WordPress

WordPress has developed into one of the most robust and customizable website development platforms on the Internet today and only continues to grow. As a free, open-source platform, it offers thousands of options for expansion and customization, whether through themes and plug-ins or custom code.

PROS

Extremely customizable platform: WordPress is highly customizable. From creation of custom pages to quick changes to the permalinks of your pages, it allows you to do just about anything you want with a site. Even then, plug-ins and themes are available to upgrade and enhance your website in many ways.

Open source and supported by many tools: WordPress is an open-source platform, so it is free. You can download it from WordPress.org and install it in minutes if you have your own server. The last part can be a hurdle for some who are not experienced in website development, but the support community for this tool is immense with more than a decade’s worth of updates, plug-ins, themes, and third-party tools that integrate with it.

CONS

Installation and maintenance require some technical knowledge: The one con of using a tool like WordPress is that it is not as simple as some plug-and-play website builders. You will need your own server, and you’ll need some basic skills to create the necessary resources and upload the files to that server. Ongoing maintenance can also be technical to a degree, so it is important that you feel comfortable doing this or have access to a resource to help with it.

BOTTOM LINE

Whether you’re a website creation pro, or you’re just building your first site, WordPress is a great platform. Offering plenty of entry-level themes and plug-ins for a quick-to-create website experience and the depth needed by seasoned developers to really experiment, it’s a true standout in the world of open-source software.