WordPress is a program you install on your hosting to build and run a website without writing code. It is not somebody else’s service that keeps your site for you: the files and the database sit in your account, and you can take them with you whenever you like.
That single fact explains most of what follows. WordPress gives you real freedom, and in exchange somebody now has to keep it standing. That somebody is you, or whoever you pay.
The parts it is made of
| Part |
What it does |
| Core |
The program itself. It is identical on every WordPress site on earth, and it is what you update when a new release comes out. |
| Theme |
The looks: fonts, colours, how pages are laid out. You can swap it without deleting your content. |
| Plugins |
Everything core does not do: forms, a shop, backups, caching, SEO. They go on and come off. |
| Database |
Where the posts, pages, comments, users and almost every setting live. |
| Uploads folder |
Where the images and files you upload are kept. Not in the database, on disk. |
A backup is only a backup if it carries both: the files and the database. It is the most expensive mistake people make with WordPress.
When it is the right choice
| 1 |
The site will grow. Five pages today, fifty pages plus a blog and a client area in a year. WordPress grows without you moving house.
|
|
| 2 |
You publish often. News, notices, articles. This is what it was born for and still what it does best.
|
|
| 3 |
You are going to sell online. The shop is a plugin on top of WordPress, and that is the usual road. For the payment methods that actually work here, see running a shop and getting paid.
|
|
| 4 |
You want to be able to leave. A WordPress site is a set of files and a database. It walks out of here and into somewhere else without anyone’s permission.
|
|
| 5 |
More than one person will work on it. Separate accounts with separate roles, so the person who writes cannot touch what they should not.
|
|
When it is not worth it
| Case |
Why |
| One page that will never change |
A digital business card does not justify a program that has to be maintained. See which of the two suits your site. |
| Nobody will do the maintenance |
An abandoned WordPress is a hacked site waiting to happen. With nobody to update it, pick something else. |
| A custom application |
If you need a system with rules of its own, WordPress will spend its life fighting you. |
What becomes yours to do
The hosting is ours; the WordPress running on it is yours. Where the line sits is written down in how far our support goes. In short, three habits move to your side.
| 1 |
Update core, themes and plugins. It is the single biggest factor in whether a site gets broken into.
|
|
|
You do not have to install anything by hand. The control panel installs WordPress for you, creates the database and leaves a working site behind. See installing WordPress in a few clicks.
|
|
Not sure WordPress fits what you have in mind? Describe the site and we will tell you.
Open a support ticket
|
RECOMMENDED PRODUCT WordPress hosting One-click install, updates handled, and speed that holds up. See plans |
Português
English
