{"id":32142,"date":"2021-07-13T07:14:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-13T12:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bhmultisite.com\/resources\/?p=32142"},"modified":"2021-07-13T07:14:00","modified_gmt":"2021-07-13T12:14:00","slug":"10-unique-uses-of-wordpress-besides-blogging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bluehost.com\/blog\/10-unique-uses-of-wordpress-besides-blogging\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Unique Uses of WordPress (Besides Blogging)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

According to W3Techs<\/a>\u2019 latest usage reports, over 42% of all websites use WordPress<\/a> as their content management system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting as a blogging platform, WordPress has evolved into a behemoth website builder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Endless WordPress themes, plugins, templates and new feature releases help you create WordPress websites for more than just blogging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you\u2019re new to this open-source platform and wondering what you can do with WordPress, or you\u2019re a WordPress expert looking for new ideas, keep on reading and learn what kind of websites you can make with WordPress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress Ideas<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Create an E-Commerce Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Start a Forum<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Build a Business Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Host a Portfolio<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Open a Job Board<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Use It As a Business Directory<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Create a Charitable Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Host a Review Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Start a Podcast Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Use It for Invoicing<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Thoughts: What Can You Do With WordPress (Besides Blogging)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress Ideas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
  1. Create an E-Commerce Website<\/li>
  2. Start a Forum<\/a><\/li>
  3. Build a Business Website<\/li>
  4. Host a Portfolio<\/li>
  5. Open a Job Board<\/li>
  6. Develop a Business Directory<\/li>
  7. Create a Charitable Website<\/li>
  8. Host a Review Website<\/li>
  9. Start a Podcast<\/a><\/li>
  10. Use It for Invoicing<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    1. Create an E-Commerce Website<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Online shopping is on the rise. eMarketer<\/a> estimates that e-commerce retail sales grossed a total of $4.280 trillion in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"eMarketer\u2019s<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Image source<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    WordPress is the ideal platform for building an online store or adding a storefront to a personal blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The platform has plenty of e-commerce plugins, like the ever-popular WooCommerce<\/a>, to make it easy for you to sell your products and run a successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Shopify<\/a>, a standalone e-commerce giant, also integrates with WordPress so that you can have a mini storefront on your website. With endless customization options, your users will never have to jump between your website and the storefront.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Or, you can add a WordPress blog to your e-commerce site and use affiliate linking<\/a> \u2014 recommending affiliated products in your posts \u2014 to earn extra income. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Start a Forum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    A cool thing to do with WordPress is to start a forum where users with similar interests can connect, express opinions and share advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Starting a forum is a great way to turn a brand\u2019s existing customers into a loyal community of enthusiasts. Users can use your WordPress website to discuss ideas, share feedback and help other customers with their problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In addition, your brand can answer questions, leading to a two-way communication model that builds trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"bbPress<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Image source<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    bbPress<\/a> is a WordPress plugin<\/a> that helps you create a streamlined discussion board on your own website. You can also create a micro-community or a social network to boost engagement and activity with plugins like BuddyPress<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Build a Business Website<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Among the primary uses of WordPress and a pretty obvious answer to \u201cwhat can you do with WordPress?\u201d is to build a website for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    No matter the niche your organization operates in or the type of website you want to create, WordPress has got your back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    WordPress hosting<\/a> is an excellent option for your business website with custom domain<\/a> names, landing page and premium plugins, functional widgets, beautiful themes and templates<\/a> and an extensive feature list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Using plugins, you can add functionality to your websites, such as live chat for quick customer support, a rating and feedback system for a store and social media plugins to integrate with tools like Buffer \u2014 a social media account management tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Businesses dealing with large and complicated data \u2014 like WordPress.com and Cheapflights \u2014 can also create a WordPress multisite<\/a> network, an entire network of websites managed on a single WordPress dashboard, to simplify website management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You can use a business website to supplement your brick-and-mortar store with online sales and contact forms or to start an e-commerce venture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Host a Portfolio<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Still wondering what you can do with WordPress?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Consider hosting a portfolio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A portfolio website<\/a> is one of the best uses of WordPress. Artists, photographers and designers can show off their work to attract new clients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"WP<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Image source<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You can use one of the best WordPress portfolio plugins, such as WP Portfolio<\/a> and Go Portfolio<\/a>, to highlight your work at a reasonable price. Most of these plugins also have premade templates and a plethora of customization options to help you develop a portfolio that resonates with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    5. Open a Job Board<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If you have experience in your industry and want to help out others within your community, a great WordPress idea is to create a job board to list open positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Use your experience to weed out bad jobs with unreasonably low rates or suspicious requirements and gain credibility among your peers and juniors. Starting a job board is also a great way to build your network since companies might reach out to you to list their open jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You can use plugins like WPJobBoard<\/a> to develop your job board. Once you\u2019ve built up a following, you can also start a membership site where WordPress users can sign up to receive daily or weekly newsletters about the latest jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    6. Develop a Business Directory<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Among other cool things you can do with WordPress?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How does developing a business directory sound?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You can develop a WordPress website that lists businesses within a niche and their information \u2014 images, addresses and value proposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    With the right WordPress plugins, you can also add dynamic maps<\/a>, customer reviews and user photos to your WordPress business directory to improve user experience. These features turn a basic directory into a community-driven network of local businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    By developing a rating-driven community directory, you can help people find highly-rated businesses in their area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    7. Create a Charitable Website<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Non-profit organizations can capitalize on WordPress\u2019s wide variety of themes and templates to create a user-friendly website that represents their cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Supporting brands can add crowdfunding links to their website or blogging interface to rally audiences and lend their support to worthy causes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Also, WordPress has a variety of plugins to support charity organizations and their efforts. For example, every charity website needs HTTPS and SSL to ensure security, boost donor trust, and prevent information theft. Using WordPress<\/a> security plugins, you can acquire both easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    #BHChat<\/a> A2 – Definitely HTTPS – need an SSL certificate, most hosts install those for free now. Again make sure the process works from online form, to payment gateway to confirmation email to data storage.<\/p>— Birgit Pauli-Haack (next #WCUS) (@bph) November 19, 2019<\/a><\/blockquote>