I started using WordPress in April 2011 when I decided to move away from the bloated Microsoft web platform and embrace the leaner LAMP stack. I have to say, as a CMS, WordPress is really incredible. And the most incredible part is it’s free!

Incredible Things about WordPress

  • Plugins
  • Themes
  • High performance even with lots of content
  • SEO optimized
  • Intuitive easy-to-use interface
  • Easy to install
  • Free

You have to install a few key plugins though in order to make it powerful enough to host a whole website with it.

Plugins I Use

Breadcrumb Trail: Show breadcrumbs on your pages so users know where they are at all times.
Exclude Pages from Navigation: To allow you to build sub-pages, nested infinitely, without them showing up in navigation lists / menus.
Highlight Search Terms: Self-explanatory.
Invisible Captcha: To prevent spam comments. It works really well. Stops just about 100% of spam.
Page Links To: Put links to anything in your navigation.
Redirection: Keep legacy URLs from causing 404 errors by redirecting them to your new pages.
Widget Context: Switch widgets (in the area around your content) based on page URL. Allows you to create a ‘sub-section nav’ for each area of your site.
Add Post URL: Insert HTML code in the header and footer of every post. Allows me to put in Twitter/Facebook buttons and other social media links.

I wrote none of these plugins. Mad props to the authors for writing them and making them available for free.

My Theme

Minimal Georgia, with some CSS tweaks to change font from Georgia to Arial and fix some whitespace issues.

Remember to keep your WordPress up to date and install only plugins you absolutely need, since WordPress (being so popular) is a major target for hackers. So keep your system secure with a strong password and install updates as soon as they are available. Basically, think of WordPress as an OS.