WordPress has undoubtedly become one of the most popular website platforms globally. Currently, WordPress runs over 40% of websites on the internet and 17% of the worlds top websites. When I started playing with websites during my twenties, WordPress was my go-to to try new things build themes, learn to code and more. I installed it on my local server, and it was and still is a thrifty way for enthusiasts, developers, and designers to get started. What made WordPress so attractive to me are how easy it is to use. This does not mean WordPress can’t get complicated. Like any platform, the starting point is often is simple and easy, and in WordPress’s case, this is undoubtedly true. Over the last few decades, WordPress improved on this with its drag and drop editor. They are also currently working on a no-code solution which we should see later in 2022.

In my opinion, what makes WordPress so versatile is its extendability. There are millions of plugin solutions where the WordPress community or commercial developers extend WordPress’s functionality from linking to your accounting system to creating forms. For most businesses, this means if you want a particular feature, it is as simple as downloading a plugin. Other paid and free platforms fall short here because this type of extendability typically only comes with a developer.

Finally, in the era where data ownership is constantly challenged, all your data themes code plugins are yours. You can download it all save and manipulate your data.

There are not many platforms that allow you this freedom. WordPress will remain a powerful player in web development for both beginners and professionals alike.