Happy Birthday, WordPress! Let’s Have a Quick Tour of WordPress History and Recent Facts
Cheers to 21 Years of WordPress! 🎉
WordPress is stepping into its 21st year on May 27, 2024.
It's a magical moment for all the WordPress enthusiasts. Let's raise our virtual glasses to celebrate this big moment together! 🥂
It’s been 21 years since American developer Matt Mullenweg and English developer Mike Little launched the initial version of WordPress in 2003. To mark this occasion, let's show you some of the biggest milestones in WordPress history.
WordPress empowers 40% of all websites on the internet- such a big achievement!
However, it's time for celebration 🎉. Be a part of this amazing journey to learn how WordPress has come to its current position.
How It All Starts with Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little
It's a 21-year story of two extremely talented people- Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little. They launched the first version of WordPress on May 27, 2003. This open-source platform wasn't just a copy of its predecessor. Rather the partners started this program with a bigger vision of making website building easier for all.
WordPress software is written in PHP and uses MySQL for database maintenance. Christine Selleck Tremoulet, a prolific blogger and friend of Mullenweg, suggested the name. Later, he became the co-founder of WordPress.
At first, WordPress strengthened its position as the world's most popular blogging platform.
Gradually, it became the top choice for business websites as well.
The Revolution WordPress Brings to The CMS Industry
Since it launched in 2003, WordPress has broken the conventional web development trend.
The best part about WordPress is that it's free, incredibly flexible, and gives you complete design freedom. Now anyone can build different types of websites regardless of technical skill.
On top of that, new additions and continuous improvements make WordPress history more incredible. WordPress supports a rich library of interactive themes and plugins hence it enlarges the customization arena to infinity. WordPress diminishes the concept- “only programmers can build a website“.
Timeline of Major Features and Events from WordPress History
It isn't easy to describe the entire journey in this short time. Here, we picked some major events from WordPress history.
| 2003 | Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little released WordPress |
| 2005 | Introduced the Theme system, a modified user role system, and a new backend UI. New releases: Version 1.5 (Strayhorn), Version 2.0 (Duke) |
| 2008 | Introduced the WordPress Theme Directory and today's admin dashboard through the releases of Version 2.5(Brecker), Version 2.6 (Tyner), and Version 2.7 (Coltrane) |
| 2009 | Streamlined web development workflows. New releases: Version 2.8 (Baker), Version 2.9 (Carmen) |
| 2012 | Introduced theme customizer & previews as well as a new media manager. New releases: Version 3.4 (Green) & Version 3.5 (Elvin) |
| 2015 | Focused on mobile experience and improved responsive images and embeds. New releases: Version 4.2 (Powell), Version 4.3 (Billie) & Version 4.4 (Clifford) |
| 2017 | Refined theme customizer, new gallery widget, modified text, and video widgets. New releases: Version 4.8 (Evans) & Version 4.9 (Tipton) |
| 2018 | Introduced new block-based editor Gutenberg with a new default theme “Twenty Nineteen”. New releases: Version 5.0 (Bebo) |
| 2020 | Focused on speed and security improvements to WordPress. New releases: Version 5.4 (Adderley), Version 5.5 (Eckstine), & Version 5.6 (Simone) |
| 2021 | Simpler layout to make web development easier. New release: Version 5.7 (Esperanza). Improvement in the block system. |
| 2022 | Introducing a new default theme “Twenty Twenty-Two” including many advanced admin facilities. Gutenberg's writing improvements. |
| 2023 | WordPress 6.2 is released and the full site editing came out of beta. |
| 2024 | Emphasizes collaborative editing and prioritizes advanced writing and design workflows. |
WordPress Birthday: Let's Learn What Experts Thinking about WordPress Growth, Gutenberg, Full Site Editing, SEO, and More
Recently, we've talked to many developers, marketers, entrepreneurs, and influencers about WordPress. On the occasion of WordPress's birthday, we had a set of questions for them.
- What they are thinking about WordPress's overall growth and market share
- How will ‘Full Site Editing' (and Gutenberg Editor) affect the industry?
- How effective are the recent updates of WordPress with Content Management and SEO?
- And finally- the future of WordPress!
Let's find out what the experts think. We believe you will enjoy our initiative and this will help you be more optimistic about WordPress in the upcoming days.
WordPress Full Site Editing
“From its humble beginnings to becoming the backbone of the internet, WordPress has been a game-changer for millions of websites worldwide. It’s more than just a platform; it’s a symbol of creativity and accessibility. With every update, it empowers users to shape their digital presence regardless of experience of skill level. Here’s to WordPress: the engine behind countless websites, the friend of every blogger, and the gateway to endless possibilities. Cheers to another year of innovation and growth!”- Sujay Pawar
Sujay Pawar is the CEO and Founder of Brainstorm Force, best known for Astra, and recently launched the WordPress-based AI Website Builder – ZipWP.
“CMS like WordPress have come a long way. I remember when I was using b2/cafelog and the beginning of WordPress, when you had just a blogging platform, and manually created pages in PHP, and then created an iframe focused theme so the blog and the pages could all be under one uniform design. Years later, developers started making page builders to help code less, and design more.
This being said, even outside of WordPress, with other types of CMS, offering a page builder experience that the user can see how their site is coming together live before their eyes, has become a thing of today. There's still a lot of accessibility issues and education for the users wanting to learn CMS, but these are solvable solutions. I encourage local WordPress meetups and WordCamps to do more workshops based on different page builders, and even the Gutenberg editor.”-Nile flores
Nile flores is an expert web designer, public speaker, and WordPress developer from Centralia, Illinois. She also has expertise in graphic design.
“WordPress isn't just for developers. I love creating plugins with great UI/UX that empower anyone to build their dreams with WordPress and WooCommerce. We don't just build software, we build businesses. And we can't imagine the world of online businesses without WordPress.” – Tommy
Tommy is the brain behind YayCommerce, Bookster plugins, and Brandy themes.
“Full Site Editing and WordPress leaves a lot to be desired when you've been using WordPress for as long as I have transitioning from using template files and template parts and still trying to use tools like ACF require a whole new way of approaching a problem. I really wish FSE would look at the existing solutions and borrow from them. Beaver Builder and Divi have been doing full site editing for a while now and works quite well.” -Jason Tucker
Jason Tucker is a professional WordPress website developer. Also, he has over 10 years of experience in podcasting.
WordPress Content Management
“I have been in the WordPress space since 2006. Of course, a lot has changed since then, and competition is fierce. But the one thing I know, with certainty, is that the industry is wide open, and the opportunity to succeed and make good money has never been greater.” -Brian Gardner
Brian Gardner founded Authentik and was the first to start selling premium themes.
“WordPress has come a long way over the years but as each year passes it seems to become easier and easier for non developers to see their website vision come to life without touching a single line of code. As new technology emerges and integrates with WordPress can you imagine the ease of use in the future? I’m looking forward to building with WordPress by just thinking about it.” -Brian Messenlehner
Brian Messenlehner put himself into utilizing WordPress for more than a blogging system. Also, he is the co-founder of WebDevStudios.com.
“Happy Birthday, WordPress and to everyone that has been a part of the community. It's because of them I have been able to make a 15-year career in a diverse, open-source community. The flexibility of the CMS rides on the back of what has brought me success in the space. And lastly, cheers to WordPress for making it possible for me to meet, work with and become friends with some of the coolest and most talented people in the world.” -Bob Dunn
Bob Dunn works as a blogger and Podcaster at Bobwp. Also, he has expertise in different areas of web development including WordPress, eCommerce, and monetization.
WordPress SEO
“Over the past decade, I've enjoyed writing thousands of blog posts and helped grow sites organically from zero to 1+ million visitors per month. And there is one thing these projects all had in common; WordPress was always at the foundation.
Here are just a few reason why I think WordPress is an excellent choice for anyone doing SEO.First, you have a wide range of different SEO plugins you can use. This gives you flexibility regarding features you might need for a specific project, such as structure data, redirects, sitemaps, rich snippets, etc. Lately, I've been a fan of The SEO Framework plugin.
Second, being open source and written in a popular programming language (PHP), there are plenty of ways to manipulate WordPress to do exactly what you need it to. This enables you to stay on top of any changes Google makes regarding SERPs. Try customizing Shopify or Wix; you only have so many options.
Third, WordPress was originally created as a blogging platform. And to this day, that's why I still love it. It makes blogging and content creation a breeze! ” -Brian Jackson
Brian Jackson is the Co-founder at forgemedia. He was the Chief Marketing Officer at Kinsta. Brian is a blogger/author obsessed with SEO and webperf.
“WordPress plugins offer an incredible range when it comes to SEO. A couple of native additions stand out the most for me. This is, of course, responsiveness and WebP image support. An automatically mobile-friendly layout makes engaging those users much less of a hassle, and optimized imagery always makes Google happy. Of course, Google has been pushing WebP since 2010. Still, it’s nice to use those images without having to force mime types in WordPress.” -Anna Gargioni
Anna Gargioni is an experienced marketing and branding professional. She is very active in the WordPress community.
Future of WordPress Development
WordPress’s 21st birthday also marks 15 years since WPBeginner launched and changed the trajectory of my career. Today, thanks to WordPress, we’ve been able to grow and help millions of small businesses market themselves successfully while competing with major global brands. The WordPress ecosystem and community, combined with the creators’ vision, form the backbone of many businesses like mine. I’m eager to see it grow and continue helping millions of people and businesses globally.- Syed Balkhi
Syed Balkhi is the founder of WPBeginner, the largest free WordPress resource site. He’s also the founder of Awesome Motive, the company behind several WordPress plugins like MonsterInsights, All in One SEO, SeedProd, and more.
Happy birthday to WordPress! Over the past decade, we’ve watched in awe as the CMS has evolved into what it is today – thanks in large part to the remarkable WordPress community. As WordPress continues to develop, we look forward to participating (and documenting the process) as it makes strides in universal design, accessibility, and performance. – Tom Ewer
Tom Ewer is the founder of WordCandy.
WordPress has transformed from a humble blogging platform into the backbone of millions of websites worldwide. Its open-source nature and vibrant community have driven innovation, making web creation accessible to all. To me, WordPress is a perfect example of what a great community of learners and doers can achieve. As we celebrate 21 years, let's look forward to more groundbreaking developments and a future shaped by collective creativity and learning. Happy Birthday, WordPress!- Vikas Singhal
Vikas Singhal is the founder of InstaWP.
On behalf of TemplateMonster and myself, I would like to express our deep respect and appreciation for WordPress, which continues to be a leading force in web development and content management.
WordPress has established itself as an incredibly flexible and powerful tool, providing users worldwide with the ability to create and manage websites with ease. Your innovative solutions and constant pursuit of product improvement inspire us and millions of users.
We are proud of our collaboration and are pleased to offer high-quality templates and solutions that help bring the most ambitious projects to life. Your platform has become the foundation for creating numerous successful websites, from personal blogs to large corporate portals.
We wish you continued prosperity and new achievements. May your platform remain a symbol of quality and innovation in the world of web technologies. – Olena Kliuieva
Olena Kliuieva is the CEO of TemplateMonster. TemplateMonster is a leading marketplace for WordPress website templates and themes.
“To ensure WordPress stays the best and most used CMS, we need to embrace accessibility in every aspect. This is essential for taking the next step to a professional and user-friendly world leading tool. The future is accessible.” -Rian Rietveld
Rian Rietveld has been a WordPress developer and accessibility consultant since 2000. She won first place in the Individual Achievement category of the Heroes of Accessibility Awards.
“I am very optimistic about the future of WordPress in the next 5 years and beyond. WordPress market share is in general steadily growing, and more and more amateurs and established businesses are choosing WordPress to power their websites. Very importantly, WordPress is already in the process of simplifying its use.
What I just love about WordPress is the fact that even non-coder can create beautiful websites full of features all by themselves. I also believe that the concept of WordPress plugins will allow WordPress to expand its features and capabilities.
These two processes alone, along with the huge WordPress community, should be enough to keep WordPress ahead of the competition for many years to come. This open source spirit of WordPress is amazing and so inspiring to all of us who work with WordPress (and make for living via WordPress)!
The future depends on what you do today.” -Ivica Delic
Ivica Delic is the Co-Founder at Freelancerstools.com. He is an active volunteer in the WordPress community.
Read More: 49+ WordPress Influencers You Should Follow Right Now!
WordPress's Rewards & Recognition So Far!
Let's see the list of awards WordPress has added to its bucket to date:
- WordPress gets a five-star privacy rating from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
- Winner of InfoWorld's “Best of open source software awards: Collaboration”, awarded in 2008.
- Winner of Open Source CMS Awards' “Overall Best Open Source CMS”, awarded in 2009.
- Matt Mullenweg was awarded as the Winner of the TechFellow Award for “Product Design and Marketing” in December 2010.
- Winner of digitalsynergy’s “Hall of Fame CMS category in the 2010 Open Source” in 2010.
- Matt Mullenweg comes to the list of the top 10 most influential people online for changing the face of the internet by Business Insider in March 2011.
- Winner of Infoworld’s “Bossie award for Best Open Source Software.” awarded in 20211.
- Mike Little was given the “Outstanding Contribution to Digital” award at SAScon for confounding and developing WordPress in June 2013.
- Winner of CMS Critic Award’s “Best CMS for Personal Websites.” in 2015.
New in WordPress? Read this easy guide to installing WordPress on your local host.
21 Interesting Stats & Facts from WordPress History
This 21 years is not only remarkable for WordPress but also for the users. So, let's glorify the celebration by knowing the 21 most interesting facts about WordPress history:
- The name “WordPress” was suggested by Christine Selleck Tremoulet, a friend of Mullenweg.
- WordPress is older than Twitter and Facebook.
- All major releases are named after jazz musicians.
- WordPress dominates 63% of the CMS Market Share in 2024.
- Around 40% of the top 10,000 websites are powered by WordPress.
- WordPress powered 14.7% of the top 100 Websites.
- Millions of new WordPress sites are created every day.
- WordPress is available in 65+ Languages.
- A WordPress developer earns around $63,375 in the US.
- WordPress.com and WordPress.org are not the same.
- 58,367 WordPress plugins & 11,000 themes, and growing daily.
- WordPress.org has no CEO. Volunteer developers from all over the world contribute to running this system.
- Over the years 382 persons have written over a million lines of code for WordPress.
- A total of 100+ versions of WordPress have been released to date.
- 49% of hacked WordPress websites used an outdated version.
- WordPress WordCamps reach across sixty-five countries, hosting 1,080 events in 371 cities.
- WooCommerce powers 22% of the world's top 1 million eCommerce sites.
- The WordPress current version 6.5 was released on April 2, 2024.
- The Gutenberg editor, introduced in WordPress 5.0, revolutionized content creation with block-based editing.
- WordPress.tv features videos from WordCamp events and tutorials for users and developers.
- Matt Mullenweg's blog is called “Ma.tt”. There, he shares insights and updates about WordPress and his ventures.
Also, read this blog to explore the most marvelous 100+ WordPress stats & facts.
Recent Big Events of WordPress
State of the Word 2023 was a significant event for the WordPress community. It was held on December 11th, 2023, in Madrid, Spain.
Mullenweg likely reviewed the major developments and achievements within the WordPress project throughout 2023. He displayed statistics on user growth, new features, and the overall health of the open-source project.
Another big event, WordCamp Asia 2024, took place in Taipei, Taiwan from March 7th to 9th. This was the first major WordPress event of this year. It included workshops, speaker sessions, and a Q&A with WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg.
The event's highlight was the live audience Q&A session with Matt Mullenweg. There, he shared his insights into the future of WordPress, including projects like Data Liberation, community initiatives, and the use of Artificial Intelligence.
How Does the WordPress Industry Revive After the Covid19 Period
During the pandemic, our lives came to a standstill. We saw many changes then, including in the business arena. The WordPress industry also went through a lot of changes. Like many other industries, remote work culture became popular inside the WordPress ecosystem. Moreover, the number of freelance WordPress professionals increased significantly.
Due to unemployment, many people decided to start online businesses. As you know, WordPress, along with its rich library of useful plugins, helps anyone build almost all types of websites. This is why many people choose WordPress to strengthen their online presence.
Another remarkable fact is that WordCamp has returned to its old phase. Due to safety issues, all WordPress events were held virtually during COVID-19. But once again, WordPress enthusiasts have started meeting each other in person and contributing together to expand the industry.
During his discussion at WordCamp Asia 2023, Matt Mullenweg highlighted that every business needs a website and WordPress is an affordable option.
One thing I’ve found consistent during economic boon times and recessions is that we try to create more value than we capture. We provide one economic agency where people can do things themselves.
While answering a question on open source growth and sustainability, Matt discussed Five For The Future (5FTF).
According to him, contributing a small portion of resources to the open-source community is crucial for its continuous development and success. He added that open source can potentially thrive in an economic recession.
How weDevs Amplifies the Happiness of This Special Moment
WeDevs is the creator of many prominent WordPress products, such as plugins and services. We also celebrate this big event by announcing alluring deals for WordPress users.
You can enjoy a 50% discount this year on all weDevs products.🤩
- Dokan Multivendor – Flat 21% OFF
- WP Project Manager– Up to 35% Off
- WP ERP– Up to 35% Off
- WP User Frontend – Up to 35% Off
- HappyAddons– Up to 35% Off
- weMail – FLAT 35% OFF
- Appsero – FLAT 35% OFF
- wePOS – Flat 50% Off
Once Again: Happy 21st Birthday, WordPress!
The world’s favorite content management system WordPress turns 21 today. Along the path, WordPress leaves its footprints in every section of web development. Thus, people can experience a better way to create promising websites. And actually, we reap the benefits. The glorious WordPress history testifies to this entity.
So, what comes next in WordPress? Mullenweg has already stated that the future of WordPress lies in social and mobile features, as well as an application platform. Fasten your seat belt to enjoy a wilder ride for the next 21 years!
From all of us at weDevs, we want to say Happy Birthday WordPress! It was a great journey for 21 years. We’re eagerly waiting to celebrate the next 21 years with more festoons and glory.
