WordPress is one of the biggest website creation tools today. Powering websites of some of the leading companies around the world including IBM, Coca-Cola, eBay Inc., among others, the platform has attracted a lot of attention.
Hopefully, with this article, we’ll be able to set the record straight on some fundamental issues once and for all.
In this post, we’ll tell you what exactly you need to know about WordPress. Of course, it may not be possible to cover every last question that may be going through your mind but we’ll certainly try to scratch some of the most important ones off your list.
Let’s get right in!
What Exactly is WordPress?
At its simplest, WordPress is a tool that allows millions of users to create any form of a website, both basic and complex. Do you want to share your gardening experience? Create a WordPress blog.
Do you want to share content to a selected few members of your online circle? WordPress works just fine with password-protected pages.
And if you’re keen on selling your products online, the platform enables you to create a custom store using the WooCommerce plugin.
But that’s not all…
Never built a website before? Don’t worry; WordPress allows you to create a website without applying any form of coding, meaning, anyone without web development skills can set up a website on WordPress in a matter of minutes.
WordPress Iterations
There are two main iterations of WordPress:
WordPress.com
WordPress.org
WordPress.com: This is the hosted version of WordPress. This version basically runs your website on the official servers of WordPress at no cost. However, the free version limits your ability to use WordPress plugins and themes; you can only use the provided ones without having the option to change to your preferred ones. To have a more enjoyable experience on WordPress, you may need to upgrade your website to a self-hosted version.
WordPress.org: This is the self-hosted version and it allows users to run WordPress on their own self-hosted accounts. This version of WordPress grants you full control of the design and functionality of your website.
How Can I Get Self-hosted WordPress?
Contrary to the conventional desktop applications, WordPress works best on Linux web servers. This means that you’ll not be required to install anything your computer nor will you require any special tools to gets started.
However, you will need to find a suitable web hosting provider to be able to run a WordPress site. The market is saturated with companies big and small that offer hosting for mere cents and even for free.
Once hosting is procured, you can update your website anywhere at any time as long as you have access to the internet.
And if you’re not that much into computers, WordPress has you sorted with their mobile applications that can be used on Android and iPhones to update your website.
What’s more? You get all these plus more for free!
Conclusion
There you have it!
Now that you understand some basics about WordPress, you can go ahead and start your website today. And in case you run into trouble creating one, below is a video of a series of tutorials to help you get through the process smoothly:
That said, good luck!
Josh Wardini, Editorial Contributor and Community Manager. With a preliminary background in communication and expertise in community development, Josh works day-to-day to reshape the human resource management of digitally based companies. When his focus trails outside of community engagement, Josh enjoys the indulgences of writing amidst the nature conservations of Portland, Oregon.
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