Big names like CNN, The New York Times, and Discovery Communications all have sites built on WordPress. So, whether they realize it or not, the chances are that most people have seen a WordPress site.
But how many of those people are aware that what they’re looking at is built on WordPress?
Based on our survey results, one in three of them could be.
WP Engine has conducted its annual WordPress survey of the United States internet population using Google Consumer Surveys. We increased the sample size to 2,500 people this year (compared to 1,500 last year), which means our 2014 results are even more robust.
Have You Heard of WordPress?
When asked if they had heard of WordPress, 33.2% said “Yes.” This is an increase of almost 4% since 2013, when 29.3% of respondents said they had heard of WordPress.
People Who Have Heard of WordPress by Age Group
There has been an increase in the number of people who have heard of WordPress in every age group except people 65 years and older.
The largest increase was in the 25-34 year age group, which increased by almost 10%. From the US internet population, approximately one in every two people aged 25-34 years has heard of WordPress.
Do You Have Your Own WordPress Site?
According to our survey, more of the US internet population have their own WordPress site this year. The share of respondents that reported owning their own WordPress site jumped from 7.2% in 2013 to 11.4% in 2014, an increase of 4.2%.
It’s wonderful to see increases WordPress use and awareness in 2014. But given that WordPress is the most popular CMS on the web, comprising over 20% of sites, it’s hardly surprising.
* based on our 2,500 respondent survey of the US internet population
Are you surprised that the share of people who have heard of WordPress isn’t even higher?
Interesting stats. And yes, defined by age group that does make more sense. Although there still a part of me that wonders if it really encapsulates the general population. I’d like to think so, but from my own experience it does seem a bit lower realistically 🙂
Thanks for your comment Bob. Your experience may well be more accurate because it’s an online survey. I hope not though!
– Kirby
I’m not surprised, when you consider age demographics. 40% of the US population is 45 years or older, and the age breakdown illustrates that those people are the least aware.
That’s a good point Jon.
This is a bit of a tangent, but something you might find interesting (although the research is a little old now), is that in late 2010 Pew Research found that blogging had “increased in popularity among most older generations. Blogging among members of Gen X increased from 10% in December 2008 to 16% in May 2010.” They also found that 11% of Younger and Older Boomers blogged at the time. Details & some interesting charts here:
http://www.pewinternet.org/2010/12/16/major-trends-in-online-activities/
Obviously WordPress is now much more than a blogging platform, but I was pleasantly surprised by these findings. I’d love to see some more recent data on this…
Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
– Kirby