It’s one of the internet’s biggest success stories, it pre-dates Twitter and Facebook, and it powers nearly 30% of global websites.

But it doesn’t have a CEO, and you can’t buy shares in it.

We’re talking about WordPress. Originally a blogging platform, over nearly 20 years it’s evolved into one of the world’s most popular Content Management Systems (CMS). Unlike commercial platforms, WordPress is run by an online community of developers, and the software is now used by millions of organisations worldwide, from micro-businesses and SME’s to huge corporate enterprises like CNN, UPS and Dow Jones.

Here at MMD we’re big fans of WordPress. It’s at the heart of every bespoke website we design and build – including our own – so we thought we’d share just what it is we love about it, and why in our opinion, it’s the ideal platform for any website.

1. It’s open-source & free

As already mentioned, WordPress is not like a conventional web platform. The software is open-source, supported by a worldwide community of developers and users, so it’s constantly being enhanced and updated, and because it’s in the public domain and accessible to any organisation completely free of charge, you can potentially save thousands of pounds on the cost of having a new website created.

What’s more, because you’re not tied in to any software licensing agreement, if you want to change your design agency for any reason, you won’t find yourself being held to ransom. Because any agency with WordPress experience will be able to take over and manage your site, you’re in control.

2. It’s easy to use

Ease of use for our clients is vital, and it’s one of the main reasons we choose WordPress. Some Content Management Systems can be complex and confusing, requiring a level of technical knowledge, but with WordPress, updating and editing your website yourself is easy and quick – and we simplify things even further by making our own custom tweaks.

Simply log in to create new pages or posts, format them easily, insert photos or other media (you don’t even need to fiddle around resizing images – just drag and drop and it’s all done automatically), and with the click of a button your content is live and on the web.

The administrator interface is highly visual, intuitive and easy even for a novice to navigate, and it’s virtually impossible to do anything that will ‘break’ your website!

3. It’s flexible & fully customisable

As designers, we love the fact that WordPress puts no limitations on our creativity, allowing us the freedom to design a solution that is completely bespoke and addresses the unique requirements of individual clients.

Whatever kind of functionality you might want to include in your site – eCommerce, member area, forum, live chat, or virtually anything else, there’ll almost certainly be a pre-existing third-party extension available for you to use, saving you the cost of having to pay to have it developed.

There are thousands of plugins available, and as the WordPress community develops new ones to address their own needs, these become available for anyone else to use.

4. It’s great for SEO

WordPress is search engine friendly, with all the qualities that the likes of Google look for built in, so having a WordPress website gives you a head-start in the rankings. What’s more, there are loads of plugins to make easy work of advanced SEO optimisation.  These tools take the slog out of SEO by automating many of the basic technical chores, leaving you more time to focus on refining content and getting those all important high quality and relevant links to your site.

5. It’s secure

WordPress is a robust and secure platform. Its core software can address and mitigate common security threats, and its open-source nature and huge user community ensures that if new bugs or vulnerabilities do come along, they’re quickly fixed.

Taking the same common-sense precautions you would with any website, such as using a premium hosting solution and ensuring software is kept up to date will help keep a WordPress site secure, and services like Cloudflare can add another layer of defense, protecting a site from all types of threat.

6. It can grow with you

You can’t always accurately predict what you might need from your website in the future, but like your business, WordPress is dynamic, so your website can always keep pace with your changing needs.

As your business evolves, you might need to expand your site, adding areas to reflect new products or services, or you may want to add in more functionality to give visitors an enhanced experience. The flexibility of the WordPress platform, and access to thousands of free plugins means making even substantial changes is straightforward and cost-effective.

Ready to Be ImPressed?

We have years of experience designing and building fully bespoke WordPress websites for a wide selection of clients. If you want a website that’s beautiful to look at, simple to manage, packed with functionality and fully scalable, get in touch now by sending us a message or calling us on 0118 380 0131 for a chat. Prepare to be imPressed!