Since launching back in 2003, WordPress has become the ‘go to’ website software for people all around the world. In fact, over 455 million sites use WordPress and with over 2 million downloads every single year, its popularity continues to rise.
And it’s no surprise. WordPress does it all. It’s easy to use, fully customisable, built brilliantly for SEO and adaptable whatever your business needs. It’s why it’s been my platform of choice for over a decade working in the website development and design industry.
But what really makes it so special, and why is it worth opting for the custom option rather than a ready-made template?
One of the best things about a custom WordPress site is that the options for flexibility and customisation are pretty endless. That means that whatever energy you want to evoke for your brand, there’s a really impactful way to make that happen.
From threading in your brand colours and typography to embedding your graphics and images, your custom site will be a living, breathing representation of your business. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Your WordPress designer will also help you bring to life:
There’s a LOT that goes into it, and a ready made theme cannot guarantee that same outcome.
You know what it’s like – templates are dead easy to spot. Whether it’s a Canva template on social media or an email template in Mailchimp, we get used to seeing the same thing. One way to break out of this cycle is by making sure your website isn’t just another generic template.
And this is a strong and impactful way to make your brand stand out. If your website looks totally different from anything else your ideal customer has spotted that week, chances are you’re going to stick at the forefront of their mind.
It’s all good and well having a lovely website with lots of nice photos and words – but if no one is finding it, you may as well send it spiralling into a black hole.
Okay, perhaps we’re veering a tad on the dramatic side, but the sentiment remains; you need to put in the work to ensure Google (and other search engines) can actually find your website. SEO is the key for that.
There are different sides to SEO – there’s the more technical side and the holistic one. Both are equally important and work together to ensure your site functions as well as possible for the right visitors. Part of your WordPress developers job will be to nail your SEO. This should include all of the relevant market research, business enquiry and strategic knowledge to boost your presence and magnetise as many customers to your site as possible.
Here at Littlebigbox, SEO is our speciality and we have our own Holistic SEO Expert within the team who guides you through (and orchestrates) this process. We have also put together an SEO mini series to shed light on the (sometimes!) dark arts of SEO – you can give it a read here.
The thing I find most exciting about WordPress is the plethora of plugins that it offers – it makes SO much possible (actually, I can’t think of a single thing a client has asked me to implement on their site that hasn’t had a relevant plugin to support it).
If your site needs a membership area, we can make it happen. If you need to embed videos and podcasts, that’s a-ok. Bookings? Covered. Calendars? Easy.
For a really long time, people saw WordPress as nothing more than a blogging platform. Yes, it’s exceptional for blogging but it’s SO much more than that now. The options are endless which means that a custom WordPress website can genuinely elevate your business to mind blowing new levels.
YOU MIGHT LIKE: 5 OF OUR FAVOURITE WORDPRESS PLUGINS
Something that people often underestimate is the ongoing work that goes into keeping your website functioning. And even before you hit publish, there’s a huge amount that goes on behind the scenes to ensure you own a smooth and sound site.
A custom website developer can take this one for you. Whether they get it in the best health possible for launch and then hand over the reins or deliver a support and maintenance bundle, you’ll be confident in the knowledge that your site is high functioning and 100% robust.
(Psst – we actually offer a monthly support bundle for our clients which you can check out here)
An issue with using a template for your site (and running wild with it) is that it’s so easy to forget all the security and safety features that need to be enabled. This can leave you open to hackers, viruses, being pulled offline, losing your precious content, attacks, server failures and even fines.
Phew – that’s a lot, right? Luckily, your custom WordPress developer will sort this all out for you. The nifty part is that not only will this give you peace of mind, but it will for your customers too. Happier, more confident customers = more sales and income!
We were wondering if you were going to ask! We’re experts when it comes to WordPress – it’s our thing, our jam, our simply-couldn’t-live-without-it.
We’ve created websites for everything from scaffolding companies to wellbeing communities with a big dose of estate agents, creative business owners and beauty therapists in between.
We would love to talk to you about your business and how a WordPress site could put it on centre stage. Book in a cuppa and chat here.
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