Understanding WordPress: A Guide for Beginners and Professionals

WordPress is more than just a tool for creating websites. It is a powerful content management system (CMS) that can help you create everything from a simple blog to complex professional websites. In this guide, you will learn what WordPress is, why it is so popular, and how you can use it effectively.

Key Insights

• WordPress is a content management system that simplifies the creation and management of websites.
• It has a market share of 61% among CMS-based websites in Germany.
• Well-known brands like Ubisoft and Rolling Stone magazine use WordPress.
• You can choose between WordPress.org for self-hosting and WordPress.com for hosting.
• The WordPress community offers numerous themes and plugins to extend functionalities.

Step-by-Step Guide

What is a CMS?

A content management system (CMS) greatly simplifies the creation and management of websites. Without a CMS, you would have to create all individual files and write the code for your website manually. This means you would need to deal with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. A CMS like WordPress automates many of these tasks and provides you with a visual editor where your changes are immediately visible.

The History of WordPress

Originally, WordPress started as a tool for creating blogs. However, over the years, it has evolved significantly and now offers a variety of features and possibilities that make it one of the most popular CMS worldwide.

The Market Share of WordPress

According to hostpress.de, WordPress has a market share of nearly 61% among CMS-based websites in Germany. When we consider all websites, WordPress falls below half, which illustrates its popularity and widespread usage.

Examples of WordPress Users

Well-known brands like Rolling Stone magazine and Ubisoft use WordPress for their websites. These examples show that WordPress is not only suitable for small blogs but also for large companies that need high-quality and complex websites.

Getting to Know the WordPress Platform

If you're dealing with WordPress, you will likely come across wordpress.com and wordpress.org. Let's first clarify the differences. WordPress.org is the platform from which you download the software. You need this if you rent a hosting service that does not offer one-click installation of WordPress.

The WordPress Community and Its Resources

The WordPress community is active and constantly developing new themes and plugins. Important plugins, such as WooCommerce, enable the creation of online shops or the integration of legal features such as cookie banners. The community also provides resources like a photo database from which you can use images.

WordPress Hosting

WordPress.com, on the other hand, refers to the hosting options that take care of many aspects of managing your website for you. With this option, it is usually not necessary to worry about the technical infrastructure. However, if you want complete control over your website, WordPress.org is the right choice for you.

Domain and Webspace

To create a WordPress site, you need webspace or a server where the data generated by WordPress will be stored. You also need a domain, meaning a web address under which your site can be accessed. These points are crucial for presenting your website on the internet.

Summary – Everything You Need to Know About WordPress

WordPress is a versatile and powerful CMS that is suitable for many different types of websites. From small blogs to large corporate sites, there are numerous possibilities that you can implement with WordPress. The choice between wordpress.com and wordpress.org, as well as the integration of plugins and themes, offers you unlimited creative freedom.