, easy-to-use administration interface, and thousands of plug-ins and extensions that can be quickly integrated, over 60% of the websites created today are built on this type of platform. To see what this fame is based on, we thought in the following lines we would provide an introduction and overview of what the process of creating a WordPress showcase site entails, features, features, pros, cons and pricing.
Due to the large number of users, the WordPress platform benefits from numerous installation facilities and free (and paid) possibilities to integrate features and options. The internet abounds with information on how to create, choose a theme, and simply build a WordPress site without any technical or programming expertise. But if you need a professional website, things get a bit more complicated.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is the simplest and most popular platform to create a presentation website, blog, and even an online store. The platform was launched in 2003 and has since become an important part of the internet as we know it today. Based on the PHP programming language and using MySQL (open source) databases, it provides the tools to create a functional website or blog using written content, videos, images and more. The main application areas today include showcase sites (services, products, etc.), corporate sites, online publications, landing pages, personal pages, blogs, as well as an extremely wide range of e-commerce/virtual stores.
Technically, WordPress is an open source content management system (CMS). This means that anyone can use or modify WordPress software for free. On the other hand, the platform is a very practical tool that allows developers and beneficiaries to manage functions and functionalities considered useful for the appearance and usability of the website, in an intuitive graphical format, without programming knowledge.
The WordPress platform manages to combine simplicity of use with the complexity of options needed to develop software with advanced functionality, flexible and adaptable to any type of web design. The advent of WordPress has made building and creating a website accessible not only to web designers, programmers, programmers or website administrators, but also to a website owner with minimal technical skills.
In short, WordPress offers a simple and fast way to create a website.
Features, main features and benefits of WordPress sites
To meet current demands and be truly useful for the purposes for which it is created, a website must have certain features and functions. In this regard, WordPress sites have a lot of options. Among the most important we mention:
Ease of use
You don’t need to be an IT expert or a professional web designer to create a website or publish an article. The administration panel, thanks to its intuitive operation, greatly simplifies this process. Using one of the predefined design themes, with a few clicks and uploading text and materials in the multimedia gallery, you can create and publish a website in a short time.
Very high flexibility
Almost any type of website can be created in WordPress. Whether it is a business website, portal, blog, forum, online store, etc., the platform can be just as powerful and feature-rich. It benefits from an impressive variety of themes, plugins, apps, customization and allows you to create original sites with great aesthetics.
Easy-to-use publishing tools
With WordPress, creating and scheduling content is simple. You can create drafts, schedule articles for publication, make revisions and go back to previous versions. Multiple user accounts can be created, content can be public or private, pages can be secured with passwords, etc.
User administration
Depending on the required actions or interactions, profiles can be created for everyone who contributes to the site, including users, to ask questions or leave comments. You can have an administrator account, a blog author account, another for media people, accounts for external contributors, etc. You can create external users with access to various sections and functionalities.
Simple media management
Images and videos play a key role in how users perceive your website content and information. Using simple WordPress tools like drag and drop, you can quickly create a diverse media gallery with videos and images (including powerful new formats), text and photos to match any content or blog post.
Constant update
The platform is secure as long as it is regularly maintained and access (in the hosting and administration environment) is well secured. In order not to be exposed to viruses, malware or other cyberattacks, the platform regularly uses updates, enhancements and up-to-date security features. However, to ensure that everything is up to date and working, and that you have the latest version, use specialized site administration and maintenance services.
Thousands of extensions and plugins available
Basically, for any feature or functionality you might need these days, there are dozens of free and paid plugins out there. You can choose from many variants of tools for creating pages in graphical format (builders), contact forms, image optimization, page load optimization, content quality assessment, SEO optimization, comment insertion, API linking with other applications, security, backup, and so on
Search engine optimization
The algorithms of the major search engines are periodically updated to ensure that users have a safe, comfortable browsing experience and information that is as close to their intentions as possible. WordPress makes a well-optimized website for search engines. The specific format looks great in browsers and provides users with a modern, pleasant and intuitive browsing experience.
You are the owner of the website and its content
Hosted sites can be lost if the platform has problems or goes out of business. Since most of the time a website requires many hours of work and promotion, it is very important that your company fully owns what belongs to you, especially if you use an open source platform.
A very large support community
As the most popular web design platform, WordPress has a very large community of users, contributors, and developers. As such, for any needs or problems you may have, it can get numerous answers and solutions in the dedicated support forums.
Basic features for users and professionals in building WordPress sites
If you need a simple site, with a little patience and diligence, you can quickly create a usable site. But if you’re counting on increased productivity, you also need a WordPress web designer or a WordPress web design company to create, finish and optimize your website. Due to its popularity and ease of customization, this platform is recommended and used by many professional web developers.
Among the most important functions we mention:
- A graphical theme system with built-in functionality
Based on the design theme, anyone can create custom graphics for complex requirements. Most premium themes also include specific functionalities for different types of sites (such as news display, scheduling capability, etc.). The WordPress platform has the versatility and adaptability needed to create any type of website, from the simplest forms of a blog to complex and complex versions of online stores, portals or specialized websites with advanced functions.
- A complex system of plugins and extensions
The platform was built to complement various functionalities through an advanced system of plug-ins and extensions. They come to provide or complement general or specific functionalities. The flexibility of the platform is complemented by the WordPress API system. This is useful both for those who want to add various features to the site and for developers who want to connect their site with software and applications they develop that can improve the functioning of a site built on such a platform.
- Thousands of functions for specific functionalities
If you want to create a function for users, WordPress provides many features and functions that can be used for development, namely: translations, user management, databases, etc.
- Features for creating custom content
The different types of content offered by the database give many possibilities to personalize the content. With a few settings or a few lines of code, WordPress helps you quickly add content in the format preferred by your users.
What are the disadvantages of creating a website in WordPress?
The large number of users and developers using the platform testifies to the offered values and efficiency. But like any content management system (CMS) with many users, WordPress also has many disadvantages. Among them we mention:
Weak point
Being an open source system with a very large community of developers and users contributing to it, some of the themes and plugins on offer have security holes and limitations. This fact also makes WordPress the most tried and tested of all CMS. On the other hand, no platform is free from such problems, regardless of form or creator.
Original variants of WordPress sites and premium extensions have purchase costs
Basic free features may not be enough for the preferences and security desired by some companies. To give an original form and advanced functionality to the most demanding users, you will need a lot of experience or a specialized WordPress web developer, professional and talented. Variants of premium themes and plugins always cost money (usually in annual licenses), but they offer a lot of benefits in terms of functionality and support.
Requires constant updating and maintenance
In order not to be attacked by viruses or malware, the platform used requires constant updates. The basic installation can be set to automatic updates, but if the site is extensive (with many plugins and custom elements), we recommend administration and maintenance services offered by specialists who can fix errors that appear in automatic processes.
Needs customization to be responsive
Not all themes available on this platform are optimized for all types of mobile displays. Therefore, to make them responsive or mobile-friendly, you will need a series of interventions by a developer with experience in creating WordPress pages.
I need good funds for hosting
A WordPress website usually requires good hardware resources (space, processor, memory, bandwidth) to run properly and provide performance. Hosting costs may be higher. It is important to choose a provider that offers dedicated WordPress hosting services to keep your website running well.
What are the prices for WordPress website development services?
The costs of creating a WordPress website can vary greatly. You definitely need to factor in the cost of domain and website hosting from the start. Then, depending on the theme, customizations, desired functionalities, security and performance, the costs can reach high budget levels. An important role in the final cost will also be played by the rates of the agency or freelancer involved in the implementation, design, testing and optimization of the website. The creation of a WordPress site can start with a few hundred euros (plus the cost of a modern theme and several professional plugins, respectively the introduction of content) and can go up to thousands – tens of thousands of euros for large-scale projects, modern, efficient, with a lot of content, aimed at attracting and qualify high-quality traffic. For projects on a budget, see our pre-defined website development and web design price quotes.
The general principle of a successful online presence also applies here: if you want an updated website with everything related to security, performance, constant updates, SEO services and promotion, you need a fixed budget.
Application
With WordPress, you can create amazing, modern websites of any type with numerous features and benefits. The fact that more than one in two developers choose this platform to create a website is eloquent proof that the platform is a very good choice that can successfully serve many specific purposes of many users, freelancers, companies, online publications, online stores e.t.c.
Original variants of WordPress sites and premium extensions have purchase costs
Basic free features may not be enough for the preferences and security desired by some companies. To give an original form and advanced functionality to the most demanding users, you will need a lot of experience or a specialized WordPress web developer, professional and talented. Variants of premium themes and plugins always cost money (usually in annual licenses), but they offer a lot of benefits in terms of functionality and support.
Requires constant updating and maintenance
In order not to be attacked by viruses or malware, the platform used requires constant updates. The basic installation can be set to automatic updates, but if the site is extensive (with many plugins and custom elements), we recommend administration and maintenance services offered by specialists who can fix errors that appear in automatic processes.
Needs customization to be responsive
Not all themes available on this platform are optimized for all types of mobile displays. Therefore, to make them responsive or mobile-friendly, you will need a series of interventions by a developer with experience in creating WordPress pages.
I need good funds for hosting
A WordPress website usually requires good hardware resources (space, processor, memory, bandwidth) to run properly and provide performance. Hosting costs may be higher. It is important to choose a provider that offers dedicated WordPress hosting services to keep your website running well.
What are the prices for WordPress website development services?
The costs of creating a WordPress website can vary greatly. You definitely need to factor in the cost of domain and website hosting from the start. Then, depending on the theme, customizations, desired functionalities, security and performance, the costs can reach high budget levels. An important role in the final cost will also be played by the rates of the agency or freelancer involved in the implementation, design, testing and optimization of the website. The creation of a WordPress site can start with a few hundred euros (plus the cost of a modern theme and several professional plugins, respectively the introduction of content) and can go up to thousands – tens of thousands of euros for large-scale projects, modern, efficient, with a lot of content, aimed at attracting and qualify high-quality traffic. For projects on a budget, see our predefined website development and web design price quotes.
The general principle of a successful online presence also applies here: if you want an updated website with everything related to security, performance, constant updates, SEO services and promotion, you need a fixed budget.
Application
With WordPress, you can create amazing, modern websites of any type with numerous features and benefits. The fact that more than one in two developers choose this platform to create a website is eloquent proof that the platform is a very good choice that can successfully serve many specific purposes of many users, freelancers, companies, online publications, online stores e.t.c.
