With this WordPress.com review, we will look at their prices, features, and tools, to determine if they are still the best builder, or if it is time for someone else to take the lead. Finding not only the best program but also the one best suited for one’s needs is possibly the most excruciating part of building websites, online stores, and so forth. So let us see if WordPress.com is the platform for you.
Now there is a lot of confusion when it comes to WP, about the downloadable version and the online version, so here is an explanation:
WordPress.org – This would be the main website where you will be able to download the free WP software for installation with your own hosting company and you will link your own domain to it.
WordPress.com – This Platform is very similar to a blogging platform in the way it works. Here you can use the WP platform without the need for your own hosting and domain. Unlike with WordPress.org, when building a blog on this platform, you will not have full ownership, because your site or blog will be hosted on their servers if you go the free route.
Who Are The Founders?
WordPress was founded by Matthew Charles Mullenweg and is now run by the WordPress Foundation.
A Short History
The precursor to WordPress was b2/cafelog, better known as b2 or just cafelog. In May 2003, it was estimated that b2 was installed on approximately 2,000 blogs. Michel Valdrighi, a contributing developer for WP, wrote b2 in PHP to be used for MySQL. Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little joined efforts to create a fork for b2 in 2003, which is when WordPress first appeared. A friend of Matt named Christine Selleck Tremoulet suggested that the program/company be named WordPress, which was after release on 27 May 2003.
What Does it Cost?
This platform works in a very similar way to an online blogging platform, which will enable you to use the WP platform, but without the need for your own hosting or domain. The basic features are free, but you are presented with the option to upgrade to bigger bandwidth and storage along with more advanced plug-ins and premium features.
Basic: Free
Personal: $9 per month or $4 per month, billed annually. (Bare basics only)
Premium: $18 per month or $8 per month, billed annually. (Basics)
Business: $40 per month or $25 per month, billed annually. (Everything but eCommerce)
Woocommerce: $70 per month or $45 per month, billed annually.
WordPress VIP: Enterprise solutions starting at $25 000 and up yearly.
P2: Free for a basic.
P2+: $8 per user, per month.
There is also a custom plan, price depending on what is included.
What About a Money-Back Guarantee?
WordPress does not have money-back guarantees, but they do have free versions and demos of its program that one can use to test the product.
What About Support?
WordPress offers 24/7 support to all its customers, with support being in the form of online chat, email, forums, online community, FAQ pages, blog, or call. The form of support can vary depending on your plans and where you live. Their response is quite up to standard and issues are usually solved within 3 days.
User Interface
The platform is super easy to navigate with clear tabs to mark actions. Massive choice when it comes to customization with loads of themes in every category that can be tweaked according to preference. This is as beginner-friendly as it can get with WordPress. When it comes to editing and writing posts or pages, I am NOT a big fan of WordPress’s new “blog editor” and if you still fancy the “classic editor” you will have to add it via the plugins now.
So yeah, if you struggle with the editor as a new WordPress user, please go to the “Plugins” tab on your left, and via “add new”, look for the “classic editor”. Install and you are good to go.
WordPress.com Review – Pros
- WordPress.com offers a lifetime free version for those who cannot afford it.
- They have plenty of useful add-ons, plugins, and extensions.
- They offer thousands of theme options that are rather easy to customize.
- Because of the fact that WordPress is such a popular program, most third-party companies and tools offer WordPress integration.
- “Go by WordPress.com”, where experts share their knowledge on building and growing a successful web presence.
Cons
It can take some time for beginners to learn to use WP.
All of the important features such as Plug-ins, Google Analytics, SEO Tools, and so forth, are only available in the more expensive plans, such as Premium, Business, eCommerce, and so forth.
Let’s Sum This Up…
WordPress is the cream of the crop when it comes to website builders. There is nothing you cannot create with all the plugins, Tools, and Themes that are available. That is if you download it on your own host or join a host with WP already installed. I feel that WordPress.com could do a bit better with their free version and at least include a few more plugins, or a few basic ones to sweeten the experience.
WordPress without plugins is like a website without content, just not worth it. A free version of a program is usually what attracts people to upgrade and spend money. I do not feel that the free version is enough to encourage me to upgrade, especially when top hosting companies offer cheaper options with the full functionality of WordPress, which includes all the plugins.
The new blog editor is not newbie-friendly or simplistic in my opinion, it is a pain! If you are not familiar with WordPress, you will not know that it is still available via the plugins as there are no options presented to choose between the 2 of them. So yes, if editing on the new editor is not your vibe, just install the classic editor.
Make Money Online – Importance of a Website
WordPress.com Review – Notable Features
WordPress offers extensive customization options through widgets, plugins, and themes, providing webmasters with full control over their websites. The platform boasts a wide array of themes, and if the desired design isn’t found, numerous free options can be sourced online. WordPress also enables users to create sub-pages for efficient content organization, ensuring a clean and appealing layout. Maintaining a unique blog or site is essential for attracting and retaining visitors.
Website Builder
WordPress is a widely used platform for creating websites, e-commerce sites, and more, offering a variety of features, including built-in SEO, social media integration, diverse support options, custom CSS, website statistics, themes, desktop/mobile apps, and flexibility to build websites, blogs, or both. The intuitive builder supports HTML and Markdown, with frequent auto-saving, and allows easy media embedding via a drag-and-drop tool.
Domains
WordPress enables domain name purchase or transfer for easy website access, along with email integration using custom domains. Custom domains are available for personal plans and above.
Themes
WordPress has hundreds if not thousands of themes/templates that are free to all users no matter the plan that is chosen. They also have premium themes, professionally tailored for businesses, and so on.
Google Analytics Integration
With Google Analytics, you will get detailed statistics showing you where your visitors are coming from and if they are responding to your marketing efforts.
Plugins
WordPress offers a variety of plugins for enhanced functionality, but access is limited to business plans and above. These plugins cover SEO, stats, security, social media embeds, advanced commenting, backups, galleries, widgets, shortcodes, forms, email subscriptions, and post likes.
Woocommerce
Woocommerce is a WordPress builder for online stores, with managed hosting and all the features that go with it.
Hosting
WordPress.com offers free basic shared hosting with all of its plans. Most hosting companies also offer hosting that is designed for WordPress.
P2
P2 is a WordPress platform that allows teams or groups of people to share, talk, collaborate, and so forth, openly without interruption.
Do you use WordPress.com or used it in the past?
Please be so kind as to leave a comment and tell us about your experience. Always nice if an opinion is not one-sided and shared by many, it will help others to make the right decision and save time and money.
Thanks!
