Take it Easy with WordPress and WordCamp Europe

Building a website used to be hard, especially when you wanted to do it all by yourself. Now you can relax and take it easy with WordPress.

After 16 years of existence, the market-leading tool to build websites is simple enough for everybody out there to use, not just the experts…and it’s important to keep spreading the word. That’s why Namecheap is a proud sponsor of WordCamp Europe from June 20-22 in Berlin, Germany.

One of the many highlights in the WordPress calendar, WordCamp Europe is the perfect platform to find out about EasyWP, the WordPress managed hosting solution that packs a powerful punch.

Sit Back and Relax—It’s Simple Now

20 years ago, building a website meant creating everything from scratch and coding actual HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

This was doable but there was a steep learning curve and a lot of DIY, not to mention trial and error. We’ve been there, done that. Haven’t we? Those who start out with their website now don’t need to!

Over the years many third-party services and tools tried to simplify that process yet you always traded ease of use and simplicity for actual loss of control, lack of features or both.

16 years ago WordPress appeared. Initially, the software was mostly used for blogs. Demand for other types of websites soon surged. WordPress adapted. The community then created lots of different themes and plugins for:

• Portfolio sites
• Online stores
• Communities

“X, Made Simple” is almost a cliche by now, with so many startups claiming to make this or that simple. WordPress, on the other hand, has been simplifying its tool for so long that it now finally achieved what it set out to do: simplify online publishing.

The point is here that with WordPress, you can create a very simple website and it’s very simple to do it. You can also create a more complex website and it’s still relatively simple, e.g. adding more features and content, etc. without the additional hassle. You can even have both: start simple and get more complex down the road without having to rebuild or redesign your website.

Nowadays creators have an impressive number of themes and plugins to choose from. This way you can show off your work and represent your business in a way that suits your personal style and preferences.

Often, the best choice is to use the simplest possible layout or design. You can still add more options, features, and items later on. It’s better not to add clutter from the start. This explains why minimalist themes or templates are so popular.

It often depends on the theme. A simple free portfolio theme like Hamilton allows you to showcase your work, be it art, design, photography, etc. with less hassle than doing it on a Facebook page or a website builder like Weebly.

All you need to do is add the content. Images and a headline will suffice and you can even close the comment functionality unless you want people to openly appreciate your work. The website is just the container, but the content is the actual star. It can be simple with an all-white background so that nothing distracts from the work it’s meant to present to the public.

As experts on WordPress, we know this already. Others don’t. They still imagine a CMS being a complex software they have to “learn” by reading books and online tutorials. They tend to go for the seemingly simple solution of having a social media page instead of a dedicated WordPress website.

Social Networking Channels Are Promotional

Sometimes it’s better to let people comment elsewhere, e.g. Facebook, Twitter, etc. but leave your portfolio untouched by outside voices. Each time someone shares your work on social media channels they become popularized. Just make sure that they share from your website and link back to it when sharing.

When you offer something online, whether it’s a product or service, it doesn’t suffice anymore to just be on Facebook. For creators, there are communities like Behance or Coroflot but even those two aren’t enough.

Social networking channels and niche communities are excellent for promoting your work. For selling your freelance services or digital products you’ll still need your own turf you control completely.

Freelancers sites like Upwork or Fiverr can also help you find new opportunities. Yet on those third-party websites, you’re always competing with other people. Visitors get sent away from your profile to similar ones.

With your own website, you’re in power. You decide what people will see. Nobody can distract you or your visitors. It’s just you and your work that you display. You don’t compete for attention with similar vendors. That’s a huge difference.

Nobody competes for visitor attention on your website. It’s just your work. Others may be cheaper, better, or faster but they are somewhere else and your website is proof of your creativity.

WordPress is your tool of choice that lets you do it all without hassle. Advanced WordPress users have known this for a decade or more but the general public is still intimidated by using the actual software and instead use instead of a social networking channel.

Creation vs Customization—You Only Need the Latter Now

By now, you don’t even create a website anymore. WordPress is ready to use, right out of the box. You just need to customize it to your needs and preferences.

As experts, we need to communicate WordPress’ simplicity. We need to make people aware that WordPress is just the engine and that all they need to do is to drive (or publish, in this case). Just like with cars, you don’t need to tinker with the mechanics of how everything works under the hood.

Unlike modern cars, it’s still possible, though, once you are knowledgeable enough about coding but you don’t have to. Even breaking WordPress by accident is preventable now. You choose the color of your car, the company you buy it from, and where you actually drive with it.

On WordPress it’s similar. You can change the look and feel etc. but you don’t have to be an engineer or developer anymore. Most people, however, still assume they need to be. WordPress still sounds geeky. It’s our task as experts to make people believe they can do it all!

WordPress is Democratic—It’s Time to Democratize it

Ultimately WordPress is about making self-controlled online publishing available to the general public; not just the chosen few either financially or technically. These days, you don’t need to be rich or geeky to have a professional website.

EasyWP democratizes it both ways. Everybody can afford it now, even people in emerging markets from around the world. It’s also more appealing to younger and older audiences.

We are also bridging the digital divide technically, as explained above. The WordPress community can spread the message now. You can have a fully professional WordPress website and world-class hosting so money and/or technical skills are no longer barriers.

Take it Easy with WP—WordCamp Europe Edition

WordCamps around the world are not only where the WordPress community meets and talks shop but also celebrates itself and the tools it creates. Until now it’s mainly been the place to mingle with other WordPress experts. Although fun and interesting, WordPress is now growing beyond the limits of expertise.

Here at Namecheap, we ask you to stop thinking you need to be an expert to use WordPress and invite you to join us online or in real life at WordCamp Europe. If you’re already the expert, just embrace those who aren’t quite there and show them the way.  They can follow your lead!

We want you to take it easy and relax. Remember that the technology is taken care of by WordPress experts—that’s what they’re there for.

Users like you do not need to be or become WordPress experts anymore. Do you:

• write?
• take photos?
• create artwork?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then congratulations. You are the ideal WordPress user! For too long, creatives have given away their work by publishing it on third-party websites. Now’s the time to become your own online publisher with WordPress and only use third-party services to promote all your hard work by linking back to your own website.

And when you consider your next WordPress website, be sure to check out EasyWP, our managed WordPress hosting!