In a Nutshell
pros
- Tons of options to choose from starting with free plans
- Fully managed sites available
- Custom domain names
cons
- Technical aspects can be confusing for non-techies
- So many features can be overwhelming
- Switching over systems might cause bugs
Ideal for
- Small businesses that want to look professional
- Larger businesses that want hosting and design managed for them
Why Go With WordPress.com
WordPress isn’t your typical website builder, but it has a lot of reasons why you might opt for this variety instead of a straight-up builder. The simple drag-and-drop editor, real-time content editing, and ability to preview your site and posts from multiple views makes WordPress a cut above the rest. What’s more, with thousands of plugins to use, WordPress sites are more flexible than anything out there today.
There are also some excellent features that make using WordPress easier than most dedicated website builders. Some of the best features we used are:
Mobile-friendly design
You can choose to create an entirely new mobile-friendly site using a simple one-click design process from WordPress.com. Alternatively, you can select one of the pre-fab themes that are already ready to use and fully responsive if you’re short on time.
Easy updating
WordPress also makes it simple to update, edit, or change your site. There are desktop and mobile apps, and WordPress software is available on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.
Multiple plans
Even the basic website has the ability to accept payments, comes with advanced design tools, provides a boatload of media file space, and is ad-ready for monetization. Moving up the ladder, business owners can get even more features, including shipping functionality, custom plugins, real-time concierge support, Google Analytics integration, and more. And if you are looking for a dedicated Ecommerce site, WordPress has a good solution for you too. This last plan is scalable and offers the most powerful features, flexibility, and integrations, making it ideal for serious Ecommerce.
Features
- Real-time content editor
- Drag-and-drop editor
- Mobile and desktop apps
- Social media integration
- Analytics and reporting
- SEO tools
- Thousands of plugins
More Reasons to Choose WordPress.com
Another reason WordPress is so appealing to business owners is its transparency. The pricing is displayed clearly on the website, so you aren't guessing your way through the process. By the way, if you were curious, WordPress has a full Ecommerce website solution for just $45 a month.
You can get cheaper plans from WordPress starting at just $4, but the Ecommerce package includes the most bang for your buck. You’ll get features like 60+ currency payments, integrations with top shipping carriers, unlimited products, and Ecommerce marketing tools. If you think that you can get by with fewer features, then the cheaper plans are also great options.
Customization
WordPress makes customization easy. There are hundreds of themes you can choose from, and new ones are added every week. Once you've chosen a theme, you're able to customize it to your liking. Everything from fonts to colors to template placement can be tweaked.
What’s more, WordPress has the simplest drag-and-drop functionality, so customization is a breeze. You can create and add some gorgeous elements like photo galleries, audio files, and video libraries just by dragging and dropping these items into the right place.
WordPress even lets you install a whole slew of plugins to customize your site’s functionality.
Payment Processing
With a WordPress site, you can start taking payments a few minutes after your site is up and running. The tool, appropriately called Simple Payments, is a button that allows businesses to accept credit or debit card payments with a few clicks.
SEO Tools
As a leader in the content management industry, WordPress knows what it takes to succeed. One ingredient in the success pie is search engine optimization, and it provides its users with several SEO tools to make this easier to manage. Some of the neat SEO tools available from WordPress include:
- Front page meta descriptions
- Custom post meta descriptions
- Custom title formats
Our favorite SEO tool of all, though, is the Preview Tool. This handy feature allows you to check how your post will look in search results and across several social media platforms. It also allows you to tweak your posts for optimal SEO, and you can see what the posts look like on various desktop, tablet, and phone operating systems.
Secure Hosting
WordPress.com also provides customers with secure hosting options. The beauty of the Business Plan is that it offers you the same type of experience as a self-hosted service without the cost or the headache.
WordPress.com will take care of server resource allocation and plugins. There is also 200GB of storage space available for each account user, and the built-in plugins make many things much easier (including backup restoration). You can also connect your GoDaddy email hosting back to your WordPress account by following a few simple steps.
Customer Support Services
WordPress offers top-of-the-line customer support. All members have access to email support that is available 24/7. Everyone is also able to access and use the community forums. These are extremely useful if you prefer to troubleshoot on your own since the community is very active and has just about every answer you might be looking for.
Paying customers have even more advanced customer support. You’ll be able to utilize the Happiness Engineers from WordPress. These are available via live chat, so you get real-time answers.
Bottom Line
There's a reason millions of people use WordPress.com every single day. The service is par excellence; you just won't find better than this. Plus, with so many years in the industry, WordPress has learned a thing or 2 about what goes into making a successful website. It’s included these features into its website builder, so customers enjoy SEO tools, customization, mobile-ready sites, hundreds of beautiful templates, and an easy drag-and-drop editor anyone can use.
Add to that affordable and flexible pricing plans, top-of-the-line customer support, and the best user ratings out there, and WordPress.com, unsurprisingly, pulls ahead of any competitor. A totally free account with loads of functionality is just the cherry on top.
About WordPress.com
WordPress.com is essentially a content management platform. In fact, it is behind more than a third of all websites online today. But WordPress is more than a simple content platform. With full website building capabilities, WordPress.com is putting the power of the web into the hands of everyone who wants it. From simple mom and pop shops to major distributors, entrepreneurs, and more, WordPress.com is fueling the fire of progress with innovation, expertise, and functionality all rolled up into a single, all-encompassing software.
