Introduction
WordPress began when two developers, Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, worked on the b2 cafelog project. They wanted to create a fork of b2, and on 27 May 2003 they released the first version of WordPress.
At the time, they aimed to offer more control over content and how it appeared online. WordPress quickly grew into a flexible system that anyone could use to build a website.
The code behind WordPress is open source, and hundreds of developers from around the world contribute to it. Because it’s open source, you can use WordPress for anything — from a personal travel blog to a large, enterprise-level content management system (CMS).
You can see examples of sites using WordPress on the official Showcase page.
WordPress.com vs WordPress.org
There are two versions of WordPress:
WordPress.com
a commercial, hosted platform
WordPress.org
the open-source, self-hosted version
WordPress.com
WordPress.com runs entirely on its own central hosting platform. It’s a good option if you want to build a site without hiring a designer or developer. This version suits personal blogs or hobby sites.
Although the basic version is free, extra features come with additional costs.
For example:
- Using your own domain (e.g., www.yourcompany.com) costs around $18 per year.
- Removing adverts costs roughly $30 per year.
- Premium themes start at around $50.
So, while it appears to be a free solution, the costs can increase quickly once you start upgrading.
WordPress.org
The WordPress.org version gives you complete control of your website. You (or your designer/developer) can install any of the thousands of free or paid themes and plugins available. If your site is hosted anywhere other than WordPress.com, you should rely on WordPress.org for updates, downloads, documentation, and support.
With the self-hosted version, you can:
- Install any theme or plugin
- Ask developers to build custom plugins
- Hire designers (such as MacGraphic) to create a unique theme that reflects your branding
- Expand your site without limitation
Most themes and plugins in the WordPress directories are free to download. The site also provides extensive documentation and support articles to help you build or modify your site.
Creating a Unique Design
Many themes from the WordPress directory are used on thousands of other sites. If you want a unique design for your business, a custom or customised theme is a better option.
Designers can take an existing free or premium theme and modify it to match your branding.
Premium themes offer more features and tend to be better coded, but both types can be tailored to your needs.
Be aware though… Premium themes are often jam-packed of ‘bells & whistles’ that could lead to ‘code bloat’, and result is a slow site that will infuriate your site visitors.
Hosting and Installation
With the self-hosted version, you’ll need web hosting. Many hosting companies offer WordPress as a free one-click install in the control panel. This lets you install WordPress quickly without manually downloading files, and having to upload to your host server.
You can download the core files and work with them locally or on a server. This allows you to customise anything from colours to template layouts and advanced functionality. In order to setup a WordPress on your local system, you will need more advanced applications that allow you to run a virtual server within your computer system.
However, it’s important not to modify the WordPress core files directly. Updates will overwrite your changes. Instead, use a custom theme or child theme so your work remains intact during updates.
Plugins and Functionality
WordPress becomes even more powerful when you add plugins. Many tasks — such as shopping carts, galleries, forms, or SEO tools — can be handled with free or premium plugins.
If you need something very specific, you can hire a developer to create a custom plugin tailored to your requirements. Get in touch with Mark to discuss your requirements.
WordPress Usage Statistics
- More than 14.7% of Alexa’s “top 1 million” websites use WordPress.
- In August 2011, developers used WordPress to create at least 22% of all new websites.
- By April 2013, users had downloaded WordPress version 3.5 more than 18 million times.
Editing Note
The text “b2 cafelog” originally linked to the site cafelog.com. Since that site is no longer available, the link was updated to point to a resource on WhoIsHostingThis.com.
Thanks to Bryan Innes, Content Specialist at WhoIsHostingThis.com, for the update.
All mentioned costs & figures were correct at the time of writing: 2 May 2013.
