WordPress is a content management system that powers over 40% of all websites on the internet. It’s open-source, runs on PHP and has a huge developer community and plug-in marketplace.
For most websites, it’s the go-to-platform to build on.
Open Source
WordPress is owned by the WordPress Foundation, and their goal is to guarantee free, open access to the WordPress software forever. In itself that is amazing, but just because it is free does not mean that it’s the best choice.
Flexibility
WordPress is an open framework. It’s possible to build just about anything on WordPress and that immediately differentiates itself from the likes of Squarespace, Wix and Shopify who offer a closed (but supported) infrastructure.
Developer community
The platform is supported by a huge developer community. The common story of the ‘vanishing developer’ is a serious and frustrating issue. A website should change frequently, but at the very least it should always be active. If an unexpected issue occurs and the developer is not available, it can cause a headache for business owners.
If you add in the additional complexity of a custom or non-Wordpress CMS with a niche developer community, it can be very difficult (and costly) to find the expertise to take over your website. If your site is built on WordPress, you will never have any problems finding a new (and highly experienced) developer.
Plug-in marketplace
The WordPress plug-in marketplace is an extensive resource of free and paid modules that allow developers (and designers) to plug and play additional functionality that is pre-built and in use across 1000’s of other websites. It’s very rare that there is a business benefit in reinventing the wheel, so to have access to a library of proven functionality that can be activated quickly and cost effectively is a compelling reason to use WordPress.
For companies that have in-house marketing teams, the required tools are self-managed and ready to go out-of-the box.
Themes
The interface of the website is powered by a WordPress theme. This can be custom coded from the ground up for a completely tailored approach or (like the plug-in marketplace), there are 1000’s of pre-built themes and frameworks to give you a head-start.
Choosing your CMS
Choosing your CMS is a key decision and it’s important that your designer or developer is platform agnostic. Different systems are appropriate for different requirements and what you don’t want to be doing is forcing a square peg into a round hole. WordPress has such a large market share, that it is unlikely to be going anywhere soon, so for the majority of corporate websites that have standard requirements, it’s very often the smart choice of CMS.
