Hello Computer :),
As I said yesterday I came into web design via the backdoor. When we left for Costa Rica I started a little blog on this domain. (I deleted it before we came back which is something that I regret but it is not something that I can change).
My first website was WordPress and I have been a huge fan from my first site. I am not alone in loving WordPress, according to W3techs over a quarter of the world’s internet is powered by WordPress.
The main thing that I love about WordPress is that it is so easy to use. I am comfortable setting up a WordPress site for a family member or friend and letting them go explore, telling them that the chances are that they will not be able to break something that I cannot fix. (I have not been wrong YET!)
I love how easy it is to customize and the huge amount of resources available. WordPress websites are beautiful and have some truly significant users. (CNN runs on WordPress, so does Forbes). There are over two thousand themes available through WordPress and over 40,000 plugins.
WordPress sites are also well coded. You will never find a WordPress site nested inside a table (unlike some other sites, including ones offering web design in South Africa). In a 2012 Official Google Webmaster blog post about the importance of using semantic markup, clarifying that doing so means using markup according to its meaning and purpose. In 2015 there really is no excuse to be using a table for layout..HTML for structure, CSS for presentation. (Here ends my little rant).
The fact that WordPress sites are well coded means that they are search engine friendly, and plugins like Yoast SEO make them even more so. (Search Engine Optimisation is not evil when it is done right, at its essence it is about connecting people with what they are interested in).
I love the WordPress community. The people who are involved in making WordPress are generally friendly and helpful and kind. They are so friendly in fact that after my first WordPress Joburg meetup I have volunteered to talk at the next one (eeek!).
Because WordPress has such a large community, it is a secure and robust platform. When vulnerabilities are discovered they are quickly fixed and deployed.
WordPress as a platform is free…which means that there are not exorbitant licensing fees that act as a barrier to entry. If you put in the time and effort you can have a beautiful site that you create yourself, if you don’t want to there are plenty of people who you can pay to help you out with the site.
WordPress is a wonderful platform because it has embraced the philosophy of an open web…it is easy to use and has a fantastic community. These days if you are getting started on the web there really is not a better place to start.
Love and motivations,
Trisha