When it was first developed back in 2003, WordPress was originally intended to be used as a blogging platform, and it certainly works very well as one, however, it didn’t take long before the blogging community, and many others, realised that in fact WordPress could also be used for a very different purpose. WordPress was a fantastic platform on which just about any type of website you could possibly imagine could be created.
According to a survey carried out by WordPress themselves, 69% of current WordPress users use it as a CMS, whilst 20% use it as a hybrid blog / CMS and only 6% yes that right just a tiny 6%, use it solely as a blog platform; what an about turn for something that is popularly thought of as being a blogging platform. But this evolution in its usage is quite logical when you look at it, there is a fantastic range of different types of websites that can easily be built on WordPress. Let us have a little look at just a few of those different types.
Personal Websites
To some extent, this could be considered to just simply be an extension of a blog, however, WordPress is a powerful CMS with plenty of tools that back it up. A blog might be the first step for many, but over time they might find it simpler, to create a personal website which will give them the options to do so much more. Blogging has really taken off over the years with some bloggers gaining thousands of followers; it stands to reason that the more polished and sophisticated style of a website, where they can share even more, and still publish the blog posts, would be a natural progression.
Business Websites
That’s right, WordPress has come a long way over the years and thanks to the huge number of plugins that are available it really isn’t hard to see why it is such a popular platform for the business website. Nowadays customer expectation is that a company will have a website, and WordPress is easy to use way for anyone to launch a professional looking website. It isn’t just small businesses that are using it, though, some really big brand names are well and truly aboard the WordPress bandwagon, just take a look at this list.
E-Commerce
Shopping in real life, being able to get out and about is great, but busy people lead hectic lives, and sometimes it just isn’t practical to trawl the shops looking for something. Over the years, online stores have become increasingly popular, whether you know what you are looking for, and even if you are browsing for that “I will know it when I see it” item, they are open all the time and you can make your purchases from the comfort of your own home. In some cases, these online stores are an extension of a real-life store, but for others, they are purely internet based. With a fantastic array of tools available to WordPress users, it’s easy to see why they would choose it as a platform for their e-commerce websites. It’s easy to set up, easy to manage and offers all the functionality you require. There are even plenty of free WordPress plugins like WooCommerce (although its extensions are not free) that can make the whole e-commerce process simple.
Non-profit organisations
If you are not in the business of making a profit, then it stands to reason you will want a website that doesn’t cost you too much to set up or maintain. WordPress is incredibly popular with churches and other non-profit organisations all over the world for this very reason. There are even WordPress plugins that allow you to add a donation form to your website and a PayPal donate button.
Schools and Colleges
Bland and boring school websites can cheerfully be consigned to the past with WordPress – it’s safe, easy to use and manage and of course, it is secure. As colleges and schools begin to offer a greater selection of subjects a website that they can easily update is not just a great way of letting parents know what they are up to but also any potential pupils and their parents as well.
Online communities
When people want answers, they usually want them fast, and there is typically an online community who can help you. Normally run by a group of volunteers who have other demands on their time, it is important that these sites are easy to set up, maintain and add to when necessary. Again, there are plenty of plugins specifically designed for online forums.
These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the sort of websites that can be built using WordPress. But with big brand names and world renowned universities using WordPress as their CMS, it stands to reason that this is no longer just a blogging tool, but a CMS to be reckoned with.
