Get Started with WordPress

 

It’s Time to Get Started with WordPress

Every business – online and offline – needs a Website and a blog. The type of business does not matter. Whatever it is, you need to build an online presence through an appealing and user friendly website. The consensus is (and I agree) that WordPress is the #1 choice for this purpose. It is relatively easy to use, even for the novice, and gives you the necessary tools to build a dynamic website that you will be happy to claim as your own – and will also produce results.

Screens of WordPress Sitss

Let Me Introduce WordPress.org

Even if you are in the early stages of establishing your Internet presence you have undoubtedly heard about WordPress, but may not fully understand how it can help you. Well, it is time to learn.

WordPress.org is an open-source website building software with outstanding functionality and usability. In fact, you would have trouble finding another system that is better. Many of its users are people with little or no experience at building Websites, yet they are able to easily create a basic website by themselves or with only a little help. If you have learned to use Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, you can use WordPress.

One of the beauties of this system is that it has a broad range of uses – from building a simple blog to a full-featured ecommerce website. Basically it is a content management system (CMS). In other words, it is an incredible tool for managing and distributing your content to the world. It helps you build the platform to “get the word out” about your business and to build your brand. Through your WordPress website you can deliver: articles, products, services, a stunning portfolio, and blog posts.

This Is NOT about WordPress.com

Please note – there is a significant difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com and people often think they are one in the same. But . . . they are not. When “WordPress” is mentioned, it is easy to think of (and search for) WordPress.com. If you are looking for a multi-user blogging platform, WordPress.com may fit your needs, but it has limitations.  

  1. Your blog will be hosted on their servers.
  2. When you host on their servers – they control the content (not you).
  3. You must back up all of your content because if they decide to delete it (and they can), you lose it.
  4. They have specific rules regarding the content you can display, which you must follow.
  5. On the “free” sites, the functionalities are limited (unless you upgrade for a price).
  6. When you upgrade, the hosting is quite expensive.

This series of articles will be discussing WordPress.org, the FREE open-source software, which can be downloaded – then, uploaded to your server of choice and used to create an amazing website. WordPress.org offers everything you need to know about the self-hosted version of WordPress. You retain complete control over your website: the content, how it looks and feels, and the hosting. And . . . I repeat . . . it is FREE. You only pay if you select premium WordPress themes or plugins – but there are excellent choices among the free ones. Of course, you have to pay your hosting fees to your hosting company (e.g. GoDaddy, Hostgator, etc.) We will cover those points later.

See you Friday!

Nancy 

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