Want to know the top reasons to use WordPress for blogging? These are the exact reasons to use WordPress for your blog that you need to know about.

Starting a blog is extremely exciting and if you’re anything like me, you’re doing all the research you possibly can to make sure you are using the best platform for your blog. As a blogger myself, I am giving you the top reasons to use WordPress for your blog.

You are going to learn all about why you want to use WordPress for blogging from the customization of the platform to the SEO benefits and more.

After learning about all the reasons to use WordPress for your blog, you will feel confident about choosing WordPress over other platforms such as Wix and Squarespace. And you will be ready to take the next step in starting your blog. 

This post is all about the top reasons why you need to use WordPress for your blog that you need to know about.

Why You Should Use WordPress for Blogging

1. WordPress is Free(ish)

The WordPress software itself is free. And along with the FREE price also comes the freedom that allows you to customize it in all the ways we will talk about in this post.

That being said, in order to use it, there are some costs that come along with building a blog that has the design and functionality you want. 

The two things that are required are: (1) a domain name and (2) web hosting. 

I also recommend investing in the following:

• A Theme: There are some free themes, but I recommend spending a little money on a theme that matches the style you want for your blog. (You only have one chance to make a first impression.)
• A Drag and Drop Builder: One of the best parts of blogging in 2022 is the advent of easy-to-use drag-and-drop page builders that make it so easy to customize and add elements to your blog. My personal favorite is the Divi Theme Builder by Elegant Themes.
• Plugins: There are a couple of plugins that are worth spending money on. That being said, it’s very easy to keep these to a minimum, especially when you are first getting started. 

2. WordPress is Open Source

The reason why WordPress is free and why there are so many amazing plugins, drag and drop builders, and other features is because it is an open-source platform. 

Because WordPress is open-source, that means that its development is the result of a community of developers. 

And because it is open source, this community of developers is constantly creating new tools, plugins, theme builders, and more that allow users like you and me to be able to customize our blogs the way we want. 

I think that’s pretty cool!

3. WordPress is Soooo Customizable (Without Needing to Code)

One of my favorite features of WordPress is how customizable it is. Do you want to have a cooking blog? You can do that. Do you want to have a photography blog? You can do that, too. 

Do you want to create a news media website? That can be done, too. 

Do you want to create a course or a membership site? That can be done on WordPress, too. 

If you want a store on your website, it integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce. With WooCommerce, you can also sell digital products directly on your blog — no need to create an Etsy shop (which means you get ALL of the profits). 

You can even use your WordPress website to build a sales funnel. (No need to pay extra for Leadpages or ClickFunnels, which can cost an extra $37 a month and $97 a month, respectively.)

You can change the logo, favicon, colors, and fonts of your website with the click of a button. 

Almost anything you can think of that you want to do with your blog can most likely be done (as long as it's legal, of course). 

4. WordPress Drag and Drop Page Builders

I’ve been working on WordPress websites for almost 10 years, but I had never created one from the ground up. (I always worked for companies that had developers who did that kind of thing.)

When I learned that there were these easy-to-use drag and drop page builders that non-developers like me could learn to use, I was hooked. 

If these didn’t exist, I might be tempted to use a platform like Wix or Squarespace, but because these do exist, I seriously don’t see why you would go that route. (Just keeping it real.)

Because of the drag and drop builders, I think there is no excuse to not have a beautiful and easy-to-navigate blog. 

As I mentioned earlier, my personal favorite is the Divi WordPress Page Builder by Elegant Themes. It is so dynamic. With the click of a button, I can add a video, an image, an email opt-in, a button, and these can all be customized in hundreds of different ways. 

I can create a custom blog-post layout and I can even make the layout look different depending on the category, so you aren’t stuck with just one layout. 

Divi also comes with more than 200 free layout packs so you don’t need to pay extra for a child theme unless you want to. 

If Divi isn’t for you, there are other page builders such as: 

• Elementor  
• Genesis Blocks
• Visual Composer
• Thrive Architect
• SeedProd
• BeaverBuilder
• Themify Builder  

5. The Amazing WordPress Plugins

Another WordPress feature that allows users to easily customize their blogs and websites into just about anything they want is the WordPress plugins. 

The plugins are what allow you to give your blog just about any functionality you want.

Here’s a list of some plugins and what they do: 

• WP Forms: Adds forms to your blog
• Google Site Kit: Analytics information right in the backend of your website
• YOAST SEO: SEO optimizes every page and post
• MemberPress: Create a course, membership site, and more with this plugin.  
• WooCommerce: Adds a store to your blog.
• GDPR Cookie Consent: Makes it easy to comply with state and international privacy laws. 
• Grow Social by Mediavine: Social sharing and optimizing plugin.
• PublishPress: Manage your editorial calendar right from within WordPress.
• CartFlows, WooFunnels, WP Funnels: Build a sales funnel right in your blog without a third-party platform like ClickFunnels. 
• Smash Balloon: Add a social media feed right to your blog.

Don’t see what you’re looking for, there are more than 55,000 plugins. Just do a search, and I’ll bet you’ll find it. 

With plugins like these, what you thought was a simple blogging platform now becomes so much more. 

That being said, there are a couple of things  you should know about plugins:

• They aren’t all free. Some plugins are 100% free. Most plugins will have a free version you can use with limited functionality. (For example, I currently use the free version of YOAST SEO, but I could pay more to access more features.) Other plugins aren't free at all. That being said, they do tend to be very reasonable. 
• Not all plugins are created equal. Before installing a plugin, research the plugin to make sure it isn’t going to cause any problems on your website. Read reviews and also make sure that the plugin is updated regularly. The best place to check this is right on the WordPress.org website.

6. WordPress Themes

Along with the easy-to-use page builders, one of the reasons you are able to have a beautifully designed blog up and running in days is because of the plethora of WordPress blog themes available to purchase. 

In summary, a theme is the design of your website. If you use a specific theme-builder like Divi, sometimes these will be called “Child themes.”

Themes are added with a simple installation that theme developers will walk you through how to do. 

Here are some of my favorite places to find WordPress themes: 

• Creative Market
• Superfly
• 17th Avenue Design
• Etsy

7. WordPress is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Friendly

If you want your blog to rank, you need to incorporate Search Engine Optimization (SEO). 

I like to think of SEO as a puzzle, and each piece represents a different tactic you can use to help your website get noticed by Google and users. 

Here are some factors that contribute to good SEO:

• Mobile-friendly responsiveness
• Pagespeed
• Core web vitals
• Page Title
• Meta Description
• URLs
• Indexing 
• Images
• Sitemaps
• 301 Redirects
• And More

There is not one of these factors that cannot be fully optimized on a WordPress website. The same cannot be said of websites built with Wix, Squarespace, or GoDaddy.

8. WordPress is Easy to Use and Maintain

One of the reasons why developers love WordPress is that they are no longer required to maintain the websites that are built on WordPress. Users are easily able to go in and throw up their own pages and blog posts without needing to know a bit of code. 

But the truth is we don’t really need the developers anymore either (unless you want to enlist one). 

Now with the advent of drag and drop page builders, creating a custom website is doable even for a novice blogger. 

For some of the more technical aspects, there are so many great step-by-step tutorials created by the WordPress community and people who are willing to help. 

9. You Can Scale Your Blog

When you first start your blog, you will use a premade theme, but as you grow, you may decide that you want a custom-designed blog. 

The first thing to know about this process is that any developer you reach out to will most likely want to move you to WordPress (if you aren’t already using it). 

The second thing to know is that WordPress is the platform used by more than 27 million websites, and among these websites “62% of the top 100 fastest growing companies in the US use WordPress,” according to Nelio Software.

If some of the fastest-growing companies in the country are able to scale with WordPress, then you can, too. 

10. There is A LOT of Support

When you start a WordPress blog, you join a community.

When you’re a small blogger, you don’t exactly have your own IT department, but questions do come up and issues do happen.

But you are not alone. I have always found answers among the vast WordPress community. 

I have also found amazing support among the tools I use to run this blog, which is why you want to be really picky about the WordPress tools you choose for your website. 

11. Snoop Dog and Disney Both Use It

If you aren’t already convinced that you should use WordPress for your blog, well you should be now that you know Snoop Dog and Disney both use it (along with thousands of other celebrities and large companies). 

All joking aside . . . this is just another sign that points to how powerful this platform is. 

How to Start a Blog on WordPress

You’re convinced that WordPress is the way to go. Now what? Don’t worry! I’ve got you covered. 

Learn how to install WordPress with this tutorial.

I highly recommend downloading this FREE checklist and workbook that will ensure you don’t miss any of the steps in the process. 

What Was the Clincher?

Now that you know that WordPress is the best option for creating your blog, I would love to hear which reason was the most powerful for you. 

Tell me in the comments below!