Why WordPress Is the World’s Best CMS | A Deep Dive for Small Businesses in 2025

At Central Coast SEO, we’ve worked with just about every CMS on the market, and I can confidently say none have had the lasting impact or developer loyalty that WordPress enjoys. But to understand why it’s so revered today, you’ve got to trace its roots back to the early 2000s.

WordPress began in 2003 as a fork of an existing blogging tool called b2/cafelog. When development on b2 stalled, Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little decided to build upon it, creating what would soon become the foundation of a CMS revolution. What made WordPress stand out from day one was its philosophy—it was open-source, meaning anyone could access the code, contribute to its development, or adapt it to their needs. This level of openness was revolutionary in a landscape dominated by proprietary software.

The early 2000s were a time when building a website typically meant hiring a developer and spending thousands of dollars just to get a basic site online. Content management systems existed, but they were often clunky, expensive, and restrictive. WordPress entered the scene as a breath of fresh air: free to use, flexible, and—importantly—constantly improving thanks to a growing community of developers.

As WordPress evolved, it rapidly outgrew its blogging roots. The introduction of Pages in 2005 made it suitable for full-fledged websites, not just journals or news feeds. With the addition of themes and a plugin architecture, WordPress transformed into a modular, customisable engine for building everything from personal blogs to large-scale enterprise platforms.

By the late 2000s, it was already gaining serious traction. Major media outlets, universities, and businesses began migrating to WordPress. Its rise wasn’t by accident—it was the result of a development philosophy that welcomed collaboration, innovation, and transparency. Every update made it more stable, more powerful, and more user-friendly.

In contrast, proprietary platforms like Microsoft SharePoint or Adobe Dreamweaver (remember that?) locked users into narrow frameworks, restricted design capabilities, and imposed steep learning curves or licensing fees. WordPress, on the other hand, was growing organically with input from a global community. Anyone could build with it, improve it, and share those improvements freely.

Today, in 2025, WordPress powers an astonishing 65% of all websites globally. It’s not just the most popular CMS—it’s the most successful open-source software project in web development history.

The Plugin Ecosystem

One of the most compelling reasons I recommend WordPress to my small business clients is the plugin architecture. If you’ve ever used an iPhone, you’ll be familiar with the App Store—a digital marketplace where you can find apps for anything you can think of. WordPress has its own equivalent: a plugin ecosystem so vast and mature that there’s a tool for virtually every function your website could ever need.

Need a contact form? There are hundreds. Want to set up an online booking system? Done. Looking to integrate your e-commerce inventory with your physical store? There’s a plugin for that too. Most of these tools are either free or cost just $20 to $30 a year. Compare that with the cost of custom-developing even a simple feature, and the economics are undeniable.

Here’s the example I often use on the phone with potential clients: if you came to us and asked for a custom-coded contact form, we could absolutely build it. But once you factor in design, development, testing, and integration, you’re looking at several billable hours and a substantial invoice. With WordPress, you install a plugin, configure a few settings, and you’re done—all for the price of a few coffees.

This is why WordPress is such a cost-effective option for small businesses. You’re not paying to reinvent the wheel. You’re leveraging the work of a global community that’s already solved the problem, packaged it neatly, and made it accessible to everyone.

Open Source and the Power of Shared Knowledge

WordPress succeeded where others failed because it championed transparency and collaboration. With proprietary systems, you’re limited to what the parent company lets you do. With WordPress, you have full access to the code and the freedom to modify it in any way you see fit.

That kind of flexibility is game-changing for developers and a huge benefit for clients. It means your website isn’t held hostage by the limitations of a closed system. You’re not stuck waiting for some corporate roadmap to deliver the feature you need—you can build it (or have someone build it for you) today. And since everyone can see the source code, best practices evolve organically. You don’t just learn from your own projects; you learn from the entire ecosystem.

This open-source model is why, as of 2025, WordPress powers around 65% of all websites globally. It’s not just popular—it’s the default choice for anyone serious about flexibility, affordability, and long-term scalability.

Why WordPress Dominates SEO

Let’s talk about what really matters to small business owners: visibility. If people can’t find your website on Google, it doesn’t matter how pretty it is or how clever your branding may be. You need a site that ranks. And this is where WordPress truly shines.

Out of the box, WordPress is SEO-friendly. The way it structures URLs, generates page titles, and allows you to manage metadata gives it a significant advantage. But it goes even further when you start integrating SEO plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, which guide you through best practices and help you optimise every aspect of your content.

From schema markup to XML sitemaps, WordPress gives you tools to control how your site appears in search results. And because it’s open-source, SEO professionals like myself can get under the hood and fine-tune performance in ways that other platforms simply don’t allow. Whether you’re targeting local keywords or aiming to build domain authority, WordPress provides the infrastructure to do it efficiently.

This is especially critical for small businesses competing against larger firms with deeper pockets. You might not have the budget for a full-time marketing team, but with WordPress and the right plugins, you can punch well above your weight.

Why We Recommend WordPress at Central Coast SEO

At Central Coast SEO, we specialise in helping small business owners get the most value from their websites. That’s why we always steer our clients towards WordPress. It’s not just a content management system—it’s a platform for growth, innovation, and long-term digital success.

Its open-source roots, extensive plugin ecosystem, affordability, and superior SEO performance make it the clear choice in 2025 and beyond. If you’re considering a new website or a rebuild, and you want a platform that will grow with your business rather than limit it, WordPress is your answer.

To learn more about how we build powerful, search-optimised WordPress websites tailored for small businesses, visit https://centralcoastseo.com.au and get in touch today.