Insights

Looking beyond the impressive WordPress statistics

Which CMS is publishing an average of 1,808,219 posts per day and currently has a whopping 59.4% of the market?

WordPress is the undisputed winner when it comes to open-source Content Management Systems (CMS). What started life in 2003 as a popular, free and easy-to-use blogging platform is now supporting more than 60 million websites, and available in 56 different languages.

Key WordPress Statistics

As the number of WordPress websites grows, so does the list of statistics. These statistics were recorded in June this year:

  • 26% of the world’s websites are using WordPress
  • Users generate approximately 65.3 million new posts each month
  • 409 million people are viewing WordPress blogs each month
  • Over 44,000 different plug-ins are available
  • WordPress plug-ins have been downloaded 1.3 billion times

There are many more, but instead of listing off the ever lengthening list of statistics, we’re going to take a closer look at who is using WordPress and why.

Which type of companies use WordPress?

Every type of organisation can be found using a WordPress CMS. From giants such as TED, Wall Street Journal, LinkedIn and eBay, across to not-for-profit organisations and full-time bloggers that are keen to maximise the easily themed, free or low-cost template designs and easy-to-use features.

Why does WordPress dominate open source CMS?

There are a couple of reasons for the success of WordPress. First and foremost is its user experience and simple, effective website design templates. Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of computers will find WordPress easy to use. A user needs very little technical knowledge to setup and maintain a WordPress website. WordPress uses the programming language PHP, which is a server-side scripting language that is easily embedded with HTML – the language of the World Wide Web.

The second reason is that help is always at hand with a WordPress site, thanks to the open-source coding behind WordPress and the outstanding support that the WordPress community provides for users. WordPress experts enjoy helping WordPress novices. WordPress users, developers and designers even hold regular WordCamps in towns and cities all over the world to exchange the latest WordPress ideas, themes, problems and solutions.

Finally, there are the billions of free or low cost plug-ins that are available for WordPress websites. Plug-ins are additional features or functionality that literally plug into the WordPress CMS. Using plug-ins allows users to easily customise their website and add any level of functionality they require – all without the need to learn code.

What’s the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?

While both these sites are owned and managed by the WordPress organisation, WordPress.com is a service that exclusively hosts WordPress blogs. WordPress.org is the website for the wider WordPress community where people work on the open source WordPress software and it’s also where the CMS software and updates can be downloaded.

Are there any downsides to using WordPress?

If you ask a website developer, the answer is yes, there are downsides. Web developers might have issues with WordPress, but they’re issues that the users barely notice or completely overlook, in favour of its famed usability and 24/7community of problem-solvers.

One recurring issue for WordPress is around the security of open-source code. But security issues are less to do with the fact that WordPress uses open source code and more about website hackers trying to access a publishing platform used by 26% of the world’s websites. The best way to make sure your website is not vulnerable to security issues is follow best-practice security procedures and keep your WordPress themes and plug-ins up-to-date.

Brisbane-based digital agency, iFactory has been using WordPress as well as other open source CMS for over a decade. Our web design team work with WordPress every day and can create a unique tailor-made theme for your WordPress website. Our business is growing and we’re always on the lookout for creative, motivated open source software developers. If you’re a web developer in Brisbane, contact us today.

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