What Exactly Is WordPress Anyway?

Red Zone Designs specializes in WordPress Web Design, and we’re in good company. WordPress is used by more than a third of all websites in existence, and nearly two-thirds of all websites with a known content management system, but what exactly is WordPress? That still confuses many people. You may know about some other content management systems such as Squarespace, Weebly, or Wix. A content management system is any software used to manage and maintain digital content on the web. But how did WordPress take over a third of the internet? What makes WordPress so special? Well before we answer that, we have to understand the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

It can seem a little confusing, but WordPress.org is the original, the OG, the one that started it all. WordPress.org is an open-source CMS (content management system) that can be installed on any server. That means that unlike with something like Wix or Squarespace, when you use WordPress, you still have complete control over every aspect of your website. This makes WordPress a lot more flexible than most of the other well-known CMSs out there. WordPress.com is a little different. WordPress.com is much more similar to Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly, in that it’s an all-in-one package. The hosting and domain name are included in your WordPress.com subscription, which can be a benefit, but that does make it more expensive, and can limit the amount of flexibility you have. WordPress.com uses the same infrastructure as WordPress.org and since many of the employees, developers, and even the CEO of Automattic (the parent company of WordPress.com) were involved in the original development of WordPress and The WordPress Foundation, combined with the fact that WordPress is open source and under a GPL (General Public License) Automattic is able to use the WordPress name and trademark even though it can get confusing at times.

So now that we understand what WordPress is and isn’t, let’s discuss the pros and cons to using WordPress vs. other CMSs.

So what does all this mean for you? Well, it means that we recommend WordPress for a reason, and we stand by it. We can design in any CMS so if you decide you want your website in Squarespace, Wix, or something else, we can get it done no problem, but we think WordPress is the best choice and we’ll do everything we can to make you comfortable with it. It can seem confusing at first, but one of the best things about WordPress is how customizable it is. That allows us to add features to make it easier for you, and if you’re ever confused, reach out to us at our contact page here.