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Is WordPress coding?
WordPress is not coding. WordPress is a flexible content management system otherwise known as a CMS. WordPress allows multiple users to create and run websites. Although WordPress uses the programming language PHP, WordPress was originally created so most users could operate a WordPress website without knowing any coding whatsoever.
Although WordPress can use other languages including HTML and CSS for the styling of its posts and pages as well as JavaScript for some interactive functionality as well as in their plugins.
For example, normally you would find JavaScript in many of the plugins that you can upload onto your WordPress website.
However, more and more WordPress themes are also including JavaScript as part of their coding framework.
In this post, we are going to talk about some frequently asked questions regarding WordPress and its relation to coding as well as to whether or not you actually need to know or learn coding in order to develop, create and run a great looking WordPress website.
Is WordPress harder to learn than coding?
In my opinion, WordPress is much easier to learn than coding. If this wasn’t the case, then we would all be hard coding our websites instead of simply downloading WordPress onto our web hosting accounts.
This is not to say that WordPress does not have a learning curve, it does.
However, that learning curve continues to shrink as WordPress continues to evolve.
So for example, WordPress is much easier for absolute beginners and novices to learn now than it was for me 10 years ago.
WordPress just keeps getting better and easier to learn.
Is it unprofessional to build a website for a client using just WordPress, no coding?
It is not unprofessional to build a website for a client using just WordPress and no coding. This is regardless of what programmers and coding enthusiasts claim. What is unprofessional is not delivering a website for a client as promised.
What you use to build that website with and how you build it, that’s up to you.
However, as long as you deliver the website as promised to your clients then that, in my opinion, is professional. Over promising and under delivering is not.
In fact, many Web Developers, although they may know how to code, often find it much easier, more cost effective and even faster to subcontract much of the hard coding for custom-made websites to programmers and coders based in other less developed countries, where labor costs are considerably cheaper.
These “Web Developers” take on more of a role of “Project Manager” than actually coding the website themselves. So if a Web Developer doesn’t need to hard code a website why should you be expected to?
Again as long as you deliver what you have promised to the client, it is your business on how you deliver it and what you use to get the job done.
That’s why WordPress is a great tool to develop websites with. Whether you are an absolute novice, freelancer or have an overall general knowledge of websites, but are not technically considered a programmer, you too can develop websites for clients. So again, why not?
Is it worth learning WordPress now?
WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet today. And despite new entrants into the market who are trying to compete with WordPress, they are all closed source platforms, whereas WordPress is open source.
This is more important than you may realize at first, until you really look into what having and owning a website is all about.
This, I will get into more below. Needless to say, WordPress continues to grow and evolve, despite the naysayers.
Is WordPress a programming language?
WordPress is not a programming language, as I had mentioned previously. It is a CMS. The programming language that WordPress is built on is called PHP.
Do I need to actually be able to code to edit WordPress posts or pages?
The beauty of WordPress is you do not need to be able to code to edit WordPress posts or pages.
In fact, with the growing popularity of page builders like Elementor and Block Editors like WordPress’s Gutenberg Editor, you can get quite creative in the design of even individual posts or pages.
All without requiring any coding whatsoever on your part or your author’s part as well.
What should I learn before WordPress?
You should learn:
- How to buy a domain name.
- Then you should learn how to buy hosting for your website.
- Next, learn how to point the “nameservers” from your domain registrar to the servers of your hosting account.
- Finally, you should learn how to download WordPress into your web hosting dashboard. Thankfully, WordPress now has a “Quick One-Click Install” that most web hosting providers nowadays include in their dashboards.
After that, it’s a matter of going into your WordPress dashboard, go into the theme section and browse around and try some other free themes to get you started.
Once you do that, then go into the plugin section and choose which plugins you might want to start your WordPress website off with. You could always change plugins, activate and deactivate them as well as delete them as needed.
Do I need to know JavaScript for WordPress?
Although you do not need to know JavaScript for WordPress, you should know that many WordPress plugins do include JavaScript in their coding.
Is Webflow better than WordPress?
Webflow is just one of the latest CMSs to come out onto the scene. Just like Ghost, Wix, Shopify, Squarespace etc. Webflow is another closed source CMS.
It’s themes, plugins, etc. are all proprietary. In fact, just like other closed source CMSs, you can only use Webflow on their platform. Which means you are stuck with Webflows hosting, support and service.
Even though Webflow may have some great looking themes and plugins, you are still much more limited in choice than you would be with WordPress.
In addition, Webflow does have a bit of a learning curve as well.
What’s the difference between Wix and WordPress?
Just like Webflow, Wix is also a closed source CMS. The only place you can host a Wix website is on their platform. If you do not like your web hosting, support, service and most importantly prices, then tough luck, unfortunately you are stuck there.
You cannot take your Wix theme and plugins even if you’ve developed them yourself or paid someone else to do it for you and migrate it to another web hosting provider.
However, WordPress is open source. This means that the themes and plugins you use to create your website are not proprietary. What you create you own.
If you don’t like the hosting, support, services and prices of your current hosting provider, whether that’s WordPress.com or have it self-hosted on another web hosting provider, you can simply migrate your WordPress website intact to another web hosting provider.
This is one of the main differences between using a CMS that is open source, like WordPress, to using closed source CMS, like Wix.
Can you get WordPress for free?
Yes, you can get WordPress for free. How?
If you are using WordPress.com or having itself hosted on another web hosting provider, you can simply go into your web hosting providers dashboard.
Then under “Software” go to WordPress and click. Then, you can download it with the simple “Quick One-Click Install”. If your Web Hosting Provider is using cPanel this is quite easy to do.
In fact, you can either download WordPress through the “Quick One-Click Install” or through “Softaculous”.
However, if you are not using a Web Hosting Provider, you can download WordPress from WordPress.org.
WordPress will come in a .zip file on your local computer. You can then either use one of the programs here from this post, “Can I build a WordPress site without hosting? You bet you can!” and upload the zip file to one of those programs.
Or once you do get a hosting plan from a Web Hosting provider, then you can simply upload the WordPress .zip file to your Web Hosting Account’s Dashboard.
Does WordPress do web hosting?
Although WordPress CMS is open source and for all intents and purposes, free to use and build on, Web hosting is not free.
Whether you self-host your WordPress website on a web hosting provider’s servers or you use WordPress.com to host your website.
So yes, technically, WordPress.com does offer web hosting. However, WordPress.org is a non-profit entity whose sole purpose is to provide, educate and promote its open source CMS on the internet.
In fact, one of the founders of WordPress.org and the WordPress CMS is Matt Mullenweg.
Matt Mullenweg is also the founder of the for-profit arm of WordPress, WordPress.com.
Can I build a WordPress website without hosting?
Yes, you can build a WordPress website without hosting. In fact, there are a few posts on this website which can show you how and give you the resources in order for you to do so.
You can always build your WordPress website on your local computer before getting any type of hosting.
However, in order to have your WordPress website live on the internet, you will need some kind of hosting.
Do I need to buy a domain for WordPress?
Just as you don’t need hosting to use WordPress or to even build a WordPress website, you don’t need to buy a domain in order to do the same.
However, once again, you will need to buy a domain for your WordPress website if you want it live on the internet.
WordPress and coding, conclusions.
As you can see, WordPress is built from code. In fact, the programming language WordPress is built from is called PHP. However, WordPress is a CMS and not a coding language.
This makes it easy for non-coders to use WordPress to create great looking websites and get them live on the internet. All without needing to know or learn a single line of code.
Not only that, but what makes WordPress unique is that it is an “open source” CMS. Meaning anything that you have built with WordPress or have bought and added to your WordPress theme, including plugins, are yours.
You can host your WordPress website on WordPress.com or self-host it on any number of Web Hosting Providers.
If one day you find that the Web Hosting Provider you are on has raised its prices, its service has deteriorated, you need a better hosting plan or your website hosting provider has simply outlived its use, you can easily migrate your WordPress website including your theme, plugins and all your content to another web hosting provider.
That’s the beauty of WordPress. Although the WordPress motto is, “Code is Poetry“, you don’t need to be a Poet or Coder in order to get all the benefits from WordPress.
