From being a simple blogging platform to unexpectedly becoming the basis of hundreds of thousands of websites throughout the world, WordPress has been a revolution in getting people online. And as it has progressed along its path, it has also become more and more user-friendly for the average person.
For example, back in the day, you had to download it and install it on your server manually, and go through a relatively complex setup process, but now you can install it in one click through your host’s control panel.
So if it’s all so easy off the peg, why is there such a thing as a WordPress developer? Well, the basic installation is just the platform, and that’s a pretty good description too, because from there you can build it up. Let’s look at the various types of WordPress sites to explain.
Vanilla installation
When you do that one-click installation we mentioned above, you do actually end up with a viable, functioning website that anyone in the world can visit. It will come with the latest theme installed (usually named after the year, such as Twenty Twenty-One), and a simple page.
You then log into the back end and start filling it with static “pages” and/or blog-type “posts”. You can easily set up a menu and play with a few theme options, but that’s about it. This kind of site might be OK for the local gardening club or even a small business, but it won’t look particularly professional or be very functional.
Basic enhancements
With a little technical knowledge, you can take a basic WordPress site to a more bespoke place with a few easily accessible add-ons. The two main types are plugins and themes.
Plugins add functions to the site, such as visitor analytics, contact forms, speed enhancements, security measures and so on. You can easily add plugins from within your website’s back end, and while they usually need configuration, there will always be standard settings. Themes affect the appearance and layout of your site.
There are thousands of free or paid themes to choose from, or you can get a professional designer to build a unique one for you.
Pro user
Finally, there are organizations that want to bring completely new and unique functionalities, interaction or design to their websites that they can’t achieve through existing plugins and themes. In those cases, the only option is to lift the bonnet and start coding.
WordPress does make it easy to add code to its basic function, and you can usually get into plugins and change the code too (although you need to pay attention to the terms and conditions of use – they might forbid it).
It’s worth remembering that when you download a plugin, that will have been coded by someone. All you are doing when you are coding for WordPress is, essentially, making your own plugin.
So in answer to the question “does WordPress require coding knowledge”, the answer is no. Pretty much anyone with access to a hosting package and its control panel could have a functioning website up and running in about ten minutes if they don’t need anything too complex or unique.
But If you want more functions, then you will either need to use your coding skills or hire the services of WordPress experts.
