When browsing websites, you may notice their distinct qualities—layout, user friendliness, use of photos, moving elements. However, for a significant chunk of websites out there, there’s one part that the average internet user doesn’t see that makes them have more in common than it may appear on the surface. We’re talking about the structure upon which these websites are built—their Content Management System (CMS). More specifically, we’re talking about the Content Management System, WordPress. WordPress’ effect on the internet as the dominant CMS on the web today is significant. Let’s explore more.
A little about WordPress
WordPress is one among many CMS’ out there (and keep in mind that not every site uses a CMS); however, it’s currently got the market share of 63.4 percent. That means that 43.2 percent of all websites online use WordPress! (Numbers current as of February 2023.) It’s also the CMS that we use here at McNutt & Partners.
WordPress is an open-source software, which means that it’s free for the public to download and use. All you have to pay for is a domain and WordPress hosting and voila! You’re good to build and run your website.
Since 2003 when WordPress was established, it has continued to grow in popularity as updates have been released. Consider this chart outlining the growth in WordPress (and competitors) from 2011 to today.
WordPress’ effect on the internet
The purpose of a CMS is to make it easier for people to build websites—and by “people,” we mean even those that were not classically trained in web development and design.
Think about it in terms of the old paint-by-numbers. Give most people a blank piece of paper and tell them to paint a detailed mountain landscape from scratch—what you get probably won’t be too pretty. However, give them a paint-by-numbers guideline, and anyone’s an artist. The same is true for a CMS like WordPress. It serves as a guiding hand in building and maintaining a website.
With WordPress having the dominance over the CMS market that it does, we can give it a significant amount of credit in allowing the internet to progress as it has—as an unconfined space for people to promote and share content.
A few fun facts about WordPress
Learn a little more about the most widely-used CMS on the internet! (Courtesy of Broadbandsearch.net)
WordPress is multi-lingual.
Full versions of WordPress are available in more than 60 languages. On top of that, content on WordPress accounts for more than 120 languages.
WordPress blogging is even more popular.
Many blogs alone use WordPress—so many that WordPress blogs get more than 409 million monthly views. In addition, a blogger writes a new WordPress post every six seconds.
Several of the world’s top websites use WordPress.
Global companies like Disney, Target, Playstation and many more use WordPress as their CMS. Other notables include TechCrunch, The New Yorker, Time, Inc. and more.
WordPress.org and WordPress.com are distinct.
WordPress.org is the free, open-source software that we have been walking about. WordPress.com was created by WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg and offers one free version (with limited features) and four paid plans, ranging from personal to VIP. Read more about the differences between WordPress.org and WordPress.com.
WordPress plugins allow for customization.
Think of plugins as various tools that you can use alongside WordPress. For example, we use the Yoast plugin for our client sites to help with SEO. Plugins can help with analytics, design, security and more. There are currently more than 55,000 plugins available for WordPress!
The WordPress team is made up of volunteers.
The cool thing about WordPress’ effect on the internet is that its major impact is thanks to a (relatively small) team of volunteers. In fact, fewer than 1,000 people are currently working on WordPress. Compare that to Amazon’s half a million employees!
Summary
WordPress’ effect on the internet is undeniable. As a free and open-source CMS, it’s opened up a world of possibilities for everyone from the internet novice to the skilled developer.
McNutt & Partners is a full-service advertising and digital marketing agency. Contact us today for your marketing needs! Call 334-521-1010, or visit our contact page.