15 Reasons for Having a WordPress Business Website

Why You Should Consider a WordPress Business Website

It is 2019, and your business needs an effective and engaging website. That part is pretty clear to all the business owners we know. But what kind of website should you get? That is where things get confusing for most business owners. Not all websites are created equally. There are free, or very low-cost options, but they generally don’t work very well. You do get what you pay for!

Some websites are very time-consuming and expensive to maintain, which is not a good option for cost-conscious business owners. Some website options are simply too expensive for the average business owner. But there is a great alternative, a WordPress business website.

Our team recommends mobile-first WordPress business websites as a standard option for our business clients. We have created WordPress business websites for all kinds of businesses and applications, and we never had an unhappy customer. WordPress is a budget-friendly content management system (CMS) that is ideal for any business. It is easy enough for a novice without any coding or HTML experience to use and update. But it also offers an array of helpful tools and extensions that can give your WordPress business website the look and functionality it needs to convert your website visitors.

An Eye-Opening WordPress Fact You Should Know

According to W3 Techs, WordPress is used by 33% of all websites, and on 61% of sites using a content management system (CMS). Keep in mind that approximately 71% of all websites do not use a CMS at all. That makes WordPress a pillar of the internet. Of course, it helps that the WordPress platform is frequently updated with new features, functionality, and ways to keep your WordPress business websites save from hackers and other cyber threats.

However, there is one thing we really need to point out. Just because you have a WordPress business website does not mean that you will automatically be able to do everything you want. WordPress can be complicated, and there is a definite learning curve. As our good friend and renowned WordPress expert and consultant Bob Dunn put it: “Yes, WordPress is super easy, once you know how to use it!”

So you need to be realistic with your expectations, or you may end up over your head, or with a broken website. Neither option is good for your business. We recommend that you work with a WordPress designer or trainer to show you how to do it right, and take it one step at a time. We promise you will meet your actual business objectives and have more fun doing it that way!

15 Reasons for Having a WordPress Business Website

There are many reasons why a WordPress business website is an obvious choice. We already mentioned the frequent updates and newly added features, and the popularity of the WordPress platform overall. It is impossible to even begin to scratch the surface of why a WordPress business website works better than other alternatives in a single blog post.

Instead, we thought about the priorities business owners have for their websites, and how WordPress makes that easier on you. For most business owners we know their business website represents a major business investment. Which means it not only needs to support their short and long-term business objectives; it needs to provide actual measurable business results. Having a WordPress website for their business will help them achieve both objectives. Here is why!

1 – Content Management System (CMS)

WordPress is a very powerful CMS, which provides business owners with a range of valuable options. You have direct control over the content you publish, such as blog posts, updates to pages or product galleries, or adding a new service. This eliminates the cost and time involved in waiting for your web developer to make changes for you. One of our clients waited 17 months before they had enough, and reached out to us!

2 – Extendable

Business websites, especially new ones, tend to be fairly small and basic. After all, you only need a few basic website pages to get your online presence started. But business websites do evolve over time. Perhaps you want to add e-commerce functionality to your WordPress business website. Or you may want to offer subscription or membership based content. Regardless of what your vision may be, having a WordPress website greatly increases your available options.

Adding pages and functionality to any WordPress website is fairly straightforward. All it usually takes is installing the required functionality. Most often that is done by simply installing a required plugin. In some cases, you may need to configure plugins or extensions for your specific needs. If you feel uncomfortable doing that there are many WordPress designers and agencies who can help you.

Once you have the required functionality on your WordPress business website you simply need to add the required content to it. Most often that includes text, an image or two, and a call to action. If you have an e-commerce site you will also need to add a shopping cart and payment gateway. Of course, you will also want to avoid some common e-commerce mistakes.

3 – GDPR Compliant

Ever since 2018 business owners have to comply with the General Data Protection Rules or GDPR. Unfortunately, many business owners are not even aware of this regulation, what it is, or what exactly they need to do. If you have a WordPress website complying with GDPR is actually fairly simple and straightforward.

Even better, WordPress actually offers suggestions for what website owners should include in their privacy policies and terms of service statements. If you use plugins on your WordPress website it will even show you what you need to include to cover data and other info collected by contact forms and email opt-ins.

4 – Affordable

The greatest website solution is of no value if you can’t afford it, isn’t it? Lucky for you, unlike some costly website designs that require a lot of coding, a WordPress business website is very cost-effective, even for small business owners. There are tens of thousands of plugins, themes, and extensions that allow you to configure your website just the way you like.

And many of them are free or cost less than $ 100.00, so you can try a few without blowing your budget before you even get started. And because WordPress business websites are easy to manage yourself they will save you money on website maintenance in the long run as well.

5 – Mobile-First

Ever since 2016 mobile visitors outnumber desktop visitors to any website. And if you operate an online store that percentage is even higher. Add the fact that mobile consumers are ever more demanding and sophisticated, and you will quickly realize the need for a mobile-first website!

In 2019 WordPress includes many features that will enable you to actually create a mobile-first website. This means you will provide the best possible user experience to ever more demanding mobile consumers. Of course, this means you also provide an awesome experience for your desktop visitors!

WordPress will automatically detect the screen size of your visitors’ browser and display the appropriate mobile version of your website. Mobile-First WordPress websites also get indexed by Google’s new Mobile-First Index. So what more do you want?

6 – Optimized for Page Speed

In 2019 websites need to load in less than 3 seconds if they are to provide an acceptable user experience. If your business or e-commerce site takes longer than that you risk losing your website visitors to your competitors. WordPress websites are page speed optimized to start. And you can achieve even better results by adding performance optimization plugins and using a dedicated WordPress hosting service like WPEngine or Kinsta.

We do need to point out that some WordPress themes can have very bloated website code. This is especially true for outdated and free themes. So once again we caution you to choose your WordPress theme carefully. If you are not sure, ask questions before you decide.

7 – Security Features

You probably heard that WordPress is the most hacked CMS out there. And you heard correctly! But you also need to understand what it is that you are hearing. As we mentioned earlier in this post, WordPress powers 33% of all websites and 60% of all CMS websites. That makes it a huge, and very tempting, target for hackers. But most hacked WordPress websites simply asked for it.

If your WordPress website has no security features and is hosted on a cheap web host you are asking for trouble. But securing your WordPress website is fairly simple. The first step is to move it to a secure website host. After that, you can install security software that will protect your site, as well as monitor it for any security threats. We recommend Wordfence and Sucuri as your best options. Both have free versions if you are concerned about money.

8 – SEO Friendly

Just about every business owner we talk to tells us they want to be on the first page of Google for their keywords or phrases. And WordPress right out of the box is very SEO friendly. It is packed with tools that help boost your website exposure. And by adding SEO plugins like All in One SEO or Yoast SEO you can further boost your search visibility.

If you are using Google Analytics or the Google Search Console having a WordPress business website provides a few additional benefits. By adding a Google Search Console plugin such as Monster Insights you can actually track your visitors’ on-site behavior and your search statistics right from your WordPress dashboard!

All you have to do is to create unique and relevant content with appropriate keywords. If you are not sure how to do that check out our post on SEO Copywriting: Tips for Writing Content that Ranks. Upload your content to your WordPress business website, and it will have the potential to land high in the rankings of search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

9 – Social Media Integration

Social media is another great way for businesses to gain exposure. By combining social media with an effective business website you can drive more traffic to your website, and gain new customers. And WordPress makes it super easy to integrate your social profiles in your WordPress business website.

You can simply add the icons linking to your social profiles, or you may want to make it easy for visitors to share your content on their own social channels. And some social media plugins even provide you with analytics so you can see how well you engage with your audience. Here is a list of the top social media plugins for WordPress to help you get started.

10 – Easy for Newbies

We always tell our clients that if they can use Microsoft Word and uploaded an image to Facebook they can manage their own WordPress business website relatively easy. Just to be clear, we are talking about updating your content, not changing the design. WordPress uses a simple browser-based interface that is very intuitive to use. And the introduction of the Gutenberg Editor in WordPress 5.0 makes it even easier.

You do not need to understand HTML, coding, or anything like that to simply post content on your site. But if you are still uncertain as to what it takes to maintain your own WordPress website fear not! Help, in the form of videos, tutorials, online forums, etc. is only a few clicks away.

Don’t forget, back in 2005 WordPress was developed as a way to make things easier for bloggers. Now, look at what happened! 14 years later WordPress is the CMS of choice for Nasa, CNN, Jay Z, and the Rolling Stones!

11 – Easy Blog Integration

We may have mentioned this once or twice before, so tune out if you heard this already. The rest of you, pay attention! Blogging is the single most effective way to drive traffic to your website and increased engagement and conversions. WordPress started out with bloggers in mind.

It offers a number of great tools for blogs that you can incorporate directly in your WordPress business website. There are a number of options that you can configure to create the perfect blog for your business. And here is another benefit for having a blog on your business website; it lets you show the human or personal side of your business.

12 – Content Scheduling

Business owners are busy, and therefore they need to manage their time efficiently. Many of them create a few updates or blog posts all at the same time, but they don’t want to publish everything at once. Don’t worry, your WordPress business website has you covered. WordPress allows you to create and upload as much content as you like, and then create a publication schedule for each post.

And here is an added little benefit for you busy business owners. Connect your WordPress business website to WordPress.com via Jetpack and get additional benefits such as automatically linking to related posts, and publishing your posts across your social channels automatically. Pretty slick, if you ask me!

13 – RSS Feeds

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds are a great way to promote your website content, such as your blog posts. With RSS feeds your readers will get all of your updates as soon as you post them with the RSS feeder tool in WordPress. It is super easy to set up and allows your readers to read your content via email or newsletter.

14 – Community Management

In 2019 having a static online presence is simply not going to work any longer. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it is true. Your website visitors and prospective clients expect to engage with you online. By having a WordPress business website you already have the power to lead the discussions, via blog posts, Q&A sessions, articles, live chats, or whichever way you choose.

You are in complete control to approve and delete comments, leave comment sections open or close them, control which comments are shown, and even add extra layers of protection from spambots.

15 – Future Proof

Do you know what the future of website design and functionality will hold? Of course not. None of us really do. Even top web design agencies like ESPRESSO.digital can only make an educated guess as to what will happen later this year, next year, or 5 years from now. But by using WordPress we can pretty much guarantee that your business website will be covered!

If you have a WordPress website and keep it updated you will automatically benefit from future WordPress updates. The same goes for WordPress themes, plugins and extensions. And keeping your WordPress Business website update is easy, and doesn’t take much time. You can perform or schedule your own updates, or benefit from having a website maintenance plan in place.

Getting a WordPress Business Website

Now that you know the reasons for having a WordPress business website you should start thinking of getting one for your business. If you already have a WordPress site for your business you should be pretty much good to go. Most likely one or two tweaks based on the above is all it will take.

If you do not have a WordPress business website or no business website at all, you have some work ahead of you. Luckily there are plenty of resources available to you, based on your own skills, needs, and budget.

Basic Requirements/Low Budget

If you only have a small budget you are best off starting with an existing WordPress theme, and simply adding your logo and content. I highly recommend that you do not use a free theme. Support is usually not available, you may not have all the files you need, and the overall quality and usability of your site will be very limited.

Instead, purchase a premium WordPress theme from a theme developer like Elegant Themes or a theme repository like ThemeForest. We recommend using a modular framework such as Divi, which allows you to build just about any kind of WordPress business website you can imagine. Check out different options and see which one most closely matches your needs. Always be sure to check comments and reviews, and ask questions before you buy.

Advanced Requirements/Mid-Range Budget

If you have more advanced requirements such as e-commerce capabilities, custom forms, or optimized landing pages for each product or service you can do all of that with WordPress. As long as you have purchased an appropriate premium theme you can start creating exactly the site you need.

Once you have a theme you can add custom functionality through the use of extensions and plugins. Currently, there are over 34,000 WordPress extensions, so there has to be one for you. Check out a few essential WordPress plugins for business websites to get some ideas.

We do need to point out that customizing an existing WordPress theme, changing the design and adding a lot of functionality, can quickly exceed the skills of many business owners. Most often they give up in frustration, leaving a broken or unfinished site behind. There is a better way, hire a WordPress designer or developer to help you create the site you need. It will be faster, cheaper, and the site will work better.

Completely Custom Requirements/High-End Budget

For the sake of this post, I will assume that your budget has limitations. Therefore I will not even mention the design and development of a custom WordPress theme. The cost of creating their own, unique WordPress theme is well beyond the marketing budgets of even some larger companies.

Some clients contact us regarding a custom WordPress site. When we mention the costs involved they usually realize that using an existing theme and customizing it will provide the same results at a fraction of the cost. However, if you are interested in discussing the design and development of a custom WordPress theme please contact us.

We Build WordPress Websites!

Here at ESPRESSO.digital, we offer a full range of WordPress business website services, including WordPress web design and development, e-commerce solutions, search engine optimization, and technical support services. Contact us to learn more about our small business digital marketing services, and how our team can help you get a WordPress business website yourself.

Do You Have a WordPress Business Website?

Are you using WordPress for your business or e-commerce website? If so, how is it working out for you? Have you experienced any specific benefits from having a WordPress business website? Has it simplified managing your online presence for you and your team? If not, what is your primary reason for not having a WordPress business website? And what would help you to change your mind? Please feel free to let us know so our audience can benefit as well, and grab our feed so you don’t miss our next post! And feel free to share our post with your audience!

Thank you! We appreciate your help to end bad business websites, one pixel at a time!

By ESPRESSO Team Mobile-first experts translating innovative web design ideas into measurable business results! @ESPRESSOcreates