Can I Use WordPress on Part of My Website?
You may be familiar with WordPress, the popular blogging platform that can be used to build entire websites. Well, it’s more than just a blogging platform; it’s a full-featured content management system that’s ideal for any type of site.
What if I told you that you could use WordPress to build a portion of your site and then seamlessly transition to a different CMS (content management system) for the rest? You could do this with the help of a service like WPCLOUD, which provides all the benefits of WordPress—security, SEO, and more—without the worry of hosting or managing the software yourself.
This type of setup is known as a “hybrid” or “partial” WordPress website, and it’s a great solution for those who want to reduce the stress and security headaches that come with having a fully functioning WordPress site.
The Pros And Cons Of A Hybrid WordPress Website
Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of creating a hybrid WordPress website. The first and most obvious advantage is that you no longer need to worry about securing and updating your WordPress site. All of the stress that comes with keeping a WordPress site up to date and secure is no longer your responsibility. As a result, you can rest assured that your content will be available whenever you need it and that hackers won’t be able to steal your website’s content.
The disadvantage to this is that if you need additional functionality, you will have to find a different solution. For example, if you want to add a shopping cart to your site, you will need to look into different shopping carts or hire a web developer to do it for you. But beyond that, you will have all the functionality of a WordPress site with none of the headaches.
Why Should You Try Hybrid WordPress?
So what exactly is the reason why you should consider trying a hybrid WordPress website? Let’s take a look.
Firstly, if your goal is to have a blog that you can use to write and post articles for your portfolio or social media accounts, then a WordPress blog is a perfect choice. Just remember that you will need to have your own web server to host and maintain your blog.
But if you are looking to create a professionally designed website with all the content managed and controlled through WordPress, then a hybrid solution is your best bet. Nowadays, there are plenty of high-quality theme packages available that make it easy to achieve a sleek, professional look without all the technical know-how. By keeping some of the features of a WordPress site (like updating content and securing with a login), you can enjoy all the benefits of a content-managed website while avoiding the hassles that come with owning and updating a WordPress site.
The Need For A Content Management System (CMS)
A CMS is short for “content management system” and it is a software or web application that allows content-generating users (authors) to easily publish content without needing to know how to program HTML. You will typically find a CMS when you are looking to build a website that allows for an interactive experience similar to a blog or social media platform. Essentially, a CMS makes it easy to publish content and allows for more flexibility in how that content is displayed. WordPress is a popular CMS due to its simplicity of use and the large amount of pre-made templates that can be used to create a fully functional website.
What Next?
So you have decided that a hybrid WordPress solution is the best option for you. Great! Now what?
First off, you will need to decide which version of WordPress you will use. The recommended version for hybrid websites is 5.0 because the newer the version, the more features it has. However, if you have a really big site with a lot of content that you need to keep up with, you might want to consider an enterprise version of WordPress that is more stable and has a longer lifespan. Enterprise versions of WordPress are usually only available in larger packages and require a paid yearly subscription to use.
Once you have your WordPress version decided, the next step is to choose a theme for your site. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of high-quality themes that you can choose from and it’s all completely up to you. Just remember that the theme you choose will greatly impact the look and feel of your site. After all, you will be the one writing, editing, and posting content to this site so you want to choose a theme that is the best fit for your needs.
When choosing a CMS and a theme, you should also consider what devices your readers will be using to access and view your content. If you are making this site for mobile users who access it on their phones, you might want to consider choosing a theme that is optimised for small screens. The same goes for desktop users who access your content through a monitor or big screen TV.
Back To You
So you have built your perfect hybrid WordPress site and you are wondering how you can show it off? The first thing you should do is register your domain name and set up a website hosting account with a reliable host. It would also be wise to purchase some quality web hosting along with your domain name because it starts to look suspicious when you are buying a domain name and not using it for hosting.
After you have your domain name and hosting set up, the next step is to install WordPress to your server. Make sure to follow the instructions very carefully so you don’t end up installing the wrong version of WordPress or the enterprise version which is more expensive than the standard version. Once you have installed WordPress, the final step is to activate it on your site. This will give you a chance to try out the CMS and the theme you chose and to familiarise yourself with its ins and outs. Once everything is set up and working correctly, you can show off your work to your family and friends.