20 reasons to consider creating a website on WordPress
At any given time, 84% of Americans are shopping for something. But less than two-thirds of small businesses have a website. And among small businesses without a website, 29% plan to build one in 2021. Believe it or not, 19% of companies claim that they do not have their own website to avoid “unnecessary expenses.” Many executives fail to understand that it is possible to launch a website for less than a small fortune. If you are one of these small business owners, you’ve got choices to make, and we’ve got some explaining to do.
There are two popular approaches to site selection. You can use a static HTML site or a content management system (CMS) like WordPress or Joomla. If you are just getting started building and managing websites, you may be wondering how big the difference is between the two approaches. They both create websites, but there is a difference in how you get the result. Let us tell you the real difference between the two, so you can figure out which one is best for you.
HTML, CSS, and the holy JavaScript
A static HTML site is one that you create using HTML and CSS. This is called a static site because nothing can change on that site if you don’t go back and change the code. Until recently, this was the only way to create a website. There is no dynamic content or real user interaction. All you get is what you put in the HTML. It means that after you have finished designing and installing the page, it will only do what you asked for. You can create beautiful sites that allow users to read content, buy products, subscribe to newsletters, and build a list. Almost anything you want can be done on a static HTML site.
Although it is called an HTML site, several different coding languages are commonly used to create an HTML site. HTML provides structure or core, but CSS is used to set the look and feel and to create a pleasing look. You can specify size, colors, fonts, backgrounds, etc. Using JavaScript, you can add special effects to your site and even some dynamic user interaction. As you can imagine, if you chose this path to create your site, you should know at least the basics of every language you use.
A Content Management System (CMS) is much more user-friendly in the sense that you don’t need to know how to write or decipher code to use it. A CMS is more of a drag-and-drop or point-and-click system. Enter the “admin” section of the site, make the necessary changes and update them. Changes you make to your site’s appearance, or functionality will take effect immediately after you save and update. Another exciting feature of the CMS is the variety of themes available, but we’ll talk about that later.
Most CMS sites are called blog sites because they were initially used for blogging and not for anything else. But over the years, the whole concept of CMS has grown into an entire website-building universe of wonder used for anything and everything. CMS sites built using PHP have an attached database that stores all the primary and dynamic content. So again, the most significant differences between CMS and static HTML are dynamic content (meaning you can change it on the fly) and no coding required.
Why WordPress? Why not Joomla?
It’s a matter of choice. Both are excellent platforms, and for the most part, one is as easy to use as the other. The primary purpose of both services is pretty much the same. Both CMS systems are designed for a wide range of users (from beginners to professionals, from individual developers to entire teams) and for various tasks and purposes of use (blogs, corporate portals, landing pages, online stores, etc.). With their help, you can create sites of any complexity.
WordPress is simply the best content management system available today. It allows you to easily create, edit and manage published content on your site without learning to write code. More than 25% of sites on the Internet are powered by WordPress. Contrary to popular belief, WordPress is not just a blogging platform. You can also use WordPress for landing pages, corporate websites, online stores, professional portfolios, and more.
The most significant difference between Joomla and WordPress is this: WordPress has been around since 2003 and is much more prevalent (not for lack of reasons). As a result, they get tremendous help from other programmers when it comes to plugins and SEO.
WordPress also offers a kazillion themes, making it a trendy choice for both beginners and professionals. Joomla hasn’t existed for so long (2005) but has become very popular on its own. It is inferior to WordPress. Both allow users to leave comments on posts or pages, broadcast new content from sources such as social media or news sites. You can also quickly add recent posts to your blog without having to worry about changing the navbar or page organization, thanks to built-in templates.
These engines are written in PHP, and as databases, they focus primarily on MySQL. However, with some effort and desire, you can “teach” them to work with other database servers (PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, SQLite, etc.). etc.). Moreover, starting from version 3.0, Joomla can work with PostgreSQL and Microsoft SQL Server out of the box. This approach allows you to deploy both CMS on shared hosting and high-performance configurations – clusters.
However, it should be understood that the WordPress engine has initially been designed for easy blogging. It was later that it grew with many additions and began to be used for “non-standard” tasks. CMS Joomla is significantly different in this respect since it was initially developed for large information portals that need extraordinary “meticulousness” when creating different materials categories. You need a different set of blocks for certain types of posts, flexible control over displaying menus and blocks. Hence the more complex admin panel structure and less beginner-friendly publishing interface. It will take more time to “customize” Joomla to fit your immediate needs. Basically, Joomla is more brutal and longer to master, customize and manage. From a user’s (or a content manager’s) perspective, Joomla is the WordPress less interesting, less attractive, and a much more high-maintenance WordPress’s cousin you’d rather avoid during family dinner.
| Official site | WordPress.org | Joomla.org |
| First release year | 2003 | 2005 |
| The main purpose | Universal CMS | Universal CMS |
| The target audience | Beginners, professionals, development teams | Beginners, professionals, development teams |
| Difficulty level | Plain | Above average |
| Free templates available | Yes | Yes |
| Premium cost | $20-60 | $20-80 |
| Our rating | 5.0 | 4.0 |
PROS and CONS (what would we do without?)
Static HTML PROS: A static HTML site is easy to customize (especially if you know the code). You have complete control over the layout, look and feel. HTML pages also load faster because they usually have fewer files and data to load. As mentioned earlier, the significant advantage of HTML is that you have complete control over the page’s appearance. You can also change the look of your WordPress or Joomla page, but you’re limited by the number of options or the flexibility available for the theme or template you’re using. If you know CSS, which is a relatively simple language, you can easily change your HTML site’s look and feel.
Static HTML CONS: The disadvantages of fixed HTML deal with the lack of interactivity and complex structure with more significant sites. The HTML page has no interactivity and only contains what you code. For example, if you code an article site, that’s all you get. There will be nothing else on the site besides this article. There will be no user-generated content or dynamic content generated during your absence, and the site will remain static.
On the other hand, if you program it to contain a database to access the information, I think you can call this a limited form of interactivity. The same applies to shopping carts. A user visits your site to buy a product or service that you offer; therefore, in the same sense, they may interact with your site in a limited manner.
If you want to make changes to your sites, such as adding a new post (writing a recent article) or a page, you must first create it, then upload the HTML file to the server, and then change the navigation bar (menu) before it becomes visible to the user. It takes a long time, especially if you add one or more pages per day. Another note: if you don’t have a good CSS structure, changing parts of your site can be a hustle.
For example, let’s say you want to change the background color for all your site pages. If you have a background color programmed in CSS, and it is called in HTML for all pages, then changing the CSS color will change the color on your site. This is very important for a place with 100 or more pages; otherwise, you must alter all 100 pages separately. As you can see, static HTML pages are accessible for a guy who understands the code’s requirements, but for such a person, knowledge of the code is not enough. Finally SEO! You have to code all SEO yourself on your static site. Given that SEO is a pretty dynamic process, you always need to go back and improve or change your area to keep it up to date.
WordPress PROS: As mentioned earlier, you can use WordPress, which is often considered the best way to set up a website because it is easy to do and easy for newbies. The WordPress blog takes a while, but you are not surprised how long it took for someone to write all the code required for the HTML page. Also, we’re literally talking about hours, not days or weeks, but it’s not uncommon for a programmer to spend days developing a new website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Installing a WordPress blog on most hosts only takes a few minutes, and adding a new theme takes even less time, and “themes” is what WordPress does best. Let’s talk a little about themes. Themes or templates let you change the look of your site in minutes. If you want, for example, a niche site, a medical look, or a golf theme, you can choose. Some of them are free, and others have to be purchased, commonly referred to as Premium themes. If you just want a blog and a place for people to leave comments, a free theme will probably do. However, if you’re going to look more professional or with stores like a shopping cart or data feed for an Amazon partner, then a premium theme is the best solution. I prefer premium themes because they usually allow for more flexibility and customization.
SEO is another big plus for WordPress because many of them are already built into the program. When you install WordPress on your server for the first time, you should immediately go to the admin section and complete the installation process located under Settings> General Settings. You will fill in a few fields that are the beginning of the SEO process. Then, every time you create a page or post, you can add to your SEO and keep all content and search engine friendly. You can use many good plugins to take SEO to astronomical levels.
Speaking of plugins, thousands of plugins add unique and exciting effects to your WordPress site. There are so many plugin options out there that it would be impractical to try to mention them here, but to give you a taste: there are plugins for ads, SEO, article submission, spam protection, add captchas, create contact forms, email campaigns, and even those that are automatic will create a backup of your site on a set schedule. The plugin list goes on forever.
WordPress CONS: One of WordPress’s problems can be too many plugins. We’ve all seen sites that take too long to load, and this is because of excessive plugin use. Use only what is necessary. The next thing to consider is the themes. Some are better than others. Theme developers spend a lot of time and thought on design. Still, some developers really think more about the end-user than others, and they understand that we need a lot of customization freedom. More importantly, we don’t all have programming skills, so simplify understanding and using them. All of them allow for some modifications, but others will give you more control and the ability to make your site look the way you want it. Read reviews and do your homework before investing in a premium theme. Or better yet – hire someone with experience to customize a “blank page” to fit all your esthetic expectations and business needs.
Who and when should choose WordPress over HTML?
So, what’s better – WordPress or HTML? Now that you know the pros and cons of both WordPress and HTML websites let’s talk about what’s best for your business website. If you are sure that you will never want to update, change or add something new to your site, choose an HTML site anyway. This will help you reach your goal the fastest. If you want to be more accessible, control your site, and not waste money hiring developers every month to add images, then WordPress is obviously better for you.
WordPress is the right choice for those who want their business website to grow and make money. Using WordPress, you can add content to your site without hiring anyone. You can create as many pages as you like at any time. You can add a blog to keep your customers informed about updates or create your newsletter to attract more customers. You will become part of the global community of companies using WordPress to manage their online presence. You will find free help, resources, tools, and plugins to help you grow your business. Instead of paying developers a lot of money to complete simple tasks, you can spend that money developing your WordPress business.
Bonus track: A long list of reasons to consider powering your website with WordPress
- Saving money: Usually, hiring a developer to make an HTML website can cost anywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. Add that the first hosting and site support costs, and you have a pretty penny. For this reason, many people prefer to use WordPress for their business. Spend that money on marketing.
- Website setup in five minutes: Installing WordPress takes 5 minutes. Seriously. Most hosts offer one-click WordPress installation. There are also rates where the hosting company will set up a website for you.
- Friendly interface: You do not need to understand programming or have the experience of a web designer working with WordPress – the system has an excellent user interface that allows you to manage your site from a single admin area. Using the editor, you can add new pages, posts, and files to the site. You can also go to the Appearance section to customize your site’s look by adding backgrounds, widgets, headers, and menus.
- Support and Updates: WordPress is open-source software, but at the same time, it offers a great user experience. This is one of the many reasons WordPress is preferred by millions of users worldwide. If you run into any problem, their experts will always help you figure it out. Also, the system is updated annually, bringing valuable changes – and it’s completely free. Think a freelance web designer will offer site updates for free in the future?
- Mobile Support: WordPress is fully optimized for all mobile platforms and screen sizes. Unlike an HTML website, you don’t have to create a separate version of your resource for smartphones and tablets. WordPress templates are already optimized for mobile screens – especially premium templates.
- Enhanced Security: WordPress plugins like iThemes Security help protect your site from hackers, malware, make sure users use strong passwords, and prevent a whole host of other misfortunes. You no longer need to hire a security expert.
- Simple and straightforward SEO: Optimizing site pages and content for search engines is a very routine exercise. Can you imagine how quickly it gets boring to go through each page and optimize it for keywords and meta descriptions? With WordPress, you don’t have to worry about it anymore, as the system has a plugin. Yoast SEO is one of the many WordPress plugins that makes it very easy to implement the proper meta titles, descriptions and optimize your site pages for keywords.
- Building a website for any purpose: Usually, when people mention WordPress, blogging comes to mind. However, the engine is much more powerful than you think – it can be used to create anything from blogs to social media. Even big brands use it. Don’t believe me? Check out Sony Music, TechCrunch, Bloomberg, BBC America, and PlayStation, just a few of the companies using WordPress.
- Manage the site by yourself: Site content involves a lot of work. You need your site to be optimized for mobile devices, reliably protected from hackers’ attacks, and constantly updated with fresh content. With an HTML site, you need to hire a developer to handle all of this, and they are expensive and charge hourly. However, in WordPress, this is not a problem – you just need one click to update the system, install security plugins, and even add and manage all the pages on the site. Think about the time and money you can save.
- Thousands of templates to choose from: One of the reasons many people love WordPress is that the platform gives you access to thousands of beautiful templates for all types of sites. For example, if you plan to create a niche site, say, for a website for a construction company or a beauty salon, you can quickly and easily find the template you need. (For example, on ThemeForest.)
- Upgrade your site using plugins: WordPress plugins allow you to expand the site’s functionality. Using plugins, you can create a contact form for your site, add a payment system, improve search engine optimization, add an extra layer of security, and even create landing pages – all in a few clicks. There are over 43,000 plugins available in the official WordPress database. So you will have plenty of options to expand your site.
- Business Blog: According to HubSpot, businesses with their blog get more traffic and 97 percent more links to their sites than companies that don’t have their blogs. Needless to say, having a blog these days is an essential element to get leads and increase sales. Use WordPress to create a blog for your website.
- Convenient content management: Inside the WordPress admin area, you can play around with tons of great features. For example, drag-and-drop multimedia uploads, create image galleries, set up schedules for posting at specific times of the day, and add cool widgets to customize your sidebar. And all this without a single intervention in the code. Could you do something similar with an HTML site?
- Online Store: Thinking of starting an e-business? Use WordPress! Many large online stores like Marks & Spencer use WordPress, and you can hardly tell the difference between “regular” online stores. Great free plugins like WooCommerce can turn your website into an online store in just a few minutes.
- Premium membership site: A membership site can help coaches, coaches, and professionals by offering exclusive content in online courses or tutorials. With WordPress, you can easily store your premium content that only registered users can access. This is where WordPress plugins like Paid Memberships and Magic Members come in handy.
- Networking: You can also build your social network. Yes, you won’t have your own Facebook or Twitter, but with a plugin like BuddyPress, you can create a small community or forum right inside your site. This is useful if you have your brand and want its customers to share their thoughts somewhere.
- Integrations: Whether it’s a payment system or an automatic backup system – WordPress gives you complete freedom to work with third-party services and applications – you don’t need to hire a web developer to do this. And thanks to the appropriate plugins, you won’t have any trouble doing it.
- Get multi-lingual: If you are a multi-lingual business and use an HTML site, it will take months of work and a lot of money to hire people, translate the site, and make multiple versions of it. Fortunately, WordPress plugins like WPML and Multilingual Press will not only allow you to solve your location in over forty languages. Still, they will also give you a multisite site with a different view of each language.
- Improved marketing solutions: It is much easier to get new subscribers to your mailing list and generate more leads when you use WordPress. There are excellent online marketing services like SumoMe that you can painlessly integrate into WordPress to show popups, collect email addresses, insert social media buttons, and create welcome messages.
- Simple A/B Testing: A-B testing is an indispensable tool in any business that will increase your conversions. Thanks to WordPress’s ability to connect with third-party apps, you can integrate services like Unbounce and Optimizely to create landing pages and run split tests to improve your site, thus making your traffic generate more sales.
The company behind the engine has plans for many years to come. Therefore, your site will remain relevant and get better and better over time. With WordPress, the possibilities for your website are endless. Before you hire a web designer and throw a thousand bucks on an underperforming site, give WordPress a shot and see how powerful it is. Once you’ve tried WordPress, you’ll never want to go back to HTML again. Just a friendly reminder: one of our specialty dishes is WordPress website development and support. If you ever find yourself needing a helping hand or a professional consultation when it comes to your website – don’t ever hesitate to contact our team.