WordPress is a CMS (content management system) leading in the no-code website building trend, developed in 2001 and first released in 2003. Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, two users of blogging software discontinued by the main developers, decided to build a new platform on top of this software and gave birth to WordPress. Slowly over the years, WordPress added new features making it easier to post, write, and publish web pages.
Anyone can use WordPress to build a website, for your business, to showcase a profile, or for any other purposes. As a no-code website builder, you can update your website as frequently as you wish without going through the hassle of using an HTML editor software. WordPress users create business websites, e-commerce websites, blogs, portfolios, resumes, forums, social networks, membership sites, and pretty much everything else.
The list of benefits seems never-ending, but here are a few that makes WordPress stand out. It is easy to set up and install, as well as it is simple, straightforward, and easy to use. The usability helps put WordPress among the top website builders as it gets more people on board. You can build your website for free! But if you want it under a unique domain, building and maintaining it with WordPress is still extremely cheap. This website builder is SEO friendly for businesses, helping you generate more leads and noticeably increase revenue. In the modern era where most websites are visited through phones, yours made with WordPress is responsive and mobile-friendly. Website security, endless design options, and flexibility are other benefits that put WordPress on top.
Yes! While WordPress is self-hosting, it is entirely possible if you are already on another web hosting plan and would like to build your website with WordPress. In fact, WordPress is compatible with all hosting web companies, such as WPEngine, Siteground, Flywheel, GoDaddy, HostGator, BlueHost, Media Temple, and other third-party hosts. Actually, Wordpress is so popular that most hosting providers have specific scripts for fast Wordpress installations, and sometimes develop their own plugins to optimize the use of Wordpress with their servers.
With how updated and popular WordPress is, it is all thanks to the sizeable contributing community that widens and diversifies its ecosystem. Since there is so much to the ecosystem, it will be hard to list every participant, but here are somehonorablementions. Firstly, there’s the WordPress Theme Shops and Marketplace, which provides themes and templates for your website. And while there are a lot of free themes, paid ones come with higher quality and offer product support. Those WordPress themes can be found on Envato ThemeForest, WooThemes, ThemeIsle, and many more. At Dirox, our developers can work with both custom-made designs and WordPress Themes. The second participant is developers and providers who create plugins that add sparks to your web. Some notable ones include Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, Ignition Desk, and more. Thirdly, one of the key components of a WordPress website is builders. Elementor, Divi, and Beaver Builder are some of the most famous with their easy "drag n drop" systems. They are some kinds of software that take the form of plugins to drastically improve the designing capabilities of WordPress and create user-friendly WYSIWYG websites.
The best way to learn how active and supportive this community is is to look at how the community was shaped throughout the years. So many contributors upgrade and expand the use of WordPress to facilitate website building in every version. The numbers can grow to hundreds of volunteers who put time and effort into improving WordPress. Other plugin and theme contributors also expand the possibilities of websites. WordCamps are annual WordPress meetings that garner a lot of organizers, speakers, and volunteers. And if you can’t make it to the local WordCamp event, significant cities also have monthly WordPress meetups.
WordPress is slowly becoming the standard for building a website, even with the rising competition, with 43% of all websites in the world using it! It is cost-effective and time-saving, which is why many famous organizations use it. Those names include the official White House website, the Microsoft official blog, the Rolling Stone website, Techcrunch, and so many more.