Naomi the Wordsmith

There’s a lot of opinions out there about WordPress, positive and negative. WordPress has its critics for sure. But with 835 million+ websites using WordPress this year, my guess is: it’s pretty popular.

The people have spoken and decided they like WordPress.

Why do I like WordPress so much I’m writing this post about it?

When I was brainstorming ideas for this post, I came up with several pages of haphazardly scrawled notes. After flicking the pages and scanning through them, I finally came to a conclusion.

Yeah, my writing process is that messy. Another tip from me: it’s okay if your creative process is messy.

Ultimately, there’s 5 reasons I love WordPress.

1. You can find ‘a plan for you’…

…as WordPress says on their Plans & Pricing Page.

I love this feature because it treats you as the expert. You know what your goals and situation are.

WordPress empowers you to make the perfect choice.

If you’re hurting for money, get one of the cheaper plans. Try out the free plan to get a sneak peek into what WordPress offers at absolutely no cost to you.

Why not give it a go when there’s zero risk, right?

Let’s say you’re knitting blankets and selling them as a nice side-hustle you can do to get some extra cash. The best plan for you, the Knitter Entrepreneur, is WordPress’s Commerce plan.

Yep, it’s a hefty investment. But the plan covers everything you need for e-commerce success. Now you can sell blankets with zero stress.

What plan did I pick?

I went with Premium because it offered more customisation options than the cheaper plans.

My website needs to be a great sample of my work. Premium gave me the tools to achieve that, by controlling every facet of my writing.

Powerful writing is about more than just the words you write. To write well, you need to think about where you’re writing on the page.

And as my writing career develops, I can upgrade my website to a better plan. It’s like your blog grows up with you.

2. WordPress is easy to master, as long as you take the time to get used to it

Think of it like moving to a foreign country where you know the language. Okay, you’re not totally lost, but you’re not exactly at home either.

Picking your plan and starting to build your website is so exciting, it’s tempting to explore everything you can do. But that risks missing the forest for the trees.

You should definitely make the most of everything, but it’s okay to start small.

Whether you’re a blogger novice or master, WordPress has you covered.

There’s so many tutorials and articles to guide you through the process. And when you’re confident in your blogging skills, you can experiment and create a blog that is you.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy your WordPress journey. Watch your blog grow up.

3. WordPress is a world of learning opportunities

I know that heading sounds confusing. What on earth do I mean? What learning opportunities?

Well, I’ll start with the most obvious one: writing.

Maybe you’re like me, and you’ve written for years. Maybe you’re a beginner, eager to write but self-conscious about whether they’re good or not. Whatever your situation, you can’t deny this: writing a blog develops your writing skills.

Even if you’re truly, utterly hopeless (and I promise you’re not), simply writing a blog makes you a better writer.

To write a post, you have to brainstorm ideas, research, plan an outline, write, and finally edit it. That’s a lot of work!

What’s more, because it’s a blog, you’re doing this regularly, again and again. The creative process becomes streamlined over time. You figure out what works for you. You get better and better.

Okay, yeah, every type of writing is different. But there’s a lot of transferable skills in writing blog posts. So WordPress is great for getting better at writing.

You know what? I’ll be cheeky. I dare you to not improve your writing skills when running a blog. It’s an impossible task, I can tell you.

What about the other learning opportunities?

The other learning opportunities are in what you can read on WordPress Reader.

I’ve found music blogs, other writers and artists, and blogs about technology.

There’s so much out there for you to find, read and learn.

4. Opportunities to connect with people

WordPress Reader has more to offer than just blogs packed with fascinating info.

There’s so many writers and other readers out there for you to talk to. Look for the comments section and join in the discussion. Or strike up a conversation yourself.

When it comes to connecting with other writers, there’s bloggers of all sorts of skill levels. Beginners benefit from support and more experienced writers often enjoy giving newbies advice.

Connecting with other writers is really good for developing our writing skills and peer support is really powerful.

Reach out by making a comment on someone’s post. If you feel awkward, don’t worry too much. It’s awkward for everyone at first. You’ll overcome it.

5. Market yourself as a writer

One more thing that’s great about WordPress is it indirectly teaches you how to market yourself.

In our increasingly online and digital world, it’s more important than ever for us writers to market ourselves. It’s how we get an audience for our work.

Don’t worry, it’s not tied to any specific marketing techniques. It’s just along the lines of…

You know how we all have a work self and a home self? We act differently around our close friends vs our boss and coworkers.

It’s like that with your Writer Self. Whenever you write a blog post, you’re assuming this identity of your Writer Self.

Your Writer Self matches the tone and content of your work.

If you’re writing about workplace practices, your Writer Self will be professional and collected. If you’re writing about the best bars in your local area, you’ll be casual and fun.

It’s something you do naturally as you write. And it’s another skill that blogging teaches you along the way.

All in all…

WordPress was the right choice for me. I hope it’s the right choice for you. But if it’s not, plenty of other web builders to choose from.

And as my final call to action for you: comment on someone’s blog today. It’s nice to connect.