Decoding WordPress Websites: A Beginner’s Guide

Checking the Source Code

Are you a tech-savvy person who knows HTML and CSS? If yes, then you can easily peek into the source code of a website to determine if it uses WordPress. Just right-click on the webpage and select “View Page Source” or “Inspect Element” depending on the browser you are using. Look for the following code snippet:

    
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If you can spot this code chunk, then you can say with certainty that the website uses WordPress technology.

Common WordPress File Names

WordPress uses some common filenames that show up on various websites that use the platform. These include “wp-config.php”, “wp-login.php”, “wp-admin”, and “wp-content”. If you can spot any of these filenames in the website’s URL, then it’s highly probable that the website is built on WordPress.

Check the page title and footer

Many WordPress themes display the name of the theme developer or the fact that the site is powered by WordPress in the page title or footer. You can verify this observation by examining the title of the page or the footer section of the website. If it mentions WordPress, then you can conclude that the site uses the WordPress CMS.

Use online tools

Yes, there are several online tools available that can identify whether a site uses WordPress or not. BuiltWith is an example of such a tool. Just provide the URL of the website you want to scan, and you’ll get a list of technologies that the website uses, including whether it runs on WordPress.

Another useful tool is Wappalyzer, a browser extension that delivers detailed information about the technologies used on a website. After installing the extension, browse to the website you want to inspect, and then click on the Wappalyzer icon on your web browser. The tool will notify you whether the website is powered by WordPress or not.

Check for Plugins

WordPress offers a broad range of plugins that enhance a website’s functionality. Some of these plugins leave tell-tale signs that you can use to identify a WordPress-powered website. One example is the Yoast SEO plugin that adds a meta tag to the website’s source code identifying it as a WordPress site.

Concluding Remarks

Identifying whether a site uses WordPress or not is a handy technique that anyone can learn. By following the approaches mentioned above, you can quickly determine whether a website uses WordPress as its content management system. This knowledge can be a valuable resource not only for website owners, but also for the inquisitive web user curious about the technology backing the websites they visit.