WordPress - Web Design & Development Little Rock Arkansas

Why Small Businesses Should Use WordPress

I can’t count how many times I’ve heard people say the following:

“How do I update the content on my website?!?”

“I want to add text to my site, but it cost me every time I send the web guy anything!”

“How can I control my site?”

If you talk to enough small business owners or individuals with websites, you’ll hear frustrations like this a lot.

WordPress can change everything!

WordPress is one of the most popular CMS / Blog platforms available today. Built originally for blogging purposes, many people don’t know that it is a powerful Content Management System (CMS). With WordPress you can build a corporate website, small business website, eCommerce shop, just about anything you think up! A few years ago, I moved an entire banking portal over to WordPress.

Web Content Management Systems

A content management system is a tool that helps you manage the creation and updates to web pages on your web site. In the past, only the large organizations were using content management solutions, like Ford Motor, FedEx, Cisco, etc. Now, businesses of all sizes have learned the power of using content managed systems. And with WordPress, the upfront costs are minimal compared to a decade ago.

Using WordPress as a Website

WordPress is an amazingly powerful content management system that is FREE. And it has a lot of power under the hood for a small or medium business looking for an easy way to manage their web site.

WordPress was designed as a platform for blogging, but you don’t have to use it as a blogging tool. With a few tweaks it can be used to run your website, with or without a “blog.”  The fact that WordPress was designed as a blogging platform gives it some compelling advantages.

It is optimized for easily publishing and changing content. And getting good search engine rankings requires fresh, unique content. You need a system that does not get in your way when you want to update your website with a new article or newsletter.

So why is WordPress good for you?

Top Five Reasons to Use WordPress for Your Small Business Website

1. SEO – WordPress provides good search engine optimization (SEO) right out of the box. There are a few tweaks you need to make, but there are many seo benefits that WordPress provides for free. In fact Google’s own Matt Cutts says WordPress is “made to do SEO well” in this video: Matt Cutts gives tips to small business owners.
2. Content – it is easy to update content on your website without knowing HTML.  Do you hate the idea of having to learn to use a complex HTML editor tool like Dreamweaver? Do you have to “ask” your webmaster every time you want to make a small change to your website? Well no longer – once WordPress is set up for you, you can easily create new pages or edit existing pages using a simple rich text editor.
3. Extensions – There is a thriving ecosystem of developers creating themes andplug-ins – imagine free design themes, or the ability to extend your website with polls, contact forms, ratings or hundreds of other cool features without having to hire a web developer.
4. Support – If you do have problems, or want to add very custom features, it is easy to find support and developers who can help you. There are literally thousands of WordPress developers out there. And there are so many people writing about WordPress that help is only a Google search away!
5. Control – Finally, you have FULL control over your website. You can easily change what appears in your navigation menu, the color of text, what images you would like to feature, etc. Most changes can be done with a few simple clicks. WordPress can also allow you to take control away from specific users. Control is key for small businesses that are interested in adding and changing content.

Contact me today to discuss how WordPress can be integrated into your website or used to create a website for your company!