If you’ve had a website built for your business in the last 10 years, there’s a good chance it would have been built with WordPress. But if, somehow, you haven’t heard of WordPress (or even if you have) then sit back and let the next few paragraphs introduce you to one of the most popular systems for building websites on the planet….. oh, and did I mention it’s free?

WordPress is currently the most popular Content Management System (CMS) in use across the World, powering an estimated 1/3 of websites currently online. On WordPress’ own website, it describes itself as “open source software you can use to create a beautiful website, blog, or app”.

Why WordPress is a great option and will be for years to come

The first key point that we think is useful for our non-techie readers to know, is that WordPress is incredibly flexible. From modest brochure sites and e-commerce stores to large-scale, database-driven, dynamic websites, WordPress throws its hat into the ring offering excellent solutions to lots of different problems. Here at TJC, we’ve been pushing WordPress to its limits since we started using it for client projects back in 2011 when we opened our dedicated Digital marketing division and, for a lot of projects, it’s still our go-to solution.

The second key point about WordPress is that it is open-source software, which means that the codebase that powers WordPress is completely free and modifiable. This is another big plus point for many clients; with WordPress there are no monthly or annual fees for using the system itself. This also also means that more of their budget can go into the design and development of a site that really delivers rather than being just like everyone else.

With such a large and dedicated user community comes a dedicated community of Developers. Many of whom don’t work directly on WordPress themselves, but instead build ‘Plug-ins’.

For anyone who is familiar with WordPress, plugins will be a familiar term. For anyone who isn’t, think of plugins as extra ‘bolt-ons’ that can be added to your website, each serving a specific purpose. Sometimes they’ll add some specific functionality (like managing bookings), other plugins could be solely dedicated to inspecting the health of your website, or letting you know where you need to improve on your Search Engine Optimisations (SEO).

Here at The Jamieson Consultancy, we’ve created Plugins for WordPress websites that enable faster checkouts in E-commerce stores and specialist solutions that allow the design, production and set-up of email campaigns within the enterprise-level, Adestra Mailer System.

The focal point for readers here, is that WordPress is by no means limited to its ‘out of the box’ functionality that it ships with. With a competent developer, WordPress can be extended and modified to serve a variety of business needs.

WordPress was originally designed to work as a blogging platform, it never saw itself in the highly regarded and versatile position that it currently holds, and whilst most clients  for whom we use WordPress don’t consider a blog (although, it has very clear SEO benefits), there is another clear benefit here, and that is WordPress’ intuitive interface. For so many people to use it for creating their own content, it must be doing something right! Personally, I think WordPress has one of the most user-friendly interfaces of any CMS out there. Most of TJC’s clients are 100% comfortable using it after an hour or two’s training.

Website’s today rarely are just static, 6-page digital brochures. When you offer a new product line, or run a new promotion, you want to be able to shout about it to as many people as possible. Well, WordPress makes the process or generating new product pages, updating your opening hours, announcing a major launch or simply fixing miss-entered content an absolute breeze. You won’t even need an in-house web expert to manage this process for you. This puts real power in your hands as a website owner.

If you’re considering a new website for your Business, speak to us at The Jamieson Consultancy. We can turn your site aspirations into elegant and highly functional reality.