Should You Still Use WordPress?  ## Metadata - Author: [[Alex Moss]] - Full Title: Should You Still Use WordPress? - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: [#WordPress, #CMS, #OpenSource, #WebsiteDevelopment] - #WordPress - #CMS - #OpenSource - #WebsiteDevelopment Author: Alex Moss Source: Search Engine Journal Reference: [https://www.searchenginejournal.com/should-you-still-use-wordpress/534399/](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/should-you-still-use-wordpress/534399/) date created: 2025-01-28 10:42 --- # Title: Should You Still Use WordPress? ## Table of Contents: - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#-notes) - [📖 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ## 📝 Summary: The article "Should You Still Use WordPress?" by Alex Moss, published on January 27, 2025, examines the current state of WordPress amidst recent disputes and evaluates its viability as a Content Management System (CMS). Despite internal disagreements, the author asserts that WordPress remains a safe, supported, robust, future-proof, and open-source platform, suitable for the majority of website needs. ## 📖 Main Content: The article delves into the advantages of WordPress, emphasizing its open-source nature, which ensures that users own their site and data. This ownership contrasts with proprietary platforms like Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace, where the platform owns the site. The author also addresses recent disagreements within the WordPress community, clarifying that these do not affect the CMS's functionality. Alternative CMS options are discussed, but the author concludes that WordPress remains the preferred choice in 99% of cases due to its flexibility and support. ### 🗒️ Notes: - **Ownership and Open Source**: - WordPress is open-source, meaning the core product is free and supported by the community. - Users retain complete ownership of their website and data. - In contrast, platforms like Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace own the sites built on their platforms. - **Recent Disagreements**: - Internal disputes within WordPress leadership have been noted. - These disagreements do not impact the CMS's stability or reliability. - WordPress continues to be a stable and widely used platform. - **Alternative CMS Options**: - Other CMS platforms may be suitable for standard informational sites with no customization needs. - Key considerations when evaluating alternatives: - Is the CMS open source? - Is there a strong community and support system? - Compatibility with third-party connections and APIs. - Scalability of the site. - Control over front-end output. - Adherence to SEO best practices. - The author’s research indicates that no other platform matches WordPress's capabilities. ## 📖 References: - Moss, A. (2025, January 27). Should You Still Use WordPress? Search Engine Journal. [https://www.searchenginejournal.com/should-you-still-use-wordpress/534399/](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/should-you-still-use-wordpress/534399/) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: 1. **Original**: "WordPress is here to stay and is still the CMS I'd advise in 99% of cases. It's safe, supported, robust, future-proof, and open source." **Paraphrased**: "The author strongly recommends WordPress for the vast majority of scenarios, highlighting its safety, robust support, durability, and open-source nature." 2. **Original**: "If WordPress were to stop development forever from today, you’d still be in the same position and still have your website, content, and data – all of it." **Paraphrased**: "Even if WordPress ceased development immediately, users would retain full access to their websites, content, and data without any loss." ## 📰 Newsletter: Hello WordPress Enthusiasts! In our latest issue, we delve into the enduring relevance of WordPress as a premier Content Management System. Despite recent internal disputes, WordPress remains a top recommendation for website development, celebrated for its safety, robust support, and open-source framework. Unlike proprietary platforms, WordPress ensures you have complete ownership of your site and data, providing unparalleled flexibility and control. For those exploring alternative CMS options, it's crucial to consider factors such as open-source status, community support, scalability, and SEO adherence. However, current research indicates that few platforms can match WordPress's comprehensive capabilities. Stay tuned for more insights and updates in the world of web development! ## ✅ Action Items: As a Developer Advocate at GoDaddy with a focus on open source and WordPress, this article aligns with your professional objectives by: - **Advocacy for Open Source**: Reinforcing the benefits of WordPress's open-source nature, which ensures user ownership of site and data. - **Contributor Engagement**: Highlighting the strong community support that underpins WordPress, emphasizing the importance of active participation and contribution. - **Educational Outreach**: Providing a comprehensive analysis that can be used to educate new contributors and users about the advantages of choosing WordPress over proprietary platforms. - **Sustainable Community Building**: Addressing recent internal disputes transparently, promoting discussions on governance and sustainability within the WordPress ecosystem. These points support your aspiration to foster a sustainable and inclusive open-source community, aligning with your goal of becoming an OSPO director. ## 🧪 Hypotheses: 1. **User Retention**: Users who choose WordPress over proprietary CMS platforms experience higher satisfaction due to greater control and ownership of their data. 2. **Community Support Impact**: The strength of the WordPress community contributes significantly to the platform's robustness and user satisfaction. 3. **Perception of Internal Disputes**: Recent internal disagreements within WordPress leadership have minimal impact on user trust and the platform's adoption rate. ### 📊 Methodology: To explore these hypotheses: - **Surveys and Interviews**: Conduct user satisfaction surveys and interviews focusing on ownership, control, and community support. - **Data Analysis**: Analyze user retention rates between WordPress and proprietary CMS platforms. - **Sentiment Analysis**: Perform sentiment analysis on forums and social media to assess the impact of internal disputes on user perception. ### ❓ Questions: - How does the open-source nature of WordPress influence user satisfaction compared to proprietary platforms? - In what ways does community support enhance ::contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0} - Document Tags: [[matt mullenweg]] [[wordpress]] [[wpdrama]] - Summary: Last year was an interesting year for the CMS. WordPress Veteran Alex Moss discusses whether you should still use it or not. Spoiler: YES! - URL: https://search.app/cg7CqkeMG1exrwqr6  The last year has been quite eventful within the [WordPress ecosystem](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/category/cms/wp/), marked by discussions and disputes that have prompted some to question the long-term sustainability of the platform and consider [exploring alternative solutions](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/23-wordpress-alternatives-best-for-seo/533081/). However, when you dive deeper into these concerns, they pale in comparison to WordPress’s enduring strengths as a product and its unmatched versatility in the CMS space. #### Market Share Is Sustained The first version of WordPress was released on May 27, 2003. Its unique architecture, combined with it being open source, saw a surge in popularity – now dominating (as of December 2024) [43.7%](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/cms-market-share/454039/) of the CMS market share. This growth has also been steady despite the emergence of other CMSs including [Shopify](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/shopify-seo-best-practices/396495/), [Wix](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/wix-vs-wordpress-which-is-better-for-seo/533514/) and [Squarespace](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/wordpress-vs-squarespace-which-one-is-better/533091/). But none of these are open-source. #### Not “Just Another” CMS WordPress’ unique architecture, which allows plugin and [theme extendibility](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/best-wordpress-theme-for-seo/411058/), combined with the power of open-source, means it can scale far beyond the blogging platform it was originally. This means themes could be built for end-users without them having to necessarily understand HTML or CSS and plugins made by third-party developers that could extend and scale the core platform in limitless ways. Over the years, I’ve built so much with WordPress, including forums, job boards, educational and learning-based portals, ecommerce sites, communities, comparison engines, and scaled themes. Our clients have ranged from people performing small side hustles and launching startups to managing hundreds of installs on a custom-built server for scaling sites for different global regions and building custom APIs using WordPress to scale activity. No other CMS provides this flexibility – with any alternatives only doing so with a huge cost and technical debt. #### Extendibility [Mostly] Without Limits While I’ve been involved in building many things with WordPress, the concept of [third-party plugins](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/wordpress-plugins/478143/) paved the way for trusted extendability within the CMS. The emergence of free and premium plugins in the WordPress ecosystem has created its own niche, with over [59,000 free plugins available](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/) within the official directory – and this does not include the thousands of plugins available away from the repo. When I discovered WordPress in 2009, I realized it wasn’t just a blogging platform – and, more importantly, it was the most cooperative to SEO best standards. I published my first of numerous plugins in [October 2010](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/rel-external?rev=295808). In 2013, I co-founded an agency with WordPress development as one of its core offerings where we have worked on thousands of WordPress sites. Whenever we received an inquiry or pitched for anything to build, WordPress was always the CMS that provided the best solution. It’s also so easy to get started with WordPress, and I advise anyone who wants to extend their knowledge to do so through experimentation ([I talked about it at BrightonSEO](https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/enhance-and-elevate-your-seo-knowledge-through-experimentation-moonlighting/272167817) a couple of months ago) #### A Truly Passionate Community Another reason I loved WordPress was when I discovered that the community’s massive support helped the CMS progress. Like the [SEO community](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo/seo-conferences/), the WordPress community is extremely engaging and supportive, not just to help solve issues and help develop the CMS overall, but also there’s a lot of support for people’s professional and personal development. Away from the extensive resources that WordPress provides through its documentation and forums, the WordPress community thrives all year round through its [WordCamp](https://central.wordcamp.org/) meetups worldwide and participates in other communities, including [WordPress chat](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/) and [PostStatus](https://poststatus.com/). There are also numerous podcast series to follow, including [Do the Woo](https://dothewoo.io/), [WP Product Talk](https://wpproducttalk.com/), and [WP Builds](https://wpbuilds.com/). This community is extremely supportive and resilient to changes, which in turn helps the development of WordPress core, which has been instrumental in shaping the future of website creation, production, and improvement. The community also gives back in ways I haven’t seen in other verticals. #### You Own Your Site And Data You’d think this would be obvious, but it isn’t. Remember, WordPress is open source. Not only does this mean that the core product is completely free and supported by the community, as already mentioned, but it is also your property. To now compare this to Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace – **these other CMS platforms own your site!** While people may believe there are inherent risks with WordPress, I’d ask you what would happen to your site if, for example, Shopify were to close business tomorrow. The answer is simple – your site would cease to exist. Then what? If WordPress were to stop development forever from today, you’d still be in the same position and still have your website, content, and data – all of it. What do the other CMSs offer? As another layer of freedom and risk mitigation, the choice of using WordPress as a CMS is also independent of where you choose to host it. If for whatever reason you want to [migrate your site from one host to another](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-to-migrate-wordpress-site/439024/) you have the freedom to do so whereas closed source platforms not only own the website you produce with them, but also the server where it resides. ##### Subscribe for Daily Search Insights AI, PPC, and digital marketing news distilled to fuel success. Join the other 75k marketers! #### Do The Recent WP ‘Disagreements’ Present A Risk To WordPress? TLDR – no. The situation does not affect the functionality of WordPress as a CMS. WordPress remains a stable, reliable, and widely used platform, with no indication that its long-term sustainability is at risk. The CMS itself is unaffected and continues to thrive. If you want to read more about the current discussions and disagreements impacting WP leadership, you can read articles such as [this](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/judge-sides-with-wp-engine-against-automattic-mullenweg-in-wordpress-dispute/535047/) and [this](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/mullenweg-says-lawsuits-could-end-wordpress/537336/) to gain more insight. #### Other Options? Still skeptical about WordPress? OK, what are your other options? While other [CMS platforms](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/best-headless-cms/522674/) can perhaps be a good alternative to a “standard informational site”, or a site that has no customization requirements at all from the normal out-of-the-box functionality (which eventually happens for every site that starts to scale in any way), you have to make very informed decisions about whether it’s actually worth it – and what the problem is that you believe you’re solving. Some questions I’d ask myself: * Is the CMS open source? If not, what do I own? * Is there a strong form of community and support? * Does it play nicely with third-party connections and APIs you intend to use? * Can you scale the site in the way you want? * Can you truly control output on the front end? * Does it adhere to SEO best practices? If any of the answers above are a “no” then you need to understand the risks of those issues before considering any migration, as you may find that the risks of the alternative outweigh anything that WordPress would. A couple of months ago, I decided to research several open-source CMSs to see if any other platform could compete with WordPress and its capabilities. Unsurprisingly, nothing came close. #### TL;DR WordPress is here to stay and is still the CMS I’d advise in 99% of cases. It’s safe, supported, robust, future-proof, and open source. Whilst other CMS platforms can offer some solutions to smaller or simpler sites, I am yet to be truly convinced that they pose any considerable risk to their future or their role in the future of websites. **More resources:** * [The 10 Best Headless CMS Platforms To Consider](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/best-headless-cms/522674/) * [25 WordPress Alternatives Best For SEO](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/best-seo-wordpress-alternatives/408022/) * [WordPress SEO Guide: Everything You Need to Know](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/wordpress-seo/) *Featured Image: Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock* [CMS Software](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/category/cms/) [WordPress](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/category/cms/wp/), Should You Still Use WordPress?, Alex Moss, 01jjpc0qqw0wzzxm9a4ww0aksw.