WordPress celebrates its 18th birthday in 2021. In celebration, we take a look at why it’s one of the top CMS platforms.
Since it was first created in 2003, WordPress has grown to become one of the best CMS platforms in the world. Its flexibility, versatility, and unique features have cemented its place as one of the top CMS tools.
As it reaches adulthood, WordPress shows no signs of slowing down. It’s reigned supreme over the internet for nearly two decades – but how has it managaed to keep the title of the best CMS platform?
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What is a CMS? A Brief History of WordPress
Before we get stuck in, let’s first answer an important question: what is a CMS?
If you’re unfamiliar, CMS stands for Content Management System. A content management system is a software that helps users manage online content.
Over the years, WordPress has made a name for itself as one of the top CMS tools available on the web.
So, how did WordPress start?
WordPress started its life as an offshoot of old-school blogging software b2/cafelog. Users of the software, Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, were dismayed that b2/cafelog was being discontinued by its developers. As a result, they decided to build a new platform on top of it. In that moment, WordPress was born.
The first version was released on May 27th, 2003, and the first major update came a year later.
It was a revolutionary tool from the start, thanks to Mullenweg and Little’s idea to include plugin architecture. This meant that users and developers alike could extend the functionality of the software, writing their own plugins to share with the fast growing community.
Since then, WordPress has only gone from strength to strength. Still very much a part of the team, Matt Mullenweg presides over regular updates with new features and upgrades multiple times a year. All these years later, WordPress is still one of the top CMS platforms and one of the easiest CMS to use.
WordPress Fast Facts
These fast facts, courtesy of Kinsta, illustrate why WordPress is a top CMS software:
- WordPress now powers around 30-40% of the internet.
- It’s used on 14.7% of the internet’s top websites.
- Over 500 websites are built using WordPress every day.
- WordPress has a 60.8% market share of the CMS market.
These stats are impressive, but might also lead you to ask the question: why should you use WordPress?
6 Reasons Why WordPress is One of the Best CMS Platforms
1. It’s cost effective
And by this we mean, it’s free!
WordPress has been completely free since its inception. It’s free to download and free to use (though larger organizations should keep hosting and domain name costs in mind).
It’s a cost effective resource for bloggers and businesses alike and this, hand in hand with the quality of the platform, has contributed to its status as one of the best CMS platforms.
2. It’s user friendly (and the best CMS for beginners!)
It’s rare to find a CMS that is as powerful and as easy to use as WordPress. Even the most novice bloggers can get to grips with the platform’s tools in relatively little time.
WordPress is logically organized, with a clean and clear, user friendly interface. Features are set out in a way that makes sense, and the language used is accessible. Little to no coding knowledge is required. The devs make it that simple for anyone to create and maintain a professional looking website, making WordPress the best CMS for beginners.
You definitely don’t need to be a developer with years of experience to get the most out of the software. That certainly can’t be said for every CMS.
3. It’s highly customizable
The customization options available for your WordPress site are second to none.
The platform comes with its own catalogue of themes. The WordPress team provide over 200 free themes that anyone can use. Or, if you’re looking for something even more unique, there are 3rd party theme creators who provide free and premium options. There are more than 11,000 WordPress themes available over at ThemeForest alone.
The customization doesn’t end once you’ve found your perfect theme, however! Themes are highly flexible. You can fully customize fonts and color schemes.
The customization options on offer mean that no two WordPress websites are the same. You can play around until your website fully reflects you or your business! This level of customization alone makes it one of the best CMS platforms.
4. It’s the best CMS platform for versatility
Going back to the point about no two WordPress websites being the same – this is thanks to the platforms versatility.
Themes, plugins, and, most importantly, the open source nature of the software means you can create virtually any kind of website. Newsflash: WordPress is not just for blogs!
It’s used by organizations, including multi-national news corporations and small scale not-for-profit charities, and individuals, from global superstars to independent photographers. Thanks to WooCommerce, you can even create your own eCommerce stores. WordPress offers the versatility to make the website you want.
5. It’s SEO friendly
If you’re a business or professional blogger looking for the best CMS, SEO credentials will be hugely important to you. This is another big tick in the WordPress box. According to Google, WordPress has a 99% approval rating for SEO friendliness.
WordPress and SEO truly go hand in hand. You can modify everything you would need to boost SEO right out of the gate – meta tags, title tags, image alt tags, and URLs. And this is before you add any plugins!
6. There’s a WordPress plugin for everything
This list wouldn’t be complete without us mentioning WordPress’ biggest selling point: plugins.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that there is a plugin for everything. From website monitoring and maintenance, security, SEO tools, and plugins that extend the functionality of your site in so many ways it would take us all year to list them here! In fact, there are over 50,000 plugins available for WordPress across the internet.
At CreativeMinds, we’re crazy about plugins. We even have our own catalogue of professional, premium plugins that you can browse. In our minds, plugins are truly what makes WordPress one of the best CMS platforms.
The Future for WordPress
We don’t think WordPress will be giving up its place as one of the internet’s top CMS platforms anytime soon.
It’s longevity is owed to the dedication of the WordPress team, working hard to deliver users regular updates and new features that make using the platform worthwhile.
