WordPress software can be used not only to manage your blog but also to manage your entire site. A full-featured content management system (CMS), WordPress allows you to update your website yourself —
- without learning how to code
- without waiting for someone else to make changes
- without paying someone to update your site
How It Works
You manage your site through an online, password-protected interface. After you log in, you are taken to the Dashboard, a set of menus where you can add, change, or delete pages and posts.
The text for your pages is stored in a database. When a visitor goes to your website, the pages are built dynamically and styled by your theme. (A theme is a set of templates for the different kinds of pages on your site.) Your website will look like any other website; you don’t even need to have a blog unless you want one.
What You Need to Get Started
Most webhosts have the ability to support WordPress. The two hosting requirements are
- MySQl database (version 5.0.15 or greater)
- PHP (version 5.2.4 or greater)
If you don’t have a webhost, I can help you find one and do the initial setup of your website.
If you’re on a strict budget and need only a simple site, a WordPress site hosted at WordPress.com might work for you. A variety of themes that you can customize yourself are available, and you can also use your own domain name for a small fee.