The Debate: WordPress vs Website
WordPress is the world’s #1 content management system (CMS). It is a tool that can edit almost any kind of content on your website and let you easily maintain your content over time.
But has WordPress really settled its debate with website owners over whether or not to integrate the two platforms?
In reality, the relationship between the two platforms is more complicated than it seems. While WordPress provides a robust feature set and an active developer community, website owners need to have the technical know-how to pull off a quality site. And finding the right web developer can be difficult.
Let’s examine the issues surrounding the debate and try to find a happy medium between WordPress’ simplicity and website owners’ need for technical competence.
The Purpose Of A Website
Before we dive into the technical details, it’s important to understand what a website is and what it’s not. A website is simply a collection of webpages that are designed to look like a coherent whole. Its primary function is to provide content to a viewer – whether that’s an individual, group, or organization.
The term “web site” stems from the early days of the web before anyone really knew what a website was. At the time, it was referred to as a “web page” because pages on a website looked the same as they did in printed format (e.g., a news article or an FAQ). Back then, to create a web page, you would need to use a web developer to set up the basic structure of the page – the html coding – and then simply fill it with content.
What Makes A Website Special?
A website that’s been designed with care and competence will have a special appeal to visitors. These visitors will appreciate the logical organization of content and the visual appeal of clean, well-written code. Care has also been taken to ensure that the website is mobile-friendly, accessible, and secure. Finally, the site’s development team should strive to maintain the website’s integrity by avoiding common SEO mistakes and keep the content fresh.
It’s not only good for SEO that your website’s content is updated frequently. It’s important to keep your site’s content current and relevant to your target audience. If you do an excellent job keeping the content on your site fresh, you’re giving your site the best chance at being discoverable by potential customers.
Why WordPress?
WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS) that was first released in 2003. It was built for the sole purpose of making it easy to run a blog. Since its inception, WordPress’ features have grown and changed to fit every need and desire of a website owner.
One of the unique things about WordPress is how it encourages and supports collaboration. WordPress has a built-in commenting system that encourages visitors to weigh in on your content. This feature is fantastic because it gives website owners the opportunity to garner useful feedback about their website and its content from interested parties.
Additionally, WordPress offers many different ways for website owners to monetize their content. You don’t need to look far to find a monetization plan that fits your needs. If you’re looking to monetize your content through affiliate marketing, you can do so with relative ease.
For these and other reasons, WordPress is the world’s #1 content management system. In the next section, we will discuss the differences between WordPress and website. We will then dive into the various integrations and partnerships that can help bridge the gap between these two platforms.
Key Differences Between WordPress And Website
There are several differences between WordPress and website that you should know about. It’s important to understand the subtle yet significant differences in order to take your website development seriously and create a high-quality product that will serve your audience for years to come.
Hosting
One of the most important differences between WordPress and website has to do with hosting. Website hosting usually involves renting space on an internet server that’s maintained by a web host. The space is then used to store web pages that are published on the site. Most hosting packages include basic features like a website’s domain name and email, along with a free website builder. These features are all you need to get started. However, finding the right web host can be tricky and doing your due diligence will help you find a good fit for your needs.
WordPress is a self-hosted CMS. This means that you are responsible for maintaining and fixing the website on your own servers. There is also a wide range of hosting companies that offer services specifically designed for running a WordPress site. If you’re looking for an alternative, self-hosted option, then WordPress is the right CMS for you.
Security
Another important difference between WordPress and website has to do with security. Website security involves keeping your data secure and private from hackers and data thieves. This is a serious matter and the last thing you want is to discover that a hacker has accessed your personal information. Since WordPress is a CMS, keeping it secure is as easy as installing the right security plugins.
There are several different ways that security relates to WordPress. One way is through wp-plug-security, which adds security features to WordPress’ built-in commenting system. Also, the WordPress team has created a whole section on their site dedicated to keeping your content safe:
- Use a security key to make commenting on your site more secure
- Set up a security monitor to keep an eye on your site’s activity
- Delete comments that are flagged as abusive or spammy
- Use a firewall to protect your site from attacks
- Set up rules and guidelines for commenting on your site
- Restrict guest access to your site (very important)
- Use two-factor authentication when available
If you’re serious about keeping your website secure, then WordPress is the right platform for you. It offers many different plugins and a robust security team that can help you get set up quickly and effectively.
Ease Of Use
The last difference between WordPress and website has to do with ease of use. Website ease of use refers to the amount of effort that’s required to get things done on your site. There are several ways that WordPress’ simplicity and intuitive design can help make your life as a website developer or manager easier.
One of the most obvious ways that WordPress is simple to use is through its drag-and-drop content manager. Simply pick your content (e.g., images, video, or text) and then arrange it in the order you wish on a page. To make things even simpler, WordPress provides you with a page layout that you can use as a guide. Once you’ve got your page laid out the way you want it, simply click “Publish” and your content will be live on the internet in a matter of minutes.
It’s important to understand that ease of use does not always mean that the tool or service in question is easy to understand or use. For instance, if you’re a software developer and you’ve never worked with websites, then using WordPress might be a little too easy because it requires zero developer training. This would not be good if your goal is to become a competent web developer.
The Road To Sucess
With all of that said, let’s examine what makes up a successful website. As we’ve discussed, a successful website will have many appealing qualities. However, having all of these qualities does not necessarily make your site successful. You’ll need to do the legwork of analyzing the qualities that matter most to you and your business.
To start, you will want to choose a hosting company that has a reputable reputation and is dedicated to server stability and security. Next, find a good web designer who is familiar with WordPress and has the talent to bring your wildest dreams to life on the internet. After that, take some time to learn what you need to know about SEO and make sure that your website’s content is easily discoverable by potential customers.
Once you’ve done all of that, you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Just make sure that you take the time to learn from experts before you try and tackle any projects on your own. With a little planning and research, you will find a smooth and satisfying journey into website development that will have you reaching for your wallet soon enough.