If you’ve made the decision to use WordPress as the starting point of your property management website, you’re already off to a great start. While there are several other choices out there for a content management system for your website (such as Joomla and Drupal) there are a number of advantages that WordPress brings to the table.

But first, you may be asking yourself what exactly is a content management system and why use a CMS in the first place?

What a CMS Does

Essentially, a CMS is a web application that makes it easy for non-technical people to edit, update, and manage their website through a visual interface. You no longer have to be a hardcore coder to make grand changes to your website – with a few sweeping motions of your mouse and a few clicks, you can add in a video, change the background image, edit the text content, or create an entirely new page.

The power of a content management system effectively hides all of the “behind the scenes” complicated stuff allowing the user to focus on the website’s message and presentation.

WordPress makes creating and editing your site easier.

Even though creating an interface that is easy for the average user to use is the goal for all CMSs, it’s important to note that not all CMSs are created equally–in fact, many management systems can still be fairly complicated applications that will challenge your intellectual prowess.

Why use WordPress?

WordPress has been downloaded 140 million times, while the next popular CMS was only downloaded 30 million times. This gives you a pretty clear picture of just how widely used WordPress is. Simply put, it’s popular for a very important reason: it’s easy to learn and use.

Some of the major WordPress advantages:

• You’re in good company: CNN, Harvard, Forbes, and the White House use WP.
• Responsive: works on mobile phones and tablets
• Manage your website from any computer, anywhere in the world
• Search engines LOVE WordPress: it’s easy for search engines to read and index your site, and includes options for precise search engine optimization (SEO). Getting ranked highly by search engines has always been a tough battle – by choosing WP, you make it that much easier to gain valuable ground.
• Everything is 100% customizable – from the text content to the visual layout, you have as much control over your site as you need.
• Make Your Website Do What It Needs to Do: with 27,000 free plugins available, you can add new functionality and life to your site in minutes—add contact forms, photo galleries, event calendars, live chat, rental listings, application forms, and more.
• You don’t have to know a thing about HTML, CSS, PHP, or FTP (or even what they stand for):  WordPress is hands down the easiest CMS to use for beginner users, and you can make all your changes entirely within the visual interface.

If you’re thinking of creating or redesigning your property management company’s website, you are on the right track. With more than 70% of renters starting their search online, and more than 92% of home buyers using the internet to find their next home, WordPress will allow you to set up a website quicker and easier.  And thanks to the many SEO features and options, you’ll reach more property owners and tenants in larger numbers than before.

Even still, there is a way to take it a step further.

Enter OpenPotion . . .

While many property managers are satisfied with using WordPress out of the box, we know our clients expect more. When we develop a website using WordPress, we add extra functionality and features that go above and beyond the standard CMS.

We add a tried-and-true layout that converts users to customers: even if you add your own pages or content, your site will still follow the basic rules and layouts we’ve established to convert.

Wanting to make things even easier, we add “drag and drop” functionality: editing your site has NEVER been this easy before. Want a text box on your page? Then you simply drag a text box where you want it to be on the page, then edit the type. Want to add a button? A testimonial? Click, drag, drop, then customize it as you see fit.

Here’s just a sample of the visuals you might see when editing your WP OpenPotion website.

With WordPress as your CMS and OpenPotion as your tour guide through the process, you’ll save time, lower costs, increase sales, and end up with an incredibly effective website.

Ready to discover what OpenPotion can do for your business?  Contact us today.

-Morgan, Website Developer