WordPress
The world's most widely used content management system and how to get the most out of it in your marketing
Four out of every ten websites in the world run on the same tool. Personal blogs, online stores, media outlets and corporate websites all share a common foundation. That tool is WordPress.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is an open-source content management system, or CMS. It lets you create and manage a website without any coding: you write, upload images and publish from a dashboard.
According to W3Techs, it powers 40.2% of all websites and almost 59% of those that use a known CMS. No other content management system comes close.
It was born in 2003 as a blogging tool, created by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little from an earlier project called b2/cafelog. Its code is released under a free license, which allows anyone to use it, modify it and help improve it. Over the years it has evolved to support any type of website, from a personal page to a store with thousands of products.
WordPress.org and WordPress.com
This is one of the most common questions, because there are two versions with almost identical names.
WordPress.org is the free software you download and install on your own web hosting. You have full control: you can install any theme or plugin and modify whatever you want. In return, you take care of the hosting, updates and security.
WordPress.com is a service that hosts the website for you. It’s easier to get started with, but the customization options depend on the plan you choose.
Professionally, the self-hosted version is almost always used, and it’s the one we refer to in this entry.
How it works
The platform is built on three main components.
The block editor. Since version 5.0, content is built with blocks: paragraphs, images, buttons, columns or videos. You add and arrange them visually.
Themes. They define the design of the website. You can choose from thousands of free or premium website templates, or use a visual builder like Divi to design your pages.
Plugins. These are extensions that add features: forms, online stores, SEO, security, backups or connections to other tools. The official directory has tens of thousands of free plugins.
Advantages and disadvantages
Its main advantages are flexibility and cost. The software is free and you can extend it almost without limits. It also has a huge community: it’s easy to find tutorials, professionals and solutions to any problem.
It’s also a good foundation for SEO. It lets you control URLs, titles and meta descriptions, and there are specialized plugins that make the job much easier.
But it has its drawbacks. Because it’s so popular, it’s a frequent target of attacks, so you need to keep it up to date. If you install too many plugins, the website can become slow, and each plugin is also a potential point of failure. It’s best to choose them carefully and check that they’re updated frequently. And although you don’t need to code, getting the most out of it involves a certain learning curve.
WordPress in your marketing strategy
For many companies, this platform is the center of their digital marketing. Their blog, product pages and campaigns are all built on it.
Its strong point is content marketing. Publishing articles is quick, and each post can attract organic traffic for years. You can also create a landing page for each campaign without relying on a developer.
And with plugins like WooCommerce, you can turn your website into a full ecommerce store.
How to connect WordPress to your email marketing
The traffic your website attracts is worth more if you get those visitors to subscribe. These are the most common ways to connect your website to your email marketing tool:
- Subscription forms: place a form on your blog, in the footer or in a pop-up. We explain how in our guide to creating a Mailrelay subscription form in WordPress.
- A lead magnet: offer a guide or a discount in exchange for an email address. A good lead magnet multiplies sign-ups.
- Double opt-in: confirm each subscription with an email. Double opt-in improves the quality of your list.
- User synchronization: a plugin can automatically add users who register on your website to your list.
- Sending via SMTP: by default, the CMS sends its emails using the server’s mail function, which tends to be unreliable and often ends up in spam. Setting up an SMTP server improves the deliverability of transactional emails, such as sign-up or password recovery emails.
How we help you at Mailrelay
At Mailrelay we make it easy for you to turn your website visitors into subscribers. Our WordPress plugin syncs your users with Mailrelay, and you can embed our subscription forms on any page. You can also use our SMTP for your website’s emails.
All of this on a free plan of up to 80,000 emails a month and 20,000 contacts. If you want to try it, you can create your email marketing account at Mailrelay today.
Frequently asked questions about WordPress
Is WordPress free? The software is. What you pay for is hosting, the domain and, if you need them, premium themes or plugins.
Do I need to know how to code to use it? No. You can build a complete website from the dashboard. Knowing some HTML or CSS helps you customize it, but it isn’t essential.
Can it be used for an online store? Yes. With WooCommerce, its best-known ecommerce plugin, you can manage products, payments and shipping.
In conclusion
WordPress is the most widely used option for building a website thanks to its flexibility, its cost and its huge community. It works for a simple blog as well as an online store or a corporate website.
If you already use it, make the most of its potential to attract subscribers. Connect your forms to your email marketing tool and turn every visit into an opportunity to build a relationship with your brand.
Related entries
Find out how Mailrelay can help with your email marketing strategy.