WordPress.com and WordPress.org

Just a decade ago, a printed brochure was the usual way businesses showed potential customers the products and services they offered, and to create a website, developers basically had to write new HTML coding for each new project. Website building has all changed since then thanks to WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

WordPress.com and WordPress.org

The .com platform allows you to build your own website at no cost. This is a good option for associations, clubs, or small start-up businesses who really don’t have the budget to purchase yearly hosting but want to have a web presence. It has several limitations because it cannot accept the software tools, or plugins, to give the website more capabilities, and there is no way to customize the themes.

the .org platform is the preferred website platform we use at Select Marketing. It is also free to obtain, but it requires a hosting account, which we provide. Once uploaded to your hosting, they look similar in appearance. However, the advantages of the wordpress.org are superior to the wordpress.com.

One main difference is that you now have all the tools at your disposal to add the required functionality you need to customize your website to your specific requirements, such as; E-commerce shopping carts, online schedulers, invoicing, and calendars.

Another difference is that you can install fully customizable themes to make your WordPress look unique and give you the features and functionality you want. WordPress offers a selection of free themes, or you can shop for premium themes, that Select Marketing uses, which are well worth the price due to the additional features they provide.

Theme prices range from free to over $100 each. It is rather easy to change out a theme, so start small and begin to get your content in before deciding which theme is right for your needs. As you shop around, you want to look at each theme as widgeted areas. These are the areas you will fill with your own content. A large or bulky theme with 15 widgeted areas is too much for a small business that only has five pages inside. Choose one that fits your needs, and has some room to grow as you do.

WordPress.org is a very powerful format, it is knowing how to find and configure the appropriate tools to give the needed functionality and features you want on your website.

Right now everyone has the opportunity to get their business online. WordPress.com is free and easy to set-up. WordPress.org is the platform Select Marketing uses for our own website, as well as for our clients to provide the customization that we all want.

Select Marketing offers business consulting, starter website packages, or complete business marketing packages that include a new website. Give us a call and let us help you towards achieving your business goals.