Photo by Emily Karakis
Not sure if WordPress is the right tool for you? As of August 2023, data from W3Techs reveals that 43.1% of all websites and 63.1% of websites with a known content management system are built on WordPress1. Let’s have a look at over 50 notable organizations that rely on WordPress for their websites.
Table of contents
- Company blogs
- News websites
- Nonprofit organizations
- Governments
- Education
- Arts and Entertainment
- Sports
- Store / commerce
- Conclusion
- Your turn
Company blogs
WordPress started as a simple blogging application, so it’s no surprise that many large companies still use it for their blogs. Here are some of them:
| Organization | Description |
|---|---|
| Flickr Blog | Image and video hosting service |
| IBM Careers Blog | American multinational technology corporation |
| Logitech’s Logi BLOG | Swiss multinational manufacturer of computer peripherals and software |
| Meta’s Newsroom | American multinational technology corporation |
| Microsoft’ News Center | American multinational technology corporation |
| Spotify Newsroom | Swedish audio streaming and media services |
| The Mozilla Blog | Free software community |
News websites
News websites share similarities with blogs, and as a result, many well-known newspapers, magazines, and news networks opt for WordPress to share information. Here are a few examples.
| Organization | Description |
|---|---|
| CNN Brasil | News television channel |
| Fortune.com | American business magazine published by Time Inc. |
| Global News | Canadian news network |
| Metro (US) and Metro (Italy) | Daily newspapers |
| News.com.au | Australian news site |
| Reader’s Digest Canada | Canadian general-interest family magazine |
| Reader’s Digest USA | American general-interest family magazine |
| RollingStone | American magazine focused on music, politics and pop culture |
| Tech Crunch | Online tech newspaper |
| Time Magazine | New York-based news magazine |
| Wirecutter (NYTimes) | Product review website owned by the New York Times |
Nonprofit organizations
The fact that WordPress is both free and open source could explain why prominent nonprofit organizations dedicated to various causes—ranging from AIDS to wildlife to education—choose WordPress as a platform to showcase their initiatives.
| Organization | Description |
|---|---|
| AIDS Healthcare Foundation | International organization providing HIV care and services |
| AmeriCares Foundation | American international relief organization |
| Amnesty international | International non-governmental organization focused on human rights |
| Centraide United Way Canada | National office of the fundraising United Ways across Canada |
| Creative Commons | American organization offering alternatives to regular copyright protections |
| Direct Relief | American international humanitarian organization |
| Economic Policy Institute | American nonpartisan think tank |
| Jane Goodall Institute | Global wildlife and environment organization |
| Ted Ideas | American-Canadian non-profit media organization |
| Unesco Institute for Information Technologies in Education | Institute that support UNESCO’s programme |
Governments
The White House, Finland, and the city of Toronto are among the governmental bodies that also depend on WordPress to share information about their services and activities.
| Organization | Description |
|---|---|
| City of Memphis | Official City website |
| City of Philadelphia | Official City website |
| City of Toronto | Official City website |
| Finland.fi | Finland Ministry for Foreign Affairs-produced website |
| UK’s National Archives | The official archive and publisher for the UK Government, and for England and Wales |
| The White House | Official residence and workplace of the president of the United States |
Education
Did you know some pretty prestigious universities are trusting WordPress to power their websites? They include:
| Organization | Description |
|---|---|
| Boston University | Official university website (USA) |
| Carleton University | Official university website (Canada) |
| City University of New York (CUNY) | Official university website (USA) |
| Harvard University | Official university website (USA) |
| Lafayette College | Official college website (USA) |
| University of Washington | Official university website (USA) |
Arts and Entertainment
The Arts and Entertainment world has also caught onto the advantages of using WordPress for their websites. You’ll find plenty of authors, artists, and photographers who rely on WordPress to showcase their work online. Here are some of them:
| Group or individual | Description |
|---|---|
| 007 | Official 007 movies website |
| Ami Vitale | American photojournalist |
| Asterix | French comic book series |
| David Duchemin | Canadian photographer |
| JK Rowling | American author |
| Joe McNally | American photographer |
| Katy Perry | American singer |
| Ken Follett | Welsh author |
| Margaret Atwood | Canadian author |
| Margaret Cho | American comedian and actress |
| Paulo Coelho | Brazilian author |
| Riverdance | Irish theatrical show |
| Seussville | American children’s author and cartoonist |
| Snoop Dogg | American rapper and actor |
| Sylvestor Stallone | American actor |
| The Rolling Stones | English rock band |
| Viet Thanh Nguyen | Vietnamese-American author |
| Walt Disney Company | American multinational entertainment company |
Sports
I suspect more athletes and sports organizations are using WordPress, these are the ones I stumbled upon while writing this:
| Group or individual | Description |
|---|---|
| Canadian Olympic Committee | The organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee |
| Dallas Mavericks | American professional basketball team |
| Usain Bolt | Jamaican sprinter |
Store / commerce
Uh-oh, it looks like I couldn’t spot any “notable” organizations that are using WordPress for their online stores. It doesn’t necessarily mean WordPress isn’t up to par for your store. More likely, it’s just not the choice of the big players.
As of August 2023, WooCommerce, the checkout technology for WordPress sites, holds a strong presence, being used by roughly 23% of the top million ecommerce websites2. When we put Shopify (21%) and Shopify Plus (4%) together, they hold a market share that’s quite comparable to WooCommerce’s. So, even if you don’t see giants like Walmart, Samsung, or HomeDepot using WordPress (they probably opt for custom solutions or Shopify Plus, which comes with a hefty starting cost of 2000 USD per month), remember that a multitude of local businesses is relying on the WordPress and WooCommerce combo.
As highlighted in my article on Why choose WordPress over SquareSpace, Wix or Shopify, if you’re after an ecommerce solution that’s streamlined and doesn’t involve a bunch of plugins or if you operate on a larger scale, Shopify might be the ideal choice. However, if you’re all about customization and you’re running a small-to-medium-sized business, WordPress along with WooCommerce can still provide you with a fantastic solution.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, WordPress is a true all-rounder when it comes to powering websites for a wide range of organizations. From company blogs to news outlets, nonprofits to governments, universities to arts and entertainment, and even sports – WordPress has got them all covered. While big players might opt for custom solutions or pricier options in e-commerce, the spectrum of examples we’ve covered highlights the widespread appeal and adaptability of WordPress. And don’t forget: if you’re running a small-to-medium-sized ecommerce store, WordPress and WooCommerce remain an excellent match.
Your turn
Are you currently using WordPress for your website? If you are, what’s the reason behind your choice? And hey, if you happen to know about any other remarkable organizations that could join this list, feel free to share! I’m all ears.
References
- W3Tech. Usage statistics of content management systems. August 2023. ↩︎
- Built With. eCommerce usage distribution in the top 1 million sites. August 2023. ↩︎
