WordPress (WP) is the most popular content management system (CMS) on the globe. It is estimated that it runs 22.5% websites on the entire internet, with the 50-60% share of the CMS market. It is clear that WP has outmatched its competition and evolved into much more than just a blogging platform. So, what are the driving forces behind this dazzling success? Rest assured that they have something to do with features, functionalities, and core digital workings of this amazing platform.
WP is free, open-source software, which is to say you can download, install and use. There are plenty of handy guides online, and even its source code is available for studying, tweaking, and playing with. That is not all since users can also enjoy a myriad of free themes and customize the appearance of their websites. All you need to get the digital show on the road is a domain and web hosting. The result is impressive: A huge community dedicated to maintaining and growing WP. There is a plethora of patches, new plugins and themes, updated documentation, and on top of it all, free support.
User friendliness is the mainspring of WP’s rapid proliferation. It does not face you with a steep learning curve as some other platforms. Even newcomers to the world of CMSs find it fairly easy to get a hold of the basics. The UI is a treat to work with, and installation runs like clockwork. Hence, the majority of WP users are actually not programmers and developers. They are ordinary people with a vision and determination to see it through. Prior knowledge of designing websites is not necessary, albeit it helps to make the most of the functionalities. And if you are worried about safety and security, WP has got you covered there as well.
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The flexibility is certainly one of the strong points. Even big brands, like LinkedIn, CNN, and New York Times, employ WP to power their websites. Thus, it comes as no surprise that WP is not just bloggers’ darling, but a platform of choice for building fully functional websites and mobile apps. It is now hailed as the most versatile CMS in the online galaxy, the sun around which almost 16,000,000 sites gravitate. With the ever-growing number of templates, it is possible to give your website any look you want. So, it is not limited to just writing text: WP comes with a built-in support for different types of media.
WP’s flexibility is rooted in the fact that it can be extended with plugins. It gives you a chance to dive into an immense ocean of over 30,000 plugins that are available for free, and many of those you have to pay for. Some of them cover social media, others boost the security or media capacity, and there are those that serve specific business needs such as enabling websites to have paid surveys. You cannot only add extra features, but also go an extra mile and integrate a whole new platform with your website. Finally, via WP admin dashboard, users are able to make updates to themes and plugins nice and easy.
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Now, themes are not just about strength in numbers. Namely, they are customizable via their own option panels. That way, one can adjust the color scheme, change background, upload unique logos, craft striking sliders, etc. The beauty of it is that updates are carried out without the need to mess with a code. Quick and regular overhauls also send signals to Google and help you get your pages indexed. This indicates that WP is search engine friendly. And when you scratch beneath the surface, you also discover that internet deities adore the fact that WP was written with a standard compliant high-quality code which leaves semantic markup.
The rise of WP is by no means a game of chance. Despite what some people think, there are many ways to use this CMS beyond blog posts and articles. By design, WP is both user and SEO-friendly. It is free, open source, highly flexible and customizable, and has the backing of a large community. Thus, it manages to blow much of the competition out of the water, although it is not the be-all and end-all of CMS. That being said, its supreme reign in the realm of content management is expected to continue in 2016 and beyond.
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