Small business owners sometimes think of websites as luxury items they can live without. However, this investment isn’t a lavish expense. In fact, any Michigan marketing expert will tell you it’s the most cost-effective way to reach quality audiences.
Think about it. In the U.S. alone, there are over 299 million active internet users. Most of them will turn to your website to learn more about your brand, products or services, operations and more. Without one, you risk losing prospects to competitors with a better online presence.
For this reason, you should consider using WordPress. It’s one of the most affordable ways to develop a standout, SEO-friendly site.
At its core, WordPress is the simplest, most popular tool you can use to create a website. It powers over 810 million sites globally — an impressive 43% of all web pages you will find online.
On a more technical note, WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS) that enables users to manage website components even without programming knowledge. If you’re a non-developer looking to build a site, WordPress.org is your best bet.
One of the most common questions people ask Michigan WordPress specialists is: What’s the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com? In a nutshell, the former is the software that can help you build a site that’s 100% your own. On the other hand, the latter is a paid service powered by WordPress.org.
In most cases, when you read about WordPress, the content refers to the “self-hosted WordPress” at WordPress.org.
The website possibilities are endless with WordPress. Here are some types you can create with the software:
Business website: Industry leaders like eBay, Sony and Forbes trust WordPress to enhance their online presence. You too can use this tool to build a professional-looking site in no time.
Online store: You can use WordPress to create a site for selling physical and digital products.
Membership site: If you’re thinking of offering pay-per-view content or running an online community, WordPress can help.
Dropshipping site: With this site type, you can sell products online without worrying about inventory levels. Instead, you can have a third-party vendor ship them directly to customers.
Auction websites: Have you ever dreamed of running an eBay-like site? WordPress can turn that vision into reality.
There are dozens of reputable web design software brands on the market today, but WordPress is the most used one. Below are some of the features that make it a crowd favorite:
Ease of use: With WordPress, you can manage your website as often as you want, anytime, anywhere. Even without programming knowledge, you quickly publish your content.
Unlimited components: WordPress lets users add as many images, files and links as they need.
Integrated blogging: Blogs can help businesses of all industries and sizes boost traffic, brand awareness and trust. Through WordPress, you can use a built-in blog management system to add articles directly from your browser.
Flexible post scheduling: Not many people know that WordPress lets users schedule posts, just as social media platforms do.
Plug-ins: These tools let you extend the features of your website. They play a crucial role in building great WordPress sites.
Think of WordPress plug-ins as apps on your phone. You can download or buy them to do more with your device.
In a WordPress setting, plug-ins let users add more functions to a site without touching one line of code. These tools can power virtually any website type, including business, e-commerce and membership pages.
Plug-ins make it easy for WordPress subscribers to make tweaks on their own, from adding social share buttons to securing payments to running A/B tests. For this reason, learning about them can be a game-changer for web development rookies.
So, are you ready to learn about must-have plug-ins? Below are some of the best ones for small businesses, as advised by a WordPress developer Michigan entrepreneurs trust.
Beaver Builder: Are you ready to create website layouts with a user-friendly drag-and-drop page builder tool? Beaver Builder can help you do just that.
WooCommerce: If you want to sell products or services seamlessly, this plug-in should be a no-brainer. It offers a wide range of features that elevates the e-commerce experience, from posting product variations to setting the shipping rate to adding payment methods.
Yoast SEO: Today, 93% of all online activities begin with a search engine. If you want to reach the top results for platforms like Google, a reliable plug-in can enhance your efforts.
Wordfence Security: This plug-in provides WordPress users with 24/7/365 services to protect their sites against phishing, identity theft, malware and other cyber attacks. To date, it has blocked millions of attacks on its subscribers.
Contact Form 7: One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is selling to prospects right away. Instead, you should use a contact form management plug-in like Contact Form 7 to build your marketing database.
WordPress is a powerful tool that can take your online presence to the next level. However, Michigan WordPress experts can help you achieve your goals within your target dates and allocated budget.
By working with a reliable WordPress developer Michigan entrepreneurs trust, you don’t have to waste your resources on campaigns that don’t hit the mark. Request a free consultation with the Hierographx team now to discover the power of well-built sites.