When I explain to people I build some of my websites using WordPress, the response is often “isn’t that for blogging?”
This post is to explain the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org…
WordPress.com
WordPress.com is a commercial site where you can host your own site for free (usually for personal blogs) with some limitations. It runs on an open source (i.e. free) WordPress development platform created by a company called Automattic.
It’s great if you are looking for a blog for personal use or a simple dabble into the online world. However you would need to pay to upgrade your site if you want it to be customised to your needs.
WordPress.org
WordPress.org is the development software used to run a WordPress website. However it needs to be linked to a domain name (e.g. www.silverwebsites.co.uk) and then uploaded to a web host.
As a web developer I use WordPress.org to develop the majority of my websites. It provides a stable and powerful content management system (CMS) which also allows me access to the core programming code to customise client’s sites to meet their exact requirements. It also uses themes and plug-ins which can save a lot of coding time, which then reduces the overall cost to the client.
It lets me offer affordable simpler sites (with themes just slightly tweaked) through to more expensive fully customised site with each page coded to the client’s requirements.