WordPress For The Beginner.
In case you've never heard of it, WordPress is a free software that allows anybody to build and easily maintain a website or blog.
It was created originally for users to get their own blogs online quickly and easily.
But these days, more and more people are seeing the benefits of using it as the foundation of their business website.
Since its birth back in 2003, WordPress has evolved into the fully blown content management system (CMS) we see today.
Users find it ridiculously easy to add new content to their web pages.
WordPress is today used by people for many different things such as blogs, niche sites, review websites, membership sites, sales pages, social media sites and more.
In fact the possibilities are almost endless.
Some basic research using a search engine reveals that you have two choices.
WordPress.
org and WordPress.
com This can be responsible for some confusion, as both names are basically the same.
So to clarify, WordPress.
com is 100% free for anyone to use for their blogs etc, while WordPress.
org gives you just the software and does not host your blog/site on the web.
So what to use? Below are some pros and cons to using either software provider.
WordPress.
com Pros a/ It's free and easy to set up.
b/ Upgrades, backups, security, setup, spam are all dealt with by them.
c/ All new articles are automatically backed up.
d/ They have a "Blogs Of The Day" section that can provide you with lots of free traffic if your site appears there.
WordPress.
com Cons a/ They supply a reasonable amount of themes, but if you don't like the ones they offer, you're unable to upload your own.
b/ You cannot upload plugins.
c/ You cannot change or alter the php code behind your website.
WordPress.
org Pros a/ It's free b/ You can upload your own themes.
c/ You can upload your own plugins.
d/ If you have some technical ability, you can change the php code to better suit your needs.
e/ You can have your own domain name which can put some visitors minds at rest.
f/ Everything you add to your site is yours and cannot be removed from the web.
WordPress.
org Cons a/ You have the additional expense of hosting your site yourself.
b/ You need to buy yourself a domain name.
c/ You need more technical ability to get your site up and running, than you do with WordPress.
com d/ You and only you are responsible for the security and backing up of your website.
So which one to use? Well...
that depends on you and what you need a site for.
If it's something to record your daily thoughts for fun.
WordPress.
com is perfect.
If you want to own and run your own web business, you need to opt for WordPress.
org.
To anyone viewing it, it's a proper website and you'd have your own domain name.
Your own web address is always going to look more professional than one ending in WordPress.
com.
But you may have concerns about getting yours online.
There are many tutorials on the web that go onto great detail on how to start, and some amazing sites that offer beautiful well designed themes that would grace any business.