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Why Some of the Largest Companies Are Choosing WordPress

WordPress – it’s earned its reputation as an easy way to make a website, but you might be surprised to find out who is using it. Try BBC America, the New York Times, TechCrunch, and Disney. Even Facebook makes use of the WordPress content management system (CMS) in some areas. Fortune 500 companies often use it, and it can be hard for the end-user to identify that a site is a WordPress site unless they’ve been told. So, what is it about WordPress that makes it such a popular choice?

1. WordPress is open-source, which means that the code can be tweaked and adjusted easily (and legally) by anyone using it. So, while some users use WordPress with no alterations from the base install, others change the system to suit their specific needs.

2. It’s infinitely flexible, thanks to a plethora of plugins. Plugins are pieces of code that work with WordPress that developers write and distribute. Some plugins cost money; others are free. Furthermore, WordPress plugins are independent, so you don’t need to do a chain of updates to get things working again after, say, you update your server. And they cover all kinds of things, from making sure Google Analytics functions to reducing spam to displaying fun quotes on your site which change daily.

3. WordPress allows you to manage more than one site, with a different URL and completely different content, on the same installation. So, if you have several sales agents, they can each get a custom URL and site, even with a different theme.

4. Almost anyone can post content – and multiple people can easily post to the same site. To post to WordPress, you only need to be able to type, spell, and punctuate – and the latter two are optional with the right plugins. WordPress is ideal for organizations where people who have no technical experience are routinely posting content. With the right plugins, you can also automatically post content from other sources.

5. Social media integration is a standard feature. It’s easy to have your WordPress site publish the updates you post to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. You can also integrate YouTube for videos, Google Maps for directions to your office and Flickr for photos. Again, the person posting on WordPress does not need to have much technical knowledge.

6. It is extensively customizable. A quick search reveals that there are over 11,000 different WordPress themes, many of which can be customized at least in colour scheme – and quite a few of which are offered for free.

7. It’s global. WordPress has been translated into at least 65 languages with more language options in progress. In fact, since 2014, there have been more WordPress installs in a language other than English than there have been in English.

8. It’s popular. Because WordPress is so prevalent, knowing how to use it, especially advanced functions like customizing themes and installing plugins, has become an essential skill that most office workers feel it would be an asset to learn. It is becoming easier to find people who know how to use WordPress, which in turn encourages companies to use it. An analysis of recent job descriptions indicated that WordPress skills are amongst the most requested and desirable skills in the job market.

9. It is simple to upgrade and maintain. With the right backup plugin, updating to a new version of WordPress takes only a couple of minutes, keeping downtime to a minimum. Updating is a matter of making a couple of clicks and entering your password.

10. It’s built for SEO. WordPress is designed to make it easy to insert meta tags that can be picked up by robots, but not people, allowing you to use an effective SEO strategy in a way that does not result in awkward wording of your content or website. Optimizing your site is no longer a task relegated to developers; it takes very little time to become acquainted with WordPress’ SEO tools and plugins.

Millions of people use WordPress daily – from Fortune 500 companies and brand-name publications to small business users working alone in a home office. If you are setting up or upgrading a website, consider using WordPress – most businesses that start using it never look back. For assistance with your WordPress site, from strategy to development through deployment and maintenance, send an email to support@stepsoftware.com.