This is the second post in our 30 days of getting started online with your business. In the last post I discussed using WordPress to get your website up and running quickly as well as some pros and cons. A question I receive often is "What's the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?"  The .com site provides WordPress as a hosted service.   The .org site is where you download the open source software to use on your own server or web host.  There's a great list of pros and cons for the two offerings here, so I won't rehash those in this post. Instead I want to discuss what I think is the best option.

For just starting out online your best option is to use neither! Not to be misleading, but there is a third option.  You can buy web hosting and install WordPress on your account using the host's tools.  This way you don't have to download WordPress, upload it to your hosting account, configure the database, etc.  The larger web hosts like GoDaddy, BlueHost, 1and1 and Dreamhost (affiliate link) make it easy to install WordPress and other open source software.

WordPress.com does offer premium features which allow you to use your own domain name, but if you're going to spend money, you should go ahead and get your own hosting account.  This provides more options for using and customizing WordPress. The added flexibility for immediate and future growth is worth the cost in my experience. Plus the cost of web hosting is minimal these days compared to other business expenses.

Bottom line, if you are looking to get started online quickly and professionally, purchase web hosting with a reputable company (like those mentioned above) and install WordPress using the host's automated tools.

If you've used WordPress.com for your blog or website, what was your experience like? What are some other hosting companies which make installing and configuring WordPress dead simple?

WordPress has earned a stellar reputation in recent years and deservedly so.  It powers some of the world's most popular websites and has a massive following of designers and developers creating a growing collection of unique sites with powerful functionality. But just because everyone seems to be using WordPress doesn't mean you should.  If you answered the 3 questions from my previous post you'll be more prepared to choose online software and services. WordPress has gained a large following for several reasons:

• Free - WordPress is open source and can be used by anyone.
• Easy to extend – It provides a great foundation for adding extra functionality using a plugin system.
• Flexible branding – It uses a theming system so you can match your WordPress website to your brand.
• Easy to Use – This is relative, but I'll explain more more in a moment.
• Support – If you need help using WordPress or need a developer or designer to work on your site a simple Google search will yield thousands of answers and people willing to help.  There are many reasonably priced web hosts which support WordPress installations, also.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – WordPress has built-in functionality and many plugins available for helping you tweak your site so your content is indexed correctly by search engines.  This can lead to higher search rankings.

WordPress is known for allowing people to quickly create blogs.  It can also be used as a system for publishing your content, known as a content management system, or CMS.   Even if you never use WordPress to blog, it can meet the majority of a solorpreneur's or small business's website needs.

So when is WordPress a bad choice?  If your business needs to create a web application, process or workflow as your website, WordPress is probably not your best option.  Ruby on Rails, PHP or .NET might be a better choice.  WordPress is the superior choice in my opinion for anyone starting out online and needing a website which allows control of creating and editing content.  I've developed software and websites using DotNetNuike, Drupal, Joomla, Blogger, Tumblr and custom coded sites.  Other choices may have more options or features, but I think WordPress strikes the best balance between power and usability.  A hundred features you can't really understand or need for your business are as bad as having a system with too little functionality.

In the spirit of 37Signals' book Rework, "it's a problem when it's a problem".  My advice is to get your name and brand out there on the web and do it quickly.  If you need additional functionality, you can adjust course later.  No sense worrying about problems or issues which may not materialize. Making a wise, informed choice is still important.  You don't want to restrict your ability to adapt with changing conditions.  With WordPress, I've yet to see anyone paint themselves into a corner.

You can be up and running quickly with WordPress, adapt and react swiftly and be in complete control of communicating with your clients using the methods they prefer.  And if you get too big for WordPress, call me.  I'd love to hear about your success! Did I miss any benefits or drawbacks of WordPress?  What other content management systems or platforms have you tried?