What is WordPress?
WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) that powers over 40% of all websites on the internet.
It was first released in 2003 and has since grown to become the most popular CMS in the world. Analyzing the dominance of WordPress is important for website owners and journalists who want to understand the trends in website development and design.
In this comprehensive overview, we’ll analyze the market share of WordPress, its popularity among different industries, and the benefits and drawbacks of using it.
Market Share of WordPress
How many websites use WordPress?
According to W3Techs, a web technology survey firm, WordPress is used by 64.1% of all websites that use a CMS, which translates to 41.5% of all websites on the internet.
This is a significant increase from just a few years ago when WordPress was used by only 13.1% of all websites. In comparison, the second most popular CMS, Shopify, is used by only 3.1% of all websites.
WordPress’s popularity can be attributed to its ease of use, flexibility, and availability of plugins and themes. It also has a large and active community of developers who contribute to its development and offer support to users.
So, to answer the question on how many sites are WordPress? In 2024, 41.5% of all the websites on the internet are using WordPress.
That should be roughly over 480M websites using WordPress in 2024. [*]
Graph from W3Techs.com @ Market Share for WordPress
WordPress usage in different industries in 2024
WordPress is used by websites in various industries, including e-commerce, education, healthcare, and media. In the e-commerce industry, WordPress is popular because of its integration with popular e-commerce platforms like WooCommerce.
In education, WordPress is used by universities and schools to create websites for their faculty and students. In healthcare, WordPress is used by hospitals and clinics to create websites that provide information about their services and facilities.
In media, WordPress is used by news organizations and bloggers to create and publish content.
Some popular websites that use WordPress include The New Yorker, TechCrunch, and BBC America.
Quoted from @ TechJury
- 62% of the top 100 fastest-growing companies in the US (Inc. 5000) use WordPress.
- Over 500 new sites are created daily using the free version of WordPress.org
- Seventy million new blog posts pop up every month.
These websites demonstrate the flexibility and customizability of WordPress, as they have unique designs and features that cater to their specific audiences. Among them are the following sites as well:
- Microsoft.com
- Digicert.com
- Wordpress.org
- Ui.com
- Vimeo.com
- Msn.com
- Wordpress.com
- Mozilla.org
- Nih.gov
- Zoom.us
Why is WordPress still popular in 2024?
One of the main benefits of using WordPress is its ease of use for beginners. It has a user-friendly interface that allows users to create and publish content without any coding knowledge. WordPress also has a vast library of plugins and themes that allow users to customize their websites to their liking.
Additionally, WordPress is SEO-friendly, meaning that it has features that help websites rank higher on search engine results pages.
Few drawbacks that come with using WordPress
One of the main drawbacks of using WordPress is security concerns. Because it is an open-source platform, it is vulnerable to attacks from hackers.
However, WordPress has a large community of developers who regularly release updates and security patches to address these concerns. Another drawback is the need for regular updates and maintenance, which can be time-consuming and costly.
Finally, there is a potential for plugin conflicts, which can cause website errors and downtime.
Conclusion
WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world, powering over 40% of all websites on the internet. Its popularity can be attributed to its ease of use, flexibility, and availability of plugins and themes.
However, it also has drawbacks, such as security concerns and the need for regular updates and maintenance.
Understanding the dominance of WordPress and its popularity among different industries is important for website owners and journalists who want to stay up-to-date with website development trends.
References
- W3Techs. (2021). Usage of content management systems for websites. Retrieved from https://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_management/all
- WordPress. (n.d.). About WordPress. Retrieved from https://wordpress.org/about/stats/
- Top Website Statistics For 2023, Forbes