Professional Websites That Cost Almost Nothing!

WordPress has made it possible for you to have a professional looking website that you can write, edit and tweak any time you want - is that cool or what?

Written May 06, 2009, read 1441 times since then.

Plus, your new website can look just as great as many of the best designed websites in the world for a fraction of the price. So whether you’re just starting out or want a more feature-rich website, thanks to WordPress and advancements in technology, here are four money-saving reasons to go “WordPress”.

1. WordPress software is FREE

WordPress is ‘open source’ software. This means it’s free! There are more people working on the development of WordPress than there are working on most of the major brand-name software applications.

WordPress has become so popular since it started in 2003, it is now used by hundreds of thousands of sites from one-page personal pages to Fortune 500 websites.

There are now more than 750 themes (web design templates) that are built for WordPress. There are more than 4,000 plugins (add-on programs) which extend the functionality of WordPress to do almost anything you want.

WordPress websites can incorporate blogs, audios, videos, flash photo galleries, RSS feeds, search tools, advertising banners, newsletter signup forms, contact forms and survey forms - and that’s just the beginning. You can even promote and link to all your social media profiles, like Yelp, Facebook, Linkedln and Twitter.

2. Professional WordPress themes run in cost from free to truly affordable

A theme is a website design template. You can find both free themes and premium themes (typically cost less than $100). Premium themes generally give you the feature-rich polished designs and rock-solid functionality. The premium themes usually also provide technical support.

Many great website designers have migrated to WordPress and now develop some pretty impressive themes. The designers that create the WordPress premium themes used to charge thousands to create a single website design for one company. Now these same designers sell premium WordPress themes to buyers for a tenth of the price.

3. Customizing your theme ranges from free to affordable

You will likely want your website theme to look unique. Many of the ways to make your theme look unique will cost you nothing while other modifications may require the help of a WordPress developer. Here are some of the ways you can make your theme look unique:

- Add your photo to the header or home page – this is great way to put a personal touch on your site.

- Add a video of yourself to the site – another way to really personalize your site.

- Use stylized text of the business name; or incorporate your logo – this can make a huge difference in establishing your brand.

- Add your Tagline into the header – using stylized text to keep the look and feel consistent, the appropriate placement of the tagline builds your unique look.

- Replace the theme header with a custom designed header - This will have the greatest impact on creating a unique look and staying consistent with your personal brand.

- Change the site background – adding a background image to your site or simply changing the color is one of those really cool options that can add some additional pizzazz.

4. You can easily add your own pages, text, photos and video….and that’s free!

One of the great benefits of a WordPress site is having access to all the content. With a WordPress site, you can log in from any computer, any time and from anywhere. You don’t need any special software on your computer nor do you need to ’speak geek’ to update the content.

Learn more about the author, Tom Todd.

Posted by Mike Schwagler, Redmond, Washington | May 10, 2009

Great article, Tom....I don't know how much more I could add, except that Wordpress is incredibly easy to use. The fact that I can change things up on a daily basis makes a huge difference. Plus having an interactive website to stay in touch with prospective clients and being able engage them in a running dialog is an excellent feature. Keep up the good work!
Posted by K A, Phoenix, Arizona | May 10, 2009

I just re-designed my website using wordpress this week. I have found it relatively easy to use and am really happy with the design. Though there is still more I have to learn, I agree that this must be one of the best programs out there for those of us just starting up a business.
Posted by Richard Geasey, Bellevue, Washington | May 10, 2009

Wordpress is really great! The ability to separate content from appearance is a huge advantage. Your site can change almost immediately without monkeying around with HTML. Also, you can work on your site from a browser anywhere.

But... don't use the free templates. I think you will find most of them are not very attractive. The premium (paid) ones are reasonable in price and look considerably better.
Posted by Diana Bourgeois, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina | May 10, 2009

Good info!

Also, if you decide to use wordpress without installing in on your own server / hosting, be aware that WP has limitations on the type of materials you can post like links, upload photos, and connect.

Dee
Posted by Bob Dunn, Seattle, Washington | May 10, 2009

Hi Tom, great intro to WordPress. And you have pointed out the great benefits. My clients love the fact that once I have something done for them, they have more control over their own site.

I am working on an article myself on WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org. That is the question I get asked the most.

The one thing anyone needs to be careful with, is the fact that it is free and easy to use. But at the same time you need to make sure it conveys your brand, navigates easily and has compelling content that pushes the reader to take action.

And I agree with Richard, buy a Theme. Especially if you are using WordPress for your website, vs. just a blog. Most of the companies that sell themes keep them updated along with WordPress updates, and offer much better support!

~bob
Posted by Tom Todd, Seattle, Washington | May 10, 2009

Hi Bob, you’ll probably agree that for the site owner to drive their WordPress site is quite easy.

Included in the easy list I would put the following: Writing new posts and pages, inserting photos, creating and even uploading videos to their site. Basically, what I call ‘driving the car’ is pretty darn easy for most when it comes to using a WordPress website, after it is setup.

Most need help getting their website up and running, which includes installing the theme, customizing the theme look, and installing the specific widgets and plugins that they may need.

Most will discover that learning to use the WordPress site will be as easy as it was for them to learn a program like Microsoft Word. My website includes nine free video tutorials (and very short) on learning to drive a WordPress website. http://www.t2websites.com/video-tutorials-3

Tom
Posted by Bob Dunn, Seattle, Washington | May 10, 2009

Hi Tom, you are right on that -- it's the setup and customization that can be a challenge for some. I just did a site for a client that was reluctant to go in and make changes. Once I sat down with him and showed him the backend, he actually smiled and said, "Wow, I can even do this!"

~bob
Posted by Richard Gabel, Issaquah, Washington | May 10, 2009

Good stuff Tom! I've been struggling with my web site for years. I recently downloaded a trial version of Dreamweaver to see if I could just do it myself instead of paying someone else a lot of money to not deliver.

I've read a lot of conflicting comments on Dreamweaver vs. WordPress on the web. Based on your article, I'll give it a try. After a couple of weeks of messing around with Dreamweaver, I realize I just don't have the time to learn how to use it.

Marketing and consulting to help your business grow!
Posted by Tom Todd, Seattle, Washington | May 10, 2009

Hi Richard. Dreamweaver and other HTML website editors like Expression Web have a steep learning curve. I know a website designer that just completed a year of Dreamweaver courses through a technical college.

As a website designer, I switched from using programs like Dreamweaver to WordPress so I could spend more time working with my clients to make certain their website strategy supports their business branding strategy. Plus, a WordPress site will do so much more than a Dreamweaver site.

Another big reason I switched to WordPress was becasue many of my clients wanted to do their own ongoing site updates. And this was almost impossible for my clients when I was using Dreamweaver.

Tom
Posted by Kate Phillips, Seattle, Washington | May 14, 2009

I started on Wordpress.com (liking the idea of "free", easy, and not having to deal with hosting), though ended up switching later to Wordress.org due to limitations.

I made some mistakes using Wordpress, like cutting and pasting articles from Word (which messed up formatting), and trying to get wordpress.com to do things it didn't do!

There are still a couple little things that drive me slightly batty about it, and I've had more than my share of "glitches" (text mysteriously bolding itself, side bar dropping to the bottom, WP stats refusing to let me access it anymore no matter what I try)... but for the most part it really is easy, and you can get a website up in a day (or an hour if you know what you're doing.)

I should just say that if I can do it, anybody can do it!
Posted by Tom Todd, Seattle, Washington | May 14, 2009

Hi Kate,

Are you using the current version of WordPress.... 2.71? If not, upgrading may help eliminate the glitches.

Pasting from a wordprocessor, such as Microsoft Word, or Open Office Writer Wordprocessors are advanced text editing tools. To do so, each word, line or paragraph will have loads of additional code that is not visible "to the naked eye" but are there. The problems will show up in your posts/pages and potentially mess things up.

However, I've seen no problems copying and pasting directly from a website or a plain text document. When creating new documents, I personally prefer to just type directly into the WordPress page or post. The ability to save as a draft until you're ready to publish is cool.

Tom
Posted by Rick Anderson, Edmonds, Washington | May 16, 2009

A little HTML knowledge goes a long way with WordPress. Glitches that arise when cutting and pasting in the visual editor can be avoided by pasting using the plain text button on the editor. Also, a little html knowledge can resolve the mystery formatting issues.

WordPress isn't fool proof but a little computer education goes a long way.
Posted by Amanda Carter, Seattle, Washington | Jul 29, 2012

Fantastic article! I shared =)