What do web developers use to build websites?

When deciding to create a website for yourself or for your business, choosing a good platform is crucial. So, what do web developers use to build websites? Do web developers use WordPress? The answer is yes – because it’s by far the most popular platform and currently powers over 30% of all websites on the internet.

WordPress is endlessly customizable and offers options from the simplest blog to the most elaborate online shop.

In this article, I explore what web developers most commonly use to build websites. Spoiler alert – it’s WordPress! I’ll spell out the reasons that make WordPress so popular as a platform, and why web developers recommend using it.

For the purists out there, a common question is whether WordPress is considered “web development”. The answer is absolutely yes, because WordPress is a platform, as opposed to a website. It’s the foundation upon which to build and develop websites.

Let’s go ahead and explore the main reasons why web developers use WordPress as their preferred platform for web development.

Quick to set up

First of all, it’s good to know why WordPress attracts so many people. Ultimately, because it’s remarkably easy to use.

Setting up a new WordPress site can take under an hour, and doesn’t require any coding language knowledge. Of course, to get your website looking exactly the way you want can take a bit of time and effort. With WordPress, you can get a basic site up and running without needing any advanced tech skills.

Global knowledge base

Over the past decade, WordPress has become extremely popular.

Everything you need to personalize your website has been likely demonstrated in a blog post or YouTube video. This is a real advantage of using such a popular platform. There is an endless source of information, countless how-tos and articles about every last feature.

Intuitive and pleasant to use

The WordPress “admin” or “backend” is where you login to customize your website. This is where you can create new pages and manage all of your media files. It may not be as sleek as some other CMS platforms, but it remains very reliable and intuitive to use.

You can easily write headings, add pictures, videos, links to social media sites, and other content. Overall, creating new pages is a simple process, which is great news if you are creating a large website.

Complete design freedom

Some popular website platforms like Squarespace and Wix are home to thousands of sites that frequently look similar. This is because people are locked-in to a limited set of specific template designs. Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between one business and the next.

This is why WordPress is more attractive because it offers customization opportunities that are essentially endless.

There is no ‘WordPress theme’. Rather, when you create a website using WordPress, you are able to choose from thousands of free and premium designs. Themes range from minimalist to colorful, fun or serious, and suit almost any creative vision.

Plugins and options for every need

WordPress is customizable by using both themes and plugins.

Plugins allow you to add interesting features to your website. For instance, creating a mailing list, survey, or enhancing its speed. Plugins also let you create an online shop, or even rank higher in search engine results.

Combine the right themes and plugins, and you’ll end up with a killer website for your business.

Easy to hire expert web developers

Do you have an elaborate vision for your website? If so, you may want to get professional help from an expert WordPress developer.

So, what do web developers use to build websites? Fortunately, many web designers and developers are proficient with WordPress. This which means finding a freelancer is relatively easy.

It’s not always plain sailing, however. Difficulties can arise if the web developer is not deeply familiar with your platform of choice.

Reach out to me if you’re looking for a WordPress expert for your next project, whether it’s a new website or performing updates to your existing site.

Heavy focus on security

As a business, securing your website should be a top-priority. WordPress contains some in-built guards that make it a naturally secure platform to build a website.

As an added bonus, there are a number of WordPress plugins designed to boost security. These are effective at protecting your website from hackers. Paid plugins generally offer more premium security options.

Hosting options for every budget

Crucially, most people don’t realize that WordPress is actually a free platform.

Granted, to get a website running, you will need to purchase a domain name and hosting. But this also means that, depending on your budget, you can choose an option that is affordable for you.

A smaller start-up may opt for cheaper hosting while a medium-to-large business may want to choose a more premium option. When starting out, it’s fine to begin with a free theme and go from there.

As your business or website grows, progressively switch to premium hosting. Some hosts also bundle beautiful website themes and advanced plugins.

Which WordPress hosting provider should you choose?

Hands down, I recommend WPEngine because of their plan pricing and superior technology. WordPress is all they do, so they’re experts.

Frequent patches & updates

Compared to other platforms, WordPress is open source and has the added benefit of being frequently updated. Because it is such a large and popular platform, there is a global team of WordPress experts constantly working to improve the product.

Importantly, this gives you some sense of comfort, as it means the core product is constantly maintained, and any problems are solved quickly.

Great SEO potential

Typically, every WordPress developer promises to deliver a world-class website. Truth is, WordPress sites will only perform well if they are set up correctly.

Most of the time, WordPress themes conform to basic SEO standards. This means they adhere to the requirements of search engines.

Best of all, WordPress lets you play and experiment with advanced options that can further enhance your SEO. Usually, this is achieved using plugins that help you optimize pages for certain keywords.

People who are serious about their SEO should still seek the assistance of a professional to come up with the best SEO strategy for their business.

A website… plus a mobile site!

In addition to being search engine-friendly, WordPress also performs well on mobile devices. It’s a great platform for creating mobile-friendly website that can be visited from any device.

Generally speaking, the vast majority of the WordPress themes are mobile-friendly out of the box. This means they will look great on mobile devices without you having to build two websites. These days, being mobile-friendly is a requirement for ranking higher in search engine results.

Owning your website

When a website is built by independent full-stack developer, you typically own the content on your site.

With other platforms, like Wix or Squarespace, things are a little different. In effect, you are paying them to create a website for you, which you then ‘rent’ from them.

If you decide to leave their platform, or stop paying, you may lose all of your content. However, on WordPress, you are free to do what you want. You can take it to another website host, sell it, or do anything you like. It’s your asset.

Summary

So, what do web developers use to build websites?

And, why are big brands like Disney, The New York Times or Sony using WordPress to power their website? And, why do web developers use WordPress as their preferred platform?

Well, precisely because of the platform’s incredible customization options.

To sum up the benefits of using WordPress to create a website, it’s a platform that is:

• easy to use
• well-documented
• customizable
• well-known by web developers
• uses common programming languages (PHP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
• safe and secure
• flexible when it comes to your budget
• frequently updated
• SEO-friendly
• mobile-friendly
• ADA accessibility features can be added
• yours to use for free… forever!

WordPress’s popularity is also what makes it such a great platform. We are talking about a virtuous circle where the better WordPress gets, the more people use it. And the more people use it, the more global resources the platform can draw upon to keep improving. This is why web developers use WordPress to build websites.

As long as WordPress remains the most popular website builder, it’s clearly your best option for creating a website that serves your business.