The WordPress ecosystem has been thrown in disarray these last four weeks.
A business dispute between Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, and a popular hosting service, WP Engine, has unsettled the web development community and eroded trust in Automattic’s leadership.
If you need a brief catchup on the WordPress drama, you can find a timeline of events here and a brief overview of the conflict here.
With this conflict, many designers, developers, and businesses have been rethinking their reliance on WordPress as the default platform for building websites.
We see a silver lining in this chaos: that shaken faith could lead to fresh perspectives in the web development world.
The core question users are asking is this: In light of the ongoing battle between Automattic and WP Engine, is WordPress still reliable?
Our response: The WordPress platform remains reliable, but Automattic’s leadership is not.
There are several factors that consolidate the stability of WordPress as a platform. As an open-source software, WordPress can be “forked” – meaning anyone can copy its source code and create their own version. In the past month, WordPress has been forked over 12,000 times.
No matter what path Automattic and CEO Matt Mullenweg take, WordPress will continue to exist as an open-source platform and developers will continue to build and improve upon it, just as they have for 21 years.
It is conceivable that one of these forks could develop into a major business competitor for Automattic. These competitors could develop their own version of WordPress independently from Mullenwegs’s ire.
It is also possible that the forking of WordPress creates too many versions, none of them facing mass adoption, and the WordPress community continues to stick with Automattic.
There is a third option: users begin exploring new alternatives outside the WordPress ecosystem.
Here’s why we think this third option – whether the web development community adopts it or not – is an important conversation to have.
WordPress currently powers 50-60% of all websites. No competitor comes even close to their market share.
However, the tides have shifted in the last five years. The pandemic accelerated the rise of alternative platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and Webflow, which now offer specialized options for many use cases.
These platforms used to be viewed as simple tools for hobbyists, but thanks to significant investments in their infrastructure, they’ve matured. Agencies can create great websites for customers who don’t need complex backend systems.
For example, Webflow is a designer’s dream. It’s been created primarily for designers who want to build informational websites that focus on great user experiences. If you need a website for that exact purpose, Webflow is an incredible toolkit.
Wix has massively improved its SEO functionality. Squarespace continues to be a champion for blogging brands. And all three of these have refined their platforms to make them easier for new adopters.
As their market share grows, so will their capabilities.
And here’s the crux: the WordPress drama may challenge web developers and agencies to approach a more client-focused way of building websites for brands.
WordPress has long been the default choice for building websites. When more than half of the internet is built on one platform, websites naturally adapt to the ecosystem.
For many brands, WordPress’s power and open-source versatility mean it is the best choice, not just the default one.
But now more than ever, we believe we have options that are viable and in some cases very attractive for the right type of brand.
At shepx, we have always been platform agnostic. WordPress is an option, yes, but we recommend the best platform that caters to a client’s business goals. And we believe others should do the same.
Whatever choices Mullenweg makes, these last few weeks have highlighted that developers, businesses, and agencies can exercise more freedom to explore new paths.
That’s why we see this disruption as a gift in disguise.
® Brand Shepherd llc • shepx is a service of Brand Shepherd
