WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) online today. This open-source platform has been helping web designers build gorgeous websites since 2003.
While the software started as a blog publishing platform, it has grown far beyond personal websites. Hundreds of businesses and organizations around the world rely on the CMS to run their websites.
The internet has changed a lot in almost 20 years, so we’re taking a closer look at WordPress’s market share and the big websites that use WordPress.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
Final Thoughts: WordPress Market Share and the Big Websites Using WordPress
WordPress’s Market Share
While it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly how many websites are running at any given moment, one source estimates approximately 455 million websites worldwide run on WordPress.
Built With estimates at least 28,183,000 live websites currently run the software, including over 36% of the top 10,000 high traffic websites.
WordPress has a dominating lead over their competition. W3 Techs’ 2021 data shows WordPress powers over 42% of websites online today. For websites running a CMS, that share is over 65%. Their closest competitor, Shopify, runs on fewer than 4.5% of websites.
In fact, WordPress is more popular than all other CMS’s combined. That can be attributed in part to their dedication to keeping their software open source.
The program has been improved countless times over the years by thousands of users. Each addition has created a system that allows for complete control of your content. WordPress is easy to install and customize.
Big Websites Using WordPress
Millions of users rely on WordPress. Some of the websites running the CMS may even surprise you:
- Whitehouse.gov — the official website for the White House has continued to use WordPress over the past few administrations. This government website is understandably focused on security and decided on a reliable CMS for that reason.
- Sony Music — one of the largest music companies in the world, Sony Music runs a sleek, modern website with WordPress. Sony uploads content from all their artists quickly to the website and showcases with a simple design.
- Cisco — The networking giant runs its blogs on the WordPress platform, making it easy for multiple contributors to add new stories as needed. Cisco publishes hundreds of articles, so it needs a CMS that seamlessly handles the influx of content.
- TechCrunch.com — a billion-dollar technology news site that uses WordPress to share breaking news quickly. The website has a simple, easy-to-navigate layout and content optimized for search engines.
- Harvard University — One of the most trusted universities in the world runs its website with WordPress. They use its features for a variety of content, including multiple contact forms and animations with the service.
- Katy Perry — The pop super star’s website runs videos, music and a store on WordPress. Eye-catching graphics load quickly to draw in users.
- Clorox — The publicly traded company also chose WordPress for its clean-looking website. Its design is classic and optimized for visitors.
- Rolling Stone — The music and pop culture magazine also uses WordPress for its website. They publish new video and graphic-heavy stories every day for thousands of readers.
And these are just a few of the million other websites using WordPress. These organizations have different reasons for choosing the platform, but the easy-to-use themes and plugin customization appeal to most users.
WordPress websites are easy to build with website builders too. That allows virtually anyone to edit their website like a pro.
Final Thoughts: WordPress Market Share and the Big Websites Using WordPress
WordPress is working on more websites than ever. The workhorse CMS appeals to backend developers and designers alike due to its flexibility and ease of use. Hundreds of large brands, NPOs, and organizations rely on the platform too.
To run a website on the software, you just need to install WordPress on your domain. You can easily do that with any Bluehost plan.
Get started building your new website today with one of Bluehost’s WordPress-powered plans.
