What is WordPress actually? In a nutshell: a globally popular content management system (CMS) that can be used to build and manage great websites. A full 43.1 percent of the internet now runs on WordPress. In this article, we answer the question of what makes WordPress so special and explain how this digital revolution came about.

What is WordPress - your universal software

When asked what WordPress is, WP professionals are quick to answer: a CMS. People who are not familiar with the term "CMS" are then told: "A content management system (software) that allows you to edit content such as images and text independently". And in German-speaking countries in particular, the question "What is WordPress?" is often answered with "a blog software".

You can do anything with WordPress

Today, WordPress is much more than just software. Let me say this much in advance: you can implement almost any digital project with WordPress these days. That wasn't always the case. All beginnings are difficult, as we all know, but both the highs and the lows have made WordPress the undisputed market leader among content management systems.

WordPress: From crisis to No. 1 blog software

In 2003, the Internet world was in crisis. The recent dot-com crash had just ended and new ways of making the Internet usable were being sought. A young Frenchman developed a software called b2/cafelog. One of the users of the software was Matt Mullenweg.

Born out of necessity and saved by open source

But suddenly the developer of b2/cafelog disappeared without a trace and gave no sign of life for several months.

My logging software hasn't been updated for months, and the main developer has disappeared, and I can only hope that he's okay. [...[...] Fortunately, b2/cafelog is GPL, which means that I could use the existing codebase to create a fork (new version)... Someday, right?" - Matt Mullenweg, 2003

Fortunately, the software was freely available at the time (open source), whereupon Mullenweg and his friend Mike Little grabbed it and developed it further. The basic idea of free software remained and the vision of "Democratize Publishing" took shape.

WordPress means "Opportunities on the Internet for everyone"

"Democratize Publishing" still means that not only large media companies can be "publishers", but anyone can. Anyone can use WordPress:

• publish what he wants
• view the code of the software
• customize the software according to his wishes
• Make improved versions available to all others

The basic idea that the basic technology of the Internet should be available to everyone has remained the same to this day.

WordPress is "open source" - that brought the breakthrough

Of course, even then Mullenweg was not alone with his software. There was already a larger competitor who developed blog software under license with a professional team. Blog software was also being developed in the open source sector.

However, when the commercial software suddenly increased its prices, the rush for WordPress was so great that even the website collapsed. All under the premise that WordPress remains free software.

Instead of butting heads with the open source competition, Mullenweg was able to convince his "colleagues" to collaborate on WordPress. That was the breakthrough.

What is WordPress - from blog software to a gigantic community

Even the greatest ideals need money to survive. As the US media company CNET wanted to use WordPress at the time and therefore had a great interest in its further development, it quickly hired Matt Mullenweg to work on WordPress full-time.

WordPress is also with-profit, which was the fuel for the ecosystem

The major obstacles at the time were installing WordPress on a server and spam in comments. At some point, you had to realize that with a small team of volunteer supporters (these are called "contributors" in the WP community) you reach your limits. The obvious solution was to solve the problem with your own company and Automattic was born.

In this article, we explain the areas in which you can contribute to the WordPress project and become a WP contributor (without any programming knowledge!).

The difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org

Mullenweg created the WordPress.com platform as a product of his company Automattic, which was founded in August 2005. As a commercial, hosted platform, this is not to be confused with the open source project WordPress.org. True to the motto "Internet for everyone", WordPress.com is easy to use, as you no longer have to worry about hosting and much is predefined.

However, this also means that your flexibility is severely limited, as you cannot change the core software with WordPress.com - unlike with WordPress.org. WordPress.com is therefore not open source. Nevertheless, the Automattic team is significantly advancing the development of the WordPress.org open source software and Matt Mullenweg is still heavily involved in project management.

WordPress.org remains free and has become a community

Although Mullenweg had created a commercial WP product with WordPress.com, WordPress.org remained freely available and was significantly further developed as part of the WordPress Foundation. The community also began to network locally: with the first WordCamp in San Francisco in 2006. There are now 56 local meetings in Germany alone where users network with each other.

WordPress.org becomes the "operating system of the internet"

Driven by the community, WordPress is constantly evolving. As early as 2005(!), pages and custom post types were introduced alongside numerous improvements such as the "what you see is what you get" (WYSIWYG) editor and design templates(themes). The days when WordPress was just a blog system have therefore been over since 2005.

WordPress.org and its free "App Store"

In 2005, the plugin directory was officially introduced. From then on, WordPress could be expanded with functionalities in a simple system with plugins.

Just as with the iPhone and its apps, this has allowed the system to evolve immensely. There is usually a free version of a plugin that can be used with additional functions for a fee.

There are now numerous small to medium-sized companies that make WordPress an Eldorado for website operators with great themes and plugins.

WordPress.org Super Loop

This is precisely why WordPress will be with us for a long time to come. The so-called network effects drove WordPress from 13 to 27 percent between 2011 and 2016. Joomla has a market share of 2(!) percent. The principle is simple:

More users lead to more plugins, themes, hosting providers and web agencies specializing in WordPress. This development makes WordPress more attractive and more trusted, which in turn leads to more users.

WordPress.org is the "Swiss army knife of the internet"

WordPress now offers you unlimited possibilities and a huge community. There are a huge number of functionalities (plugins) that can be installed with just two clicks. Many different design templates (themes) can be purchased on the Themeforest marketplace, and many themes can also simply be selected in WordPress.

So what is WordPress and how do I use it?

I hope I was able to show you that WordPress is more than just a normal tool. Understandably, you still want to know how you can use WordPress for yourself. Here is the answer:

WordPress.org is an intuitive open source software - Free trial

WordPress.org is free software that only requires hosting and gives you an incredible amount of freedom. To see for yourself, you are welcome to try out WordPress free of charge and with no obligation:

• Step 1: Log in
• Step 2: Click new box - The latest WordPress version will be installed automatically
• Step 3: Log in under WordPress Login and select design under "Themes"
• Step 4: Add the desired functions under "Plugins"

WordPress.com is software for the non-tech-savvy

As described above, WordPress.com already implemented WordPress very simply back then. So simple that it is more like a website construction kit than a system for managing content (content management system). Ideal for beginners and non-techies who only need a website or blog.  

WordPress as an all-rounder: WooCommerce turns your website into an online store

WooCommerce is a popular store system that is based on WordPress. WooCommerce can be used to sell several thousand products with unlimited sales. 

For more information, take a look at our article on the pros and cons of WooCommerce or download our e-book for WooCommerce professionals.

WordPress with BuddyPress is a social media solution

The BuddyPress plugin can be used to build entire intranet solutions, such as at the Technical University of Munich, similar to Facebook. Just like WooCommerce, BuddyPress is integrated into many themes on the Themeforest theme marketplace.

WordPress is exactly what you want

In the end, WordPress is exactly what you envision as a digital solution. The mentioned extensions (plugins) can not only be installed on WordPress.org or within WordPress, but can also be purchased on Codecanyon.

With the huge community, there is already a template for your project or idea that you can build on. And if a plugin or template doesn't offer exactly what you have in mind, simply hire someone who knows web design and web development.

WordPress is not for everyone

Last but not least, a warning. WordPress may be intuitive, but it still requires some training. Especially if you want to customize a lot, you often can't avoid professional web design. You should definitely reckon with 40 hours for a final website. Analogous to this: Wallpapering work can also be done by yourself. Nevertheless, it is often less stressful and the result better if you hire a painter.

Therefore, our recommendation for small and medium-sized companies is to outsource this and have WordPress professionally created and customized according to individual requirements. Then you can enjoy the intuitive operation.

What does the future of WordPress look like?

The Internet is extremely fast-moving. New technologies come and go. The only thing that contributes to stability are network effects, as described above. In addition to the open source idea, it is precisely the WordPress network that will ensure that WordPress will continue to exist for a long time to come.

WordPress will crack the 50 percent mark

At the same time, we are convinced that WordPress will crack the 50 percent mark on the web. The "WordPress Super Loop" and the great community will contribute to more than half of the web being open source. For us, this is a very desirable world because, true to our mission "More freedom for creatives", it achieves exactly that.