WordPress has consistently retained its crown as the most popular open-source content management system for many years. It started its journey over two decades ago in 2003 as a blogging tool and has now become the Content Management System (CMS) of choice for many, powering over 43% of all websites on the Internet (according to Colorlib). However, as we move closer to 2024, will it still dominate the CMS landscape, or will new rivals and technologies slowly knock it off its crown? This article seeks to explore WordPress and speculate on its future trajectory.
WordPress is the brainchild of Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little back in 2003. It was initially created as a platform for bloggers, utilising an easy-to-use format. However, with continued updates and improvements, WordPress has now evolved into a well-rounded CMS, capable of supporting most types of websites, from personal blogs (Perez Hilton, Darren Hardy, and we have to mention Matt Mullenweg), to large corporate platforms (BBC America, Sony Music, Vogue, Renault Group). It has stayed true to its founding principles of openness, inclusivity, and user empowerment resulting in its widespread adoption and continued success.
One of the main selling points of WordPress lies in its flexibility and intuitive nature. It provides a user-friendly interface and powerful features like plugin architecture and template system. These allow designers and developers to customise their websites without too much difficulty. It is constantly updated, followed and backed by a massive, worldwide community of developers, keeping it constantly evolving and matching users’ demands. WordPress has helped propel web design forward by enabling users of all skill levels to create and manage their websites, opening up access to the digital world to the less technologically astute.
As we approach 2024, WordPress’s reign in the CMS landscape so far remains unshaken, if anything, stronger. According to W3Techs, as of the start of 2024, WordPress powers an impressive 43.1% of all websites on the internet. This represents a steady growth in its market share, which stood at 35.7% at the beginning of 2020.
As mentioned earlier, top websites like The New York Times, Forbes, and Sony Music are powered by WordPress, illustrating the platform’s versatility and robustness. Furthermore, BuiltWith reports that over 27 million live websites use WordPress.
Regarding the latest installation stats, WordPress 5.9 is the most dominant version, being used by 68.3% of all the websites that use WordPress, according to W3Techs, demonstrating the platform’s commitment to maintaining up-to-date software for its user base. Many eCommerce websites are also turning to WordPress, with WooCommerce, a WordPress plugin, now powering 28.19% of all online stores.
A major concern for WordPress is security. Manafarra reported that WordPress experiences 90,000 attacks per minute, with plugins being the main target. This will be discussed in further detail later.
Below a just a few of the strengths and weaknesses often associated with WordPress.
Without a doubt, one of the most significant strengths of WordPress is its status as a free, open-source platform, which underpins its core origins and ethos. This provides opportunities for users ranging from hobbyist bloggers to multinationals. Added to this, its user-friendly interface and flexibility are additional key strengths. Even those with little to no coding skills can use the platform and personalise their websites quickly. Advanced users can create near-unlimited functionality if their skills allow them.
Another feather in WordPress’s cap is its vast, global community of users and developers. This development community plays a pivotal role in continuously improving the platform’s usability, adaptability and versatility with plugins and themes, offering users virtually limitless possibilities for customisation and options.
Regular updates help make the core platform secure and compatible with ever-evolving web technologies.
WordPress is renowned for its strong SEO capabilities, helping website users climb SERPs (search engine result pages). These collective strengths, combined with many others, have made WordPress a powerful, flexible, and versatile CMS.
WordPress is not without its drawbacks and flaws. The open-source nature of the platform, while providing freedom and flexibility, exposes it to security risks from hackers. Plugins, a major selling point and previously mentioned as a positive, can also become a potential chink in its armour. Since various third-party developers create them, the quality and security of plugins vary, and some publishers walk away, offering no security updates or patches. In addition to poorly coded plugins, WordPress can become an easy target for cyberattacks.
Regular updates, while necessary for enhancements and security, can also cause issues. They can hinder or stop plugins from working; in addition, it can be an additional expense due to the need to employ a third party to make the update. Additionally, high levels of customisation may require a good knowledge of PHP, putting non-tech-savvy users at a disadvantage.
WordPress, in some circumstances, has a reputation for being slow (loading and general performance). This is often caused by a heavy reliance on plugins and themes, creating what is known as a ‘bloated database’.
For a great article explaining these issues further, visit this website which discusses the Pros & Cons Of Using WordPress.
Below are some predictions that many believe will become a reality for WordPress in 2024.
As we look towards WordPress in 2024, this CMS platform is poised for continued growth and evolution. It will likely expand its user base further and fortify its status as the go-to platform for creating and managing websites. Expected advancements such as the integration of artificial intelligence, multilingual support, and a shift towards a mobile-first approach sound like good areas of focus. However, these advancements also carry inherent challenges, such as an increased security risk and the need for regular updates for compatibility. Therefore, while WordPress strides forward, it must also continually strive to balance innovation with security and usability.
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