Over the past 20 years, WordPress has undergone a significant transformation, evolving from a blogging tool to a powerful, highly flexible Content Management System (CMS). So, is WordPress a good choice for businesses in 2024? Let’s take a look.
The Power of Market Share
WordPress has more than 64% of the market share for websites using a Content Management System. For reference, WordPress’ closest competitor (at least in terms of market share), Wix, has only 3.8%.
That’s down to efforts to make the platform more accessible for users who don’t have development backgrounds, keeping updates simple to implement and backward compatible, and improving user experience with performance updates—all while remaining completely free and open source.
It also means that when it comes to building plugins and integrations, all of the biggest service providers turn to WordPress first, as WP integrations are likely to yield the greatest ROI. This has led the likes of Hubspot, Google, Salesforce, Zephyr have to create WordPress-specific tools that integrate their features seamlessly.
Flexibility: Building Your Perfect CMS with WordPress
One of the things that makes WordPress stand out is how much you can customize it. It’s completely modular, allowing you to fine-tune your CMS to your needs.
All of the most important (and well-tested) features and functionalities are added to WordPress Core, including improvements to performance and security.
For anything not covered by Core, there is a library of nearly 60,000 plugins to choose from, many of which have been developed and maintained by large businesses, and have dedicated teams ensuring they remain performant and scalable with new versions of WordPress.
Learn more in How Enterprise Tech Companies Invest in WordPress and Why
User-Friendly: Making WordPress a Breeze
Over the past five years, WordPress has stepped up its game in user-friendliness with the Gutenberg editor.
Gutenberg’s drag-and-drop simplicity has eliminated the need for coding expertise, making it accessible for a broader audience to update and modify website content. This democratization of content creation empowers entrepreneurs, marketers, and content creators to take control of their online presence.
Beyond content creation, WordPress extends its user-friendly approach to the backend dashboard. With a clean and organized interface, users can easily navigate settings, plugins, and updates. The simplified menu structure reduces complexity, ensuring efficient management of various site elements.
Now even people without a tech background can manage enterprise sites, without ever needing to write a single line of code.
Seamless Updates with WordPress
Unlike other CMSs that may require significant structural changes during updates, WordPress ensures a seamless transition without the need for extensive development efforts.
The platform’s commitment to backward compatibility means that your site stays fresh without the hassle of restructuring to accommodate updates. This approach not only simplifies the update process but also guarantees that your website remains compatible with the latest technologies, all without the need for intricate technical interventions.
Learn more about WordPress’ latest releases.
Tailored Hosting: Boosting Performance for WordPress Sites
The choice of a high-quality host is very important in determining the performance and scalability of your site. Fortunately, a number of hosting solutions caters specifically to the unique needs of high-traffic WordPress websites!
One notable advantage of opting for tailored hosting for WordPress lies in performance optimization. These hosting solutions are meticulously configured to maximize the speed and efficiency of WordPress websites, resulting in quicker loading times and overall enhanced performance. This is massively important for both user satisfaction and search engine rankings, as website speed plays a critical role in shaping user experience and influencing SEO outcomes.
Tailored hosting options for WordPress often bring the added benefit of dedicated support teams well-versed in the intricacies of the platform. This specialized support proves invaluable for addressing any challenges or issues specific to WordPress hosting, ensuring that website owners gain access to expertise that goes beyond generic advice.
Robust Security: Busting WordPress Myths
Over the years, people have debated whether WordPress is secure, especially because it’s an Open Source solution. So, is WordPress safe in 2024?
Well, in simple terms, yes, it is.
No system is totally hacker-proof, and that goes for any website, not just WordPress. But WordPress has got its back covered with a strong security setup for its Core software. Most security issues happen when website owners don’t stick to basic security practices.
WordPress has a Core Security Team made up of 50 experts, including lead developers and security researchers. Half of these folks work at Automattic, the company behind WordPress. The rest are business owners and cybersecurity program keepers. They also chat regularly with security researchers and hosting companies to stay on top of things.
If you’re working with a good agency or vendor, they’ll always have security in mind for anything beyond the WordPress basics.
Open Source Freedom: Taking Charge of Your Site
From the beginning, WordPress has been an open-source technology. Developers around the world work together to create new functionality for everyone to use. From plugins to core updates and everything in between, there are thousands of developers from every corner of the globe that you can turn to to make your WordPress website yours.
But customization isn’t the only benefit. Your site is just that: Yours. With a CMS as user-friendly as WordPress, you’re no longer tied into a vendor-locked agreement where one company can completely own your site. Don’t like your hosting provider? Pick a new one. Want to make your workflow smoother? Go for it! Even if you want to scrap your entire website and start fresh, you can.
Conclusion: Is WordPress a Good Choice in 2024
So, in summary:
- WordPress is still the platform choice for 64% of all sites using a CMS
- That includes huge names such as Rolling Stone, NASA and The White House
- It’s affordable, flexible and user-friendly
- It has easy, backward compatible updates
- There are tailored hosting options
- There is a Core security team who consistently work on updates
- You maintain full ownership of your platform and code.
So, is WordPress good choice in 2024? Yup, it sure seems that way!
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