Every business needs a Content Management System (CMS) to facilitate the smooth running of the company.
A good CMS can be accessed by all members of staff, ensuring there is one place where all digital content is managed.
That means creation, editing, organizing, and even publishing.
Whether you have a CMS and are looking to upgrade it, or are searching for your first CMS, you’ll find there are many options to choose from.
That’s what this report on CMS market share and usage statistics is here to help with.
By understanding what’s available and how well they perform, you’ll be able to pick the best CMS for your business.
Let’s jump straight into it!
Key Statistics
- North America has the largest share of the CMS market
- 33% of websites are hand-coded
- 76 million websites rely on CMS
- The global CMS industry is expected to be worth $123 billion by 2026
- The biggest CMS system is WordPress
- Estimates suggest there are 810 million WordPress websites
- 62% of web CMS is WordPress
- 43.6% of websites use custom CMS
- Tumblr is the most popular blogging CMS
- Wix is the fastest growing CMS
- 28% of marketing budgets are used for CMS
- 72% of WordPress sites are vulnerable
North America is the biggest economy in the world and consists of hundreds of millions of people.
It’s not surprising that it has the largest share of the CMS market, especially when you consider the number of large IT firms based in the US.
CMS systems are designed to reduce costs, specifically capital costs.
In this aspect CMS systems are perfect, they require minimal training and minimal cash outlay.
Expert opinions suggest that the US will continue to dominate the CMS market for the next five years.
However, East Asia is likely to see faster growth rates than the US, suggesting it could ultimately be the dominant force in the market.
The CMS market is dominated by enterprise web content management. However healthcare has taken a large section of the CMS market and life science is following close behind.
The government and defense sectors are also major players in the US CMS market.
(Statista)
2. 33% Of Websites Are Hand-coded
Hand-coded websites used to be the norm. These types of sites require someone to input many lines of code.
The result was a webpage that would look like and do exactly what you expected it to.
Of course, to create the code you need to understand computer programming.
It takes time and patience to build an effective site.
In 2011, the majority of websites were hand-coded. Statistics show 76% used hand-coding.
However, the arrival of software packages made it possible for anyone to create a website with the aid of pre-crafted instructions.
Users don’t need to understand coding, simply choose the sections and look they desire.
Today, the number of hand-coded websites in existence has dropped to 33%.
It’s likely this figure will drop further in future years, leaving less than 5% of websites created with hand-coding.
(W3 Techs)
3. 76 Million Websites Rely On CMS
The usage of CMS has increased dramatically in recent years.
It’s estimated that usage increased by 75% between 2015 and 2022.
There are over 1.8 billion websites in the world, not all of these require a CMS. However, many do.
For example, of the top 1 million websites, based on traffic volume, 900,000 of them use a CMS system.
That means, on average 90% of websites are using a CMS. Of course, this figure can’t be assumed across the web.
The 90% is based on the top million websites by size of traffic.
However it is known that at least 76 million websites rely on a CMS system.
While there are over 80 different platforms to choose from, WordPress enjoys a 64.2% share of the CMS market.
In other words, approximately 50 million of these websites use WordPress as their CMS system.
(Zippia)
4. The Global CMS Industry Is Expected To Be Worth $123 Billion By 2026
In 2020, the global CMS industry was worth around $62.4 billion. That’s a significant growth on when it first started in the early 1980s.
It’s still growing. Estimates suggest it will reach $116.2 billion by 2025 and a whopping $123.5 billion by 2026.
At that rate of growth it could reach over $170 billion by 2030.
(OpenXcell)
5. The Biggest CMS System Is WordPress
WordPress is perhaps the best-known CMS system in the world. This is partly due to excellent marketing and partly due to the CMS being free.
That’s a very important consideration for anyone getting started in business, keeping costs to a minimum is vital for success.
In the past, hand-coding websites was the only practical choice to get a site which worked efficiently.
WordPress has eliminated the need for hand-coding, that’s why it has shown a steady increase in user numbers for years.
Between 2011 and 2023 WordPress has seen a massive 7.8% increase in its market share.
This is highly likely to increase in a similar fashion over the next ten years.
Currently, WordPress powers nearly half the internet and this figure is likely to increase because it is so easy to use and it’s free.
(WordPress)
6. Estimates Suggest There Are 810 Million WordPress Websites
It can be difficult to put an exact number on active websites using a specific CMS system.
Many sites are started but never launched.
However, the current estimates suggest there are 810 million live WordPress websites.
This figure is constantly changing as more websites are started daily using WordPress.
Interestingly, 810 million websites is roughly 43% of currently active websites.
There are plenty that don’t need CMS systems which is why WordPress’s market share of the CMS industry is higher than its percentage of websites.
WordPress statistics show that 61.2% of WordPress customers are using the latest systems.
Interestingly, 20% of WordPress websites also use WooCommerce to cover their eCommerce needs.
(Statista)
7. 62% Of Web CMS Is WordPress
WordPress is, without a doubt, the dominant force in the CMS market.
As of 2022, statistics show it has a 61.9% share of the market.
Impressively, that’s a 1% increase on 2021.
Of course, WordPress is extremely well-known, comes top of most search engine results, and is very easy to use.
Best of all, it’s free, and because it is so popular, there is a massive array of themes and plugins to choose from.
Some are free, others you need to pay for.
But, this does make it easier to customize the look of your site, even when using the most popular CMS system.
It’s worth noting that the second biggest CMS platform is Joomla and, between 2021 and 2022, its market share dropped by 1%.
(W3 Techs)
8. 43.6% Of Websites Use Custom CMS
When looking for a CMS the simplest solution is to choose an established company and use their CMS product.
However, for many businesses, this isn’t enough. Standardized CMS packages are an excellent starting choice.
They get you used to using the systems and centralizing documents and processes.
However, they rarely offer all the features you need, which is why an impressive 43.6% of websites use a customized CMS.
That’s more websites than WordPress although a significantly smaller market share.
This suggests most custom systems are for smaller businesses.
The main reason to purchase a custom CMS is to improve security as standard CMS products tend to be vulnerable to hacker attacks.
Custom systems can have additional security and are less likely to be targeted.
That’s why custom-made CLS is likely to continue being popular.
(W3 Techs)
9. Tumblr Is The Most Popular Blogging CMS
Tumblr may- not be the biggest player in the market but it is an important one.
Statistics show that it is the most popular CMS choice for bloggers.
The latest reports indicate it has over 472 million accounts.
This figure is growing rapidly as an increasing number of people start creating their own blogs.
In fact, the latest estimates suggest more people visit Tumblr every month than the number of people living in the USA.
To appreciate how large this number is, the US is home to approximately 340 million people!
Tumblr launched in 2006, was purchased by Yahoo! in 2013 for $1.1 billion, and, since 2019, has been part of the Automattic group.
The statistics show it’s a force to be reckoned with.
(Statista)
10. Wix Is The Fastest Growing CMS
Wix is a small player in a large market. They currently have a 1% share of the market.
That’s significantly less than the market leader, WordPress.
However, Wix is currently the fastest-growing CMS solution.
It’s been growing at a rate of 149% every year for the past 3-4 years.
Squarespace, the second-fastest-growing CMS option is growing at an impressive 114% every year, but that pales in comparison to Wix.
Of course, being small operators it is easier to show impressive growth rates.
If you have just 10 customers and gain 15 you have a 150% growth rate.
It’s a lot harder if you’re already a big player and have millions of customers.
However, it’s still worth watching Wix. Its market share was 0.4% in 2018, now it’s 1%.
Who knows where it may be in another 5 years.
(Kinsta)
11. 28% Of Marketing Budgets Are Used For CMS
The average business dedicates 7-8% of its revenue to marketing.
This can represent a significant sum of money.
Of course, marketing is essential for brand recognition and for the reputation of the business.
In recent years the use of marketing funds has shifted toward digital technology.
This includes social media and product review sites.
CMS platforms play a vital role in marketing the business.
Recent studies have shown that companies are investing as much as 28% of their marketing budget in content management systems.
(Openxcell)
12. 72% Of WordPress Sites Are Vulnerable
Hacking and data breaches are one of the top concerns of all businesses.
One serious hack can mean a host of personal records are taken.
For a business, this can be extremely costly. The majority of people will not re-use a retailer that has suffered a data breach.
In the case of CMS systems it may take longer for customers to leave, but they are likely to leave.
In short, security is a top priority. Yet, despite this, 72% of WordPress sites are vulnerable to attack.
An estimated 18 million WordPress users suffer from data breaches and hacks every year.
The question is whether WordPress should be doing more or are the consumers simply not using the available security options.
(Openxcell)
Features To Look For In A CMS
If you’re looking for a CMS then WordPress may seem like an obvious choice.
However, the dominant force in the market is not always the best option.
It’s certainly not the best option for everyone.
You’ll need to make sure the CMS has all the features you need for your business. That includes:
Ease Of Use
Once you sign into any CMS system you will be presented with the main dashboard.
From here you can create pages, load content, design the look of the site, and undertake an array of other tasks.
It’s the center of your CMS and you need it to be easy to use.
The best dashboard is one that’s intuitive.
In other words, the menu options are easy to see and the path you need to take is generally obvious.
This will save you time learning how to use the platform and allow you to get started instantly.
Range Of Themes
Every CMS offers an array of themes for you to choose from.
Some are likely to be free, others will cost.
The theme is effectively how your website will look. It needs the same theme across pages.
This ensures consistency and helps with brand recognition. It also inspires trust in visitors.
Check that your prospective CMS has a variety of themes, allowing you to control the elements which matter to you. For example, a sticky sidebar or your drop-down navigation.
Content Editing
A website needs content. That generally means creating articles, videos, and even images.
Ideally, these should be easy to create in the CMS system, avoiding the need to prepare and upload, then maybe edit them.
A good CMS has different options depending on the content you are posting, such as blogs versus landing pages.
It also has an array of resources to help make loading content simple.
Don’t forget, it’s essential that you can preview a page before you upload it to your site.
Don’t choose a CMS without a preview option.
Multiple Language Options
If you want to reach as many people as possible you’re going to need your site to be in several different languages.
Of course, it can be difficult and time-consuming to get every page professionally translated.
Fortunately, the right CMS takes the stress out of languages. It should have a conversion option.
All you have to do is select the language you want the page converted into and then preview it.
The function should be easy to use, ensuring you have content that can be read by almost anyone.
It’s worth noting, estimates suggest 90% of organizations have a need for content in multiple languages.
Yet, only 30% of businesses have translation management integrated into their CMS.
SEO Asistance
If you’re publishing content on the web then you are probably hoping to build an audience.
The greater your following the easier it is to create sales and generate an income from the site.
To reach as many people as possible your site needs to score well for SEO.
That means using the right keywords and phrases to help your pages appear high on search engine results.
It can be challenging but a good CMS will offer an assessment of your SEO and give you an array of tips to help you improve it.
In short, don’t choose a CLS without an SEO tool.
Templates
Every CMS platform should have templates. You simply need to decide if they are suitable for your needs or not.
Ideally, it will have a template you can use to create content, saving you a significant amount of time.
There will be no need to create a page from scratch each time.
Other worthwhile templates include your admin layout or content management structure.
Take the time to consider which elements of your business and site are regularly repeated and check if there is a template that will make the job easier for you.
Analytics
To assess how successful your content is you’re going to need to see facts, such as visitor numbers, bounce rates, time on page, number of pages viewed, and even conversion rates.
There is a huge amount of information available on your page, you need to make sure the CMS has the analytics you’re interested in.
More importantly, you need to be able to access the analytics easily.
Don’t forget, it’s extremely useful to be able to compare analytics for different pages and campaigns.
Security
The number of data breaches and hacks are increasing every year. This issue has gotten significantly worse since the global pandemic forced people to work remotely.
As a website operating you need to take security seriously.
Your customers need to know that you’ll keep their data safe. In fact, this is critical to the reputation of your brand.
A good CMS should have built-in security. Ideally, it should protect you from DDoS attacks via a content delivery network.
It should also offer an SSL certificate and a firewall to help keep hackers out.
If possible, you should find out how often vulnerability scans are run and how easily security patch updates are integrated into your system.
Customer Support
An essential consideration when choosing any software is how effective the customer support is.
You should verify that there are various contact options and that the team is friendly.
They also need to be available most of the time and full of knowledge.
However, when you’re looking at CMS platforms you’ll find many of them are open-source.
These types of platforms don’t generally have customer support teams.
Instead, there will be a collection of forums, user groups, and even dedicated events organized by the community.
You can find the answer to most queries via these options.
It’s also easy to see how effective the community is, you can check them out online before committing to a specific CMS.
Help With Migration
When starting your first website migration isn’t an issue.
However, if you’re changing CLS you’ll want to know how simple it is to move your data.
A good CMS will have dedicated migration services. They don’t just help you migrate data in, they can also make it easy to migrate data out.
It’s important to be able to do both almost effortlessly.
Budget
Naturally, you should spare a moment to think about your available budget.
WordPress is free and that can make it very tempting when getting a business off the ground.
However, it’s not the only free option. In some cases, it may even be more beneficial to pay for your CMS.
You’ll have to look at what’s included in your CMS to decide the right price, within your budget.
Summing Up
The above CMS market share and usage statistics illustrate perfectly how digital technology is taking over the world.
Fewer people are choosing the manual option when a digital option is available, just look at the hand-coding statistics.
However, while WordPress is the dominant force in the CMS industry, that doesn’t mean they are the best choice for you.
Take your time looking at what’s available and choosing the one that will make your life easier.
Then, you’ll know you have the best CMS system, something that trends suggest all businesses will ultimately need.
