While businesses are going online by creating websites, many people are making money by blogging. What both of these groups have in common is that more than 40% of them are using WordPress as their content management system of choice. WordPress has been around for a long time, with alternatives like Blogger relegated to a very small percentage of users. What makes WordPress such a dominant force even after being around for so long?

Versatility

WordPress is so versatile that you can use it to create any type of website. From large conglomerate news websites to small blogs, developers have used WordPress to create them all. Its versatility is usually attributed to its vast collection of themes and plugins, and its community.

Once you install WordPress, there are tens of thousands of themes to choose from, free and paid, for different types of websites and industries. Once you choose a theme, you can find a plugin for every additional function you need. Want to start posting e-learning courses? There is a plugin for that. What about starting a multi-store ecommerce platform? There is a plugin for that, too.

In case you cannot find the theme or plugin you are looking for, you can certainly find someone in the WordPress community to build what you need.

Simplicity

Another reason why WordPress is so popular is its simplicity. You can get started with WordPress in about five minutes. You don’t even need a theme or plugins because everything you need to get started is already available.

Creating different types of posts and pages is also simple because the different types you need are already included in the CMS itself. Editing these pages and posts is very easy whether you would like to use the tools already provided by WordPress or install a page builder that gives you total control over everything you need to build robust pages and posts.

Search Engine Visibility

WordPress is regularly updated with the latest features, and some of its updates in recent years have been around SEO. WordPress already comes with features that help your SEO.  These include on-page SEO features like better permalinks, internal linking, image SEO, and more.

If you want better results, you can choose themes built with SEO in mind or install plugins that will help ensure your page ranks higher on search engine result pages.

It is a Great Blogging Tool

WordPress was developed initially as a blogging tool that would make it easier for people to put their content online. It gained popularity quickly by having features that catered to bloggers.

Seeing how good it was, bloggers told everyone about this content management system, and it started becoming more popular. Bloggers who tried it praised it, causing even more bloggers to start using it.

Now, almost anyone who wants to start a blog uses WordPress which continues to make it even more popular.

Conclusion

Versatility, huge community, customization options and longevity are the primary reasons WordPress has remained so popular over the years. With frequent updates, its community growing, and no alternatives to speak of, WordPress will continue to be popular for a long time to come.