We’ll be exploring the current landscape of WordPress in 2024 to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of its current state and future prospects. So, let’s dive in and dispel any doubts you may have about the longevity of WordPress.
Why Are There Rumors About WordPress Dying?
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems in the world, powering over 40% of all websites on the internet. However, in recent years, there have been rumors circulating that WordPress is dying. So, why are these rumors spreading?
One reason is the rise of new website builders and platforms that offer a simpler and more user-friendly experience. These platforms, such as Wix and Squarespace, have gained popularity among small business owners and individuals who want to create a website quickly and easily without any technical knowledge.
Another reason is the increasing complexity of WordPress. As the platform has evolved, it has become more powerful and feature-rich, but also more difficult to use for beginners. This has led some users to look for simpler alternatives.
Finally, there is the issue of security. WordPress has been the target of numerous hacking attempts, and some users have become concerned about the platform’s ability to keep their websites safe.
Despite these challenges, WordPress is still a thriving platform with a large and active community of developers and users. The platform continues to evolve and improve, and there are many resources available to help users overcome any difficulties they may encounter. So, while there may be rumors about WordPress dying, the reality is that it is still a powerful and popular platform that is here to stay.
Let’s begin by examining the search volume for WordPress, as it is often cited as evidence of declining interest in the platform.
To illustrate this, we present a Google Trends graph depicting search interest in WordPress since 2004.
The graph indicates a remarkable surge in search interest for WordPress around 2014, but it also reveals that there is still a significant amount of interest in the platform today.
The graph above may not provide a clear picture at first glance. However, by adding some context and including some of the leading WordPress alternatives, we can gain a better understanding. As depicted in the updated graph, WordPress outperforms all other content management systems (CMS) in terms of search interest.
In recent times, there has been a noticeable surge in searches for alternative platforms such as Wix and Shopify. These platforms are often favored by beginners due to their ease of use.
However, as users become more experienced, they may find themselves dissatisfied with the limited customization options and the inability to host their websites on personal servers.
WordPress Market Share
After analyzing search volume, you may be curious about the number of websites utilizing WordPress and how it compares to other web platforms.
In summary, WordPress dominates the market, with no other platform coming close.
Presently, over 43% of all websites use WordPress as their content management system, totaling 810 million websites. Additionally, WordPress holds almost 65% of the global CMS market share.
Moreover, WordPress is the preferred platform for the most successful companies, with 38% of the top 10,000 websites powered by WordPress. Big-name brands such as Disney, Sony, Facebook, and others rely on WordPress to power their websites.
In summary, WordPress dominates the web platform market with over 43% of all websites using it as their content management system. This translates to a total of 810 million websites, and WordPress holds nearly 65% of the global CMS market share. Even the most successful companies, such as Disney, Sony, and Facebook, use WordPress to power their websites. Other content management systems barely register on the graph, with Shopify being the second most popular at only 4.4% and Wix at 1.9%. With such a significant market share, it’s unlikely that website owners will suddenly switch to another platform.
The State of WordPress Security
With its significant market share, WordPress is a frequent target of hacking attempts, DDOS attacks, malware, and trojans.
Fortunately, WordPress core undergoes rigorous security audits, making it more secure than many other platforms.
However, website security should never be taken for granted. Sucuri, a leading website security company, reports that approximately 97% of WordPress website hacks occur when owners fail to follow safe security practices:
– 39% of hacked WordPress websites were using an outdated version of the software. It is crucial to use the latest version of WordPress on your website.
– Nearly 50% of WordPress sites are affected by a security vulnerability caused by an outdated or poorly-coded WordPress plugin or theme.
– Around 8% of WordPress sites were hacked due to a weak password.
You can enhance the security of your WordPress site by adhering to some basic security best practices.
The State of WordPress Updates
Since its inception in 2004, WordPress has undergone regular updates to enhance its functionality and user interface.
As an open-source project, WordPress is powered by a global community of users who contribute to its development in various ways. For instance, the WordPress translation community has fully translated the CMS into over 50 languages and partially translated it into more than 200.
WordPress communities worldwide organize multiple WordCamps annually, as well as thousands of other meetups in various countries. Additionally, there are numerous WordPress groups on Facebook, with WPBeginner Engage being the largest with over 97,000 members.
The development team releases updates several times a year, such as WordPress 6.3, which was launched in August 2023. These updates may include bug fixes, security enhancements, and new features.
Some notable past WordPress updates include the Gutenberg editor, which enables users to add new elements to blog posts using blocks. The full site editor works similarly, allowing users to customize themes. The command palette tool also enhances productivity by enabling users to perform tasks quickly using the keyboard.
With each passing year, WordPress becomes more powerful and user-friendly. A quick glance at our article on the evolution of the WordPress user interface reveals how modern the latest interface is.
Moreover, users can add new features to WordPress using plugins.
The State of WordPress Plugins
One of the main reasons why WordPress is so popular is its extensive plugin ecosystem. These plugins function like apps for your website, allowing you to add new features and enhance its functionality.
With over 60,000 free plugins available in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory, you can easily find a plugin that suits your needs. The top 61 WordPress plugins are currently installed on over 1 million websites, with 9 of them installed on over 5 million websites.
By leveraging the power of plugins, you can add custom functionality to your website without the need for expensive custom development. From contact forms and membership sales to landing page builders and SEO optimization, there are free WordPress plugins available for almost every type of website functionality. Whatever feature you want to add to your WordPress website, you can be sure that there is a plugin available to do it.
The Current Status of WordPress Themes
With such a vast selection of themes, it can be challenging to choose the right one for your website. Some themes may not be updated regularly, causing compatibility issues with WordPress updates. Others may have security vulnerabilities that can put your website at risk.
To address these concerns, WordPress has implemented a theme review process to ensure that all themes in the directory meet certain standards. This process includes a code review, security check, and compatibility test.
In addition, WordPress has introduced the Gutenberg editor, which has changed the way themes are developed. Gutenberg is a block-based editor that allows users to create custom layouts using blocks. This has led to the development of block-based themes that offer more flexibility and customization options.
Overall, the state of WordPress themes is strong, with a vast selection of options and a commitment to quality and security. With the introduction of Gutenberg and block-based themes, the future of WordPress themes looks even more promising.
The WordPress Economy
In addition to jobs and businesses, WordPress has also created a vast community of users and developers who collaborate and share knowledge. This community is one of the key strengths of WordPress, providing support, resources, and inspiration to users of all levels.
WordPress also has a strong commitment to open source software, which means that the code is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. This has led to the development of countless plugins and themes that extend the functionality of WordPress and make it even more powerful.
Overall, WordPress has had a significant impact on the web development industry and has empowered millions of people to create their own websites and online businesses. Its flexibility, ease of use, and vast ecosystem make it a top choice for anyone looking to build a website or online presence.
The State of WPBeginner and Awesome Motive
As you may already know, WPBeginner and our parent company, Awesome Motive, owe our success to WordPress. We firmly believe that WordPress is the best platform for building websites, and we are committed to helping small businesses thrive and compete with larger companies.
To achieve this goal, we offer a range of resources, including WPBeginner tutorials, YouTube videos, and premium WordPress video tutorials. We also develop numerous plugins and tools, such as All in One SEO, SeedProd, MonsterInsights, and WPForms, to help you create a website that meets all your needs.
Thanks to our incredible community, WPBeginner and Awesome Motive have continued to grow year after year. In fact, we recently achieved a major milestone in 2022: we were featured on the NASDAQ billboard in Times Square for surpassing 20 million active installs of our products.
This was a remarkable achievement for us, and we were thrilled to see our hard work paying off. Being featured on the NASDAQ billboard for the second time was a testament to the dedication and commitment of our team. We were proud to have reached 25 million active installs of our products, and we knew that this was just the beginning of our journey. We were excited to continue growing and expanding our reach, and we were grateful to our loyal users who had helped us get to where we were.
As a result, our faith in WordPress has grown stronger than ever. We have continued to allocate more resources towards WordPress and expand our team, which now consists of over 300 members across 50+ countries. We firmly believe that the success of WordPress will only continue to grow, and we are committed to being a part of it.