One of the all-time biggest complaints from website visitors is outdated content. No one wants to visit a “News” page and see the most recent post was from 3 years ago. So you’ll be happy to know that websites have gotten a lot easier to update through the use of Content Management Systems. A CMS allows non-technical people to easily design, manage and publish a website – without any complex programming or knowledge of HTML. Currently, the most popular content management systems are: WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and Hubspot.
WordPress is the industry leading CMS, and our favorite platform. Here’s why:
It’s Easy to Manage
Thoroughly non-technical, WordPress is incredibly intuitive and easy-to-use. It allows you and your team to work on your site anytime, with only a web browser and no additional software. It functions much like Microsoft Word, allowing you to easily change text and upload images, while leaving the structure of your website intact. Without the dependence on the schedules or availability of an outside programmer, your company’s time, money and energy are saved. In short, you control the process!
It Has Great Themes
For smaller businesses, which don’t have the budget for a custom design, a theme is the way to go. Available in a variety of styles, these ready-made templates are designed for every type of business or organization. Choose a layout from categories like: blog, corporate, news, portfolio, and many more. Most themes are available for less than the price of good programmer’s hourly rate.
It’s SEO Friendly
Search engine optimization with WordPress is almost foolproof. The built-in SEO features allow you to place keywords in the most important areas – such as page titles, headers and meta descriptions. Additional plug-ins can simplify advanced tasks, such as the Google Sitemap Generator, a plug-in that creates an industry standard site map. Google also just announced their “freshness update” which rewards websites that publish fresh content on a hot topic by ranking them higher, and in some cases indexes them within minutes. Another reason why WordPress is your new best friend!
It Has Awesome Plug-Ins & Widgets
WordPress also allows for the expansion of functionality through the installation of plug-ins and widgets. These marvelous creations can provide contact forms, social media functions, calendars, photo galleries and a host of other features. There are hundreds available on dozens of sites – most notably the WordPress plug-in directory.
Its Blogs and Commenting Features Are Second to None
The WordPress CMS was conceived and designed as a tool to simplify the continual updating of information – specifically for blogging. Many marketers have realized the benefits of blogging for business and made it part of their content marketing strategy and WordPress makes that process simple. Beyond blogs, WordPress can also be used to easily update any other regularly changing content such as newsletters, videos or press releases. Yet, another plug-in allows for commenting – great for getting feedback on posts.
WordPress offers a tremendous opportunity for any business that wishes to control its website and manage content. It combines the best of template-based web development with a robust engine that can easily update text and photos and provide tremendous SEO value. In addition, developers are constantly improving WordPress, creating new plug-ins and widgets and adding ever more functionality. Give it a try, and much like your cell phone, you’ll wonder how you ever survived without it!
Here are a few samples of WordPress sites designed by Brainstorm: Blackstone Steakhouse, Allegheny Contract, Gisonni & Harms, LLP
For more information about WordPress sites, contact Brainstorm Studio.