Why are most websites made with WordPress?

As of this writing, WordPress powers 43% of the World Wide Web. And, of websites using a content management system, market share is 64%. Why are so many websites made with WordPress?

WordPress has a Content Management System (CMS) which allows users to make many changes without code. With WordPress, adding and editing website content does not require web developers. A content management system gives WordPress users a way to add and modify web pages without having to code. For adding, changing, and deleting web pages, WordPress has a learning curve that is about as difficult as word processing or creating slideshow presentations. WordPress is easy, but not intuitive.

In addition, WordPress is great for SEO. Since so many websites are made with WordPress, Google and the other search engines know how to interpret their structures. On top of that, there is a free plugin, Yoast, that gamifies SEO and makes it easy and fun.

Last but not least, WordPress is open source and free to use.  Most competitors to WordPress charge for their software. 

Here are some good articles on the marketshare of WordPress:

Overall Market Share: https://www.cminds.com/blog/wordpress/wordpress-or-wix-cms-market-share-stats-2021/

E-commerce Market Share: https://www.statista.com/statistics/710207/worldwide-ecommerce-platforms-market-share/

There are alternative Content Management Systems that can be use to make websites. However, none of these receive enough usage to be well-documented. It is much more difficult to find solutions to the types of functionality you may want on your website.

WordPress is the Choice of Businesses and Bloggers

Corporations use WordPress

• Small and medium-size companies use WordPress to run their businesses. With plugins, WordPress can be used for scheduling appointments and for e-commerce.
• Large corporations use WordPress for their customer-facing websites. While they generally will have large IT departments supporting their businesses with IT solutions that are not using WordPress, they often still use WordPress for their front-facing websites. (The front-facing website may be managed by Communications/Marketing rather than the IT department.)

Agencies, freelancers, and bloggers use WordPress

• Freelance designers and developers sell WordPress websites to clients. If you are interested in self-employment, knowing WordPress will help you find clients
• Web design and marketing agencies sell WordPress websites to their clients, possibly as part of a package to managed social media and search optimization for their clients.
• Bloggers use WordPress to write and earn money from advertising revenue. WordPress is universally used by professional bloggers. (Bloggers who start on other platforms move to WordPress.)

Developers Love WordPress

Many web developers gravitate to WordPress for custom development projects. Part of this is because customers request WordPress, but a key part of this is the efficiencies that come with using WordPress.

Faster Development: When developers bid on a website project, they can bid lower because development time is less. They are more likely to win the bids because they can win on price.
Well-documented: Because WordPress is far and away the largest CMS for web development, it is well documented and there is a lot of free software to support new functionality. It is easy to Google and find solutions. When I work on a different CMS, I run into barriers in finding solutions.
Open Source:  All the code can be accessed and modified in WordPress. Because its competitors are not open source, parts of their code bases are locked down. 
Higher Level Work: Developers can focus on problem solving instead of data entry. With WordPress, the customers add their own website content. Users need developers who know HTML and CSS to help them. Even though you can do the basic work in WordPress without knowing how to code, in order to make many design changes you need to write custom CSS. 
Ongoing Work: WordPress websites require maintenance, and that is a source of ongoing revenue for developers. 

When is WordPress NOT the Best Website Solution

Very simple websites

WordPress websites require regular maintenance. If a company simply wants to make a website once and never change it, they could do it with HTML and CSS. I have some small business websites I made more than 5 years ago that I haven’t touched in 5 years. That isn’t possible with WordPress. 

Student websites

If you are learning programing languages, it is easier to integrate code you find on the Internet into an HTML/CSS website. 

Software as a service

A company that is selling software as a service may make their own CMS. For example, Facebook doesn’t use WordPress. They have teams that build their software. 

Large Corporations

Mega corporations would build out their own software solutions instead of using WordPress. For example, Amazon doesn’t use WordPress. Even so, large corporations may still use WordPress for their front-facing websites and e-commerce sites. 

Well-funded e-commerce ventures.

A company starting an e-commerce company may choose a plan like Shopify Plus ($2000 per month). These companies are pre-purchasing custom development services. 

Web-Design Agencies Using a Proprietary CMS

While most web-design agencies use WordPress, there are some that have their own proprietary CMS. The use of proprietary CMS makes it more difficult for clients to leave their agency for a different agency. 

Frequently Asked Questions