WordPress is getting lots of buzz as the leading content management platform, but I bet you don’t know the strange and intriguing story behind the scenes.

Rising from complete obscurity to the most recognizable website building tool, WordPress is so popular that hosting companies left and right are going out of their way to meet the rising demand for specialized WordPress hosting.

World Domination

There are other options for content management on your website, of course, but WordPress clearly owns the field. Almost half of the top one million websites use it. The next closest competitors (Drupal and Joomla) are chosen by fewer than 5%.

In the US, over a third of all websites run on WordPress, and the platform collects 1.7 billion Google search results.

Cool Factor

Sure, other brands have mascots (“Wapuu” is the unofficial rep for WordPress), but how many have their own dance – called the “WordPress Wiggle”?

The developers are into jazz – each new release is named after an artist. You can even get official WordPress sunglasses – and for only $5!

Celebrities have noticed. Serena Williams, Russell Brand, Jay Z, and Katy Perry all use WordPress for their official websites.

History Maker

WordPress has claimed the spotlight in content management over the last few years, but actually, the platform has been around for more than a decade.

The original version of WordPress arrived on the scene May 27, 2003 – making it older than Facebook and Twitter. Determined to make the most of his time, Matt Mullenweg, one of the co-founders of WordPress, limited his sleep to six hours a day.

The extra work paid off.

Today, WordPress is available in over 72 languages and by 2014 had become the skill employers wanted the most.

The Latest

Have you ever worked with a program which seemed, you know, a little behind the times.

Nobody wants their website to look like a 1996 throwback. WordPress has an update every 42 days on average. Thirty-two versions have been released so far – and one is scheduled for November 2017. Over 42% of all WordPress sites use the latest version.

To help keep both developers and users ahead of the curve, WordPress holds official events, called “WordCamps,” to bring the best minds and most enthusiastic adopters together. Last year, there were 115 events all over the world.

All in the Family

The success of WordPress has resulted in a number of spin-offs and related companies. Whether serving WordPress users or leveraging a WordPress site into a revenue stream, savvy business leaders have turned the platform into cash.

Automattic is a giant in the WordPress family, earning $1.2 billion in revenue annually. WPEngine pulls in $73 million each year, and Envato earns $94 million.

Several WordPress sites have turned success into cash. Deadline Hollywood sold for $14 million and Wonkette went for $12 million.

Looking for a job? A WordPress developer in the U.S. earns over $70,000 on average.

Cost Containment

Did I mention that WordPress is free?

That’s right – you can create your own WordPress site by downloading the software for free. That probably helps its popularity. The download itself is also lightning fast – just 5 minutes and you’re ready to go.

Theme Song

Creating a website can be a little scary, especially if you don’t know HTML or other coding languages. WordPress opens the door so even rank amateurs can build an attractive site.

Every WordPress-based website is constructed on a theme – a basic design template. The pieces which go into this theme, such as photos, videos, text, and links, are all inserted into preset locations.

Meanwhile, the theme brings consistency across the various pages of the site. Think of it as a basic melody, played on a piano. You can add guitar, drums, and vocals wherever you want, but the audience still can recognize the song.

There are a vast number of themes available, many of them free. WordPress annually releases a new free theme itself, named after the year.

Plug It In

What makes WordPress so flexible?

Developers created this open source platform with adaptability in mind. Capable coders can write plug-ins which expand the power of a WordPress site. These useful tools can improve display, organize information, allow interaction, even facilitate business.

As the name suggests, these pieces of code “plug in” to the larger WordPress platform, offering seamless integration of many elements into one site. The leading plug-ins include Jetpack (design and management), Akismet (spam protection), and WooCommerce (e-commerce).

In all, over 52,000 plug-ins are available and more appear every day.

One plug-in, Hello Dolly, comes with each WordPress download. What does it do? It only displays the lyrics to the old Louis Armstrong classic!

Attack of the Hacks

With nearly 30% of all websites on the internet operating on WordPress, it should come as no surprise that the platform is a tempting target for hackers.

The WordPress “Plug-in Symposium” in March this year endured over 1.8 million attacks. Indeed, experts say more than half of all vulnerabilities in WordPress are connected to plug-ins. As with other platforms, administrators should take care to apply security updates in a timely manner.

Marquis Businesses

The simplicity of WordPress has made incredibly popular with beginners, bloggers, and small businesses, but the big guys are too sophisticated to be using a platform made for the common people. Right?

Wrong!

WordPress is used by some of the most famous names in media, industry, entertainment, and consumer goods. Some of the names rocking WordPress for their sites include Coca-Cola, Disney, IBM, the NFL, MTV News, Microsoft, General Motors, and the Wall Street Journal.

Whether you’re building a blog about cat toys or an e-commerce site for a multi-national, WordPress is a proven tool to let your creativity flow.