Building a website from scratch is a daunting task. Imagine having to learn about coding, programming, and web content optimization. Will your content rank higher on search engines? Will your website provide the best user experience? How about content management?
There are two ways to go about website creation. You can either choose to develop your site through coding or use a content management system (CMS) such as WordPress.
The Difference Between a Website and a CMS
Contrary to popular beliefs, WordPress is not a website. There is a world of difference between WordPress and a website. WordPress has more functionalities compared to a website because it is a CMS. CMS is software that provides a platform for users to create, manage, and format content. Both web and enterprise content is managed on the CMS.
On the other hand, a website is a collection of webpages with related content contained in the same domain. With the CMS, you can create a website without having to code. You get to design your website using built-in templates and plugins.
What sets apart WordPress from a website is that WordPress can do so much more.
Web Building
Developing a website from scratch requires advanced coding languages. It is coding your site into existence, which calls for expertise in web development. Furthermore, you can only have one website with one domain on this platform.
On the flip side, WordPress is a platform that powers over 30% of websites on the internet. One in every three websites you come across on the internet uses WordPress. Thanks to the software’s core codes, an ecosystem of plugins, and themes, you can create a website on this platform.
Programming
No programming knowledge is required to build a website on WordPress. The open-source CMS is free software that allows users to modify it according to their preferences. You do not need to know or understand coding. The in-built templates and themes enable you to customize your site the way you want.
On the other hand, building a website from scratch requires programming knowledge. You have to hire the services of a web designer familiar with coding to create, modify, add or remove content and features on your site.
User Experience
WordPress is an intuitive software that simplifies the process of web design. Its user experience design is inclusive of user interaction design, information architecture, and visual design. The features make the software user friendly. Its customizable design templates can be strategically placed on your site to create captivating aesthetics.
A coded website will only provide a great user experience depending on the code’s work. A web designer has to envision everything from scratch and modify it according to your preferences. Although it offers one of a kind creations, the cost is much higher. A lot of time is spent on the development process as well.
Responsive Design
WordPress themes and templates are compatible with mobile devices. The templates change depending on the screen size or width of the browser or device orientation. The software’s responsive web design eliminates redundancies. The final responsive design website outlook fits perfectly on a computer screen, tablet, and mobile screen.
When you are designing a website from scratch, you will have to factor in responsive web design. You have to code your site to accommodate all types of screens. Using a responsive website builder is the best option in this case.
Web Design Complexity
WordPress as a web-building platform can accommodate both simple and complex websites. It streamlines and automates many functions in web development.
Static websites are the most basic websites. Each page is coded in HTML and published on the webserver. The webpages of a static website have fixed content, and a webmaster modifies this content.
Static websites do not require programming or web design. Nonetheless, with WordPress, a static website with a couple of pages is easily modified using templates. The templates also provide design consistency throughout the site.
The opposite of a static website is a dynamic website. Dynamic websites are complex and contain many pages. It is not feasible to create dynamic websites using fixed HTML codes. The modification process of these pages quickly becomes a daunting task. Large websites require dynamic pages that use a database record to automate the modification process.
WordPress is an excellent platform for making dynamic content. It displays interactive content depending on the user, time, and location. Editing occurs on the back end and is updated on the site without the need for coding.
Web Designers and CMS
WordPress is easy to use. You need little to no web building or designing experience to build a website with WordPress. However, having a web designer is an added advantage.
The expertise of a web developer helps you to acquire the right plugins, templates, web host. Furthermore, this expert understands the information contained in WordPress Codex. You can obtain the right features and functions for your website with a web developer on your corner.
A lot more work goes into coding a website from scratch. It is much more expensive and time-consuming. You cannot do the work alone. You must hire the services of a web developer.
Additionally, your website design and content management impact your site’s performance on search engines. Having a web designer on your corner helps you produce search engine optimized content, making you rank higher on search engines.
Search Engine Optimization Tools
Optimizing a website is not for the weak. A lot goes into optimizing a site to rank on search engines. Your site needs to be secure and safe. It’s speed and performance also need to be fast and reliable. There are also multiple strategies like using quality backlinks, keyword placement, content management, and so forth.
Grasping the intricacies of SEO cannot be achieved overnight. Doing it on a website created from scratch requires the input of an expert. As for WordPress, there are tools and plugins available to help you with SEO. Additionally, the CMS’s themes are made to accommodate certain aspects of optimization like speed and security. Nevertheless, both approaches require constant learning to keep up with optimization trends.
Blogging Tools
A Blog is a type of website that is updated regularly or with every blog entry. A website contains mostly static pages. You can create a blog and a website or a website with a blog on WordPress. The changes of a dynamic blog webpage are easy to modify on WordPress. There is no additional coding required or back-end work to add information on your blog site. For a stand-alone website, you may need to learn tips and tricks to update information without interfering with the HTML code.
The Relevance of a CMS From 2020 and Beyond
WordPress is much more relevant today as the world shifts most of its operations online. The platform simplifies web development and design with all the tools, integrations, plugins, and themes. WordPress eliminates costs and time wasted to learn programming languages to create, manage and format web content. It takes the lead for its simplified, relevant, and cost-effective approach to web development.
