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Why Non-Profits Should Use WordPress
A little over a third of the websites on the internet are powered by WordPress. And there are lots of good reasons for this. For one, it can be used for a multitude of different businesses and organizations. For example, WordPress is great for nonprofits and nonprofits should use WordPress for their website. That is a bold claim considering there are a number of website platforms out there. That is why we are going to dive a little deeper into why nonprofits should use WordPress for their website.
WordPress.com vs WordPress.org
First, if you are pretty new to the WordPress world, it is easy to get confused on .com vs .org. WordPress.com is hosted by Automattic, the company led by WordPress co-founder, Matt Mullenweg. WordPress.org is where you can download the WordPress software and upload to your own hosting company. Many hosting companies now have a 1-click install of WordPress on their hosting platforms. For this discussion, we are going to focus on the self-hosted version of WordPress.
The benefits of WordPress for non-profits
WordPress is free
Non-profits, especially smaller ones, or ones that are just starting, are usually running on a tight budget. WordPress is free, so there are no “extra” costs to it beyond your hosting cost. Now, we do have to put a little caveat here that there are paid plugins and themes, but if your organization is running on a tight budget, there are many free themes and plugins that will do what you need to.
WordPress is versatile
On many other platforms, your design and function choices are limited. For example, we were helping a non-profit whose site is on GoDaddy, and there are really just a few options you can use to design and build your website. With WordPress, just about any look or functionality you would need is available to you to add to your website. Many WordPress themes come with design and functionality choices baked in, and if there is something you are lacking, you can find a plugin that will give you the option you need.
Your website is your own
With sites like Square Space or Wix, you build the website on their proprietary servers, without a way to back-up your website to somewhere off-site. That means, if something goes wrong with one of their servers, you could potentially lose your website and have to rebuild. With WordPress, you have options where you can back-up your website on your web host’s server and even off-site, so you do not lose your website.
Learning WordPress doesn’t have to be painful
WordPress can be overwhelming. But, it doesn’t have to be. This guide will help you understand WordPress terminology. So, you’ll never be confused when learning how to build your website.
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Myth’s about WordPress:
WordPress is just for blogging?
It is true that WordPress started out as a blogging platform. Yet it has evolved into so much more. Many government sites, businesses and ecommerce stores are built now on WordPress.
WordPress is insecure?
WordPress has had a reputation in the past for being vulnerable to attack. And it’s undeniable that because it’s so large, it is the platform that hackers are likely to target. Throughout the years, WordPress has gotten harder to attack. WordPress is no more insecure than any other website platform. With free plugins like WordFence, most attacks are blocked.
Do you need to hire a developer?
As a beginning or small non-profit, WordPress is a great website platform because you can build the site right out of the gate. You do not NEED a developer to begin your website-building journey. Developers come in handy when you’re looking to add complex functionality to your website, or you want to focus on building your non-profit and let someone else build the site.
There are plenty of choices when it comes to website builders. However, WordPress is the one choice that is free and flexible, and you can choose your own hosting. That makes it a perfect choice for non-profits.
Chris Hughbanks
Chris is the owner of Hughbanks Design, a Houston web design and digital marketing company.
