Many people ask me which CMS or web builder I use to build event websites and, even though there are many out there, I usually only use one of them, and that is WordPress.
WordPress is an open-source software used to build and edit websites. This kind of software is known as a content management system (CMS) and it allows one to build and manage web pages, in many cases without requiring any coding skills, making it possible for anyone to use it, from beginners to professional developers.
WordPress is not the only CMS, though, there is a long list of others such as Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, Drupal, and more appearing every day.
Having worked with many of them, WordPress is undoubted my choice for building event websites. These are some of the reasons why:
1. It’s super flexible and you can build any type of website you want.
Being open-source software, WordPress offers the flexibility to build any type of website on it, no matter how big or small your business or events are.
You could be creating a single landing page for a webinar or a small event, a full website for a large conference or a large website to host multiple event sites and content. No matter if you are an association, an event producer or just hosting a one-off event, WordPress will work for you.
2. WordPress is scalable and allows your website to grow with your business.
This is one of my favourite features of WordPress and, no matter how big your business or events are right now, you can continue to grow and scale your website as your events grow without the need of moving your site over to a new platform or deleting your current website and starting all over again.
If your site is built on WordPress, will you be able to continue building and improving your website, adding new pages or functionalities as and when needed.
3. Many event techs have integrations ready for WordPress
If you are using any type of event or marketing technology for your event, it is very likely you will have to integrate some of them into your website. That might be your registration process, your agenda, speaker or sponsors or your email marketing platform.
Being one of the biggest and most famous CMS’, a lot of technologies already offer integrations or plugins to embed content directly onto WordPress without the need of commissioning a developer to build an API just for you. This can save you a ton of time and money for your events.
4. There are many plugins ready to help you build
To add on to my last point, WordPress already has thousands of plugins that can help you increase the functionality of your website. Such as form builders, tables, event calendars, popups, speed optimisers, security plugins… practically anything you could want on your website already has a plugin available for you (paid or free).
Taking advantage of these can also help you save a ton of time and money.
5. It’s easy to create responsive websites.
Nowadays, more than 50% of web traffic comes from mobile, and it can be even higher for events in certain industries. WordPress doesn’t ignore this growing trend and makes it easy to create a responsive website. Many themes and plugins are also mobile-friendly, which helps.
Nevertheless, you must check your website on all devices and make sure your content is delivered correctly across all devices; you’ll probably have to make a few adjustments.
6. WP helps build SEO-friendly websites.
You have a website on the internet to promote your event; now you want your potential attendees to find it. Content marketing strategies are a great way to improve your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and help position your website. However, for your website to appear in the search results, first you must have an SEO-friendly website.
WordPress and many of its quality plugins and themes, make great efforts to help you build an SEO-friendly website with quality code, constant updates to keep the software up to date and many tools to help speed up your site. WordPress is a great place to start your SEO strategy.
7. WordPress is relatively easy to use, definitely easy to edit
Anyone a little techie, following a couple of tutorials or a course, can build a website for their events on WordPress using pre-made themes and plugins. However, WordPress is not one of the easiest solutions out there, especially to build a website with a more professional and personal look.
However, once built, WordPress can offer an easy and intuitive framework, making it very easy to edit the content, add new speakers, upload new blogs, videos… you name it.
That’s why I always recommend investing a little bit more at the start and getting the support of a professional designer or developer if needed to help you create your event websites, but you might not need ongoing support and they can be very easy to edit and maintain.
And the list could go on because WordPress has so many benefits but hopefully this list has given you something to think about.
If you are wondering which is my theme of choice, even though I use many different ones and I don’t believe there is one perfect one for all events, my theme of choice is usually Divi. You can check it out by going to theeventscast.com/divi.
And my hosting of choice? Once again, it depends on your business but I usually recommend WP Engine which you can check out at theeventscast.com/WPEngine.
If you would like to learn more about WordPress and the reasons I usually choose to use it, listen to the full podcast episode #33 in which I talk all about these reasons.
Episode Resources:
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#32: Integrating Motherhood and Career as an Event Marketer with Kathryn Frankson
