WordPress – The Framework of Many Modern Websites

Summary: WordPress is the most common website-building framework. It’s a free, open-source content management system.

According to W3Techs, the leading source for CMS usage statistics, more than 43% of all websites on the internet are built with WordPress (64.3% market share, +3% from 2021).

Some of the world’s most popular sites use it, such as Salesforce, Indeed, Dell.com, and GoDaddy! In fact, two out of every 5 websites on the internet use it.

What are the core components of your website?

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Overview

WordPress is the framework of your website, like the internal carpentry of your house or the bones beneath your skin.

It’s open-source software/tool, meaning I install it onto the domain (your URL). As a content management tool, I use it to organize pages, posts, media libraries, and the higher-level functions/settings of your website.

Your WordPress site consists of the following:

  1. WordPress Core installation
  2. WordPress plugins
  3. WordPress themes
  4. Images and files
  5. JavaScript, PHP, and other code files
  6. Additional files and static web pages

All of these are used in various combinations to generate your website.

As the middle section of the pyramid above, it connects to most website relations like caching, security, coding languages, marketing, search engine optimization, social media, graphic design, and every endless idea from the bottom pits of coding to the front-end customer experience. Many high-level business tools (i.e Salesforce, HubSpot, Quickbooks, email marketing tools, etc) have WordPress integrations. For a tool that manages +40% of all websites, do you expect anything less? WordPress is a nearly endless topic that’s constantly evolving.

Here’s an example of a nearly-empty dashboard to give you an idea of what it looks like under the hood.

wordpress dashboard example by rjl web marketing waukesha

What’s the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?

WordPress.com

A hobbyist or very-small DIY website owner might use this tool like one might use Wix or Squarespace. It’s more similar to a blogging tool; an all-in-one DIY system for those with less technical abilities, fewer business goals, or no business tools that need integration.

WordPress.org

Professional developers or website managers like myself will take the core files, install them onto a domain (URL), then build from there.

  • We leverage a theme or any of the thousands of plugins to customize the user experience and higher-level business goals.
  • We can also customize deeper into the various coding languages (HTML, CSS, Javascript, etc.) to further meet our goals.
  • We can connect other third-party tools (analytics tracking, online advertising, contact behavior flows, customer journeys, email marketing, and so many more).

WordPress website designers are in-demand because this tool offers businesses great scalability, customization, and integrations.