Rest easy, knowing you’re in good company if you use WordPress to publish on the web. Many famous blogs, news outlets, music sites, Fortune 500 companies and celebrities are using WordPress, including NBC, CBS, USA Today, Time, Disney, Airbnb, Spotify, TechCrunch and even the Pioneer Woman.
If you’re ever curious about who uses WordPress, head on over to the WordPress site showcase and you’ll be impressed by the number of well-known sites and famous people using WordPress to power their websites.
WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org
If you’re just getting started with WordPress, there are a few important things to know. First up, you’ll need to know the difference between WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org.
The difference between WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org can be a little confusing if you are new to using WordPress.
- WordPress.com is the hosted version of WordPress, where you can create a WordPress.com account to make a blog or website.
- By default, your website’s URL or domain will include the word “WordPress,” like myblog.wordpress.com.
- Paid upgrades include a custom domain, Google Analytics integration, more storage space, the ability to add your own plugins and themes and more.
- WordPress.com is owned by Automattic, a company founded by one of the original WordPress creators, Matt Mullenweg.
- WordPress.org is where you can download the WordPress software to install on your own server or web hosting account.
- The WordPress software is open-source, so it is free to download and use.
- To use the WordPress.org version of WordPress, you’ll need to have a domain name and web hosting, purchased from another reputable company like Liquidweb.
- Most web hosts offer a WordPress “quick install” or done-for-you installations of WordPress to help you get started if you don’t want to install WordPress yourself.
- WordPress.org is the non-profit foundation of Automattic.
How do I start using WordPress?
Now you’re probably asking, “how do I start WordPress?”
Again, WordPress is free. Yep, that’s right – it’s 100% free. You can get started today with a WordPress website in just a few steps.
You’ll just need a few things to get started with WordPress:
- Quality web hosting
- A domain name
- The WordPress software installed on your website (most web hosts will handle this for you.)
If you’d rather use the hosted version of WordPress available on WordPress.com, you’ll simply need to create a WordPress.com account to get started.