There is no debate that WordPress is one of the most widely used website creation and management programs available. It is free to download and install so the initial cost can be almost nothing. The only things you need are a domain name and your own hosting account. But what if you have a small business and don’t want to spend the time to install and maintain WordPress yourself? What if you feel that you don’t have the limited technical skills needed? Then there are plenty of services available from websites like this one that will help you for far less than the cost of hiring a programmer/developer to build you a hand-coded html site.

WordPress for Small Business Needs

WordPress can be used to handle virtually any web presence need a small business has. In addition to incorporating the well known WordPress blogging platform, WordPress is a powerful Content Management System (CMS). With WordPress you can make a website with any number of stand alone pages and content and also have a blog page where you can put up interesting and original content to keep your customers coming back to your site.

What is a Content Management System?

It is software program that lets you create and manage the pages on your web site. WordPress is one of the easiest programs available to build your web presence through a content management system. It is not only very powerful, but with the built in tools can be easily learned and used by almost anyone. WordPress can even be used to set up a traditional website that does not even include a blog. Because WordPress was designed for ease in managing changing content, a WordPress website can easily be kept at the top of the Search Engine Rankings. Changing content and frequently updated websites are loved by search engines like Google. WordPress makes it easy to publish new content without having to know a bit of computer programming. This website is using WordPress as a very simple CMS.

How Costly is a WordPress Site?

When you install, configure, and maintain a site yourself, the cost is almost free. To hire me just to install and configure WordPress so you can then take it over can cost as little as $55.00. To hire me to set up a website similar to this one and provide some initial support and training would cost only $160.00. If ongoing maintenance and support is desired so that a person can concentrate on their business and on providing fresh content for their site, monthly service and support plans start at only $49.00 per month. WordPress is a very powerful and affordable option whether you do everything yourself or hire someone to do everything for you.

If you have any questions or comments, you can leave a comment here or contact me directly. I will be happy to answer any question you may have.

The first thing to realize is that everything on this site refers to having the WordPress software installed on your own hosting plan. The website wordpress.com is something else entirely and unrelated to everything here. The site that relates to using WordPress on your own hosting service is wordpress.org. (Note the .org extension.) You will have nothing to do with the wordpress.com site, (except to register and get an API key for the two plugins that need one).

I know, it is confusing and I have no idea why it is set up this way. It is just one of those things that must be committed to memory without trying to understand why. Now if you hire me to get your website set up and running, you won’t have to worry about these sorts of things!

Back to why you should use WordPress instead of something like WordPress.com or Blogger/BlogSpot. WordPress.com and Blogger are much more limited in what they offer and in what you can do with your site. Customizations are limited and the ability to augment your site with tools and plugins does not exist.

WordPress gives you unbeatable power to do what you want to make your site your own. WordPress is also much more search engine friendly. If you want to have your own brand and web identity, then WordPress is your best choice. You also can not have your own domain on WordPress.com or Blogger. This website at either of those services would be underthewordpresstree.wordpresss.com, (or blogspot.com). That is very important for brand identity and SEO.

Every WordPress installation is unique because it can be drastically changed in pretty much any way you want. Additionally, self-hosted WordPress so flexible and powerful that it can be used as a replacement for the traditional hand coded html website. Using WordPress as a content management system, (CMS), even for sites more complicated than this one, or my Healthy Living blog, is where WordPress really shines.

Many of you do not need a complicated html site, and can get what is needed with less work and less expense by taking advantage of the flexibility and customizations available in a WordPress CMS installation. Some of you may even have an existing traditional html website that you just want a WordPress blog added to. I have done both and can help you with either need.

With a little help at the outset, WordPress can be mastered and understood. Even if you have no interest in learning the more technical aspects of installing and running a WordPress site, it is well worth it to hire someone to set it up, get it running, and do any future involved customizations or changes you might want. Someone like myself who has set up hosting service and WordPress sites numerous times, can make it quick and easy for you to get going. With a little training and some ongoing email communication, you will be comfortable in no time!

For those that have no technical interest at all and may not have even the minimal time needed to maintain a WordPress installation, I offer monthly maintenance services to keep you going full speed ahead.