WordPress is a free, open-source content management system (CMS). It lets you build and manage a website from a simple dashboard, so you can publish pages, posts and products without writing code every time you want to make a change.

Key features

• Themes control how your site looks and can be changed without losing content.
• Plugins add features such as SEO tools, forms, memberships and online stores.
• The block editor lets you build page layouts visually.
• User roles let you give writers, editors and managers the right level of access.
• Media library keeps images, videos and documents organized in one place.

Why businesses choose WordPress

You own your website and your content. There is a huge ecosystem of developers, themes and plugins, so you are never locked into one vendor. WordPress also has a clean structure that search engines understand well, and it scales from a five-page company site to a large online store.

What does a WordPress website cost?

The WordPress software itself is free. The real costs are a domain name, hosting, a theme or custom design, premium plugins if you need them, development time and ongoing maintenance. A simple brochure site and a custom WooCommerce store sit at very different ends of the range, so the best approach is to define your goals first and ask for a written, itemized quote.

WordPress.org or WordPress.com?

WordPress.org is the self-hosted software, which gives you full control and is what most agencies build on. WordPress.com is a hosted service with plans that restrict some options. For a business website that will grow, self-hosted WordPress is usually the better foundation.

Not sure where to start? Tell us about your project and we will recommend a clear, practical plan.

Article bywpXpart Agency

The wpXpart team designs, builds, speeds up and supports WordPress websites, and shares practical guides along the way.