WordPress is the internet’s best friend. As a CMS (Content Management System), WordPress powers over 10% of the ENTIRE internet. To help put that into perspective, in January of this year, the internet had nearly 700 Million websites.
That means that one CMS powers websites like newyorktimes.com, cnn.com, mashable.com and about 68 million other sites. But, because of its usability, it also powers the website of your local dentist, bowling alley, and church.
Why is it different?
WordPress comes in two flavors. Wordpress.org is the full web design experience. It includes all of the great features that you would expect from the web’s most popular CMS; social integration, customizable domain name, responsive themes, and support. It requires users to buy separate hosting and backup for each site. It also involves a some technical know-how by including plugin functionality and complete php/css control. This is where you’ll find ParadigmNEXT and lots of other popular websites.
WordPress.com, the amateur, blogging side of the WordPress brand, allows its users to create a quick blog, hosted by WordPress. You can start a blog on wordpress.com, choose a pre-made theme, and connect to other bloggers who share similar interests. You cannot start a professional website on WordPress.com.
Plugins + WordPress
WordPress plugins come in all shapes and sizes, and are coded by professional plugin developers. These professional, customizable plugins are updated frequently by the developers, so your site is always running the current technology. Developers can update specific plugins for security, features, or sell a “premium plugin.” They can change specific web design elements, such as forms and “call to actions.” Plugins can be used for numerous tasks, including one that is especially important for all businesses: SEO.
SEO + WordPress
There are libraries of books written about SEO. Basically, Search Engine Optimization is a collection of techniques used when creating web sites. It changes the way search engines (Google, Bing, etc.) look at, and “register,” your website. When new customers are searching the web for a product or service, the better optimized (relevant) sites are shown first, giving an advantage to business. The more engaging content that is optimized, the higher your site ranks in search engines results.
Since WordPress acts a template for your website, it is already optimized in a way that search engines recognize. In addition to the “out-of-the-box” optimization, WordPress is loaded with SEO plugins that can bring your site to the first page of Google results, and bring your site more traffic. SEO is a complex process, and there are a lot of different ways to accomplish the same goal. The common denominator is WordPress.
Content Management
WordPress isn’t alone in the CMS market. Drupal, one of WordPress’ competitors, offers similar features, in a similar way, and also for free. It offers SEO capabilities, social integration, extensions, and php customization. But if you look at the trends of the internet, you can see that WordPress has a commanding presence, and continues to improve. Nearly 25% of all new websites are built using WordPress, and because it is an Open Source project, there are hundreds of people constantly working on it, all over the world.
ParadigmNEXT offers custom WordPress development, responsive design, SEO, and content generation. So, if you are having a problem managing your content, give us a call. We are the content solution.
Contact us, and let’s begin a journey of strategic growth and operational excellence.