One of the most confusing things about WordPress to an average person is the fact that there are two versions, both available from sites with extremely similar names. If you search for WordPress you’ll find both WordPress.com and WordPress.org and many people just assume that they are two different domain names for what is essentially the same product. This is an understandable assumption but it is wrong, there are major differences between what you get from both sites and if you are planning on starting a WordPress site you need to know the difference.
Both sites are united by the fact that they offer help to make sites that run on the WordPress blogging platform. The difference is that while WordPress.com offers to set up and host your site like you might with other platforms like Blogger and it is hosted for you while WordPress.org offers an alternative for people who are more serious about their new site and it is self hosted.
Features
The options available on WordPress.com are designed to be as simple and user-friendly as possible but to achieve this you can’t get the full range of customization that you can from WordPress.org.
One of the biggest differences in terms of features is the ability to use custom themes. With WordPress.com you have to go with one of the themes already available and pre-approved but with WordPress.org you can install your own themes with any level of customization. If you’re considering professional web design like the kind we offer then WordPress.org is really the way to go.
If you are planning to run a business website you need to pay close attention to the advertising features available for both sites. Because WordPress.com is offering free hosting you can imagine they want to make money off of your site and they do so with their own ads. If you want to get rid of these ads you will have to pay money, a price that eliminates most of the savings you get from using their free hosting. With WordPress.org you don’t get any of their ads and you are free to use ad services like Google AdSense, or any other, to make money off of your site if you wish to.
Usability
After looking at the many advantages you get by downloading WordPress and hosting it yourself you might wonder why people would use WordPress.com even with all its restrictions. The answer is simple enough, WordPress.com makes the process of starting a site as simple and cheap as possible, with just a few button clicks and a grand total of zero dollars spent you can have a brand-new blog.
While WordPress is designed to be simple to use whether you use the .com or .org the fact remains that it’s easier to use the more automated process offered by WordPress.com. With that being said the learning curve is very front-loaded, if you can get past the installation process they are both as easy to use and if you are looking for professionally designed website, like the kind we offer at IG Webs, then you won’t have to deal with any of the trouble associated with the installation process.
The Importance Of Long Term Thinking
Computer technology in general and the internet in particular have really changed what people expect in terms of how easy and quickly things can be done. We are used to websites that allow us to sign up and get to work in under a minute. In the early days of the web people would have been amazed at how quickly you can make a webpage using WordPress.org but now people have different expectations. As someone in the market for a website you need to weigh our desire for quick solutions with your long term goals.
If you just want a site as quickly as possible then you can get by with WordPress.com, but if you want a professional site then you need to go with WordPress.org. Even if you don’t have any big goals for your site right now but think you might try and do something with it down the line its best to start out by getting your site properly installed and designed now using WordPress.org so you won’t have to deal with a frustrating update process later on.
The choice is yours, just remember that you will have to live with it for as long as you have your website so take the time to look at your options and choose wisely.
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IG Webs, an award winning Huntsville Web design firm is a premier web designer in Huntsville, Alabama known for super client care. You should choose IG Webs if you want personal attention, low rates and dedication to you. We can respond to you quickly. Client care and service is our top priority and we’re small enough to be able to do just that, yet big enough to meet all your demands. And we do not charge for on page SEO (Search Engine Optimization), we design it in. We design and develop corporate websites, eCommerce sites, blog/news sites, landing pages, and much more; client training on how to use the content management system.
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