WordPress was first launched in 2003. At that time, it was seen as a fairly simple (yet competent) CMS for blogging purposes.
Even as recently as a few years ago, many Web designers still thought of WordPress as a CMS best suited to blogs. Now, however, this has changed. WordPress is capable of acting as the backbone for all kinds of different websites. It's now used by names as big as Samsung, Forbes and CNN. You only need look at some of the advanced themes now available for WordPress to see just how much it can do.
1. WordPress is now packed with standard features
Wise enhancements in new versions of WordPress are what has made the platform evolve into a great CMS for all types of websites, and not merely a solid blogging platform.
2. The learning curve is just right
Creating a new post in WordPress and uploading some images is simplicity itself, to the point that real technophobes can use WordPress without feeling intimidated.
3. The theme selection is as good as it getsThere are thousands of great WordPress themes available, and many of them are completely free.
4. WordPress is easy to monetize
Whether you are selling products directly from your site, or monetizing with ads and affiliate offers, WordPress makes it easy.
5. There are some superb plug-ins
There are so many quality plug-ins for WordPress that you'd be hard pressed to think of any functionality you cannot quickly add to a WordPress site.
6. Updates just keep coming
As WordPress is so popular, work on the platform never stops.
7. Support is second-to-none
As you would expect from such a popular platform, the support community is active and huge.
8. SEO is made easy
WordPress is inherently quite SEO-friendly, with features such as the ability to automatically generate search-friendly URLS, but with the addition of a couple of plugins, such as the Google XML Site Map and the All-in-One SEO pack, you can force yourself to maintain good SEO discipline, giving your site the best chance of good search results.
9. Setting up a WordPress site is inexpensive
WordPress is open source, so using it costs nothing.