If you’re thinking about setting up a new website, or re-building your current website for your small business, I’m going to make the case here that you should seriously consider using a “blog” software called WordPress to do so.

The Evolution of the Internet and Web Pages

When the Internet was first available to the home computer, the only thing you would see on the Internet were green or yellow-orange characters against a black background on your computer screen.

Once the World Wide Web was introduced to the Internet, things changed quickly. A new programming language was developed that allowed software applications (“programs”) called browsers to display color, pictures, audio, and video on your screen.

This meant that web pages, or a collection of web pages called a “website”, had to be programmed by “geeks” (skilled programmers). Therefore, anyone who wanted a great-looking website had to hire a programmer to program their website. This could be a very expensive project. Plus, anytime changes or additions were needed, it would require more expense.

As time passed, software programs, such as DreamWeaver, became available that could be used on your own computer. Now it was possible for someone without language-based programming knowledge to piece together Web pages using the tools that are pre-programmed into these programs.

But the underlying programming languages (such as HTML or CSS) of even those Web site-building software programs are too complicated to allow you to easily make changes to a Web site “on the fly”.

Programming Web pages in this one-by-one manner also means having to upload those pages to your Web hosting account via another software interface, using a method called File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

All-in-all, the reality of the knowledge required, and the difficulties associated with programming Web pages and a Web site created a perception that Web programming was something that only “geeks” could accomplish.

And Then Along Came “Blogging”

In 1999, a company launched an online service called Blogger. It was based on a new type of web programming software that allowed you to add, edit or delete content on the Web whenever you wanted to, from wherever you were, and from any Internet-connected computer.

This service didn’t require any special programming knowledge or skills. No downloading or uploading  pre-programmed Web pages. Nothing “geek” about it at all. Just create your account, log in, and you’re ready to go.

Without even having to have your own web site, you can use a service such as Blogger.com (now owned by Google) to set up your own account (both are free) and just start writing whatever you want.

The first and most popular use of these “real-time” web site services was mostly as personal online “diaries” – a regularly
updated “log” of what was important to the writer, and NOT for business purposes.

These “Web logs” (or Weblogs) became known as “blogs” for short, and writing (“posting”) a blog entry was turned into the verb “blogging”.

Before long, the same software that provided the structure for these “blogging services” also became available (some for free; others for a fee) to be used to build either a personal or a business web site. You simply install the software on your allotted space on your web host’s server, and build your website.

This method allows you – the web site owner – to add, remove, edit or otherwise change the content of the site at any time, from any Internet-connected computer. And you can do this without any programming ability yourself, and without having to hire someone else with programing ability to do the work for you.

Introducing:  WordPress

There have been several popular stand-alone “blog” software applications available over the years, but only one has risen to the top as the most popular, the most flexible, and the most robust. It is called WordPress.

In addition to allowing text updates, WordPress also allows the inclusion of static images (or graphics), audio, and video content. Your web site’s unique design is determined by the selection of a particular “theme”, which itself can be modified, and even changed at the click of a mouse if you find another theme that you like better.

The WordPress software is free,and you can install it on your web site yourself, using their easy-to-understand and easy-to-implement installation instructions. If you don’t think you have the necessary skills or the time to do this, you can pay someone to do it for you.

You can find a free WordPress theme, or choose to pay for a so-called “premium” WordPress theme, which will determine the specific design look and feel of your web site.

Then you can learn how to add, edit and delete content from your WordPress-powered web site on your own by reading books or following tutorials – which are abundant on the Internet. Or, of course, you can always choose to pay someone to train you or do it for you.

As mentioned earlier, in the past, WordPress was referred to as “blogging” software, because of its initial use as a place for posting “Web log” diary-type entries. However, the WordPress software platform has become so robust, so reliable, so flexible, and so secure that many of the web’s most notable and most highly visited web sites are built on this platform.

Here are 3 different examples:

1. Charles Barkley – Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA
History:  http://charlesbarkley.com/

2. Project Himalaya – Chronicals the climbing adventures of Ueli
Steck:  http://www.himalayaspeed.com/

3. Fox Forum – Home to the most opinionated contributors on FOX
News Channel:  http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/

Continue reading here to discover the huge advantages to using WordPress as your website software, or “platform”.