A lot of students consider the opportunity to create their own platform. It can be a blog, portfolio, or small business site. Although there are many options out there, WordPress overcomes competitors by far. In this guide, you’ll learn all about why it is the best first platform for students and how it can be used.
WordPress Overview
WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that powers millions of various websites. It has been available since 2003 and remains one of the most popular CMS on the market. According to W3Techs, it is used by 64.2% of all websites online.
One of the main advantages for students is that it is easy to manage and use. It significantly decreases the maintenance and setup time. Time is a valuable resource students do not have in abundance. If you plan to combine an online platform with a college education, you’ll have to manage all the tasks efficiently.
There are two main options when creating a site with WordPress –WordPress.com and WordPress.org. The first one is a place where you can host a site. So you can create a blog that will have an address like www.personalblog.wordpress.com, where “personal” can be substituted for your name or a nickname. It is simple, fast, and beginner-friendly. But this option doesn’t give full control over the site and has a limited amount of customizations.
If you want to build an authentic and highly-performing platform, it is better to opt for WordPress.org, which supports third-party hosting and many customizations.
With it, one can create all kinds of sites, such as:
- Blogs;
- Business website;
- eCommerce platform/online store;
- Membership site;
- News resource;
- Portfolio;
- Online courses, etc.
It is a powerful CMS that offers almost anything one would need. But it is not the only reason why it is beneficial for students. Here are the main factors to consider.
Recommended read: Best WordPress Hosting
It is Free and Open Source
Yes, it is completely free to use. You can download the software easily and start a platform with a little investment. The software itself is free, but you’ll need to pay for the domain name and hosting.
Open source means that there is a multitude of ready-to-use third-party solutions for WordPress. It includes various modules and add-ins one can power the site with. There is a huge community behind this CMS and a lot of customizations.
It is Beginner-Friendly
Sure, there is some learning curve to understanding all the functionality. But the best part is that you do not need to have any specific knowledge to use the software. There is also no need for any coding experience. All you need is attention and average computer skills.
If you want to study WordPress, it is a great opportunity as well. Starting from this point will make the process simpler and faster.
It is an out-of-box solution accessible to anyone. Because it has been widely used, there are also multiple resources and guides teaching all tricks and hacks one might need. So even if you struggle with some particular feature, you can find an answer easily.
It Has High Customization
Another great feature of this software is that you can customize your platform to a pixel. There are thousands of themes available – some are free, others are paid-for. They are suitable for all types of solutions, from online stores to membership groups. One can also customize a ready-to-use template.
You can add your artwork, multimedia files, or branding. With some time and inspiration, it is possible to create an authentic and unique website that represents you or your business.
And the best part is that you do not have to be a web designer.
Another amazing customization option is a drag-and-drop builder. It makes the process of building an original website incredibly easy. As for functionality, you can add almost any function with additional plugins.
It Has a Variety of Plugins
Plugins are building blocks that deliver specific functionality. When you need a particular feature like the ability to sell products or advanced security, you can install the already existing plugin.
There are solutions for almost anything, including:
- eCommerce;
- Analytics;
- SEO;
- Contact forms;
- Gates content;
- Membership, etc.
The only downside is that, at first, one might get overwhelmed with the number of options. The good rule is to install what you need only. If you install one too many plugins, it might decrease the site’s speed.
And it is possible to add new ones at any point as your platform grows and develops.
It is SEO-friendly
If you are just starting with WordPress, you might underestimate the power of search engine optimization. It is the driving force behind organic traffic and the natural growth of any site.
Organic traffic means people that come to your website via a search engine (Google or Bing) without any ads. SEO allows optimization of the pages and the platform. The more optimized it is, the higher it ranks on the search results page.
Taking care of SEO is important if you want people to find your resource. No matter how good the content is if no one knows about it. A WordPress SEO plugin is great for that.
It is Secure
Another reason why so many businesses and individuals choose this CMS is that it is secure in terms of data protection. This is particularly essential for any resource that deals with customer data like payment info.
There is a security guide on best practices of protection. One can be sure that the platform is safe from malware, attacks, and hackers. And there are also advanced plugins available to add another layer on top of that.
It is a Trusted Solution
The long history and great community prove it is a credible and usable solution. It allows for having a separate and independent platform. And the fact that it is open source means it won’t go anywhere.
The source code is available to everyone, so even if the company shuts down, the code can be re-launched in minutes. WordPress is used by millions of people and businesses.
In Summary
If you are considering launching a website, WordPress is a perfect solution to start with. It is beginner-friendly and does not require any specific knowledge or skills. It is free to use and has wide functionality. Students can build anything with it, from a simple blog to an online store.
It also delivers high functionality, SEO analytics, and speedy performance on top of data security.
About the author
Having gotten a degree in marketing Vavianne Bell has worked for several big corporations in SMM promotion and email marketing. Later she realised that she wanted to help young people achieve their dreams and started to look for a job that would satisfy that desire. She started to work as a writer at essay writing service WritePaper three years ago has been feeling more accomplished than ever. Apart from writing, Vavianne enjoys reading and cooking in her spare time.
This article was submitted to us by a third-party writer. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views and opinions of ThisHosting.Rocks. If you want to write for ThisHosting.Rocks, go here.
