What is WordPress?
Free, open source and behind more than 40% of the web. Here’s what it is, who uses it, and whether it’s the right fit for your website.
More than a blogging tool
WordPress is the world’s most widely used website platform, powering over 40% of all websites. It’s free, open source and backed by a huge global community.
At its core, WordPress is a content management system (CMS). It lets you build, manage and update a website without writing code from scratch. But describing it simply as a way to build a site without knowing HTML or CSS barely scratches the surface of what it can do now.
Modern WordPress can power anything from a simple brochure site to an online shop, a membership site, a property listings database or a fully custom web application. The heavy, bloated themes of the past have largely given way to the block editor and visual builders like Bricks, which produce faster, cleaner sites. All of it is managed through an admin area that non-technical users can get to grips with quickly.
Who uses WordPress?
WordPress runs everything from one-page sites to large publications maintained by entire teams of developers.
Small businesses, charities, schools and community groups use it alongside major publishers, global brands and household names. The BBC, Sony Music and TechCrunch have all run on WordPress at various points. If you can imagine a website, the chances are WordPress can build it.
Part of the appeal is ownership. Your site and its content belong to you, not to a platform, and you can move hosts or change designers whenever you like.
With tens of thousands of plugins available, there’s very little WordPress can’t be extended to do, and a huge community means help is never far away.
Recent WordPress projectsCan I build my own?
Absolutely, and many people do.
WordPress gives you all the tools you need to get started, and modern page builders make it more accessible than ever.
Where it gets harder
Managing a database, optimising images, configuring security, keeping plugins and themes updated, and structuring content well are all skills that take time to get right. Security in particular needs attention. WordPress’s popularity makes it a frequent target for automated attacks and spam, and a poorly maintained site is a real risk.
Planning comes first
If you’re prepared to put the time in, building your own WordPress site is well within reach. The key is planning, which means knowing how many pages you need, what content is required, how your navigation should work, and what you want visitors to do when they arrive.
That said, many small businesses find their time is better spent elsewhere. That’s where an experienced WordPress designer can make a real difference.
The middle ground
Some clients start their own site and bring me in when they get stuck, or ask me to set up the foundations so they can take it from there. Either approach works.
Is WordPress the right choice?
WordPress is powerful and flexible, but it isn’t always the right tool.
There are more good options now than ever, and the right one depends on your goals, your budget and how you plan to manage your site once it’s live.
Sometimes simpler is better
For straightforward brochure sites, platforms like Squarespace, Wix or Framer can be quicker and more cost-effective to set up, with less ongoing maintenance. They’re polished, reliable and perfectly adequate for many businesses.
Where WordPress excels
WordPress comes into its own when you need more control. That might mean custom content, online shops, membership areas, multiple languages, or a site that needs to grow significantly over time. With tools like Bricks, ACF and WooCommerce, it becomes a powerful platform that’s still easy for a non-technical team to manage.
WordPress keeps evolving
WordPress has been around for over twenty years, but it hasn’t stood still. Since version 6.9 it has a standard way for a site to describe what it can do, which lets AI assistants connect and carry out tasks within the permissions you set. I already use this in my own workflow.
For larger projects, WordPress can also run “headless”. It manages the content behind the scenes, while the visitor-facing site is built separately and often hosted on a fast, serverless network. It’s not something most small businesses need, but it shows how far the platform can stretch.
The honest answer
There’s no single right answer.
I assess every project on its merits and always recommend the platform that best fits your needs and budget, even if that means pointing you towards something simpler. The goal is a website that works well for your business and is no more complex than it needs to be.