What is WordPress?
You know you need a website for your business. You’ve also been advised to use WordPress, so what exactly is WordPress?
WordPress
Is a content management system for websites.
Put simply, WordPress is a simple and effective way to create a website or blog.
It may come as no surprise then, that this very site is built on WordPress!
What may be more surprising is that more than 40% of all websites globally use WordPress.
WordPress is open source and absolutely free to use.
It’s true that there are paid premium addons, by way of Themes & Plugins but generally you can find fantastic alternatives absolutely free.
Plugins
Are just like programs or applications that you might find on your PC or phone.
They help enhance your website without the need for you to be an expert coder.
You will have no doubt noticed (and read all the information) on our Cookie banner when you came on to this site.
This feature was provided to us via a plugin by our chosen partner. Who we felt gave the most GDPR compliant service.
Do take care when selecting your plugins. Read the reviews carefully and don’t install anything you are unlikely to use and always keep them up to date. This should help keep your site secure.
WordPress does a great job of filtering out anything malicious, but this should not stop you from being diligent. Please remember this is not a replacement for common sense.
Themes
A good theme can really make the difference to how your website looks and performs.
There are many fully customisable themes available, some are free and others to be paid for.
Editing and customising of themes is a great way to learn how sites are coded and constructed.
Drag & Drop Page Builders
In addition to Themes and Plugins, WordPress is home to two of the most famous drag and drop website builders; Elementor & Divi.
You can get started absolutely free with Elementor to build and customise a spectacular site. Divi, can be appraised free of charge, but you will need to pay to install on your WordPress site.
Elementor Pro is a paid for application and starts at a price of $59/yr (at time of posting), which allows 1 website to be built.
Divi by comparison is $89/yr (at time of posting) and doesn’t seem to impose any limits.
They also offer a lifetime package at $249 which to me would seem excellent value to anyone who is serious about building websites.
If you are interested in using/purchasing either of the above, please consult their websites.
Current pricing can be found here: Elementor Pricing | Find the Right Plan For You & here Join Elegant Themes
Ecommerce
You may need to install an Ecommerce shop on your WordPress account.
WooCommerce is a great example and I have personally used in the not too distant past.
They offer a phone app so you can keep tabs on your store and the ability to integrate payment gateways such as Stripe, who we current use and really love their service.
What’s more, you can get up and running absolutely free!
Remember
Every hosting package at Sure Host comes with a completely free, one click installer for WordPress.
Once you login to your cPanel account, you can quite literally have WordPress installed and showing on your domain in 2 minutes (subject to DNS propagation).
What’s more, if you have any queries or need help with the install, we are here to help!
We truly believe that WordPress partnered with our web hosting is the fastest & most intuitive way to get your website & business online.
We can also quote you on a tailored package.
If you find your visitor numbers are expanding rapidly, or you are using an Ecommerce platform which may require additional server resources.
Then we can offer a solution with the same Sure Host service & value you have come to expect.
If you have any queries regarding WordPress, or noticed something not covered here; then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Bill – Sure Host