WordPress Development: The Complete Guide to Getting Started

By:

ITS

Category:

WordPress Development

Introduction:
Powering more than a fourth of all websites, WordPress is probably the easiest way to go about building a blog or website if you want to build a presence on the web.

Building a website is an important part of establishing infrastructure on the Internet for your business. This is where most of your marketing and sales take place.

The first step in building a website is figuring out what tools and/or developers you need to do it. And if you want to do right by your business, you have to make sure you know what your options are.

If you’ve heard of Weebly or Wix before, you already have a good idea of what WordPress can do for you. However, for a number of reasons, people choose WordPress over these alternatives. Today you’ll find out why.

1. What Is WordPress?
2. What Is a WordPress Developer?
3. Why Use WordPress?
4. Advantages of Using WordPress
5. Websites That Use WordPress
6. Reasons to Hire a WordPress Developer

What Is WordPress?

WordPress is a content management system (CMS) for the creation and modification of digital content, in this case, websites. It’s written in PHP and uses a MySQL database.

Like most of anything on the web WordPress also uses a bit of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. But WordPress itself does not need programming to operate.

Its creators and community have made it especially accessible to use. You can find the free, open-source software that is WordPress on WordPress.org.

Unfortunately, WordPress.org is often confused with WordPress.com, a for-profit, paid service powered by WordPress.org software with strangely less flexibility than its free counterpart.

WordPress’s original origins can be credited to Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little in 2003. It was originally well-known for being an easy-to-use tool for creating blogs.

Since then it amassed much more online real estate. To add, its large community of open-source contributors has evolved and adapted the code to be palpable for any type of website.

Nearly 40% of all websites use some version of WordPress. Individuals and businesses large and small depend on WordPress to run their websites.

Here are some examples of websites you can build with WordPress:

Blog
E-commerce website
Membership website
Portfolio website
Forum website
Event website
E-learning website
Wedding website

WordPress is capable of managing your website no matter the purpose.

What Is a WordPress Developer?

A WordPress developer is a professional who is familiar with the basic coding and structural organization of WordPress software.

While WordPress does not require programming in the traditional sense, WordPress developers must have expert knowledge on how to tailor a website to a business’s needs.

Someone with this familiarity will more than likely have a background in other common web technologies for dynamic web pages such as JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.

There are a few specific types of WordPress developers that you may want to be aware of.

Core Developer

WordPress core developers work on the back-end functionality of the platform. Core developers must work on the internal WordPress software. They can write code to improve WordPress for the better.

Theme Developer

A theme reflects the overall design of your website, including its layout. Theme development is a big part of front-end development as it encompasses what the user sees on their side.

WordPress.org has a directory with thousands of free themes available for use. But if you want to be unique, it pays to make your own.

Plugin Developer

Plugin developers are, unsurprisingly, responsible for plugin development. Plugins act as add-ons to websites and give them additional functionality. Plugins are the preferred way to do this as it limits any changes made to the core WordPress files.

One pre-installed WordPress plugin is Hello Dolly. When clicked on a WordPress web page, this plugin offers a lyric from the song of the same name by the famed Louis Armstrong.

Why Use WordPress?

There’s no question that WordPress is popular. The question is why? WordPress is useful, but that does not explain why businesses choose WordPress over alternatives. WordPress has some choice characteristics setting it apart from competitors in the industry.

Free

Any free and open-source software will have automatic leverage over other software of any cost. Cutting costs at this level of software development is almost never a bad idea.

Adaptable

Many people may know WordPress as the platform that hosts their favorite blogs. But it’s more than that. WordPress caters to several different website types.

Everyone and every business can use WordPress. Some popular WordPress users are Beyonce and PlayStation. Look below for other popular websites that use WordPress.

Flexibility

WordPress does not just make a website but entire modes of operating. Anything from a social network to a forum can be made with the help of WordPress.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

WordPress makes SEO easy. It simplifies the use of different header tags and keywords in your website address. In addition, it supports various plugins that work to showcase your website to consumers everywhere.

Advantages of Using WordPress

Whether or not you’ve committed to using WordPress you should know about some of the qualities that draw developers to its doors.

Extensible

Open-source software also means you have community contributors constantly altering theWordPress landscape towards improved function and performance.

Most HTML website builders do not do more than the basics. But WordPress is all about functionality to the max. New and useful themes and plugins are always at your helm.

Developers have the option to make their own themes and plugins as well. Skilled developers never have to settle for only what’s available.

Support

Unlike some platforms, WordPress hardly discriminates against varying media types. Images, documents, audio, and video or accepted in a dozen or so formats including: .jpg, .png, .gif .pdf, .doc, .pptx, .mp3, .m4a, .mp4, .mov, .wmv, and .avi.

More obscure media types get along with WordPress just as well. For example, .odt, .key, .ogg, and .3gp., are all accepted file types.

Community

Alike to many other open-source, widely used software platforms, WordPress has a large community beside it. This means developers will never be out of the loop when it comes to helpful knowledge and new information.

Websites That Use WordPress

Whitehouse.gov
Microsoft
The Rolling Stones
BBC America
The New York Times
Katy Perry

Reasons to Hire a WordPress Developer

WordPress is one of the easiest tools to create a functional website in minutes. A quick install and you can start adjusting for a look that suits your business.

In general, websites serve as an effective hub for regular consumers and potential customers both to learn more about your business. WordPress developer can build a website for your business and keep it up-to-date.

Your website should serve its visitors and your business. A good website will have a low bounce rate, making sure its visitors are here to stay.

By creating an informative website that keeps visitors intrigued, you can garner more leads and amp up your marketing. WordPress developer know how to do just that.

Further, on top of enhancing the website’s theme for the visitor’s visual appetite, WordPress developer can implement various add-ons to your website to keep visitors engaged.

This can include a forum for visitors to discuss whatever product your business is advertising or a contact form so customers can get in touch, for instance.

A WordPress developer can also employ Google Analytics or other Google Analytics alternatives, which can track the success of your webpage.

One of the biggest advantages of WordPress is that the platform is very accommodating towards SEO strategies. WordPress developer can work with you and your business to put your website on the map.