WordPress web design

The best website design strategy is now WordPress website design, which has been growing in popularity over the last few years. In this post, I will try to explain why.

I, like most website designers / web developers, started designing websites using plain HTML and CSS (and later Javascript). These (static) websites, though they provided good grounding and experience, had a number of limitations.

Firstly, they were not able to display content dynamically – every image and piece of text had to be hardcoded into the HTML file.
Secondly, it was not possible for a layperson (i.e. a client) to update the content on their site. Thirdly, web development was (is) moving at a phenomenal pace and clients always demand new uses and functions; static sites were not able to readily provide solutions for eCommerce, online booking etc. Best website design practices, based on the demands of endusers, practically demand that a CMS is used.

Because of these reasons, web designers began to look at Content Management Systems (CMSs) as the basis on which to build websites. Built using PHP, CMS platforms such as Joomla, Drupal and WordPress have changed the way in which websites are constructed, as well as providing intuitive interfaces with which non-technical people can easily update the content on their website or blog. Of the CMS products available, WordPress website design is easily the most popular, currently powering about a quarter of all sites on the web.

So why use WordPress?

1. It is flexible and extendable. WordPress has a rich community of developers constantly working on plugin development, theme design, or core upgrades. If you need to add function to a website, there is almost always a plugin available that has been developed for this very use.

2. It is open source. Its complete code base is available to everyone, making it an ideal environment in which to learn and develop.

3. It is easy for a non-technical person to add content to a WordPress website – no coding skills required.

4. It is regularly updated and secure.

5. Because of the rich developer community which supports WordPress, building a website on it is very fast when compared to traditional methods.

6. Search Engine Optimistation (SEO) of a WordPress website is simplified by plugins such as that by Yoast. This allows rapid gains with less effort, when compared to traditional methods.

For the above reasons and many more, WordPress website design is fast becoming the method of choice for many web developers.