It’s no shock that I like WordPress as a solution for building custom websites for clients. I’ve been coding in it almost exclusively for over 7 years now.
Whenever I have someone come to me and wonder why WordPress is the right answer versus other options like SquareSpace, they can get an answer longer than they’d meant to. But the reason WordPress is the right solution for most businesses is a pretty easy one. I’ll lay down just five of the reasons for you below.
1. It Can Live Anywhere
One of the biggest advantages to WordPress is that it’s an open-source platform. That means anyone can make changes to it and it can live on any hosting platform.
When you go with a platform builder like Wix and SquareSpace, you’re stuck with them for as long as you want to have that site (and don’t get me started with how hard it is to migrate content out of a Wix website).
But a WordPress website can be migrated anywhere, so if you’re not happy with your hosting company you can have your exact same website live somewhere else.
Nothing has to change, just the location in which it lives. And if you’re not sure who to host with, I break down how to choose a host in another blog.
2. It’s Flexible
The overwhelming thing about WordPress is also one of its best features – it’s incredibly flexible. While that can make it a bit harder to understand upfront, it also means I can build countless custom websites that don’t look or function like each other. They’re truly customized to my clients and their brands.
Need an eCommerce website? WordPress can do that. Need your website to host a Membership platform? WordPress can do that. Need a site that’s a powerful SEO tool? Well, you get the picture.
WordPress is built to be flexible and with a huge library of plugins and additional features you can add into it, you can do almost anything (for a lot lower cost).
3. It Grows with Your Business
WordPress’s infinite flexibility also means that it can grow with your business unlike any other Content Management System out there.
I have had many clients over the years start with a simple informational site and grow it to a multi-page site with eCommerce, members-only content, events calendars, and a ton of other custom features without having to redesign and rebuild their entire websites.
That saves you money in the long run because you’re not paying for a whole new website every time you want to add some features to it.
4. Great for SEO
WordPress started as a blogging platform and that’s still one of the best ways to build up your organic SEO. Because WordPress started for blogging, it’s long had some of the best built-in SEO features of any of the Content Management Systems on the market.
Out of the box, WordPress makes adding ALT tags to your images, URL structure, categorizing, and internal linking a breeze. With additional plugins like Yoast SEO, you can take real control of your on-page SEO and make finding your website on Google a cinch.
Things that I can do in WordPress in seconds can take ten times as long in other platform website builders or just aren’t even possible. Nothing handles SEO like WordPress. When your site is built correctly from the get go, it goes a long way to making your site compete in search engines.
5. It Powers 42% of the Internet
This number keeps going up, but right now WordPress powers about 42% of the internet. That’s a huge number that should tell you how powerful WordPress is in and of itself, but I’ll tell you another way that helps you and your business:
Finding someone who can work on your website is pretty easy.
Don’t get me wrong; there are levels of WordPress developers out there. But with that much of the internet using the same Content Management System, it’s really easy to find a qualified developer to help you take advantage of its flexibility and growth abilities.
WordPress is a Long-Term Investment
Want to invest in your business with a website that can automate processes, get found on Google, be a marketing machine, and last for years as it grows with your business? WordPress is about the only answer out there currently. It might cost you more upfront than a Wix, SquareSpace, or other similar option, but it will save you so much over time that you won’t regret the investment.
