Do you think WordPress.com will be great choice for your small business website? This hands-on WordPress.com review will assist you in determining whether or not it’s the very best solution for your business.
We’ll also help you understand how WordPress.com works by compares to other website builders like WIX and Squarespace.
We’ll discuss how to use this (WordPress.com) platform in the most effective way. We’ll also discuss its pros and cons and briefly explain the important pricing information as well.
Let’s discuss WordPress.com.
WordPress is the engine that drives many websites. Basically It’s a CMS that organizes blog posts, web pages, media assets, and more. WordPress powers 54.3% of all websites on the internet.
Most people use WordPress for their website by downloading it for free. Because WordPress is open-source software or CMS and any one can install it on their hosting platform free of cost.
Nowadays, every hosting company comes with a pre-installed WordPress server because of its popularity.
No doubt, this method gives you freedom, but it also means you must maintain, update, and protect your business website from time to time.
You may find it difficult to maintain WordPress website if you don’t understand it.
WordPress.com gives you another way to use WordPress software flexibility, but in a way that is more like a “website builder.”
WordPress.com is as easy to use as website builders like WIX and Squarespace. Just sign up and you will ready to create the website for your business.
WordPress.com handles maintenance and other tasks for you, and making things simpler than setting up your own self-hosted WordPress website.
But at the same time, paying for the WordPress.com Professional plan gives you access to the CMS’s flexibility.
There are literally hundreds of available “themes” to customize the visual appearance of your site, and dozens of plugins to extend its functionality for small businesses website.
This post of WordPress.com and will focus mostly on how it compares to other website-building tools like Squarespace, WIX, and Bluehost Web Site Builder.
Let’s explore WordPress.com (and what it costs)
Our practical discussion at WordPress.com will begin with how websites are built and managed.
Including and managing websites
There are few options for designing your small business website.
For example, to make a website, first of all go to the Purchases section of your profile and find the Build Website link (create site). Then click the “create site” button.
Following these steps, you’ll be guided through a wizard that asks you basic questions about your desired site and its purpose. like the website title and description.
Your site will have links to different blog posts, editing panels, or product catalogs. There are some similarities between this process and the building workflow; we’ll discuss that later. Once you finish the wizard, you can take care of your website.
You can do this from the My Websites screen. But, there are several editing options accessible for all of your website’s posts, pages, images, comments, and other content. The setup instructions are simple enough for beginners and experienced users to use effectively.
But, if you’ve used Squarespace or WIX before, you may be quite surprised by how simple WordPress.com is to access your website’s editing panels.
Being honest may be challenging if you’ve used multiple versions of WordPress. You may have some difficulties understanding it at first time.
Building websites and writing content
To edit your website, click the Edit Website option in the Home section, and then click the Fast Links submenu:
This will take you to a screen where you can change things using a drag-and-drop builder:
By default, every option is in a hidden menu that you can open and close with the toolbar at the top. Under the blue plus sign, you’ll find a list of all the blocks you can use…
And a few settings for the selected block on the right side. There are also some options for formatting the context for each block:
As soon as you understand how each panel works with the others, it will be easy to put your website together. But compared to other website builders, there needs to be more useful information.
For example, you’ll find guides, prompts, and more for different builders to help you place and manage your content material parts. This isn’t as impressive with WordPress.com, which uses a standard theme.
Themes
The Block Editor does not allow you to change the whole theme. Visit the Themes page on your dashboard instead: (Look → Themes)
This allows you to find your theme and change it with just a few clicks. It’s a simple system that lets you preview the updated theme and turn it on in seconds:
We like this method better than other website builders. However, we’d like to see a better link between choosing a theme and making changes to your website in the future. Above picture the two parts feel separate right now, which shouldn’t be the case.
Including plugins and extra performance
WordPress.com uses plugins to improve its performance, just like WIX has its App Market and Squarespace has its Extension Library. There’s no doubt that it’s the best option for wodpress.com websites.
There are many plugin options for WordPress Elementor, Yoast SEO, Contact Form 7, and many more:
Because of this, WordPress is a more flexible way to build, customize, and run your website. Unlike other website builders, you can use outside and third-party resources and work with the same code base that powers tens of millions of other websites.
The whole platform feels more open than the competition, which means there are many free and paid options available for almost every need.
Read More : BOOST YOUR SITE SPEED: 22 PROVEN WAYS TO OPTIMIZE YOUR WORDPRESS WEBSITE
WordPress.com’s pricing
WordPress.com’s pricing plans include a free plan, just like most other website builders. This can be an excellent way to try out many features and available options, but it also has several drawbacks.
- You can’t use your domain name.
- You won’t be able to access your themes and plugins.
- There is no way to sell things on your website.
- There are no search engine optimization tools available.
It would be beneficial for many websites if the free plan includes more critical features. Then you can build a better WordPress website for your business than one hosted on WordPress.
It’s time to discuss WordPress.com pricing plans. There are six different plans are available for WordPress.com, each with different features and performance levels.
Free: WordPress is among the most widely used blogging and content management systems for any website online. It has multiple pricing plans, but there is a free plan as well. You can choose from a variety of beautiful themes for your business website with the free plan. You may change the color and layout to better suit your business’s needs later. You can create unlimited webpages on your website and so on.
To know details information regarding pricing plan I recommend visit there website. Because pricing may change when you read this post. It will also avoid any confusion.
Personal: For $5 a month, you get a free site for a year, the ability to accept payments, and you can get rid of WordPress.com ads on your site.
Premium: At $10 per month, almost double the price gives you premium themes, videos, Google Analytics integration, and a way to make money from ads (WordAds) on your site.
Business: For $15 a month, you can add plugins to your site with more features. You also get automatic website backups, better SEO options, and access to your database and website through the Safe File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). This monthly plan costs $15 and gives you access to everything WordPress.com offers. Along with everything else in the different tiers, you can accept payments from more countries, work with faster shipping companies, and choose from more high-end design options and Unrestricted bandwidth. If you would like to know more about how much bandwidth need for your website you can visit this post.
Read More : HOW MUCH BANDWIDTH DOES YOUR SITE REALLY NEED?
Woo-Commerce: This $25 monthly plan offers you the entire WordPress.com expertise. Along with every part throughout the different tiers, you’ll be able to settle for funds in additional nations, combine with prime delivery carriers, and entry extra premium design choices.
Compared to other page builders, this pricing model is a mixed bag. For example, we prefer WordPress.com to WIX, which has seven levels. Bluehost has three plans that are usually cheaper than WordPress.com for common website needs.
Squarespace charges more like WordPress.com does. You get a wide range of features and functions across all plans. However, for the most part, the price per plan is almost double what it used to be.
One of the most exciting things about WordPress.com is access to premium plugins. This is a step up from other extension libraries. This is worth a few extra dollars a month and can boost your website in many ways.
WordPress.com: Pros and cons
It’s no surprise that WordPress.com has more pros than cons. It is an excellent place to start because the site builder is better than other platforms in many ways.
- WordPress.com’s Block Editor brings web building into the modern age. It also put it behind the competition before it was even released. Now, Block Editor is an integral part of the platform.
- You may change the visual style of your WordPress site by using different themes and plugins. WordPress allows you to use almost any plugin or theme. You won’t feel like you’re using an all-in-one builder. Other platforms, however, can be stifling and restrictive.
- The prices are easy to understand and aggressive compared to direct competitors.
let’s see some cons as well.
However, each platform has its flaws. There are only a few bad things we should always remember:
- WordPress.com’s price is similar to other platforms, even though it’s not the deciding factor. Especially if you use premium themes and plugins (which is usually a good idea).
- If you’re modifying your website, you’ll have to search for WordPress.com options. Moreover, there isn’t much direction regarding what to do next. Compared to Squarespace and Wix, WordPress almost feels like you need to already know how the platform works, which is unlikely.
These flaws will only make you switch to a competitor quickly. Although they may be a problem initially, you may need more time to give up.
Should you use WordPress.com instead of other website builders?
Compared to Squarespace and other sites, WordPress.com offers excellent value. If you compare the full-featured pricing plan, you won’t find any real differences between the platforms. These tools make it easy to create a small business website that performs and would seem exactly like one hosted on your own server.
Even the price is better than the rest. WordPress.com’s prices are usually lower than its competitors. We recommend WordPress.com over other site builders.
Conclusion
WordPress is the best way to publish your website. You’ll also have to decide whether you want to use WordPress.com or self-hosted WordPress. Although both WordPress platform share many characteristics and names, but they’re very different.
Comparing WordPress.com to standalone builders like WIX, Squarespace, and others makes more sense. Based on this, this WordPress.com review says it is an excellent solution with considerable flexibility, scalability, and customization options. Also, with competitive pricing plans, you can use premium plugins and themes without worrying about server and hosting management.
Do you agree with our WordPress.com review?? If not, why not? Let’s discuss it in the comments section below!!
