WordPress is one of the most recognizable brands in the world, one of a handful of Internet services which have infiltrated our daily workflows. Through WordPress.org and WordPress.com, millions of users, bloggers, brands and businesses have been introduced to the possibilities of website development. WordPress is known and admired for a cross-the-board appeal which has endeared it to professionals and amateurs alike. Its position as a popular CMS and blogging site is unique and its reach is growing all the time.
Constantly Developing
WordPress has always been an evolving platform, constantly updating and developing new features. There have to date been ninety-eight versions of WordPress. This is impressive when you consider that it’s a company which only employs about 230 people.
Particularly successful has been its use of plugins, which allow users to customize their websites and blogs with a growing array of features. This has given WordPress users an edge when it comes to functionality. There are about 30,000 plugins available for WordPress and this number is growing by the hour. Plugins have allowed WordPress to continually keep up with the latest trends. Heard of responsive design? Yeah? Well now there’s a plugin for it.
The Rise of Blogging
In the beginning, WordPress was primarily known as a platform for bloggers and its rise coincided with the rise of the blog post; that trend which has turned each of us into a prospective author. By now we’ve grown completely accustomed to the ability to publish thoughts, reviews and articles instantaneously. Platforms like WordPress, Blogger and Hubpages have been instrumental in leading this trend, creating new opportunities for new kinds of writers, fostering vibrant communities of authors and readers. WordPress.com records six new posts every second and over seven million in a given year.
Some Revealing Statistics
It’s hard to envision the scale of WordPress as a phenomenon. 126 million unique visitors click on its pages every month. 25% of new websites are powered by the platform. Nearly seventy-five million websites depend on it. WordPress.org has been downloaded an astonishing forty-six million times. Not only is it one of the most popular, it is also among the most talked about platforms. Debate and discussion about WordPress provides popular keywords for marketers.
The growing importance of online markets to every imaginable kind of business has created demand for new kinds of skill-sets. One of the most prized areas of experience right now is WordPress development. It has become a key transferable skill. Clearly, wherever WordPress has ventured, opportunity has flourished and it is likely to remain an Internet giant long into the future.
