With so many solutions for building websites out there, you might be wondering what’s the big deal about WordPress. Why am I such an evangelist? There are a few simple reasons:
- You don’t have to know anything about programming or write even one line of code (if you don’t want to).
- It’s more flexible than your yoga instructor. You can make anything.
- It’s free.
Yes, you can create a website on Wix or Squarespace without knowing any code. There are other services that let you do that, too. But here are a few things to be aware of:
- You’re locked into their platform and servers.
- Unless you’re a developer, you’re stuck with a few templates.
- They can be expensive once you start biggering your site.
When you use WordPress, you’re free to move your site to another host if you’re not happy with your current one. Good hosts will even move it for you.
WordPress has thousands of free themes to choose from that you can then customize to your needs. There are also about 60,000 plugins that will help you expand your site’s functionality to set up a store, display recipes, create a membership site, and so much more — and many of them are free.
Once you install the free WordPress software, you never pay for upgrades or maintenance. Ever. You only pay for your own hosting — which can be less than $5/month — and a domain name, which is usually less than $10/year.
You’re in control of your site, which is kind of a big deal in a world of Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, where if they change something on their platform, you have to just go along with it. With WordPress, it’s your own little world. You’re the boss.
Considering all that, I have to ask why not use WordPress?