Do you know that a blog can be just like any other website?
And do you know that you can create "normal" website with WordPress instead of "just blogs"?
Yeah, there's a lot to blogs and blogging that doesn't meet the eye and there's a whole lot more to WordPress than just blogging and blogs, just like there are incredible misconceptions around about blogs and what they are about..
How You Can Take WordPress Beyond Blogging
First, you must understand that WordPress is much more than a "blogging tool" and that "blog" is not a diary that some teenage girl writes about her life.
Blogging is a way to share information and with WordPress you can do it without technical obstacles, so you can concentrate on the content, instead of technical tasks. Unlike many think, blogs are not just for someone to share their opinions and thoughts, e.g. online diary or log (thus, weblog) - a blog can be anything you want and over time it'll be hard to distinguish the difference between a blog and the website next to it..
Almost everyone thinks that blog is only some kind of "special" website, somehow different than a "normal" website.. Although this is probably true for the free blog publishing platforms like blogspot.com or WordPress.com, with self-hosted WordPress you can think beyond blogging - if you want. So in that sense, there is no difference between a blog and a website anymore (if there ever was)..
Even people aware of WordPress think of it as blogging platform, and don't think about the content management aspect. In WordPress.org, the WordPress description starts with "WordPress is a state-of-the-art publishing platform", but then the talk quickly jumps to blogging, which is kind of a shame as WordPress is much, much more!
- Need to set up a one page / sales page website? check.
- Need to have Search Engine Optimized website from the start? check.
- Need to set up a magazine like website? check.
- Need to add new content easily and without any "computer skills"? check.
- Need to have a great looking website with zero design by you? check.
And the list goes on, the versatility, power and ease of use of WordPress doesn't stop to amaze me..
Yes, there's much more to these tools than just blogging - That's because WordPress, Joomla or even Blogger are content management systems first, blogging platforms second. If you ask me, you CAN and SHOULD build ALL YOUR WEBSITES with WordPress.
I can't recommend the other content management systems because I haven't used them, more and less because there has not been a reason for it, because WordPress is so good and best there is, in my opinion that is and according to pretty much all other probloggers out there.
If you for some reason choose another tool than WordPress, that can work equally well - as long as you're taking the step away from static websites towards modern days of content management and separate design, you're doing it right..
You Don't Have To Be a Web Designer to Build a Website
It doesn't matter if you're starting a blog, setting up a website or creating a one page sales page, do it with WordPress. It's free and very, very powerful content management tool that is way more than a blogging platform..
WordPress is THE EASIEST way to set up your very own website that you can be proud of. Setting up a website with WordPress is so easy that anyone can do it, and if you don't feel like it, there are plenty of reasonably priced persons out there that can set the foundation for your website fast.
Like said, do not think you MUST start a blog to use WordPress. Even if you're building "one-page" website, DO IT WITH WORDPRESS.
You can have WordPress website running in 5 minutes, if you have a domain and hosting already. If you don't, getting one takes about 15 minutes, depending on service provider, so let's say that you can have a website running in 30-60 minutes.
And if you ever need to edit ANYTHING, you can, without destroying the whole thing or paying someone a lot of money to tweak your website.
Setting Up a Website in 7 Easy Steps
- Get your own hosting and register a domain
- I recommend DreamHost, the host I use and the host I've been extremely happy with them
- Get WordPress installed
- With DreamHost, and many other hosting services, you can install WordPress with one click!
- If one-click-install is not available, you'll have to download and install WordPress yourself
- Not too hard, but unnecessary as your host really should have one-click service for you..
- Optimize the WordPress Settings and tweak the default settings
- Install the Essential WordPress Plugins
- Get a WordPress Theme and activate it
- At the start, use the free WordPress themes (thousands of them to choose from),
- Get a customizable WP premium theme, or
- Get ready made one from Unique Blog Designs or StudioPress.
- Create Content
- e.g. Write a Post or Create a Page.
- Publish
See - Building a website isn't very hard when you look at it in small chunks and not as gigantic operation you must plan carefully..
And if you want to concentrate on creating content, get someone to set the site up for you (just remember that setting up a website doesn't cost thousands of dollars!) and keep writing content that you can add right away when the website is up and running.
