What is WordPress and How Does It Work?

WordPress is an open-source software that you can use to create websites, blogs, or applications for free and in a customized manner. WordPress is a CMS, meaning a content management system, allowing you to manage your online content easily and efficiently, without needing advanced technical knowledge.
But what is a CMS? And an open-source software? And how can WordPress help you create a quality, professional, and accessible website? These are some of the questions we will answer in this article.
Table of Contents
What is a CMS?
Definition and Importance
A Content Management System, or CMS, is a software platform that facilitates the creation, editing, organization, and publishing of digital content. With a CMS, even users without technical programming knowledge can build and manage websites efficiently. The importance of CMS in the modern digital scenario cannot be underestimated, as it democratizes content creation, making it accessible to everyone.
Benefits of Using a CMS
- Ease of Use: Intuitive interface for content management.
- Flexibility: Adapts to different types of content and business needs.
- Accessibility: Allows content management from anywhere.
Understanding WordPress
Origins and Evolution
WordPress emerged in 2003 as a blogging platform, created by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little. Since then, it has evolved into a robust and versatile content management system, usable for creating any type of website, from a personal blog to an e-commerce store, a news portal, or a membership area.
What is WordPress
WordPress is an open-source software, meaning it is developed and maintained by a community of volunteers who contribute their time, knowledge, and resources to improve the software. Additionally, WordPress is free, meaning you don’t pay anything to use the software and can modify and distribute it as you wish.

How WordPress Works
WordPress basically works as follows:
- Domain: you need a domain, which is your website’s address on the internet, like www.wordpress.com.
- Website Hosting: You also need hosting, which is the service that stores your website’s files and data on an online server.
- Installation: you install WordPress on your hosting, using the control panel or an automatic installer.
- Access to the back-end: you access the WordPress control panel, using your domain followed by /wp-admin, like www.wordpress.com/wp-admin.
- Configuration: you configure WordPress, following the instructions on the screen or using a setup wizard.
- Website Creation: you create your site, using the WordPress editor, which allows you to add and edit your site’s content.
- Customization: you customize your site, using WordPress themes and plugins, which allow you to change the design and add functionalities to your site.
Impressive Statistics
WordPress is the most popular website creation platform in the world, used by 43.1% of all websites on the internet. When talking about CMS systems, its market share is 62.8%. These are January 2024 numbers, obtained from the website W3Techs, which collects information about the use of various types of technologies and publishes their research.
WordPress has a 62.8% market share in the CMS market
WordPress is used by 30% of the top 1 million websites in the world developed with CMS, according to the website BuiltWith.
WordPress has almost 60,000 free plugins available in its official directory, offering solutions for various needs, such as SEO, security, e-commerce, social networks, forms, and everything you can imagine.
Why Use WordPress to Create Your Website
WordPress is the best choice for those who want to create a quality, professional, and accessible website, for several reasons. Here are some of the main benefits of using WordPress:
Ease of Use
It is easy to install, configure, and update, without requiring advanced technical knowledge. You can have your site ready in a few minutes, following a few simple steps. In addition, WordPress is frequently updated, ensuring the security and performance of your site.

Flexibility
It is flexible and adaptable, allowing you to create any type of website, from a personal blog to an e-commerce store, a news portal, or a membership area. You can choose from thousands of themes and plugins, offering different styles and functionalities for your site. You can also create your own theme or plugin, or hire a developer to do it for you.
Customization
It is customizable and extensible, offering thousands of themes and plugins that you can use to change the design and add functionalities to your site. You can change colors, fonts, layouts, menus, widgets, headers, footers, etc. You can also add features like forms, galleries, sliders, maps, calendars, testimonials, and much more. You can
find free or paid themes and plugins, for all tastes and needs.
Security
It is safe and reliable, with protection measures against attacks and invasions, such as a firewall, encryption, and backup. It also has a team of developers and a user community that monitor and fix potential vulnerabilities and bugs. In addition, it supports HTTPS, a protocol that ensures the security and privacy of data transmitted between your site and your visitors.
Free
It is free and open-source, meaning you don’t pay anything to use the software and can modify and distribute it as you wish. You only need to pay for the domain and hosting of your site, which are independent services from WordPress. You can also contribute to the development, documentation, support, and promotion of WordPress, if you wish.
Community and Support
It is supported by an active and engaged community, contributing to the development, documentation, support, and promotion of the software. You can find help, tips, tutorials, courses, events, forums, blogs, podcasts, etc. about WordPress, in various languages, including English. You can also participate in the community, sharing your knowledge, experience, and opinion about WordPress.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is WordPress?
WordPress is an open-source software used to create websites, blogs, or applications. It is a CMS, which means it allows easy online content management without the need for advanced technical knowledge.
Is WordPress free?
Yes, WordPress is free. You can use, modify, and distribute the software at no cost. However, there may be costs associated with website hosting and domain.
Can I create any type of website with WordPress?
Yes, WordPress is extremely flexible and adaptable, allowing the creation of everything from personal blogs to e-commerce stores and news portals. There are thousands of themes and plugins that offer different styles and functionalities.
Is WordPress secure?
WordPress is safe and reliable, with protection measures against attacks and invasions. An active community also monitors and corrects vulnerabilities.
How does WordPress compare to other CMSs?
WordPress is the most popular CMS, used by a large percentage of websites on the internet. It stands out for its ease of use, customization, and an active support community.
Do I need to know programming to use WordPress?
No programming skills are necessary to use WordPress. It offers an intuitive user interface. For more advanced functionalities, knowledge in HTML, CSS, or PHP can be useful, but they are not essential.
How does WordPress stay updated with web trends?
WordPress is regularly updated by its community of developers. These updates include new features, security improvements, and adjustments according to current web trends and standards.
Can I migrate my existing website to WordPress?
Yes, it is possible to migrate an existing website to WordPress. There are tools and plugins available that facilitate this process, although technical help may be necessary in some cases.
Is WordPress a good choice for SEO?
Yes, WordPress is excellent for SEO. It is optimized for search engines and offers additional plugins to further improve your site’s visibility in search engines like Google.
How can I start using WordPress?
To start using WordPress, you need to choose a web hosting service, install WordPress, select a theme, customize your design, and start adding content.
Conclusion
In this article, you learned what WordPress is, why to use it, and how to get started with it. You saw that WordPress is a free, open-source software that allows you to create and manage websites, blogs, or applications easily and efficiently. You also saw that WordPress is flexible, customizable, secure, and supported by an active and engaged community.
And you might be wondering if artificial intelligence will replace WordPress. We’ll explore this topic in new articles, seeing how AI is integrating with WordPress and the competitors that are emerging to threaten its reign. Stay tuned!