What is WordPress?
WordPress is a CMS (Content Management System) based on PHP and MySQL. It is free and open source. For WordPress to work it needs to be hosted on a server that supports it. To host WordPress your host will need:
- PHP version 7.2 or greater
- My SQL v 5.6 or greater (MariaDB V12 will also work)
- HTTPS Support
Our HostONE package meets these requirements.
WordPress further relies on plugins and a Theme. A theme is the framework on which your website is build and also responsible for the look and feel of your website.
WordPress.com vs WordPress.org
WordPress.com is WordPress’s paid service, you can get a free blog but if you would like to create a professional website or use your own domain you need to upgrade to a yearly subscription.
WordPress.org is where we obtain WordPress Software to install on your server, it also showcases various free and premium WordPress Plugins and Themes. This is not the only place where you can obtain Themes and Plugins for WordPress, we often head over to ThemeForest for these
What type of website can be created with WordPress?
With hundreds of Thousand WordPress Themes and Plugins one can create any type of WordPress website imaginable. Developers from around the world contribute their plugins which extends functionality. There are plugins for everything, Galleries, Sliders, Auctions, Directories, Lightboxes, Security, Newsletters, Images Sliders and much much more.. Quick example, a basic contact form is in fact a php plugin added to a website, these plugins can do literally anything web related.
Why do we use WordPress and why use us when you can do it yourself?
We make no secret of the fact that we build our websites with WordPress. With lots of time and effort we could code a website for you, but time is money, using WordPress enables us to quickly develop a website for you. This is what makes it possible for us to offer cost effective websites in the quickest possible time. WordPress further enables our clients to manage content, load new products to their shop and make changes to their sites on their own, while we are always standing by for support.
Yes. You can do this yourself, but by using experienced developers like us you will save a lot of time and money. We know the ins and outs of WordPress, which plugins and themes to avoid and where to get the best deals. Not just that, we carry your best interest at heart, we are transparent in our dealings and we put your needs first.
WordPress updates, are they good or bad?
The one and only downside by using WordPress is that WordPress is software and all software needs periodical updates, not only to add new functionality, but more often to fix new security vulnerabilities. We evolve, we get better, faster and smarter, but this means that our threats evolve too. WordPress is popular and also a popular target for cyber criminals.
I would say yes! Updates are good. You can do these updates yourself or you can ask us to do it for you, just make sure your WordPress website gets an update every so often.
Free vs premium WordPress Plugins and Themes?
90% of the time we found that a free plugin is merely a try-before-you-buy deal, you may use some of the plugin’s features but if you need more, you need to purchase a license for the plugin.
In the case of themes, there are thousands of free themes, we do not use free themes at all because they are not fully customisable. We could dig into the code and edit some files, but we found that this process takes a lot longer and we end up billing our clients more than the premium theme would cost. The biggest risk here is that future theme upgrades may override our custom changes.
If you need to save money on a theme, we recently discovered The7 WordPress theme selling at only $39 – it is packed with extra features and premium plgins too. Check it out here.
