Thinking about redesigning your business website?
If it’s been 5-10 years or more since you originally launched your website, a lot has changed in the web development world.
Perhaps the biggest change is the different platforms on which websites are now built. Think of a platform as the “operating system” of your website.
The website you’re viewing right now is built on the WordPress platform. IÂ switched to WordPress back in 2007 Â and it’s the platform now used exclusively on all client sites we develop.
If you don’t already use WordPress, here’s why you should.
8Â Reasons To Use WordPress
1. It’s free!
Sure, you need to purchase a domain and hosting.  But WordPress itself is free to download, install and upgrade.
2. Easy to learn and manage
There is a learning curve to WordPress, but you certainly don’t need to be a web developer to understand it. With a little practice you can be up and running in no time. If you know a little HTML and CSS all the better.
Because WordPress is a content management system (i.e. database), a simple update can be made across your entire site with a few mouse clicks. Compare that to an old-fashioned static HTML site like I had until 2007 that required each page to be updated one by one. Ugh!
3. Â Gorgeous pre-built themes
WordPress themes are pre-built templates that allow you to style your site without having to start from scratch.
Themes also allow you to develop a site at a fraction of the time and expense it used to take.
There are free themes if you just need something basic, or premium themes you can purchase if you really want to knock it out of the park.
When picking a theme make sure you get one that’s mobile responsive so it displays great on all devices right out of the box.
I work with clients in all industries and on average about 20% of all website visits are from mobile devices … about twice what it was just a year ago. So having a mobile-ready site is very important.
My favorite places to get themes are StudioPress, Appfinite and ThemeForest.
Word of caution: I strongly recommend using themes from reputable design firms. Otherwise you could run into situations where the theme has faulty code or isn’t supported by the theme developer or the developer goes out of business and you’re left holding the bag. I speak from firsthand experience.
4. Plugin power.
Plugins give your website specific functionality without you having to be a computer programmer. Photo galleries, social media widgets, sign-up forms, sitemap generators, you name it. Somebody somewhere has developed a plugin to accomplish your task.
As with themes, there are free plugins as well as premium plugins for purchase and there are thousands to choose from.
Also like themes, only use plugins from reputable developers. A well-designed plugin should work right out of the box. A poorly coded plugin might require you to fiddle with it for hours to get it to work. Again, I speak from firsthand experience.
5.  Safety in numbers.
The WordPress platform is used by over 74 million websites. Approximately 1 out of every 5 self-hosted websites on the internet is powered by WordPress. It’s tried and tested.
It’s used by large companies and organizations like GM, UPS, CNN, Forbes and Mashable as well as individuals like Katy Perry, Kobe Bryant, Katie Couric, Ariana Grande and Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs guy). 14.7% of the top 100 websites in the world use WordPress.
Click here to see other notable users of WordPress.
You won’t have to worry about WordPress becoming obsolete or going out of business. They’re here to stay.
6.  Tons of help available if you get stuck.
If you ever have a WordPress question, just do a Google search and I guarantee you’ll find someone somewhere that encountered that same issue and how they solved it. The Internet’s a wonderful thing.
For more complex programming issues there’s a massive developer community with experts available for hire on just about any topic imaginable.
That’s why I like to stick with mainstream technology like WordPress. Help is always just a phone call or email away.
7. Search engine friendly.
WordPress makes your content search engine friendly. After all, getting your content ranked in the search engines is one of your objectives, right?
When IÂ started using WordPress in 2007, new content got indexed into the search engines much more quickly than it did with our old static HTML site.
There are many plugins available to enhance search engine optimization (SEO) and I’ve tried several. My favorite is WordPress SEO by Yoast.
8. Freedom.
WordPress is a web-based technology which means you can edit your site 24/7 from anywhere on the planet you have an Internet connection.
No need to be tethered to your desktop PC to work on your site. You can update your site with an iPad if you want.
WordPress also allows multiple team members to work on your site simultaneously for maximum productivity.
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Still unsure about choosing WordPress?  I didn’t think so.
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I always do a double-take when someone tells me they don’t use WordPress. I take every opportunity to encourage clients to make the switch to WP when possible, ha!
Thanks for sharing your insight, Mark.
Cheers