There are various reasons why businesses need a website of their own. Regardless of the industry your business belongs in, building your online presence starts with your website. But with so many things to take care of, do you need to go through WordPress training to launch your website?
The good news is that there are plenty of courses available that can help you learn the basics of running a website through WordPress. At the same time, you can hire experts who can operate your website for you so you can focus on the business aspect of your company.
In this article, we’ll talk about the perks of having a business website, why you should use WordPress and the plug-ins you’ll need. You’ll also learn why you should entrust your website to a digital marketing agency instead of running it on your own.
Why Do I Need a Website?
Image Credit: FitSmallBusiness
To date, there are already 1.09 billion websites on the internet. Out of that number, 71% belong to a business. The growth in the number of websites can largely be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic as more resorted to making online transactions. This led several companies to realise the importance of an online presence in today’s competitive landscape.
A 2022 study found that 70-80% of people looked for companies online before purchasing or visiting. If you still don’t have a website, you’re missing out on these potential customers.
Here are more reasons why you need a website today:
| Factors | Businesses with a Website | Businesses Without a Website |
| Credibility |
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| Customer Reach |
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| Lead Generation |
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| Customer Engagement |
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| Control over Branding |
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Knowing the importance of your website, it’s about time you invest in one. Whether you get WordPress training or trust an expert, the important thing is you establish your site today.
Image Credit: Visual.ly
Does It Have to Be WordPress?
Image Credit: WPZoom
But why WordPress when there are plenty of other options available? Why do you need to use WordPress for your website?
Allow us to explain through these statistics:
- 43.4% of all websites in the world use WordPress
- That amounts to over 810 million websites created with WordPress
- There is a global monthly volume of 2.6 million searches on WordPress, which can deliver around 323, 000 visits
These numbers explain why people opt for WordPress in running their website. But here are the reasons why you should use it too:
Image Credit: ImpactMedia
- Scalability & Flexibility: There are several features available on WordPress that make it easy to scale. You don’t need to be an expert to use the platform.
- Licence Free: Since WordPress is license-free, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to use it.
- Customisability: WordPress does not limit you to its pre-made templates so you can stand out from the other brands using the platform. Aside from the look of your website, you can include various plug-ins to make your site more functional.
- Business & Integration Friendly: You can seamlessly integrate your website with other tools and processes you use to streamline your business.
- Create New Pages and Content Easily: You don’t need to hire an in-house developer to build your blog or other pages for you.
- Well-Maintained: WordPress sites are attacked every 22 minutes. This is why WordPress regularly updates its CMS to make it more secure.
WordPress Alternatives
Although WordPress is the largest CMS in existence, it’s simply not for everyone. Some may have had a bad experience with an old WordPress site while others have difficulty understanding the platform. All of these are valid reasons not to prefer WordPress to host your website.
With this, let’s take a look at the WordPress alternatives that you can use:
| Platform | Pricing | Key Features | Target Users |
| Drupal |
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| Joomla |
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| Shopify |
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| Webflow |
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| Ghost |
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- Drupal: This is an open-source CMS best known for its security and flexibility. However, its nature, it requires technical expertise for setup and management.
- Joomla: Another open-source platform that balances advanced features with user-friendliness. It has a large extension library and built-in multilingual content support.
- Shopify: This is the best option for eCommerce websites since it has a built-in payment processing and inventory management system.
- Webflow: This platform focuses much on design, which allows users to create responsive websites without needing code.
- Ghost: This is a minimalist blogging platform that offers simplicity and speed.
If you are looking for a WordPress alternative, these five options are worth checking out. Make sure to assess their features before you decide to sign up for one.
Examples of Websites Running WordPress
If you would like to see live websites that are running WordPress, here’s a list along with their links. You can check out these websites and see how robust the site features are:
- agoda.com
- aniview.com
- hostinger.com
- channelnewsasia.com
- executive-education.nus.edu.sg
- blog.shopee.sg
- blog.airdroid.com
- techinasia.com
- carousell.com
Data from BuiltWith
3 WordPress Features That Your Website Needs
With so many websites using WordPress, how do you make sure your site stays unique? The answer is on the features that are available on the platform.
Here are three WordPress features that you need to activate on your website to make it stand out.
Plug-ins
WordPress plug-ins are a piece of software that you can easily “plug into” your site. Through these, you get to extend the existing functionality on your site. To date, there are 60,000 free plug-ins and more than 5,200 paid plug-ins that can be found in the WordPress Directory. Even with this vast number, there are endless options to customise your site since there are other third-party sites that offer plug-ins.
What are the Best Plug-ins to Include in Your Website?
| Most Popular WordPress Plug-ins | |
| Elementor | Over 10M active installations |
| Contact Form 7 | Over 10M active installations |
| Yoast SEO | Over 10M active installations |
| Classic Editor | Over 10M active installations |
| WooCommerce | Over 7M active installations |
| Akismet | Over 6M active installations |
| WPForms | Over 6M active installations |
| LiteSpeed Cache | Over 6M active installations |
| All-in-One WP Migration | Over 5M active installations |
| Wordfence Security | Over 5M active installations |
Data from WPzoom
Yoast SEO
Image Credit: Yoast
Among the most popular plug-ins, Yoast SEO is the most installed in over 10 million active websites. The plug-in has received 26,000 five-star ratings as it guides website owners on how to optimise their website for SEO.
WP Rocket for Cache
Image Credit: WordPress
Having a website that loads quickly is imperative for any business. 47% of users won’t wait more than two seconds for a website to load. When visitors leave your website right away, you will have a high bounce rate, which can affect your SEO. Thankfully, there are WordPress plug-ins, like WP Rocket for Cache, that can speed up your site.
WPML
Image Credit: WordPress
If your website will cater to global users, it’s important to make it ready for various languages. The good news is that you no longer need to learn another language so you can translate your site. WPML is a WordPress plug-in that will translate your website into over 110 languages within minutes.
Shared Counts
Image Credit: WordPress
Another useful plug-in that you need in your website is Shared Counts, a tool that lets you add social media sharing buttons. Through this plug-in, you can enhance your traffic by letting readers share your content on social media.
WooCommerce
Image Credit: WooCommerce
If you are running an eCommerce business, having WooCommerce installed on your website is a must. To date, over 4.6 million stores are built with WooCommerce. This is equivalent to 9.1% of all eCommerce websites. Thanks to its customisable features, and payment and shipping options, the plug-in serves as a comprehensive tool for website owners.
Security
Image Credit: WPBeginner
While WordPress is among the safest CMS platforms, it doesn’t mean it is immune from security vulnerabilities and cyber attacks. A WordPress site is attacked every 22 minutes. Experts estimate that around 13,000 sites on WordPress get hacked every day. 92% of the vulnerability report points to WordPress plug-ins as the entry point for such attacks.
The best way you can protect your site is to follow these tips:
- Regularly update your WordPress version to the latest one
- Use secure WP-Admin login credentials
- Use trusted WordPress themes and plug-ins
- Install SSL Certificate
- Remove plug-ins and themes that you don’t use
- Enable two-factor authentication
- Regularly back up your site
- Monitor user activity
WordPress is a highly secure CMS since it regularly rolls out updates and monitors for any unusual activity. By following the above tips, you can make sure your site doesn’t get vulnerable to attacks.
Themes
Image Credit: WordPress
Make your website stand out by using a theme. Themes can be customised to fit the look you wish to achieve, which allows you to create a website that stands out from the rest.
As of this writing, there are 12,000 free themes available on WordPress. Additionally, some third-party developers offer paid premium themes that cost between $5 and $2999 per licence.
The most popular WordPress themes include:
| Theme | Number of Active Users |
| Hello Elementor | 13,292 sites |
| Divi | 10,183 sites |
| Astra | 10,155 sites |
| GeneratePress | 7,373 sites |
| Newspaper | 4,904 sites |
Data from BuiltWith.com
Custom WordPress Theme vs Ready-Made Theme: Which is Better?
It may be tempting to purchase a WordPress theme so you can get started with your site right away. But we must warn you against doing so. Ready-made themes usually have a rigid structure and have limited customisation features. When your website breaks, you will not have access to support which can affect your site’s performance, functionality, and security.
Having a WordPress theme built out for you, on the other hand, can help you optimise your site and have full customisation controls over it. At the same time, you can change how your website looks over time.
Do I Need WordPress Training to Run a Website?
With so many websites offering WordPress training courses, you might be tempted to cut costs and create your website by yourself. However, there are some drawbacks to doing this.
| Should You Build Your Site Without WordPress Training? | |
| Pros | Cons |
| Cost-effectiveness | Time-consuming learning curve |
| Flexibility to work at own pace | Potential for an amateur look and feel |
| Ability to tailor the site to your specific needs | Limited customization options |
| User-friendly website builders with drag-and-drop functionality | Lack of advanced features or complex functionality |
| Affordability compared to hiring a professional developer | Difficulty achieving a professional, unique design |
| Full control over the design and content of the website | Lack of expertise in web design, development, and marketing |
| Convenience of a plug-and-play approach | Potential performance issues and lack of optimization |
| Opportunity to learn new skills | Difficulty keeping up with web design trends and best practices |
If you decide to create your website without any previous knowledge or experience, you run the risk of losing visitors due to a bad user experience. The best way you can prevent this is to work with a professional agency that offers web design services.
You don’t need to spend money on a WordPress training course since we can get started on creating your website today. Call us for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I learn WordPress on my own?
Yes, you can learn WordPress on your own. There are plenty of tutorials, videos, and online courses available that guide beginners through setting up a site, managing plugins, and designing themes.
How long will it take to learn WordPress training?
The time it takes to learn WordPress depends on your prior experience. For beginners, it may take a few days to weeks to become comfortable with the basics, while mastering advanced features can take several months of practice.
Does WordPress training need coding?
No, you don’t need coding skills to use WordPress. Many features can be managed through the platform’s visual editor. However, basic knowledge of HTML or CSS can help you customize your website further.
Is it difficult to learn WordPress training?
WordPress is generally considered user-friendly, especially for beginners. With its intuitive interface and vast support resources, most people find it relatively easy to learn.
