The most popular website platform in the world currently is WordPress. People choose it to build a site because it is very easy to use and of course it’s free. It has tons of themes and plugins to give functionality to your boring site. Now that you know why people use it but your question still remains “What is WordPress used for?”.
We can argue that in situations WordPress is a particularly strong choice. But based on its capabilities we can use it for building any type of website. Let’s go through a list of website types that you can build and manage with WordPress.
Blogs, Articles, and News
Let’s assume you don’t know about WordPress. If you start researching on it you’ll find that it started as a blogging platform. Newcomers get a common misconception about WordPress that it is only good for blogs. We can’t agree with that – as you’ll understand by going through this article. WordPress is perfect for blog-type websites. Because it started with the basic features of a blog and claim its way to the top.
Its default features include creating and managing blog posts. Comments system for users to interact. Search and archive for finding your interest. And easy to pick up make it hard to find a competitor. You can create a WordPress blog using only the default features. Take about 30mins to set up and start writing. To make your blog stand out from others you’ll need to use the two most exciting features of WordPress.
- A Blog Theme. It has lots of free and paid themes as well. Choose the best one that suits your style from its library.
- Common Plugins. Newsletters, popups, contact forms, and spam blockers for a quick start. These will add some basic functionalities that will help you get good leads.
That’s all you’ll need to start your first blog. Expand it over time by adding more features. Keep posting alongside your other projects.
Portfolio and Services
Now you know about its history and basic features. you may think about what is WordPress used for other than blogs. It is very easy to use WordPress basic features to display your works. It will help you draw from clients, more projects, and building an online reputation.
WordPress is not only for dynamic content like blog posts. It is great with simple static content too like web pages. Portfolio items are large static resources. You might add new ones only. Not likely to edit previous once. Portfolio websites don’t need many features as blog websites do. Once you have the following features we’ll be good to go for a long time.
- A Portfolio Theme. More than blogging, having the right layout and looking will make or break your portfolio. Since you’re going to want to keep it streamlined and easy to search. A one-page theme like [Example Theme] could be perfect.
- A Contact Form. This was also listed in the blogs section. It is, yet, critical in this case. If you’re trying to make contacts and ask for online jobs, you need to have a quick and simple way for visitors to get in touch.
- An Image Gallery. You’ll want to show off the best projects in your portfolio, particularly if you’re a creative sort. A powerful gallery plugin makes it easier to show your work in the better ways imaginable.
Business Website
As we have learned, WordPress is an outstanding option for smaller, more personal projects. In reality, this is another popular misconception about the platform. People who are asking, “What is WordPress used for?” always think that it’s only suited to small-scale pages.
Indeed, WordPress is a regular and wise alternative for company websites of all sizes (including the big ones). There are a variety of explanations for that. It’s highly customizable, which means it’s easy to make sure your site represents the branding of your business. You can also add just about any functionality you need to the platform, whether through a plugin or custom encoding. Plus, it’s a really safe way to build your website.
Forums, Discussions, and Knowledgebase
The rise of social media has indicated that internet forums have gone kind of out of fashion in recent years because more people shift to Facebook groups to create communities and discuss issues. If we emphasize the question again “What is WordPress used for?” we must come to forums at some point.
Of course, a forum isn’t necessarily the perfect option, but if you have a well-traded platform with a wide user base, or you just want to set up somewhere for people to talk about a subject you’re interested in, adding a forum is an easy choice.
A few of the reasons why you may want to consider creating a standalone online forum or linking a forum to your site are including:
- Value highly to your subscribers or customers
- Forum users are producing free content for your platform – perfect for SEO!
- You can answer commonly asked queries in one location without trying to write the very same response over and over again.
- Attracting new readers or clients to your website
- Receive valuable feedback and insight into your users
You’ll need the following or similar plugin to create a simple WordPress forum:
- A Community Plugin. Install the bbPress plugin. bbPress is a WordPress creator’s forum software. Quickly set up a place for asynchronous discussion, subscriptions, and more!
Ecommerce Store
Now, let’s focus at a far more optimistic explanation, “What is WordPress use for?” What if you’d like to set up a fully operating online store? As you would imagine, WordPress is an excellent choice for e-commerce. It’s probably the most common way to build an e-commerce store (yes, much more famous than Shopify!).
But there’s a catch – WordPress doesn’t have built-in e-commerce features. This means you’re going and need at minimum one plugin to build your shop.
You’ll notice that WordPress-powered shops benefit from many of the platform’s obvious benefits, such as its protection and scalability. You can create a small WordPress store, and eventually transform it into a huge venture. Plus, it’s simple to run a WordPress store next to a blog or business site.
As we noted, you will need a tool to add e-commerce features to WordPress, including such product pages, carts, and payment gateways. There are a number of choices, but WooCommerce is the best choice for most users. Installing this plugin will add a lot of what you need to create a store and sell items through WordPress.
Together with WooCommerce, you’re going to want to search for:
- An Ecommerce Theme. This is important for any shop, as default or multipurpose choices are not generally suited to e-commerce. Also, if you’re running a ‘simultaneous’ website, you’re going to need a theme that blends all aspects seamlessly.
- A Security Solution. Selling goods or services online requires the handling of confidential consumer data. Though WordPress is inherently safe, you can benefit from adding as much security as possible to your store. Jetpack is again a good choice here, just as Sucuri is a dedicated security plugin. As well, make sure you choose a WordPress host which makes it easy to use HTTPS.
- A Backup Plugin. Your store will be continually updating and collecting new data. A great backup tool is a must, so you will never eventually lose any details. Luckily, there are a lot of WordPress backup plugins up to the challenge.
You might also want to check out WooCommerce’s extensive extension library. Although not mandatory, these will bring all kinds of functionality to your site, allowing you to form it into whatever kind of store you want to create.
So, what is WordPress used for?
Despite how much WordPress has grown since its inception, some people still wrongly think it’s just a blogging site. It couldn’t be any further from the facts. As we mentioned, while it’s still a great choice for blogs, it can do a lot more. The answer to the question “What is WordPress used for?” should be nearly everything!
