What Is WordPress? (Explained for Beginners)

WordPress is a free and open-source blogging tool (CMS) based on PHP and MySQL. You don’t even know other languages like HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript & other languages to use WordPress.

WordPress is the most popular free and open-source CMS for building websites and blogs. In simple words, it is a web application to create websites quickly and easily.

In this article, I will discuss what is WordPress how does it work, who uses it, and how many people are using WP to create websites and blogs.

What Is WordPress and How Does It Work?

WordPress is an open-source software you can use to create your website or blog and publish it on the internet. It’s a particular kind of software called a Content Management System (CMS).

According to Wikipedia, CMS is an application and software. which basically provides you the ability to publish, edit, delete, and maintain content from a single central interface.

It was launched back in 2003 as a collaboration between Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little. Since then it has grown to become the most popular website-building platform in the world.

Over the years it’s gained a huge following and now has an amazing community behind it. The community of software engineers and designers from around the world contributes a lot, you can’t even imagine.

They help this platform to do the core code, and also help by making plugins themes. This lets you extend the functionality and easily change the look of your website.

With the help and support of all those people, it has become one of the most popular CMS in the world. The most interesting fact is that over 43% of the internet is powered by WordPress.

That’s a lot of websites, it’s kind of unimaginable and it’s completely FREE to use! For all these reasons it becomes the best platform to build a blog and make money online.

How Does WordPress Work for you?

WordPress is the most popular free and open-source CMS for creating websites and blogs. In other words, it is a web software or application to build websites easily.

Since the beginning of the internet, websites have been built using programming languages like HTML, PHP, and CSS to format text and so on.

But there are tons of people like you (and us) who don’t know a thing about programming and really don’t want to (it’s so hard to do!).

Solving the problem becomes the backbone for normal people who don’t know the programming. That’s why CMS software like WordPress comes in. Many people use this CMS to build their websites and make money online.

Type of WordPress (versions)

Well, there are two versions of WordPress. These things sometimes can confuse people when they are going to get started with that.

The first version you can find at WordPress.org (self-hosted version). The other one is WordPress.com (the hosted version of WordPress). So what is the difference?

Let’s drive in!

1. WordPress.org (self-hosted version)

The WordPress.org self-hosted version is open-source software. This version is open and free for anyone to download use and expand upon.

If you want full control over your blog website then it’s for you. It’s one of the best platforms and easy ways to expand functionality and create a good-looking website.

This version is completely customizable and can be used for almost any type of website or blog. To get started with the self-hosted version you will have to buy domain and web hosting.

When you buy them, in just a few minutes, you can install them on your web server.

When you install then start adding all the pages, pictures, text, and buttons whatever you want. It’s all possible with just a few clicks, without writing a single line of code.

2. WordPress.com (The hosted version of WP)

WordPress.com is another hosted version of open-source software. This version of WordPress is an all-in-one website-building platform.

By all-in-one, I mean that everything you need to build your website is provided. At wordpress.com you can start a blog or create a website in seconds without any technical knowledge.

They offer you to start a free blog or website, but there are some limitations. If you want full access to this version, you will have to pay them to unlock different features.

It is a closed system, the themes, and plugins for adding functionality are all determined by the managers of WordPress.com.

You can only use the tools and features that they select. This is the true difference between them.

Which Version Of WordPress Should You Use?

There are many ways to make quality websites with both versions of WordPress. I think that most people want freedom for this reason WordPress.org options are available to make it a better choice.

You have tons of options in the tools that you can use for your website.

I do prefer this version because I enjoy it a lot with them. Many people also love WordPress.com versions. If you think that may be better for you then you can also run your sites.

In a nutshell, I do recommend you to go with wordpress.org. You have all the control over your website. It is super easy to create a website in less than 15 minutes.

What Kinds of Websites you can Build with WordPress

About a decade ago, it was just getting started, it was mostly just a tool for creating simple blogs.

But now it’s the super helpful resources and engines for generating income. Thanks to all those engineers constantly making improvements to the functionality over the years.

As a result, you can create just about any kind of website you can imagine with WordPress.

1. Blogs
2. Portfolios
3. Online Resumes
4. Forums
5. Business Websites
6. eCommerce Stores
7. Membership Sites
8. Social Networks

Basically, you can create any kind of website you dream about it, and WordPress will help you build it! I hope you understand that WordPress isn’t just for beginner website builders like you.

There are tons of popular blogs, companies, news outlets, and celebrities that use WordPress every day.

Who uses WordPress?

Creating a website is so easy and almost anyone with little or no coding is able to create a website. This is all thanks to content management systems like WordPress.

It simplifies the process of creating a website with its graphical user interface. WordPress.com hosts blogs written in over 120 languages but, English is the most popular language.

This all means Most people use it for making their websites. According to w3techs.com here are the most popular websites using WordPress

1. Conservativetribune.com
2. Time.com
3. Webtretho.com
4. Xda-developers.com
5. Techcrunch.com
6. Exoclick.com
7. Vcommission.com
8. Wired.com

There are also some notable WP users:

This is not only used by individuals but some of the world’s biggest websites also depend on WP. Here are the popular sites that are powered by WordPress.

1. The New York Times blogs
2. CNN blogs
3. Forbes
4. Reuters
5. eBay
6. Sony
7. BestBuy
8. MP3.com
9. TechCrunch
10. Samsung
11. IBMJobs
12. Boing Boing
13. Mashable

There are thousands of people and organizations using WordPress. For more interest, you can view the complete list on the WordPress Notable Users page.

What Makes WordPress So Popular?

There are lots of reasons behind becoming the most popular CMS in the world. It’s used on over a million websites it’s almost 45% of websites are using WordPress.

It’s a huge number by any count and should put your questions about popularity to rest. Especially for someone who’s new to WordPress, this is the platform you can start today.

let’s drive in! Why should you use it?

Here’s why:

1. Free and Open Source

Like, As I mentioned above, WordPress is open-source and it’s free. It’s hard to imagine, but it’s true. You can download and install it on almost any web host and it won’t cost you money.

This is why people call it an Open Source project, there are tons of people constantly working to make it better.

While it is free for everyone to use, the platform’s popularity has also spawned an entire industry. Anyone can get started on the cheap but you’ll just have to pay a little bit for hosting.

When you get into this platform and with a little research, you’ll discover that there are thousands of ways to customize your site.

It’s easy to customize to make it exactly the way you want it by using premium themes to custom plugins.

2. Easy to Use and learn

Free is great, isn’t it! Luckily, it is not only free, but it’s insanely easy to use. So easy to use it doesn’t mean that there is no work.

There is definitely a learning curve but it’s exponential. Once you start to get into this project and how things work, everything becomes easier.

Obviously, there are some basics you should learn so that you can control all the stuff by yourself.

As a WordPress user, there are two sides to your website that you need to be aware of that. The first is what’s called a front-end, It’s what visitors see when they arrive on your website.

The other area and the one that requires a little bit of learning is the backend or admin panel. This is where you’ll be able to make all kinds of changes to your website such as:

• Adding new pages or posts and text & images
• Changing sidebar widgets and colors & fonts
• Adding background images & textures
• Much more

While you heard about the admin panels you’re probably wondering how complicated it is. Truly, that’s not! There is a lot of potential functionality.

There is everything you need like a text editor that allows you to enter the text as well as add all kinds of media.

When you become more comfortable with creating posts and pages you’ll also get an infinite number of ways to customize your work. Before you know it you’ll be feeling like a pro.

3. Good Choice for Any Website

One of the great things about WordPress is its extensibility and scalability. It works from a simple blog to an eCommerce platform for a major business. Is this possible, you might be wondering, isn’t it!

Well, it allows you to add functionality by using different themes and plugins. You can imagine it like a framed house.

The core piece is there, but you can customize the exterior and the interior in any way you desire. This all is possible through themes and plugins.

WordPress Themes

There are 11 thousand or more free as well as premium themes available for WordPress. At the very beginning of starting a website with free themes way enough.

But premium themes offer more functionality and better support than their free themes. Themes can be very general in nature, for instance, a business theme.

They can also be very specific like a real estate theme or a local business directory theme all are designed to do a particular task.

WordPress Plugins

Plugins provide a way to add more functionality to almost any WP theme. There are over 55,000 plugins in the WordPress repository. Also, get the thousands of premium plugins available from outside sources.

Plugins cover almost everything that you imagine for your website. It has the ability to create a good-looking blog for an e-commerce store.

The Plugin also helps to improve your SEO, to add a photo gallery.

4. Ready to Use in just a few Minutes

It has become the most popular CMS, and website hosting companies have made it super simple to install WP.

Nowadays, most web hosts will either offer to preinstall for you or give you tools that let you do it yourself. It takes just a few clicks so you can have your website up and running fast!

The real fact is that it is an easy-to-use platform where you can launch a basic WP website in just a few minutes.

It is so scalable and extensible. If you start the website today and spend weeks or months improving your site and making small changes.

5. Responsive for Any Device

Your site should be responsive to any device. Just think about that, today most people rely so heavily on smartphones. It’s critical to make sure your website offers a great mobile experience.

Don’t worry about this, it is 100% responsive. It not only is mobile responsive for your visitors, but the admin panel also works well on any device.

That means it will adjust with any device to whatever screen size your visitor is using. You can also easily get started writing your latest blog post via your phone or tablet.

6. Regular Basis Updates

Lastly, the great thing about WordPress is that continually updates its piece of software.

On a regular basis, you’ll get the core update notifications. You will also get update notifications of the themes and plugins as well

If you decide to use this platform, it’s important to make sure that you process all these updates. You can update either manually with a few mouse clicks or set them to update automatically.

It’s very important to update your websites. This is not only done by updates adding functionality; they also improve security and fix bugs.

FAQs: What is WordPress

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Wrapping it Up

I hope you have enjoyed this article. Honestly, I’ve gathered only a few of the most important features that help you to understand what WordPress is really all about.

There is so much more to learn when you’re ready. And the best thing about WordPress? It’s easy to get started and the possibilities are endless.

By now you have a better appreciation for what WordPress can do for you. If you want to build your website or blog (without learning to code), well, it is the best option for you.

On this platform, you will get tons of plugins, themes, and worldwide support. This is the best way go-to for just about anyone looking to create a website!

I hope you found this article helpful. If you’re excited to get started creating your own site. Check this out; how to create a WordPress website in less than 20 minutes.

If you would like to learn more about WP or building a website stay with me up to date with the latest news. Please follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Thanks for reading.

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