Did you know that many websites you view daily will likely run the WordPress CMS (content management system)? Depending on who you check for the data, several hundred million WordPress websites live worldwide. As a result, WordPress for Web Design remains a vital tool for designers.
WordPress is an excellent CMS for several reasons, and it’s a real asset to web designers and their clients. So if you’re thinking of having a new website or want to redevelop an existing one, seriously consider WordPress.
Excellent for Customisation
When you use a new website platform, selecting one that offers design and style flexibility makes sense. One of the most significant advantages of using WordPress is that web designers can completely customise the look and feel of the sites they build.
For example, you can have design templates that get used sitewide and apply different page templates for specific sections. Coupled with responsive design, creating a WordPress site with stunning visuals that offer an immersive user experience is simple.
Beautiful Website Design
In the beginning, WordPress could have been better at producing engaging websites. However, that soon changed, and developers started making tools and themes to build stunning designs. For a relatively low cost, you can purchase page builders and templates that help you create websites quickly – with little to no knowledge of web design practices.
WordPress provides an excellent framework if you are not skilled in Web Design but want to develop one yourself. And with businesses like Theme Forest, you can get up and running in days.
Add-Ons Offer Flexible Website Development
Let’s face it; each web design client will have different requirements for how they want their websites to look and perform. Some may have basic design needs, while others require integrations with online services and solutions.
WordPress offers flexible website development out of the box. The WordPress plugin repository boasts thousands of useful add-ons to serve various purposes. Additionally, it’s possible to create a new plugin from scratch to achieve a specific goal.
Website administrators can easily install or deactivate and remove plugins. Likewise, updating plugins within WordPress is just a few simple clicks away.
Stable Platform
A website’s success will rely on it running on a stable platform. WordPress is nearly two decades old and is one of the most stable CMS platforms you’ll ever use.
Problems like bugs and potential security issues get identified and resolved quickly due to the massive WordPress developer community constantly refining and improving the platform. Plus, it’s a CMS compatible with virtually all hosting providers.
You may even discover that your web host offers an automated WordPress “quick install” service to make setting it up for your website even easier!
More Than Just a Blogging Platform
When WordPress first came out, it was built as a blogging platform to compete with the likes of Blogger and TypePad. While it’s true that blogging is still at the core of WordPress’s feature set, the CMS has undeniably evolved into something bigger and better.
People use WordPress for all kinds of reasons apart from blogging. For example, WordPress can get used to sell products and services online or to promote a photography or videography business.
Did you know that some people even use WordPress to create social networks for their online communities using the BuddyPress plugin?
Logical Content Management
The sad truth about some content management systems is they don’t get designed with site administrators in mind. As a result, it’s common to see competing CMS solutions offering various options and features but without any real organisation to them all.
WordPress doesn’t suffer from that problem because all relevant settings and features get organised logically. Moreover, how everything gets organised makes sense for web designers and their clients.
Managing a WordPress-based website is simple enough – even for someone that’s never managed one before.
Widely Used and Supported
Another benefit of using WordPress is that it’s widely used and well-supported. Millions of people operate WordPress sites daily, and because of the vast number of users, the platform’s support is plentiful.
If you ever encounter a problem with WordPress, you’ll likely come across the solution instantly with a quick Google search. Otherwise, given its modular setup, WordPress web designers and developers can quickly resolve potential issues. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of most other competing CMS products.
Perfect for Showcasing Portfolios
You already know that WordPress is a valuable tool for web designers to create stunning business websites and blogs. But did you also know that WordPress is an equally perfect platform to help people showcase their multimedia online?
Many photographers and videographers enjoy using WordPress because it’s easy for them to showcase their talents and create online portfolios of their work. Additionally, WordPress is a valuable platform for illustrators, journalists, and other media creatives.
Excellent for E-Commerce
If you want to sell products online, you might think that you’d need to use a separate e-commerce platform for that part of your website. The good news is you can use WordPress as an all-encompassing website solution for your needs.
Plugins like WooCommerce allow site owners to turn their WordPress installations into robust e-commerce solutions, complete with integration into many popular payment processing services.
It’s Quick to Set Up
Some content management systems can take hours or even days to configure – even in the hands of an experienced web designer or developer. On the other hand, WordPress is so simple to install that you can get up and running in minutes.
All you need to do is answer a few simple questions about your new website, select your theme, and choose the plugins you want to install, and the WordPress installer takes care of the rest.
It’s Easy to Use
Lastly, using WordPress from an administrator’s perspective is a breeze. Once the initial structure of the site is set up, site users can easily add new content in the form of pages, blog posts, multimedia, and e-commerce products. It is also possible to add new content by managing the WordPress-based website via a smartphone or tablet.
Example Websites
It is not hard to find a website built with WordPress! The SaneChoice Website has been built with WordPress and is a good casing point for WordPress’s capabilities. The opportunities for design and functionality are almost unlimited – another reason WordPress remains popular with designers.
Final Thoughts
The above is just some of the many benefits of using WordPress. Web designers love WordPress for its ease of customisation, and their clients enjoy using it because it’s powerful yet simple to use daily. And if that is not enough, then you can see from the trend data that WordPress remains a popular choice!