What is WordPress

WordPress is basically a blogging tool and it is free to use. It is one of the most popular content management and blog publishing applications available on the web today

It has the capability of being able to provide anything from a simple blogging solution all the way through to a full blown content system for an e-commerce site.

In simple term, you can use WordPress to create a simple blog, a simple website, or an onlinestore.

Uses of WordPress

WordPress can be used in a variety of ways. In fact today people all around the world are using WordPress as:

  • Blogs
  • Personal Sites
  • News, Magazine, Business, Portfolio and Multimedia Sites
  • Membership Sites
  • Landing Sales Pages
  • Squeeze Pages
  • E-commerce or Online Store

Advantage of Using Wordrpess

If you’re planning to start your own blog or simply want to have your own website, then WordPress could be the perfect tool for you because of the following advantages:

  • Ease of use and versatility. It is user-friendly and therefore suitable for just about anybody – from the complete beginner to the advanced programmer.
  • Feature-rich interface. It has a rich text editor with advanced multimedia support.
  • Expandable. WordPress’s community distributes a large number of modules for almost any popular website feature.
  • It is Open Source. It is free to install and use.

Types of WordPress

There are two types or WordPress: Self-Hosted and Hosted.

Self-Hosted (WordPress.org)

  • Download WordPress to install on your server/hosting
  • Use your domain/url
  • Can select from thousands of free/fee-based themes, plug-ins & widgets, or create your own

When you use a self-hosted WordPress you need to download the software at www.wordpress.org.

You need to have your own webhost/server where you can upload and install the blogging software. You also need to have your own domain name – the unique name for your website.

For total beginners, the domain name simply refers to the url or address of your site which comes with different extensions such as .com, .org, .gov, .edu,. info, and so on. The .com extension is what is extremely popular. For example, blogore.com is a domain name, yahoo.com a domain name, wordpress.org is also a domain name.

Hosted (WordPress.com)

These are hosted at WordPress.com. Your website address comes in a format like this: blogname.wordpress.com. It is free to use and since it is hosted by wordpress.com you don’t need a webhost and a domain name to start with.

However, this comes with a lot of disadvantages. It has restrictions in many ways such as limited selection of established themes. You also have no access to extra plug-ins and widgets.