What Is WordPress and Why Does It Power 43% of the Web?

What Is WordPress and How Does It Work?

WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS) that powers 43.2% of all websites on the internet as of June 2026. Written in PHP with a MySQL database, it gives you a dashboard to create, edit, and publish content without writing code. I have used WordPress since version 3.0 and watched it grow from a blogging platform to a full-site builder.

Why Do So Many Websites Use WordPress?

Three reasons: it is free, extensible, and easy to use. The core software costs zero dollars. You pay for hosting (starting at $3/month) and optionally for premium themes or plugins. With 60,000+ free plugins and 11,000+ free themes, you can build anything from a blog to an e-commerce store without hiring a developer.

What Types of Sites Can You Build With WordPress?

WordPress runs blogs, business sites, e-commerce stores (via WooCommerce, which powers 28% of all online stores), membership sites, forums, and even headless CMS setups. Major brands like TechCrunch, The New Yorker, and Sony use WordPress. I have built SEO sites, WooCommerce stores, and membership communities on WordPress.

What Are the Requirements to Run WordPress?

WordPress requires PHP 8.0+ and MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.4+. Most hosting providers offer one-click installation. For a standard site, you need 1 GB storage and 1 GB RAM. I recommend at least 2 GB RAM for sites with caching plugins and traffic over 1,000 daily visitors.

How Is WordPress Different From Website Builders?

Unlike Wix or Squarespace, WordPress is self-hosted and you own your data. I migrated a client from Wix to WordPress and their page load speed improved from 5.2s to 1.8s. The tradeoff is that WordPress requires some technical setup and ongoing maintenance.

Getting Started With WordPress?

Learn to install WordPress on your hosting server. Check our guide on choosing the best WordPress hosting. For ongoing management, read must-have WordPress plugins.