What Is WordPress? Everything a beginner needs to know
WordPress facilitated the creation of their website from zero without having to write a single line of code. While WordPress gained popularity, what is WordPress? How does it even work? Can anyone use it?
There are so many questions around WordPress that strike the head when we talk about WordPress. And in this article, let’s decompose each of these questions and understand WordPress better.
What is WordPress? Explained for beginners
WordPress is a popular and free content management system with a pages manufacturer that allows you to create and manage websites with zero coding experience. WordPress feeds approximately 40% of all websites on the internet, so you can be assured that it is reliable.
You get various construction blocks, such as text sections, image galleries, contact forms and navigation menus, which you can organize and customize to create your desired website. This simple approach facilitates the creation of websites for people without coding or technical experience.
To better understand it, think about how you order furniture from Ikea, and when delivered to your home, you read the manual and start assembling it according to the instructions. It’s the same for WordPress. You choose the parts and assemble, and the final furniture is your website.
Did you know: WordPress initially started as a tool to publish blogs, but has also evolved to publish other web content?
Website types you can do with WordPress
You can create Any type of website with WordPressFrom a personal blog, short stories, to electronic commerce stores even in its own right. WordPress gives you more than 7,500 themes to choose with an installation in one click and tons of blocks, so the possibility of designing a website you want is endless.
- New and magazine sites: Publication organizations appreciate WordPress content management capacities, editorial workflows and multi-author support systems. You can use its integrated model and modify it to adapt to your brand guidelines.
- Electronic commerce stores: Thanks to the WooCommerce plugin, WordPress can be transformed into a powerful electronic commerce platform. You can sell physical products, digital downloads or services directly via your website, with basket functionality and payment processing.
- Personal and professional blogs: WordPress started as a blog platform and continues to excel in this area. You can create blogs to share personal experiences, professional information or specialized knowledge in your field of expertise.
- Educational websites: Schools, training organizations and individual educators can create learning platforms using WordPress. These sites may include course equipment, student resources and interactive elements.
- Portfolio websites: Creative professionals such as photographers, designers and artists use WordPress to present their work. The platform offers many themes focused on the portfolio that effectively highlights visual content.
- Business websites: Companies, consultants and local companies based on services use WordPress to establish their online presence. These sites generally include service descriptions, team information, testimonies and contact details.
The list of websites you can make with WordPress is endless, and we think. The models you get are a starting point and you can start customization in accordance with your needs.
WordPress.com vs wordpress.org
If you are new in the WordPress world, the confusion between WordPress.com and WordPress.com could make you think that they are the same.
WordPress is a CMS and is available for free on WordPress.org. It is also generally preinstalled or available via an installer with one click on most shared accommodation plans, where it is also free. You will not have and will never need to pay for WordPress. However, you need to pay for accommodation, and perhaps a pages manufacturer if you don’t get along with Gutenberg (the WordPress page generator), and can pay some plugins.
WordPress.com, on the other hand, is an accommodation company that belongs to Automattic, the company behind WordPress. An important difference between the two to remember here is that the use of WordPress does not require WordPress.com. Many web hosting companies offer WordPress installation and support and offer better value and more flexibility than WordPress.com hosting services.
Is WordPress easy to use for a beginner?
Yes and no. Some continue immediately. Others find the manufacturer of difficult to use. Personally, I found the manufacturer of pages difficult to use, because I came from an experience or knowledge of zero tech. When I started to build my site, I had to go through tons of tutorials and there was a higher education curve.
At the same time, it also depends on the model you use. Everyone’s experience is different with WordPress. For example, a person with technological training or a little know-how can easily take WordPress with a little experiment here and there.
Thus, labeling is easy or difficult would be unfair. More likely, we would say, it depends on one user to another. And let’s be real here. Most beginners can create a basic website in a few days a dedicated learning week. However, the development of competence with advanced features generally requires several weeks or months of regular use.
It’s just as if you are building with Lego. Some people are so good and fast that it doesn’t take them for long. While some people build it, they need days to finish it. The same goes for the use of WordPress.
A WordPress bonus being so popular is that there are tons of tutorials. So, if you have trouble, you should be able to find help and know how to use WordPress by yourself, with many useful guides.
How much is WordPress?
WordPress is free to use. However, the execution of a website implies certain costs, such as:
- Accommodation
- An area
- Plug-ins (optional)
- Page builders (optional)
Decompos this in a more detailed way below:
Significant / compulsory expenses
Web accommodation: $ 60 to 180 per year
The best web hosting provides the server space where your website files are stored and accessible by visitors. Shared accommodation plans generally cost $ 2 to 15 per month, while more robust accommodation options are light. When I built my site, I went with Hostinger, and it cost me $ 2.99 / month for the shared accommodation plan. In the initial stage, shared accommodation is generally the best and economical option. The best WordPress accommodation is often a shared accommodation with an accommodation provider that also has a dedicated support for WordPress and optimized servers for WordPress.
Domain name: $ 10-15 per year
Your domain name serves as an address for your website on the Internet. This annual fee records the domain name chosen and maintains your rights to use it. Domain names are often free with your accommodation supplier for a year, but I still recommend shopping around the best domain name registrars for a better global offer.
Optional expenses
Premium themes: $ 30 to 100 (unique purchase)
Although free themes are available, premium themes often offer additional personalization options, better medium and more sophisticated conceptions.
Premium plugins: $ 50-200 + per year
If you want advanced features on your website, you will need premium plugins. These may include improved safety features, advanced referencing tools or specialized commercial applications.
Professional pages manufacturers: $ 50-200 per year
If you find the WordPress publisher by default difficult, third -party manufacturers like Elementor or Divi offer more intuitive design interfaces.
Professional services: Variable costs
Some users invest in professional configuration, design customization or current maintenance services. If you choose to opt for this, you can expect additional costs for them, depending on the services you are going.
Reasons to use WordPress
- Free to use, so you never have to worry about paying separately
- Can migrate anywhere without losing content or features
- Provides excellent support and advice from the vast world community
- Exceptional scalability so that you can develop your website as it grows
- Regular updates of continuous development
Wordpress disadvantages
- There is an additional level of management compared to pages manufacturers
- The Gutenberg page manufacturer could be easier to use
- There are currently legal battles that disrupt the WordPress community
- With thousands of plugins available, compatibility conflicts can sometimes occur
- As a self-centered solution, you are responsible for the implementation of security measures
Last words
WordPress is a powerful CMS which provides extensive personalization and mixes affordability and scalability in one. Although there is a learning curve, you can use this free CMS to create your website and learn thanks to its strong community support.
Choose WordPress if you need:
- An evolving website
- A free cms
- Complete control on the design and functionality of your website
On the other hand, you may want to consider an alternative if you are looking for something very easy to use with zero learning curve or minimum technical participation in website management.
