I definitely recommend a self hosted WordPress.org installation over WordPress.com or site builders like Wix or Squarespace because of the following reasons:
- There are hundreds of themes available.
You’ll be able to make a very beautiful and professional web site by starting from a pre-existing theme and doing some customizations from there. Because themes are open source, you can buy or download them and then modify them to your heart’s content. Themes are independent from your content, so you can edit or swap out themes at any time and keep your content and functionality in place. - WordPress is truly free and Open Source.
Unlike many other solutions, WordPress does not have a hidden agenda. You don"t have to pay to remove ads. WordPress doesn’t start charging when you hit a certain size, nor does it close off any of its code to you. - Plugins give you more functionality.
Plugins allow you to add great photo galleries, sliders, shopping carts, forums, maps, and more great functionality.
There’s a searchable, one-click install directory of plugins (think App Store for WordPress). - The Visual Editor and Content Management System are outstanding.
The intuitive, user-friendly backend of WordPress is probably what made it so famous in the first place. If you can do it in Word, you can do it in WordPress. - Easily add a blog to your site.
Aside from the amazing advances in CMS, the blog functionality is still the best in the business. With categories, tags, threaded commenting, gravatars, easy theming, widgets, fantastic moderation controls, anti spam solutions, and plugin infrastructure, you can’t find a better blog solution. Adding a blog to a WordPress site is a great way to attract and involve visitors, and to keep Google paying attention. - Google loves WordPress.
There are many SEO plugins available. But even without these plugins, the simple layouts of WordPress, the permalinks, and the easy linking in WordPress are naturally attractive to Google. - WordPress sites are accessible.
WordPress sites are usually built on relatively simple and accessible technologies. It’s easy to install on Windows or Linux servers. It uses all free license server software. The web pages render in HTML and CSS allowing them to show up on iPhones, BlackBerrys, Android, iPad, etc. It’s also easy for alternative browsers such as text only browsers (see Lynx) which are excellent for those with disabilities. - Your site can grow with you over the years.
You can easily upgrade it for new features and security. You can add a new theme. You can add new plugins for enhanced functionality. You can add a shopping cart if your business grows, focus more on search results, add a store finder, etc.
The down side:
You have to install WordPress yourself. But with the free WP installation servicethis isn’t really an issue anymore
