WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system, powering millions websites around the globe. WordPress is a versatile and scalable framework that can be used to create websites ranging from small personal blogs to the multifunctional sites of large corporations. WordPress can be used to build sites for all kinds of purposes—but this free and open source software package was originally designed to make online publishing accessible and easy for everyone, no coding experience required. For that reason, WordPress comes with a robust set of tools for producing and managing content of all kinds. To simply answer the question “Is WordPress good for content management?” The answer is, yes.
WordPress: The Ultimate Site Builder
The latest version of WordPress hosting has been downloaded by users ranging from bloggers to marketers to entrepreneurs — and everyone in between. WordPress is simply a set of code files created in the programming language PHP that contain all the elements to build a fully functional website. WordPress can be downloaded for free directly from WordPress.org or it can be installed with one click as part of a website hosting package.
WordPress is open source software, which means that under the terms of its GNU General Purpose License, it can be freely downloaded, shared, and even modified by any user. Because its creators wanted to “democratize” publishing online, WordPress comes with a multitude of features that allow both non-designers and designers alike to build a working site that can be customized in a variety of ways to meet the unique needs of many different site owners. But, for all its many features, WordPress sites are driven by content — and WordPress was designed to make content management intuitive and easy for anyone.
WordPress Was Made for Content
A website’s content can take many forms, including blog posts, information pages, landing pages, galleries, and product displays. All these and more can be set up and managed on a WordPress website builder site. To help users of all kinds present their content in the most accessible way possible, WordPress comes with a set of tools for creating and publishing content in many different forms such as WordPress blog tools. Here’s a rundown of the basic elements of a WordPress site and how they work to present content in its best and most shareable form.
WordPress Themes
A WordPress theme defines the “front end” styling of a site built with WordPress — a set of template files on top of the underlying WordPress source code that establishes the way a site appears to visitors. Users can choose from hundreds of free themes in the WordPress theme directory or buy and install new ones from third-party developers.
Most WordPress themes are designed to display content in stylish and responsive ways, but some themes are made specifically to showcase content, with features intended for users such as bloggers, magazine publishers, writers, artists, and businesses using content marketing to drive sales.
Posts, Pages, and the Content Editor
Every WordPress install includes a multifaceted content editor that makes it easy to create and publish not only text, but also visual, audio, and multimedia content. Posts and pages are the foundation of content creation in WordPress, and each can be created from the WordPress admin dashboard. Pages, for evergreen site information, and posts, for timely, immediate announcements and observations, can contain both text and a variety of visual elements, and even audio. All these elements can be managed from the content editor, which includes a composition window with a full suite of editing tools and an option to publish a piece immediately or schedule it for a later date.
The content editor also allows users to insert media into a page or post, with the option to resize it and add elements such as metadata, keywords, and titles for better discoverability.
The Media Library
Visuals on a website typically attract more attention than text. The Media Library that comes with every WordPress install allows users to upload relevant media files of all kinds to the library and store them for adding to posts and pages when needed. Images stored in the media library can be inserted anywhere on any page for added interest and information.
Plugins for More Functionality
Plugins are small bits of code that are designed to support a particular function that isn’t provided by the theme. Like the theme directory, the plugin directory offers many add-ons to help with content management and to add new features to a WordPress site. Plugins can also be purchased from third-party developers and installed on a WordPress site. Whatever the source, though, WordPress users can install WordPress plugins for editing, creating magazines, showcasing galleries, sharing to social sites, and much more.
Widgets Manage Tasks
Widgets are a feature of every WordPress install. When activated and placed on a site’s sidebar, header, or footer, these little blocks of code perform tasks such as managing calendars and menus. But text widgets can be used to insert text, embed external links, or insert images. Unless they’re rendered inactive, widgets appear on every page of a WordPress website.
From its early days as a publishing platform made with bloggers in mind, WordPress is now used to create sites for many purposes, in a wide range of businesses and professions. All these sites rely on content in some form to drive sales, build authority, and share a vision with the world — and WordPress has the content management tools to make it all possible.
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