Using WordPress to build business websites is probably one of the easiest and smartest things you can do. Not only is 
WordPress designed to help showcase your content, it is also set up in such a way to help with Search Engine Optimization so that pages of your site get indexed by the search engines. It is also simple to set up and configure to reflect you business’ unique personality.
You can set up your site either through WordPress.com or WordPress.org. The main difference between the two is that WordPress.com sites are officially hosted by WordPress and wordPress.org sites are self hosted. So while you can get a site up and running online for absolutely no cost with WordPress.com, it has limitations as far as features and what you can do with the site. A major limitation and drawback is that the web address will look like this, www.yourdomainname.wordpress.com, which from a professional standpoint, can be considered less credible. While I would not recommend this option for business websites, it can be a good starting point for anyone getting started with a simple personal blog.
While WordPress.org is also free to use, you will need to supply the hosting service and you will need to purchase a domain name. However, you can easily pick up a domain name for less than $10 per year and hosting for as little as $5-$10 per month. I personally use HostGator for my web hosting and NameCheap as my domain registrar, but GoDaddy is another popular service many choose to use. Although these are added costs, the price you’re paying to get your business website up and running with unlimited freedom and flexibility is really inexpensive and in my opinion, worth every cent of the small investment.
Domain registrars and web hosting companies are fairly competitive with features and cost so who you decide to go with will more than likely be a matter of personal preference. However, I would strongly suggest that you consider using a hosting company that offers Cpanel. Cpanel is a back office application that makes the installation of many website features easy and manageable. If the hosting that you choose also offers Fantastico (which it usually will if it also offers Cpanel) then it just got even easier. Fantastico enables you to install WordPress into the root directory of your website with a few simple clicks of the mouse. Just follow the directions once you login to Cpanel and you are ready to go.
Once the WordPress software is ready to be used on your site, you have the option of making your site look more like a regular static website or having it work like a blog, or both. Depending on what your business is, any of these options will work great and help you to generate traffic.
Presenting a professional site is important and WordPress has many features that make this easy. The variety of themes and templates that are available help your business to be unique, while professionally and creatively showing what you and your business are all about. The use of plugins also adds to your web presence and extends the capabilities of your website for both your visitors and the search engines. There are for example, plugins that can make your website more interactive for your visitors, more secure, and even help with tracking statistics and analytics for better web usage.
WordPress is flexible, easy to install, free to use and is designed for visibility with search engines and your customers. With a growing range of plugins and themes, WordPress makes it easy to build business websites that are interactive, interesting and unique.
Still don’t know where to start? I can help not only build business websites and/or business blogs, but market them so they get indexed by the search engines and found by targeted buying customers.
Peace & Prosperity,
