WordPress is a free blogging tool and content management system based on MySQL and PHP that runs on a web hosting service. Founded by Mike Little and Matt Mullenweg in 2003, WordPress has become the most popular blogging site around the world, powering over 60 million websites globally.
I recently learned about 1&1 MyWebsite, one of the largest web-hosting companies in the world, incorporating the tools to create a website. Headquartered in Montabaur, Germany, 1&1 MyWebsite has offices in other parts of the world including Canada, the USA, France, and the UK. In this post, I’ve summarized comparisons between the two products, trying to remain objective (as a dedicated WP user).
WordPress has been designed so that users can readily post information on their blog without having to delve into coding. The 1&1 MyWebsite interface supports the drag-and drop-functionality, making it easy to resize and crop images without the need for external software.
Themes
WordPress has a template processor that the user can install, changing themes as desired. Themes allow the user to change the functionality of the website without altering the information or any other content on the site. WordPress has many themes that are available for free, installed via the WordPress appearance tool; more advanced themes requiring customization often need the expertise of a web developer.
The 1&1 MyWebsite interface offers several business-oriented templates that can be easily modified around the same basic layout. Much like WordPress, advanced users can also create their own layouts through HTML and CSS modification.
Widgets
Widgets, a major feature of WordPress sites, add functionality such as filling out a web or search form. The contents of these forms can include (or exclude) information such as categories, archives, optional images by use of slideshows, recent posts, etc. These widgets are placed within site’s header, sidebars, or footer.
1&1 MyWebsite allows the user to add and edit photos, video, and embed their Twitter or Facebook accounts into their site. Live chats, phone, and email options are part of the package. Users can further customize their sites by using the web apps directory, enabling third-party tool integration. The only con with the 1&1 support system is that the system can slow down, especially when replying to emails (sending emails is relatively fast though).
Search engine optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most important aspects of any website. WordPress has many plugins available to gain SEO ranking. 1&1 MyWebsite also allows for SEO, via editing title tags, meta descriptions, meta tags as well as image ALT tags with relative ease, allowing the user to edit the information to suit their specific needs.
The WordPress multi-user system allows the user to create multiple blogs within one installation that can be administered by a centralized server. Although the 1&1 website doesn’t provide this option for blogs created within the system, it does allow users to add a comment feature to their sites.
Visit 1&1 MyWebsite to learn more.