6 Important Reasons Why You Should Use WordPress for Your Website

One of the questions that we often get asked is: Why should I use WordPress? Isn’t my old site good enough? Why do I need to switch to WordPress from another platform? If you’re asking these questions, then you’re at the right place. In this article, we will share 6 important reasons why you should use WordPress. We will also cover all the different type of websites you can create with WordPress as well as showcase popular sites that are using WordPress.

Why you should use WordPress

Note: Throughout this article, when we say WordPress, we are talking about WordPress.org also known as self-hosted WordPress. Please do not confuse this with WordPress.com which is a hosting service. For details, see our comparison of WordPress.org vs WordPress.com.

One of the most common misconception about WordPress is that it is just a blogging platform.

It is not.

While WordPress started as a blogging tool, it has evolved throughout the years into a powerful website builder and a robust content management system (CMS).

The best part about WordPress is that it’s easy to use and flexible enough to make different types of websites. That’s the main reason why WordPress has grown so much in popularity. According to a recent survey, WordPress powers 32.3% of all websites on the internet.

Due to it’s robust features, many of the top brands use WordPress to power their websites including Time Magazine, Facebook, The New Yorker, Sony, Disney, Target, The New York Times, and more.

Let’s take a look at why you should use WordPress to make your website.

1. WordPress is Free as in Freedom

WordPress is free and open source

WordPress is a free software. It means you are free to download, install, use and modify it to match your needs. You can use it to create any kind of website. To learn more, see our article about why is WordPress free?.

While the WordPress software itself is free, you need a domain name and web hosting to install it.

A domain name is the address of your website on the internet. This is what your users type in their browser’s address bar to access your website (for example, wpbeginner.com).

Web hosting is your website’s house where all your website files are stored.

We recommend using Bluehost. They are one of the largest hosting companies in the world and an officially recommended WordPress hosting provider.

They are also offering WPBeginner users a 60% discount on hosting and a free domain name. Basically, you can get started for $2.75 per month.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

Need more hosting recommendations? See our pick of the best WordPress hosting providers.

If you want someone experienced to setup your WordPress site, then our talented staff members are happy to help you get started. The best part is that we offer a free WordPress blog setup service.

You can also do it yourself by following our step by step guide on how to install WordPress.

If you run into any issues with WordPress, simply type your question in Google and add wpbeginner at the end of your question. You will likely find the answer on our website.

2. WordPress is Easy to Customize with Themes and Plugins

WordPress themes

A large portion of people using WordPress are neither web designers nor programmers. As a matter of fact, most folks start using WordPress without any prior knowledge of designing websites.

For non-tech savvy folks, WordPress is the perfect solution because there are thousands of free website templates (themes) that you can choose from. There is a perfect WordPress theme for just about every kind of website (whether it’s a blog, business site, or an online store).

WordPress themes are easy to customize because a lot of them come with their own options panel allowing you to change colors, upload logo, change the background, create beautiful sliders, and truly customize it to your needs without writing any code at all.

You can also add custom functionality to your WordPress site by using plugins. WordPress plugins are like apps for your website that you can use to add advanced features like analytics, contact forms, membership area, and more.

Just like themes, there are thousands of free and premium plugins available for you to use. To learn more, see our article on what are WordPress plugins and how do they work.

WordPress plugins

Aside from adding extra functionality, some WordPress plugins can let you transform your website into a completely new platform. Take a look at our expert pick of essential WordPress plugins for every website.

3. WordPress is SEO Friendly

WordPress is written using standard compliance high-quality code and produces semantic markup. In non-geek terms, this makes Google and other search engines love WordPress.

This is why WordPress sites tend to rank higher than others in search engines.

By design, WordPress is very SEO friendly out of the box. You can also use WordPress SEO plugins to further optimize your website. For complete step by step instructions, see our ultimate WordPress SEO guide to properly optimize your website.

4. WordPress is Easy To Manage

WordPress comes with a built-in updates management system. This allows you to update your plugins and themes from within your WordPress admin dashboard.

WordPress also notifies you when there is a new version of WordPress available, so you can update your site by simply clicking a button.

To protect your data from any accident or hacking, you can easily use a WordPress backup plugin to automatically create backups and store them safely on a remote location.

You can also manage your WordPress site on the go with WordPress mobile apps.

5. WordPress is Safe and Secure

WordPress security

WordPress is developed with security in mind, and it is considered to be a very safe and secure platform to run a website. However, just like the real world, the internet can be an uncertain place.

There are intruders out there who want to get their hands on as many sites as they could. To protect your WordPress site, there are a few simple things that you can do to make it even more secure. For details, see our step-by-step WordPress security guide for beginners.

We use Sucuri on our websites to protect against common threats such as brute force attacks and malware.

6. WordPress Can Handle Different Media Types

WordPress media types

WordPress is not just limited to writing text. It comes with a built-in media uploader to handle images, audio, and video files.

WordPress supports oEmbed enabled websites which means you can embed YouTube videos, Instagram photos, Tweets, and Soundcloud audio by just pasting the URL in the WordPress post editor.

What ways to use WordPress?

WordPress can be used in many different ways from simple websites to eCommerce marketplaces and anything in between.

Following are just a few examples of different kind of websites you can make with WordPress.

See our full list of 19 different types of websites you can make using WordPress.

We hope this article answered your question about why you should use WordPress. The best way to truly experience the power of WordPress is by using it. Give it a try, and let us know what you think.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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Source: Wordpres

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An Italian Company Is Trying To Reinvent Offline Retail In India For Pre-Owned Smartphones

In January this year, Phonup opened its first store in India — in Gurgaon, a suburb of the national capital. In India, Phonup is a joint venture between the parent company, Phonup Italy, and Francorp, a Franchise India company. Franchise India is one the largest integrated franchise solution company in the region and holds about 90% of the market share in franchising in India.

Already operational in Italy, Brazil, and England, Phonup aims to be a ‘one-stop-destination’ for all mobile phone problems.

The store offers a wide range of certified pre-owned smartphones from leading brands and world-class repair facilities for a wide range of smartphone and tablets. You can purchase extended warranty plans at an affordable cost and pick up an exclusive Phonup-branded range of affordable accessories, like headphones, chargers, data cables and power banks.

India, one of the largest smartphone market globally, is also witnessing an influx of and a burgeoning demand for pre-owned mobile phones. According to Amarjit Singh Batra, CEO, OLX India, “Mobile phones are the most popular gateway to internet in India, especially for the new-to-net population. With high penetration, and frequent updates, consumers often upgrade to new models within months. This results in good-quality, and fairly new pre-owned phones entering the market within months of their launch.”

OLX is the leading classifieds site in the country and mobile phones is the biggest category on OLX in terms of listings, growing at 45% year-on-year. There has also been an uptake in popularity of ‘recommerce’ platforms like Cashify which focus on the purchase of used smartphones and other electronic gadgets.

According to the OLX-CRUST (Consumer Research on Used-Goods and Selling Trends) Survey for the 2016-17 financial year conducted by market research firm IMRB, OLX registered more than 9.9 million listings of mobile devices in India. In other words, every minute, eighteen mobile devices are listed on OLX.

Yet, even amidst this staggering growth, as per industry estimates, approximately 80% of the pre-owned mobile phone trade is still offline in India. It’s an unorganized sector driven by dealers, retailers, and shop-owners. The repair market for out-of-warranty devices too is similarly disorderly.

And that’s where Phonup aims to bridge the gap. Most second-hand smartphone buyers are wary of the health of the device and absence of reliable warranty and after-sales service, and an organized player could revolutionize the refurbished phone market.

We’ve seen the same in the pre-owned automobiles space where several automobile majors like Mahindra & Mahindra and Maruti Suzuki (with First Choice and True Value respectively) diversified into the business of buying and selling used cars apart from the arrival of new-age exchange services like Cars24.

At Phonup, every pre-owned phone goes through extensive 40+ quality checks before being rolled out to the customers, and each one comes with additional 12 months of warranty. There’s also an associated Phonup Academy trains and certifies technicians who provide repair services.

At the launch, I met Dino Taglianetti, the CEO of Phonup, who was emphasized that Phonup will be a gamechanger in India. “We are here to disrupt the pre-owned phones and mobile repair market in India,” he declared, while introducing me to the spectrum of services like extended warranty packages, accessories, repairs and technical training.

Dino said that the company has been targeting big, emerging economies like Brazil and India which have a large smartphone user base. The scalability required in these markets might be a new challenge for Phonup though. While the company boasts of having stores in three countries, there’s only a total of 13 stores in Italy, Brazil, and England combined (according to the store listing on their official website).

Franchise India’s Amit, who’s the COO of Phonup India, though has the assured confidence of a man who’s been there and done that. With a strong experience in the franchise model, he’s looking to expand Phonup’s footprints in India by opening 50 state-of-the-art stores and partner with 175 select franchisees across the country within 2018.

“In each of the franchises, customers can be assured of the services that Phonup stands for,” he asserts, elucidating on the tough selection process for franchisees even while they are looking at aggressive expansion.

Starting with a franchise model in 2014, in less than three years, Phonup has sold more than 30,000 used smartphones and repaired more than 10,000 devices in the three markets it operates in. India is a much larger market and any business in this domain, if successful, could dwarf these numbers in no time. That’s pretty much what Phonup is aiming for.

Source: Android Zone

Anik

Google offers new Project Fi subscribers $80 off any Fi-ready phone

 

  • Google has reduced its Project Fi-ready phones for new subscribers, saving them $80.
  • The money saved will be paid back as credit after device activation.
  • The deal is ongoing until February 28.

 

Google is offering $80 off any Project Fi-ready phone when you pick up a new subscription. The deal is running until February 28 and applies to the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, Google Pixel XL and Moto X4 (Android One).

Project Fi is Google’s very own smartphone network. It’s unique in several ways, but most notably for letting users pay only for the mobile data they consume each month.

Though there have been workarounds to get it running on other devices, Google’s approved handsets are the way to go for the guaranteed experience. The current discount offered on these arrives as credit on your account after the device is activated, and below you’ll find the cost of them after the saving is applied:

  • Google Pixel 2: $569
  • Google Pixel 2 XL: $769
  • Google Pixel XL: $469
  • Moto X4 (Android One): $169

These represent pretty great savings, particularly on the Pixel XL and Moto X4, as these were just on sale a couple of weeks ago through Project Fi for $580 and $250 respectively (and they first went on sale for around $700 and $400). If you take out a group plan, you can also take advantage of this for more than one person/device (see the full terms and conditions here).

In related news, Google has also begun contacting seemingly long-term fans of its devices with exclusive discounts on its Pixel phones—read more about that at the link.

To see the latest Project Fi offers, visit the official website here.

Source: Android Zone

Anik