How to Create a Professional Company Website with WordPress – Beginners Guide

Having a company website is vital for any business, no matter how big or small. The advantages of a professionally-built website are numerous:

• It establishes your credibility as an expert in your industry.
• It provides a historical record of your business.
• It acts as a virtual brochure for prospective customers.
• It shows how advanced your thinking is in terms of digital marketing.
• It can function as a mini business marketing department.
• Most importantly, it gives you a space to share vital business information with potential customers.

If you’re looking to create a company website, you have a variety of options to choose from when it comes to which content management system (CMS) to use. The two most popular platforms are WordPress and Joomla! Let’s take a quick look at each.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) in use today, originally developed as a simple blogging platform before expanding to include more advanced features.

The system is open-source and free, and is popular because it’s easy to use and offers a large community of support. It has a massive ecosystem of extensions and themes that can be accessed from its official website. The community-built WordPress.org has over 95 million active monthly users as of early 2021.

If you’re looking for a free, open source CMS with a massive community backing it, you could not ask for a better option than WordPress. Furthermore, you can take advantage of their extensive affiliate program, which offers lucrative commission checks to those who promote and promote their products. (More on that below.)

Why should you avoid Joomla!?

As a business owner or marketer, you’ll want to avoid using Joomla! when choosing a content management system (CMS) for your company website. (More on that below.)

Joomla! is another popular open-source CMS with a massive community supporting it. However, the ecosystem around the platform is a bit more complicated than WordPress. There are hundreds of extensions available for Joomla! that can be easily activated from the dashboard. While this helps make the CMS more functional, it also makes it more difficult to use if you aren’t tech-savvy.

Also, the platform allows for a greater customizing options, including the ability to completely change the structure and design of the website. With WordPress, you can alter the appearance of your site with a few clicks of the mouse.

If you’re looking for a reliable, free, and open-source CMS with a massive community backing it, you could not ask for a better option than WordPress. Furthermore, you can take advantage of their extensive affiliate program, which offers lucrative commission checks to those who promote and promote their products. (More on that below.)

Getting started with WordPress

WordPress makes it easy to get up and running with a company website quickly. Not only does it have a massive community support and documentation base, but it also comes with over 150 themes and templates that can be downloaded from the dashboard and easily customized to fit your needs. (More on that below.)

To get started with WordPress, you’ll simply need to visit the platform’s official website (WordPress.org), select the Get a free WordPress.com account option, and follow the onscreen instructions. Once you have an active account, you’ll be able to begin the process of creating your company website.

You’ll first need to enter your desired domain name. For example, mycompany.com. Once you’ve entered the name of your desired domain, you’ll have the option of selecting a free or paid hosting plan. If you go with the paid option, you’ll need to enter your credit card information. Once you’ve entered your credit card information, you’ll be provided with a free SSL certificate (Secure Sockets Layer), which will protect the information you input as you browse the web.

You can also download and install the WordPress desktop app from your mobile device’s app store. Once you’ve downloaded and installed the app, you can create and manage content on your company website from anywhere!

WordPress offers an extensive array of features that can be easily accessed from its dashboard. From there, you can upload and manage content, activate plugins, and edit the theme’s design. (More on that below.)

Customizing your company website with WordPress

If you’re already using WordPress for your personal blog, you’ll be confident working in the platform and knowing how to properly customize it for your company. (More on that below.)

The great thing about WordPress is its extensive documentation. Not only does it have a user-friendly tutorial video series that walks you through the basics of using the platform, but it also has a sprawling FAQ section with detailed answers to almost every question you could think of. (More on that below.)

The advantages of WordPress

Not only is WordPress easy to use and has a massive community backing it, but it also has several advantages.

First off, the platform is extremely flexible and customizable. This makes it easier for individuals with minimal design skills to create attractive web pages. (More on that below.)

Secondly, since WordPress is open source, you’ll have the opportunity to download the entire platform and look at the source code, which makes debugging much easier. (More on that below.)

Also, let’s not forget about the lucrative affiliate program that WordPress offers. If you’re a marketer or know someone who is, you’ll want to sign up for a free account and take advantage of the lucrative affiliate program. (More on that below.)

The disadvantages of WP

While WordPress has several advantages, it also has several disadvantages. First, like Joomla!, WordPress is not a 100% security-focused platform. This means that although you’ve got an SSL certificate protecting the information you enter into the system, hackers or malware-wielding cybercriminals may still be able to access your personal information. (More on that below.)

Secondly, the customization options in WordPress are somewhat limited. While you can download and install custom themes and plugins, it is not as easy or as straightforward as it could be. (More on that below.)

Last but not least, if you’re looking for a free and open-source CMS, you should probably avoid using WordPress. While it does have a community backing it and is extremely flexible and customizable, the fact that it’s free and open source means that it does come with some limitations.

For example, if you’re looking for a CMS that is completely free, you may want to consider paying for a premium hosting service that provides additional features and a more stable interface. (More on that below.)

Where can I host my company website?

After you’ve created your company website with WordPress, you’ll need to determine where you’ll host it. There are several options when it comes to web hosting, with the most popular being WordPress’ own official platform as well as Bluehost. (More on that below.)

If you decide to host your website on WordPress.org, you’ll have the option of selecting a free or paid hosting plan. (More on that below.)

Bluehost is another reliable, free web host that offers some fantastic features, including a free domain privacy service that hides your company’s name and IP address from potential customers, as well as an advanced wordpress caching plugin that speeds up website loading times.

To get started with Bluehost, visit their official website and click the Get started button to be taken to their hosting plans and configurations pages. Here, you can see a list of the hosting packages and their corresponding prices. Once you’ve selected the one that suits you, click the Get started button once more to be directed to their dedicated server area. From there, you can upgrade to a higher plan if you feel that your current server does not meet your needs. (More on that below.)

The great thing about both of these platforms is that they make it easy to get started with a company website. Not only do they have a massive community backing them and extensive documentation, but you’ll also be able to install a WordPress website in just five minutes! (More on that below.)