What is WordPress?

Initially, WordPress started as a blogging platform built using the PHP & MySQL. With time, WordPress transformed itself into a full-blown content management system which can support all sorts of simple and complex websites. The basic install of WordPress is still blog-oriented but users can use the customised codes to serve their niche purpose. WordPress is currently the biggest competition of Drupal, Magento and Joomla. 

Today you can find lots of WordPress theme development services providers in the web development market. The WordPress Cloud hosting allows startups, publishers and big enterprises to scale their site as quickly as possible. Its sophisticated code enables the portal to behave in an efficient manner. With just a few clicks, you can customise the WordPress to suit the needs of any business setup. 

Large companies that rely on WordPress:

- CBS Interactive (parent of TechRepublic)
- The New Yorker
- MTV
- TechCrunch
- eBay
- Xerox
- Facebook
- The New York Times
- Google Ventures
- Rackspace

Why WordPress matters?

The reason WordPress matters a lot because it helps the companies make money and allows them to publish content through which they can reach out to the potential audience. Over, 400 million people interact via the WordPress every month, making this web software one of the largest & most influential platforms on the web. 

WordPress is an open-source tech because which it is manipulatable and runs under any hosting environment. Moreover, it is backed up by the non-profit organisation. Some usage stats provided by WordPress.com

There are over 76 million WordPress blogs.

- 50,000 new WordPress sites are created every day.

- WordPress sites experience 22.3 billion page views per month.

- 59.3 million new posts are added to WordPress sites each month.

- 3 billion non-spam comments have been written on WordPress sites.

Who WordPress affects?

From personal to corporate blogs and news sites to eCommerce brands, consumers engage with WordPress sites every single day. This means WP growth has been largely powered by the big business houses who are spending millions of dollars on its development. At present, there are thousands of websites which are powered by WP and the best part is they all look different. This the reason business firms love using WordPress. 

Being open-source has made WordPress more famous. With the open code, any developer can customise it and help others too. Moreover, users won't be trapped in sort of single proprietary issue. For small businesses, the biggest benefit is that, unlike closed website builders with a finite set of features, your business' needs will never outgrow WordPress."

How to get started with WordPress?

Well, you can install and use WordPress for free but you might have to pay for web hosting. Most of the web hosting service providers offer one-click installations, allowing users to save lots of time. Advanced users know that WP is also easy to install & configure using the terminal application. 

There are plenty of WordPress Foundation books available on the web and libraries which you can read to increase your knowledge base. Sites like TechRepublic & ZDNet they both widely cover news about latest developments happening WP sector. It will be good if you first get your basics cleared and then start with WordPress development.