Every web design project is different. No one website platform is the right fit for every project. When Hang Wire started developing website way back in 2004, we decided the best solution was to build our own CMS. We called it Bossanova. Our reasoning at the time was that we could build it to be flexible to accommodate any custom web design we developed, while also enabling us to add new features as our clients’ needs changed. Instead of trying to design websites to work within someone else’s CMS, we designed our CMS to accommodate our web designs. Seemed like a good idea at the time—and it probably was.

However, time has passed and technology has progressed along with it. Other CMS’s have caught up to Bossanova’s flexibility and surpassed it. Instead of locking our clients into a CMS we know if no longer the best out there, we’re now recommending WordPress as our CMS solution more often than any other platform out there.

WordPress first came on the scene back in 2003 (just before Hang Wire). At that time, it was seen as a fairly simple (yet competent) CMS for blogging purposes. Even as recently as a few years ago, many website designers still thought of WordPress as a CMS best suited for blogs, and chose Drupal or Joomla for more featured oriented websites. This has now changed. WordPress is capable of acting as the backbone for all sorts of different websites, whether it’s a blog, brochure website, e-commerce website, or corporate website. WordPress is currently used by companies as big as Samsung, Forbes and CNN.

In light of this, we’ve decided to compile the top 5 reasons we recommend WordPress as the best website platform.

1. Simplicity

WordPress is developed to be as easy to use as possible. The majority of web servers already support WordPress, and installation is often as easy as clicking a button. If you can make basic edits to a Microsoft Word document, you have the skills to edit web pages built in WordPress.

2. WordPress Themes

The theme is the overall look of your website. This includes the colors, the layout of the different sections, and the navigation that enables you to move around the website. WordPress comes with thousands of free Themes which are easy to install. These free themes are function as a starting point from which to develop a truly unique web design. In addition to free templates, there are also many companies offering professional WordPress Themes for a relatively small fee. These professional themes incorporate customized functionality which can really bring your website to the next level.

3. Multimedia

A text heavy websites are a turn off for most users. You want engage your visitors with relevant graphics, photos, podcasts, maps, and videos. All of these are easy to manage, import, and use, thanks to WordPress’s Media Library. Building a professional-looking photo gallery is easy, and can be accomplished in minutes without knowing anything about HTML.

4. WordPress Plug-Ins

There are so many quality plug-ins available for the WordPress platform that chances are if you can think of a feature you’d like added to your website there is already a free WordPress plugin available that can quickly be added to your WordPress site.

5. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

A website is only useful if it can be found. The higher your site ranks when someone searches for it, the more likely it will be read. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is using coding techniques to ensure search engines such as Google and Bing will find your website, and rank it higher. WordPress has been developed to automatically provide the best SEO possible. Matt Cutts, the senior search engineer at Google, has even mentioned WordPress specifically as being capable of ranking higher in search results.

If you’re searching for the perfect platform for your website, WordPress is a great choice. And with the experience of Hang Wire at your side you can create a beautiful and powerful website that will grow with your business.