If you thought WordPress was only useful for blogging, you’re wrong. It also serves as a great content management system for a web site. And while WordPress itself is relatively easy to set up for the intermediate to expert webmaster, it can pose a degree of difficulty for the novice. Not any more.

A new service called Page.ly will allow even the most novice webmaster to set up a functioning WordPress application with custom theme, hosting and email in minutes.

A typical WordPress installation requires that you have a web host (unless you set up a WordPress hosted blog – not recommended), set up a mySQL database, upload the files via FTP, modify a php file to include the database information and then connect WordPress to the database.

While that process is easy for someone like myself who has been working with WordPress for a few years now, not to mention web sites in general since 1997, there is then the process of finding a theme and then customizing it to your liking.

This is where Page.ly makes the task of setting up and running a WordPress application a breeze. In fact, three simple steps and anyone can be up and running.

The first process is to pick a theme of which Page.ly has 44 to choose from at the time of this writing. Keep in mind however that there are literally thousands of WordPress themes available online – some free while others require licensing fees. Therefore if you do not find one to your liking within the Page.ly service, you can always upload another after your site is all set up.

The next step is to select a domain. One of the nice features about the set up process is that Page.ly will let you know if the domain is available or not right then and there. You can also use an existing domain as well which is useful if you have already pre-registered a domain name.

Finally, enter account info and select method of payment and you are up and running.

The service starts out at $14.98 a month which includes hosting, email and use of free themes. Premium themes will cost a bit more but all in all, its a great bargain as one would typically pay that much if not more for web hosting alone.

Page.ly also installs with some of the most popular plug-ins for WordPress including All In One SEO Pack, Twitter Tools, Google XML Sitemaps, TweetMeme Button, Akismet and many more. The service also includes automatic nightly backups, and automatic WP core updates keep your site safe and secure.

Want to learn more? Check out “Is Page.ly Right For Me?” to see if this might be a solution for your business or hobby site. I have also embedded their “Two Minute Setup” video below so you can see how easy it is to get started with Page.ly.

Personally I think it is a great service for any small to medium sized business looking for an affordable web site solution that allows the owner to easily update and manage their online presence.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or compensated in any way to write this review. I was however given a free account so I could check out the service and the owner is a local colleague and friend of mine.