WordPress or WordPress.com – Your Choice
WordPress successfully established as a brand or name synonymous with all things web. On the internet WordPress is used on blogging platform, websites, ecommerce solutions,bespoke and dedicated commercial applications.
We admit that back in the day we resisted joining the stampede towards wordpress out of professional snobbery. Why ? It was ‘free’ and associated with ‘bloggers’ – how things have changed ! Today WordPress related activity accounts for the majority of our client business. HDUK have built everything imaginable (and few that couldn’t be imagined but happened) in or on wordpress platforms:
- Corporate dashboards,
- ERP,
- CRM,
- Multi vendor trading platforms
- and of course – corporate and sole trader websites.
True other technologies and platforms have emerged since which we readily embrace on merit. For websites that are SEO ready and can be managed and secured cost effectively – WordPress is still the first call platform.
It is important to understand that ‘WordPress’ as a product descriptor can be a victim of it’s own success (a bit like Hoover became with the vacuum cleaner). There are two distinct flavours of ‘WordPress’:
WordPress CMS from WordPress.org
Firstly there is WordPress the Content Management System (CMS). A software package from – a generally free download from WordPress.org. You will need your own hosting package with database . Any self respecting hosting provider should be able to enable WordPress. How easy they make it varies but thankfully HostFraser.com makes it a breeze thanks to the Hespia Control Panel with single click applications installers. What you create with wordpress is then limited by your creative and technical abilities.
For a dedicated function specific to your business use case we would start with WordPress core functionality then choose a software plugin to build around – see our wordpress plugin directory
A note of caution – a WordPress installation can be sluggish and fragile ie prone to breaking after an update due to excessive and ill judged use of plugins. Any third party plugin has to risk assessed and monitored for security exploits.
WordPress.com – Hosted Blogging and Web Builder
Next there is WordPress.com a hosted website builder. This variation is primarily favoured by bloggers. There is less creative control as a trade off against convenience. You can use the same wordpress plugins as for the self hosted CMS.
The decision on which WordPress option to follow is often made on cost especially when used for Business and Ecommerce applications..
