But what exactly is<\/em> WordPress?<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the core, it\u2019s software that powers your website. It controls how your site looks, functions, and performs. It\u2019s what will power the backend of your site, it\u2019s how you\u2019ll publish pages and posts, and it controls how your site will look and how your visitors will interact with your site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But, there\u2019s still a lot more to WordPress than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below we\u2019ll dive into what WordPress is, its history, and how you can get started with your own WordPress site today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n WordPress is open-source software that can be used to create and manage websites. It can help you build anything from a simple blog, to an eCommerce store, a business website, a creative portfolio, and anything else under the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you\u2019ve never built a website, it\u2019s not a problem with WordPress. You don\u2019t need to have any design or programming skills to end up with a professional website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your site\u2019s design will be taken care of by your WordPress themes, of which you\u2019ll find thousands to choose from. If you want to add more features to your website, then you can do that via the plugin library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WordPress started as blogging software but has since grown into a full-fledged site builder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s currently used by sites such as BBC America, TechCrunch, and Vogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a few things that make WordPress completely awesome:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The goal of WordPress is to help democratize publishing. WordPress was designed to help make it possible for anyone to share their services, ideas, stories, or products with the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is why the software is open-source, easy to use, setup, and built on the back of a helpful community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only is it straightforward to get started with WordPress and create your first website or blog, but this software can grow with you and your site. It powers everything from massive content sites receiving millions of monthly visitors, to brand new niche-focused bloggers who just bought their first domain a week ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n WordPress was created back in 2003. It\u2019s the successor of a project known as b2\/cafelog. It was created to fill the gap for a personal publishing framework built on PHP and MySQL. Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little created the original version of WordPress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But, since the software is open-source, a lot of the project has been built by a community of contributors. Today the face of WordPress is Matt Mullenweg, who is also the founder of Automattic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This company has developed numerous plugins that you probably use on your site and operates WordPress.com, the paid version of WordPress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first version of WordPress (WordPress 0.7) was released back in 2003. Since that initial release, there have been a series of releases which bring us to the most recent version, Gutenberg<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The initial release helped to lay the foundation for the modern CMS we know and use today. It included things like comment moderation, the ability to upgrade the software, permalinks that were search engine-friendly, support for multiple post tags<\/a> and categories, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can see the WordPress history is a long and fruitful one. Here are some key highlights related to the development of the platform:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can expect WordPress to continue to evolve and push the boundaries for what you can do with a CMS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n WordPress is an open-source CMS, which means it\u2019s free to install on your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two versions of WordPress: the self-hosted WordPress.org and the paid version, WordPress.com. The entirety of this post is about the self-hosted version of WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The self-hosted version is going to be the primary version of WordPress you\u2019ll most likely be using. This version offers you more freedom and flexibility, and access to the full suite of plugins and themes out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you sign up for a hosting account, you\u2019ll have the ability to install WordPress on your site. This is done through a variety of one-click software applications that help you install WordPress in a few clicks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After you\u2019ve installed WordPress, then you can begin customizing your site by installing a theme, adding a few plugins, or writing a blog post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The entire process is highly intuitive and easy enough for beginners to build a fully-functional professional website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems in the world. Its widespread use is not only due to its flexibility, but because of all the benefits it brings to site owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some of the most significant benefits you\u2019ll realize when you use WordPress to power your site:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though WordPress is a powerful and flexible content management system, it\u2019s still very beginner-friendly. Most hosts also make it very easy to install WordPress; all it takes is a few clicks to install the CMS on your site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once WordPress is installed, then you can start customizing your site by installing a theme and adding plugins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall, building a site with WordPress isn\u2019t as easy as using a website builder<\/a>, but there are so many helpful tutorials<\/a> online that if you do run into a problem with your site, you won\u2019t be stuck for long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The best thing about WordPress is that even if the learning curve is a little higher in the beginning, you\u2019ll be amazed at what you can do in time. There\u2019s no ceiling on what you\u2019ll be able to accomplish with your site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n WordPress can be used to build any kind of website. From large content-driven sites that have thousands of articles to small business websites that only have a handful of pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The theme and plugin library is so vast that you can add virtually any feature to your website, just by installing a WordPress plugin. Some plugins can help you add new features to your site, while others can completely transform your site, like how WooCommerce<\/a> can help transform your website into a full-fledged eCommerce store. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Plus, no existing design or programming skills are required to use the plugins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to your theme, it\u2019s also easy to find the perfect theme for your site. There are more general themes that can be customized to your liking, or you can find a niche-specific theme that\u2019s perfectly suited to your site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Plus, WordPress can grow with your site as well. Even if you\u2019re starting with a smaller site, WordPress can literally support sites that get millions of visitors per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another great thing about WordPress is that it\u2019s entirely free. This can help to keep costs low as you\u2019re building your first website. The only thing that you need to pay for is a domain name and hosting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are thousands of different free themes and plugins that you can use to build out your website too. Of course, you\u2019ll also find a massive library of premium themes and plugins available as well, but you can build a professional website<\/a> quite nearly for free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The open-source nature of the software makes it so anyone in the world can contribute to the software, hence the massive rise of the free theme and plugin market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lot of websites are highly dependant on search engine rankings. There\u2019s a lot that goes into SEO and ranking highly in the search engines, but having a well-designed site with clean code and clear organizational structure can help you rank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WordPress sites tend to rank higher in the search engines than other styles of websites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Plus, WordPress is very SEO-friendly right out of the gate. Not only that, but there are some excellent SEO plugins<\/a> that can take your efforts even further, like Yoast SEO<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All you have to do is install and activate the plugin, and it\u2019ll analyze your existing posts and give you recommendations for how you can further improve your onsite SEO. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No matter what you\u2019re trying to do with your site, WordPress makes the management process incredibly simple. First off, there are built-in updates, so all you have to do is literally login to your dashboard and click a button, and your site will be up to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Managing your growing content library is also incredibly easy. Even with a 1000+ posts on your blog, you can easily update, manage, and create new content. WordPress is built to scale, so no matter how large your site gets. Running a website with a dozen posts will be just as easy as one that contains hundreds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s no wonder some of the largest blogs in the world have decided to use WordPress to help manage and scale their blogs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the additional text requested for https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/what-is-wordpress\/<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While WordPress is the most popular content management system on the market, it\u2019s not the only one. How do you know if WordPress is right for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do what anyone does when they need to make an important decision. Make a list of the pros and cons and see which list better suits your fancy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve already talked about the benefits of WordPress, but let\u2019s take a closer look at some of the additional advantages of choosing WordPress<\/a> as your content management system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shared hosting plans<\/a> for WordPress websites start out at $2.95\/month and come with unmatched functionality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can host several WordPress websites under one shared hosting plan, you get a free domain, you have site security, and unmetered bandwidth, to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you can dream it on your WordPress website, you can probably do it via one of the hundreds of WordPress free, paid, or third-party plugins. Plugins for WordPress help you design your website without having to do any coding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By installing a plugin and clicking a few buttons, you can add social shares to your website, optimize your blog posts for SEO, capture email subscribers for your list, and so much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you ever looked up a website on a tablet or your phone, only to find out you can\u2019t see anything and it\u2019s not optimized for mobile viewing? If so, you know how annoying it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New WordPress themes are responsive<\/a> and optimized for mobile viewing. This means you don\u2019t have to worry about website visitors not being able to see your content when they visit your website via a smart device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While you certainly can hire a web developer to build your website, you don\u2019t have to if you opt for WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WordPress is so intuitive and easy to use that even novice website owners can learn how to build and customize their website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WordPress is my personal favorite content management system, but it would be naive to say that there aren\u2019t some disadvantages. Here\u2019s a closer look at the cons of WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have a few WordPress websites, and sometimes I go a month or two without posting a new blog post. Whenever I log in to my WordPress dashboard, there is always a request for either a software, theme, or plugin update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To keep a healthy WordPress website, you have to install all the necessary updates<\/a>. If you\u2019re a more vigilant website owner, then this won\u2019t be a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WordPress comes with several beautiful themes. The advantage is you don\u2019t have to do much customization to make these themes look awesome. However, if you do want to customize them, sometimes it can be difficult to figure out how to make the theme do exactly what you want it to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WordPress is an open-source content management system, which means anyone can contribute to the software. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is mostly an awesome feature, but it can open the door to some potential vulnerabilities. Just make sure that you take extra precautions to protect your WordPress website<\/a>, and you should be fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even with all of the features that are packed into WordPress it\u2019s very easy to get started. If you decide to host your site with HostGator, then the process is even easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"best](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Wordpress.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhat is WordPress?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Mission of WordPress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The History of WordPress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How WordPress Works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"HostGator](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/OneClickInstall-1024x450.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n5 Benefits of WordPress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. WordPress is Easy to Use (Even For Total Beginners)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. WordPress is Highly Customizable and Flexible<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. WordPress is Free and Open Source<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. WordPress is SEO Friendly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Managing Your Site is a Breeze<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
WordPress Pros and Cons<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Pros of WordPress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
1. WordPress is affordable<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
2. WordPress has hundreds of plugins<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
3. WordPress is responsive<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
4. WordPress is a DIY software<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Cons of WordPress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
1. You have to install updates<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
2. Customizing themes can be difficult<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
3. Open source can lead to vulnerabilities<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Getting Started With WordPress Today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"hostgator](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/jPzmXBdNw5yqcmIG_xu_DwIpBkYDkZPxHgldtyUPVu646rNKO0VtsyN-rGaq3F7VNmv7ATiIXObdhLu4znGavdVN2y3h3B1CvxYe9s8F0VueU_abZZQ3DrBQ8TJVmYplBzBLn8Xn\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"hostgator](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/n1Ts-KyryowAwNSASz_hklOayX4fVJBeVAZ7YJMsBSB9QgkZW1GaUFYFvCNN3-c-AfaN_MgR8dgf_8oiatMsUK4Gp8LE--35h3Wb52rJO2cHJREY0zFEjWikIzkK42y2D3T8-1S_\")
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