What software does your business website run on? Are you using an outdated CMS or are you still coding everything by hand? There are some great reasons why your website should switch over to WordPress this year – and it’s easier to make the transition than you might think.

It’s Free

Not only is WordPress one of the most versatile and popular CMS platforms in the world, it also has an unbeatable price point: zero dollars. Many of its available plugins are also free (or freemium), meaning maximum value for you and your company. A free price point means more money to put toward a beautiful theme or killer security suite to keep your new website attractive and safe.

It’s Customizable

One of the main strengths of WordPress is its flexibility. While originally intended as a simple blogging platform, WordPress is powerful enough to run your ecommerce site, showcase your photography portfolio, or anything in between.

It’s also easy to customize WordPress, not only through its huge library of plugins, but through options built right into the default software. With a little work, you can not only apply WordPress to almost any purpose, but you can make it look and feel exactly how you want.

SEO-Friendly

WordPress is easy for search engines to crawl right out of the box – and that aforementioned library of plugins makes it even easier for users to boost SEO performance with just a few tweaks. If you want to get found on the Web, WordPress has the tools you need.

It’s Easy to Learn

Despite its expansible nature, WordPress has a straightforward and simple user interface at its heart. If all you want to do is set up your new website with a few pages and a blog, you can be up and running within hours. Many web hosts also offer one-click installs of WordPress, making setup a snap.  

Powerful Integration Options

If you’re already running a small business, you likely have other software you’re invested in and enjoy using. Good news: chances are good WordPress integrates with other software you already use, like MailChimp, PayPal, Google Analytics, Disqus, ecommerce platforms like Shopify, and hundreds more.

If there’s a feature you want to add to your website, there’s most likely a WordPress plugin in place that will make your life easier.

Mobile Friendly

As every business owner should know by now, mobile is the future. More and more users are doing business on their mobile devices. WordPress is mobile-friendly by default, and most modern premium themes have a mobile-friendly version built in, so there’s no extra coding or effort necessary. Unsurprisingly, there’s also a wealth of mobile-friendly plugins.

Security and Support

Because WordPress is such a popular CMS, it is often targeted by hackers, meaning an “out of the box” install may have its vulnerabilities. But WordPress is serious about security, and offers frequent (and automatic) updates to its users.

The software notifies you when plugins and themes have updates available, so it’s easy to stay up-to-date. It’s also easy and and simple to harden WordPress to make it more difficult for hackers to attack your website.

The Web is constantly changing, and staying current with trends can be a struggle. Fortunately, WordPress is constantly changing as well, and has transformed itself from a humble blogging platform into a powerful and versatile CMS. If you’re looking for a new engine to power your business in the coming year, give WordPress a try. You won’t be disappointed.

About Joydeep Bhattacharya

Joydeep Bhattacharya is a digital marketing evangelist and author of the SEO blog, SEOsandwitch.com. He has been associated with the field of online marketing for the past 8 years. You can connect with him on Twitter @seoforu.