Why choose WordPress to create a website?

One of the first decisions we face when creating a website is to choose which software to use to create and manage the website.

Site builders

For those who have no technical knowledge or are just entering the internet world for the first time, there are solutions offered by the major hosting providers that make it very easy to create a website.

These website builders are software solutions based on preset templates and the website manager only has to choose the name of the website or domain, and decide which of the proposed graphics looks best.

The advantages of this solution: ease to use and speed. A graphic interface allows you to choose a template, upload text and images and in a few minutes you can publish a website, without the need for technical knowledge.

The disadvantages: the rigidity of the pre-set templates, which prevent unforeseen customisation and make it difficult to implement additional services such as managing a newsletter or displaying pdf files on the pages of the site. 

Furthermore, the transferability of the website is not guaranteed in the event of a change of supplier or technology. Each supplier uses their own website builder, which is not compatible with similar competitive products.

Once the supplier of the all-in-one solution has been chosen, we are bound to that supplier, unless we are willing to rebuild the whole site from scratch.

Content Management Systems or CMSs

A more challenging but certainly more flexible solution is to create and manage the website using a software from the Content Management System category.

These softwares, or rather CMSs, make it possible to create and manage a website while at the same time offering the manager a good margin to manoeuvre.

In fact, it is possible to set up your own graphics or use one of the many themes available, add plugins to manage newsletters, display pdf files and solve specific situations.

The most famous and reliable CMSs adopt open-source licences, they have a very large user base, they are frequently updated and it is very easy to find solutions to any problems related to the site or new additional functions that can be implemented by installing a plugin.

The downside of using a CMS is the learning curve. It is necessary to assimilate the use of a new tool, to discover its faults and merits and this means time.

It is not possible to establish how much time is needed regardless. However, the time spent in the initial phase is amply repaid in terms of the simplicity of management.

Which CMS to choose between Drupal, Joomla and WordPress?

At present, according to the statistics of w3techs.com , WordPress is the absolute leader in the Content Management System category with a 64.8% share of the market. Its main direct competitors, Drupal and Joomla, are unable to reach this share even when their shares are combined.

Both WordPress, Joomla and Drupal are open source projects, based on the PHP language and using MySql as a database. Another common feature is the structure centred on themes for the graphic aspect and extensions (plugins) for the addition of functionality. 

Drupal, like Joomla, can boast an administration interface that is more attractive than that of WordPress. Drupal also offers a very detailed management of access security, but has a certain complexity of use.

The supremacy of WordPress has been undisputed for several years, fuelled by its greater simplicity of use for those who manage the website and by a very large number of users who have in turn created groups and forums on the internet with discussions, manuals, tips and tricks useful to WordPress users.

The result of this greater popularity is a greater number of developers than the competition, developers who are constantly creating new graphic themes and plugins to offer new additional functions.

That’s why choose wordpress to create a website in my opinion.