WordPress: The Mysterious CMS Behind 40% of All Websites?

As the digital abyss known as the World Wide Web continues to grow at an alarming rate, a question remains – how do you detect if a website uses WordPress?

What is This Elusive CMS?

WordPress is a popular Content Management System (CMS) that powers over 40% of all websites on the internet. This platform is widely used amongst bloggers, content creators, and businesses – but why?

WordPress enables users to create professional-looking websites without requiring any technical knowledge. It is ideal for individuals or businesses looking to create a website without incurring the high cost of hiring a web designer. WordPress is user-friendly, easy to install, and free.

One of the most impressive features of WordPress is the plethora of themes, templates, and plugins the community creates. These tools make it easy to customize your website’s appearance and add extra functionalities like social sharing buttons, contact forms, and e-commerce capabilities.

Detecting the WordPress Presence

It can be tricky to determine if a website uses WordPress since many developers and designers customize their sites to look and feel unique. Below are six easy ways to detect if a website uses this elusive CMS.

1. Check the source code

View the website’s page source by right-clicking a blank space on the site and selecting “view page source” or “inspect element.” If you notice lines of code containing “wp-” or “wp-content,” chances are the website is using WordPress.

2. Look for the WordPress logo

Most WordPress websites display the WordPress logo at the bottom of the page. While some developers may hide or remove it, the logo remains a good indication that the website uses WordPress since it is usually clickable and navigates to the WordPress.org website.

3. Check the website’s URL

If the website’s URL ends with “/wp-admin” or “/wp-login.php,” it’s using WordPress. These URLs are the default login pages for WordPress websites, and they only allow access to website owners and administrators. Additionally, URLs ending with “/category” or “/tag” indicate WordPress usage since these default URLs for WordPress categories and tags.

4. Check the website’s Meta description

The Meta description appears below the website’s title on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). WordPress websites’ Meta description may include a reference to WordPress, like “Powered by WordPress” or “Built with WordPress.”

5. Look for signs of popular WordPress plugins

WordPress has several popular plugins, including YoastSEO, Jetpack, and Contact Form 7, that most websites use. You can search for these plugins’ logos on the website or check the source code snippets related to these plugins.

6. Use a browser extension

Browser extensions like Wappalyzer, BuiltWith, or WhatRuns can reveal whether a website uses WordPress. These extensions display a wide range of details like the CMS, hosting provider, and other critical technology details.

In Conclusion…

WordPress is an incredible CMS used by millions of website owners worldwide. Regardless of whether you’re building a blog, e-commerce site, or business website, WordPress allows you to build and manage your website without requiring any technical knowledge. To detect if a website uses WordPress, you can search within the source code, look for the WordPress logo, check the URL for default login pages, search for signs of popular WordPress plugins, or use a browser extension. These methods are effective, ensuring you can detect whether a website uses WordPress or not.