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WordPress as a Custom CMS

November 29, 2012 In labs

Should you use WordPress as a CMS for your website?

If you are going to build a website and are looking over the options, here are some of the reasons for using a custom WordPress CMS (content management system).

Open Source CMS platform

Open source means ‘free’ in plain English. Because WordPress is an open source platform, it has become widely adopted by the web design and development community. If your website is built on WordPress you will never have to worry about the platform dying off. Also, since so many people use WordPress, you will have a large selection of designers, agencies, developers and freelancers to choose from. No need to be tied down to one person for the life of your website.

Custom Theme Creation

WordPress makes theme creation really easy for those who are technically inclined. If you are not technically inclined, you have the options of purchasing a pre-made WordPress theme. Several sites such as Theme Forest have a large selection of themes to choose from. By using a custom theme, you can transform the look of your website – it can become a photo gallery, blog, news site, small business site or anything else you can imagine. To get a truly custom theme, you can work with a designer, developer or agency to get something tailor made for your business.

Content Management System Features

WordPress started as a blogging platform, but has evolved into a highly customizable CMS (content management system) solution. It is very easy for users with little technical knowledge to add content to their website. Adding text, pictures, event listings and blog posts can be done with the click of a button. In addition to the core features in WordPress, it is possible to install plugins to extend the functionality even more (discussed below).

Plugins Extend Functionality

WordPress plugins are created by developers and are generally offered for free. Examples of plugins are: photo gallery plugins, calendar plugins, event list plugins, contact form plugins and more. No longer do you have to be a developer to get custom functionality on your website. If you need something, there is a good chance that a plugin has already been developed to do exactly what you need.

User Friendly

Perhaps the best thing about WordPress is the ease of use. WordPress offers a simple and intuitive dashboard that lets users easily make edits and publish content. Setting up WordPress is painless as well – many hosting companies provide one-click installation. Even setting up WordPress manually takes less than 5 minutes. Within 10 minutes of using WordPress most people will feel totally comfortable updating their website.

WordPress is Great for SEO

SEO (search engine optimization) is a big reason that people are drawn to WordPress. By default, WordPress creates page URLs that can easily be found by search engines. On top of this, there are a range of plugins that offer a large SEO boost. Setting up an XML sitemap, meta descriptions and keywords can be done with ease. Since WordPress is known as a publishing platform, search engines like Google prefer WordPress based websites, where extensive blogs can be developed.

Is WordPress the right solution for you?

If you’re still not convinced that WordPress is the right solution for you, have a look at some of the companies that are currently using WordPress: http://en.wordpress.com/notable-users/

You’re sold? Feel free to contact workbysimon if you would like to discuss the creation of a custom WordPress website. We can talk about your needs, and help get you started.

Now go out there and create!


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