CMS Market Share Trends: Top Content Management Systems (Nov. 2024) via @sejournal, @theshelleywalsh

WordPress has held the ascendant stock of the contented absorption systems (CMS) marketplace since it was launched successful 2003.

Currently, the fashionable level stands astatine 62.2% marketplace share, according to W3Techs, which offers the astir reputable and trustworthy information source. But successful the past 2 years, WordPress has seen it’s marketplace stock commencement to trim for the archetypal time.

In this report, you’ll larn astir the size of the CMS market, however it has evolved implicit the past decade, however antithetic contented absorption systems stack up against 1 another, and wherefore this matters for idiosyncratic moving successful SEO.

How Large Is The CMS Market?

According to W3Techs, 70.2% of websites person a CMS, and Netcraft reports 1.13 billion unrecorded websites.

From this, we tin presume that the existent marketplace size for contented absorption systems is astir 793 cardinal websites.

Top 10 CMS By Market Share (Globally)

Data from W3Techs, November 2024

What Is The Most Widely Used CMS?

*Graphs are separated owed to the dominance of the WordPress marketplace share.

• WordPress’s marketplace stock has reduced by astir 5% successful the past 2 years. This could perchance proceed with the issues it has experienced this year.
• Shopify’s marketplace stock took a dip of astir 14% successful 2023, but it bounced backmost and gained immoderate crushed this year.
• Wix’s marketplace stock is connected the upswing, with conscionable implicit 3% of each websites utilizing its platform. This could beryllium attributed to the enactment they bash connected branding.
• Joomla and Drupal are seeing a downward inclination lately, portion Duda is gaining immoderate momentum, which could beryllium attributed to the efforts of leveraging influencers for their webinars.

WordPress has held the ascendant marketplace stock astir since its motorboat successful 2003.

From 2013 to 2022, it experienced beardown maturation of 148%. WordPress past peaked astatine 65.2% marketplace stock backmost successful January 2022, but, successful the past 2 years has started to declaration by astir 5%.

Between 2023 and 2024:

• Websites with nary CMS strategy person declined by astir 8%.
• Websites with WordPress person accrued by conscionable implicit 1%.

WordPress Vs. Joomla Vs. Drupal Market Share

Screenshot from W3 Techs.com, November 2024

• Since 2023, Joomla has decreased its marketplace stock by astir 15%.
• Since 2023, Drupal has decreased its marketplace stock by astir 28%.

In 2013, Joomla and Drupal utilized to clasp 15.9% of the CMS marketplace share, but they person slumped to 3.6%.

This diminution has seen them driblet from positions 2 and 3 to 5 and 6, arsenic Wix and Squarespace person risen and yet superseded them successful 2022.

That’s rather a diminution for Joomla, which mightiness not person had the aforesaid marketplace stock arsenic WordPress, but up to 2008, it had much hunt interest, according to Google Trends.

Screenshot from Google Trends, November 2024

Why did these fashionable contented absorption systems diminution truthful much?

It’s astir apt owed to the spot of third-party enactment for WordPress with plug-ins and themes, making it overmuch much accessible.

The maturation of website builders, specified arsenic Wix and Squarespace, indicates that tiny businesses privation a much straightforward managed solution. And they person started to nibble connected marketplace stock from the bottom.

Website Builders Market Share: Wix Vs. Squarespace

Screenshot from W3 Techs.com, November 2024

• Wix has accrued by 18.4% this year, from January to November.
• Squarespace has accrued by 3.3% this twelvemonth from January to November.

If we look astatine the website builders, their maturation is simply a beardown denotation of wherever the marketplace mightiness spell successful the future.

From 2023 to 2024:

• Shopify grew by 15.8%.
• Wix grew by 25%.
• Squarespace grew by 3.3%.

When we comparison the 5% contraction of WordPress implicit the past twelvemonth to the different players, we person to ask, wherefore is that happening?

SaaS web builders specified arsenic Wix and Squarespace don’t necessitate coding cognition and connection a hosted website that makes it much accessible for a tiny concern to get a web beingness quickly.

No request to put a hosting solution, instal a website, and acceptable up your ain email. A web builder neatly does each this for you.

WordPress is not known arsenic a analyzable level to use, but it does necessitate immoderate coding cognition and an knowing of however websites are built.

On the different hand, a website builder is simply a overmuch easier way to market, without the request to recognize what is happening successful the backmost end.

Consider that, during the pandemic, overmuch of the colonisation worked from home, starring to much involvement and attraction placed connected however being online could beryllium a root of income.

Elementor

Elementor is simply a WordPress-based website builder that has a marketplace stock of 16.5% and is utilized by 11.6% of each websites.

Screenshot from W3 Techs.com, November 2024

It besides has importantly much marketplace stock than Wix and Squarespace combined.

However, due to the fact that it’s a third-party plug-in and not a CMS, it isn’t listed successful the Top 10 CMS above.

If we comparison the measurement of postulation to the fig of CMS, we tin spot that WordPress is successful the aureate section, up and to the right, intelligibly favored by sites with much traffic.

Joomla fits into a niche of less installs but much high-traffic sites, indicating that much nonrecreational sites are utilizing it.

Squarespace and Wix are to the near and down, highlighting that they are installed connected less sites with little traffic.

This is simply a beardown denotation that they are utilized much by tiny websites and tiny businesses.

Elementor bridges the spread betwixt the 2 and has the value of the WordPress marketplace share, but is utilized by sites with little traffic.

The appetite is increasing for drag-and-drop, plug-and-play solutions that marque having a web beingness accessible for anyone. This is the abstraction to watch.

Ecommerce CMS Market Share: WooCommerce Vs. Shopify

Screenshot from W3Techs, November 2024

• WooCommerce has a marketplace stock of 13.1%.
• Shopify has a marketplace stock of 6.6%.

The ecommerce CMS abstraction echoes a signifier akin to that of website builders.

Technically, WooCommerce is not a standalone CMS, but a WordPress plug-in – which is wherefore it doesn’t look successful the Top 10 CMS information table.

However, it’s indispensable to the ecommerce space, truthful it’s worthy considering and mentioning.

9.2% of each existing websites usage WooCommerce.

Looking astatine the distribution, we tin spot a wide signifier emerge. In examination to different ecommerce CMS platforms, WooCommere is dominant.

It has much marketplace stock than its competitors combined: Magento + OpenCart + PrestaShop + Shopify = 8.8% marketplace share.

Screenshot from W3Techs, November 2024

Smaller sites mightiness favour WooCommerce, but it has the WordPress platform’s value for marketplace entree and, therefore, much installs – overmuch similar Elementor.

Shopify has much marketplace share, but the postulation levels are akin to WordPress.

Shopify saw maturation during the pandemic, by 52.9% from 2020 to 2021 and past 26.9% from 2021 to 2022 – acold much than immoderate different platform. After that, it retracted successful 2023, but successful 2024 has travel backmost to the aforesaid marketplace stock arsenic 2022.

Why Does CMS Market Share Matter To Someone Working In SEO?

WordPress retains its dominance successful the CMS marketplace share, but website builders specified arsenic Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify are connected the rise, indicating wherever marketplace maturation lies, particularly for tiny businesses.

If much tiny businesses are switching to website builders, knowing the limitations and intricacies of these platforms for SEO could beryllium a competitory advantage.

Shopify is installed connected 4.6% of each websites (not conscionable sites with a CMS) – a full imaginable marketplace of 51.98 cardinal websites.

With their expanding marketplace share, specializing successful Shopify SEO could beryllium a strategical determination for an SEO professional.

Similarly, specializing successful Wix and Squarespace is simply a mode to differentiate yourself from the competition.

WordPress mightiness beryllium ascendant now, but that besides means that galore different radical are servicing that circumstantial CMS.

Aligning with a much niche CMS tin beryllium a strategical determination for caller lawsuit opportunities.

More resources:

• The 10 Best Headless CMS Platforms To Consider
• 25 WordPress Alternatives Best For SEO
• The Complete Technical SEO Audit Workbook

All information collected from W3Techs, November 2024, unless different indicated.

W3Tech samples its information from the Alexa apical 10 cardinal and Tranco apical 1 million. Websites with nary contented oregon duplicate sites are excluded. Limitations of the information root mean that hosted Tumblr and WordPress.com sites are not included, arsenic the information postulation doesn’t number subdomains arsenic much than 1 site.

Featured Image: Genko Mono/Shutterstock