Ask any long-time professional blogger, and they will tell you WordPress offers the best overall blogging software and ecosystem bar none. With over 455 million websites powered by WordPress, including 35.2% of all websites on the Internet[1], it is by far the most dominant content management system for blogging and beyond.
But popularity and widespread use alone doesn’t fully capture why WordPress has emerged as such a juggernaut platform, especially among bloggers looking to grow an audience and thrive online.
In this extensive guide from a blogging expert who has used WordPress for over a decade across dozens of sites, we will do a thorough and unbiased analysis of key reasons why WordPress stands head and shoulders above rival platforms and what sets it apart as today’s best choice for powering a professional blog.
WordPress Adoption and Growth Continues to Skyrocket
Let’s start by illustrating the incredible growth trajectory WordPress has experienced since bursting onto the web scene after its initial launch in 2003:
- In 2006, WordPress powered just 2% of all websites on the Internet
- By 2010, WordPress passed 30 million downloads and powering 14% of sites
- WordPress reached 50 million downloads in 2012
- In 2014, sites using WordPress passed 23% share
- By 2016 there were over 409 million people viewing more than 27 billion pages each month on WordPress sites
- As of 2022, over 489 million sites run on WordPress representing 41.5% market share, along with over 69 million posts published and over 234 million comments[2]
Clearly WordPress has caught lightning in a bottle to not only sustain but dramatically grow its popularity and content ubiquity year after year. And there is no sign of that slowing down.
But what exactly does this open source WordPress software offer that bloggers love and the competition continually falls short on? Let’s analyze the key factors.
1. WordPress is Free and Open Source
Foremost, WordPress is built on an open source software model that drives widespread experimentation, rapid evolution and engaged communities supporting free tools. This means anyone can contribute ideas, code, discuss needs and wants then see it implemented in real time instead of waiting on proprietary software company timelines.
For bloggers specifically, you get to reap all the rewards of constant advancement happening in pockets across the globe. Rarely will a week go by without some update, fix or added functionality popping up to improve how you create and deliver content.
And running an open source platform also keeps overall costs down, so bootstrapped bloggers can launch quickly without big upfront expenses like paying for the core software. You just need to cover basic blog hosting costs then optionally invest in elements like themes, plugins and services over time as site traffic and revenues increase. Much more manageable than closed models forcing high licensing fees right out the gate.
– Matt Mullenweg, WordPress Founder
2. Intuitive Dashboard for Effortless Blogging
Ease of publishing content is another reason WordPress rules the blogosphere. The familiar dashboard menu system allows users of all technical skill levels to quickly create posts, upload media, moderate comments and handle website management without frustration. Everything is clean and well organized to keep your blogging mojo in motion.
You can just as easily add a full blog post from start to finish as you can tweak a theme setting or research why daily visitors are up or down. No convoluted processes standing in your way. Just pure simplicity to let thoughts and creativity flow.
And should you hit any snags with operating WordPress, the sheer quantity and variety of published tutorials, guides and courses focused specifically on mastering WordPress provided by experts across all backgrounds offer an unparalleled support network. Solutions for effectively using WordPress abound in 2024.
3. Built-in SEO for Search Visibility
Using WordPress also stacks blogging odds in your favor for showing up prominently in search engine results pages (SERPs). The platform employs SEO best practices by default like customizable permalinks, optimized
So even with a brand new site and barely any traffic, you already get an SEO boost right off the starting blocks before tweaking and refining things further. Especially for bloggers trying to organically grow readers in competitive niches, every bit of help here goes a long way early on.
And should you want to take optimization to advanced levels, there is zero shortage of powerful WordPress SEO plugins like Yoast SEO, The SEO Framework, Rank Math and others letting you completely customize archive pages, fine tune metas, embed schema markup and truly master search visibility. Most are very affordable including free options.
Between automated SEO foundations and flexible optimization plugins, it becomes infinitely easier to monitor keywords and rise in rankings month after month.
4. Robust Publishing Tools and Options
Creating content should feel simple and approachable so bloggers avoid losing motivation, and WordPress delivers here too. The included post editor makes daily writing and publishing feel natural with simple formatting options, drag and drop uploads for inserting media, built-in galleries and embeds to showcase visuals, keyboard shortcuts to expedite publishing and much more.
And collaborating with a team or virtual assistants can also be facilitated smoothly using integrated features like scheduled publishing, reusable blocks across posts, full revision history for edits by multiple authors and a tiered user roles system to allow granular levels of site access. Very handy for larger blog properties with help writing and managing content across time zones.
For bloggers dealing in higher volume, WordPress also includes batch operations for actions like quick category changes, comment moderation and post deletions. Maintaining quality at scale has never been more turnkey.
5. Endless Customization in Design and Features
An expansive theme and plugin ecosystem fuels incredible WordPress flexibility in both design and functionality. For any style, layout or feature set a blogger imagines, chances are very high someone has already built a solution. And if not, the open source community then provides tools for rolling your own.
Let‘s first examine themes more closely. Presently, the WordPress theme directory contains over 9,000 free themes across every category, color scheme and layout a blogger could want. Need a theme optimized for long form journalism? There are options centered specifically around showcasing this. Want a theme using bold pops of color and unusual typography? Dozens meet the need.
Or if free doesn’t quite cut it, premium WordPress themes number over 9,500 according to metrics leader BuiltWith[3] giving even more quality design pickings like Newspaper from TagDiv for news sites or the versatile Astra from Brainstorm Force. Most premium themes cost between $40-60 allowing bloggers at any budget level to locate solid choices.
But customizing your blog’s design extends well beyond just swapping themes entirely. Thanks to most supporting the WordPress Customizer, changing colors, fonts, logos and various theme elements can happen in a few clicks without touching code. Additionally, many advanced themes like GeneratePress or Kadence now include custom styling for virtually everything including blog layout, headers, page width, archives, footers and ideal single post reading experiences tailored to your niche.
If tweaking existing themes still doesn’t produce quite the desired design or functionality, builders like Elementor, Divi and SiteOrigin empower creating custom page layouts down to individual elements without coding expertise. For expert developers, the skies the limit five creating unique experiences using WordPress code architecture.
Expand Features with Over 55,000 Plugins
While themes handle the design side, tapping into available WordPress plugins presents almost limitless options on the functionality front to take sites to extra special places. Presently, over 55,000 free WordPress plugins exist under the sun according to BuiltWith[3] in addition to tens of thousands commercial offerings.
This vast library holds plugins able to tackle pretty much every use case imaginable from forms and lead capture to social integration, galleries, slides, maps, charts, calendars, audio, video and everything between. Need an advanced popup or newsletter manager? Plugin. Want to add a job board or membership area? Plugin. The depth WordPress boasts for rapidly adding and testing blog features succeeds where few others can.
And premium plugins don’t just provide more advanced implementations but also greater guarantees around support and continuity should issues surface. Top plugin sellers like WooCommerce (ecommerce), Easy Digital Downloads, LayerSlider and Formidable Forms charge reasonable fees in exchange for robust solutions and access to assistance. Free plugins work wonderfully in many situations but commercial backing gives additional peace of mind.
Between both routes, identifying cool experiments and adding what sticks to a WordPress becomes almost addicting. The flexibility empowers bloggers providing nearly endless possibilities to try capturing audience attention and stickiness.
6. You Truly Own Your Content
Unlike closed systems operated by Medium, Substack, Google Blogger or similar services, bloggers publishing content using self-hosted WordPress retain full ownership and control instead of somewhat “renting”. Your personal data and content stays with you.
And this portability becomes crucial should aspirations or situations change. Because WordPress stores everything in easily exported database formats, bloggers can migrate locations or platforms in the future while taking all written posts, comments, media assets and more along for the ride. Just a few clicks can initiate total site transfers without forced vendor lock-in.
Owning content also means if your blog happens to go viral or get acquired, all the rewards stay firmly in your pocket rather than questionable user agreements negating sudden windfalls. While rare, success can strike anytime so better safe than sorry.
7. Unmatched Support Resources and Knowledge
Finally, should trouble strike or questions arise, WordPress users gain access to the largest support network imaginable for help. Beyond official channels, WordPress tutorials, guides, courses, forums, experts and agencies exist in spades ready to provide assistance tailored to any level of expertise. And because much documentation and advice focuses squarely on best practicing within the WordPress sphere, solutions tend to prove highly relevant without wasted effort.
Very few technology tools fostering so many web properties can rival the sheer community size and support apparatus WordPress boasts in 2024. Some estimate over 100,000 industry professionals make their living strictly within the WordPress ecosystem spanning developers, designers, writers, support staff, bloggers and online business owners.
The depth of help available both free and paid means bloggers rarely find themselves flying solo or without options when facing down WordPress obstacles big and small. If a problem exists, multiple fixes stand at the ready from those well-versed in the core software and surrounding landscape.
WordPress Delivers the Best Over Blogging Experience
When combining the enumerated benefits above from 100% free open source software, ease of publishing, built-in SEO, customization galore, robust features and unparalleled support, WordPress simply delivers the best overall user experience for bloggers in 2024. Hands down.
The larger community keeps the platform constantly moving forward while access to premium plugins, themes and support provide quality options to standout regardless of niche or monetization goals. Things only continue improving from here with no signs of slowing thanks to deep open source roots powering growth and innovation in harmony.
For bloggers who desire creative freedom to quickly transform ideas into content able to resonate with readers across search and social channels, starting with WordPress proves the smart move every time. The platform removes nearly all limits holding back publishing experiments only bloggers care to pursue.
So if not already blogging with WordPress, now stands as the perfect opportunity to join millions of others finding professional success by tapping into the best tools for organizing thoughts, designing experiences and running a media business in today’s digital landscape. The power and flexibility awaits at your fingertips.
Have you launched a blog with WordPress yet? If so, what has your experience been so far? Feel free to share thoughts and feedback in the comments below!
Citations
[1] https://kinsta.com/wordpress-market-share/[2] https://wordpress.org/news/2022/12/wordpress-6-1/
[3] https://trends.builtwith.com/cms/WordPress