WordPress Web Design: Getting Started

Have you been considering a new website? Have you wondered about WordPress web design? You’ve probably heard that WordPress is powering around 30% of websites across the globe. That may not seem like a big stat on its own, but if you consider that the next contender, Joomla, is only powering 6.6% of websites, then it is extremely impressive.

Fun Fact: Did you know we started with Joomla before moving to WordPress? It’s true. We made one of our initial website versions in Joomla in 2006. However, once we discovered WordPress we jumped ship and haven’t looked back.

When getting started with a WordPress web design, there are definitely some things you should know and some questions you’ll want answered and I’m here to help with some useful knowledge that can get you on the right track.

Things you should know before getting started with a WordPress web design

1. Know the difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org. Yes, it is very confusing. Sorry about that, but I’ll try to help clear it up. The biggest difference between the two is hosting. When you have a wordpress.org site, you’re going to install the WordPress software on a host of your choice in your own account, whereas a wordpress.com is a hosted site, much like Blogger, where everything is hosted on the WordPress servers. It also has a different interface and more limitations. On a wordpress.com site, you can’t upload custom themes, plugins, or modify the PHP.
2. It’s much more than just uploading a new theme. You can search all types of theme and template sellers, but it is never as easy as just hitting upload and activating a theme. There are a lot of steps in terms of configuring the theme to look how it does on the demo, which doesn’t include doing any kind of customization to make the site look like yours. Some say it’s super easy and doesn’t require any technical knowledge to install a theme and make your site look great, but in my opinion that’s unlikely. We routinely take over sites for DIYers who bought a theme and then ran into issues trying to get it set up.
3. You can’t “set it and forget it.” Those days are over. Until all the hackers go away, we’ll have to manage and monitor WordPress sites, all sites really, to make sure they are secure. If you aren’t securing your site and updating your software regularly, you should consider signing up for a WordPress support plan so that you aren’t susceptible to a breach and your site runs at it’s best.
4. SEO isn’t included out of the box. Yes, WordPress is super SEO friendly and there are lots of great SEO plugins like Yoast to help. But you won’t be #1 in Google just by virtue of having a WordPress web design. You have to have compelling content, a great SEO strategy, and you have to work at it.
5. It takes time to learn. One of the reasons that WordPress powers so many websites is because it is user-friendly. That doesn’t mean you’re going to learn and understand everything the day you start. However, the more you work with it and the more time you spend using it, the better and more comfortable you’ll get.

Need help with your WordPress web design? We can help! We’re experts when it comes to WordPress and can give you the site you need and want. Contact us today for a free quote.