THE STATE OF ENTERPRISE WORDPRESS SURVEY 2024
Returning for the second year, the State of Enterprise WordPress Survey 2024 offers a unique annual snapshot of how major brands and large-scale organisations are leveraging WordPress to achieve their business goals. Based on insights from over 100 participating organisations – ranging from Amnesty International and The Times to Princeton University and the University of Liverpool – this year’s findings provide a deep dive into the trends, strategies, and motivations behind WordPress adoption at scale.
From understanding the types of enterprise brands using WordPress to uncovering why they chose the platform and how it supports their needs, the survey sheds light on critical factors shaping the enterprise WordPress ecosystem. Whether you’re an industry leader, a decision-maker exploring WordPress, or simply curious about the evolution of the open source platform, the results offer invaluable perspectives and actionable insights.
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Enterprise can mean different things depending on the country or industry, so for this survey, we define enterprise organisations as one or more of the following: a high profile brand, a publisher with a national or global reach, or a large-scale corporate entity. To provide a better understanding of the types of organisations represented in this survey, we’ve compiled anonymised and aggregated profile information below:
GEOGRAPHY
Similar to the 2023 survey, over half of all respondents represent enterprises primarily based in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region (EMEA), however this year sees a slight drop in brands from North America and an increase in organisations located in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.
INDUSTRY SECTORS
The vast majority of respondents operate in similar sectors, with 31% in the publishing and media industry, and 29% in technology. The remaining third is a broad mix of sectors, including 16% in marketing and advertising, which is largely consistent with the 2023 snapshot.
RESPONDENT DEPARTMENT
More than 4 in 10 of the survey respondents hold engineering and product development roles, while around 3 in 10 are in leadership positions. The vast majority of the remaining respondents work in marketing departments.
Unique WordPress site visitors per month
Enterprise WordPress sites are attracting a rising number of visitors when compared to the 2023 results. 18% of surveyed enterprises reported that their WordPress site receives more than 10 million unique site visitors every month, which is up from 15% in the previous year. At the other end of the scale, the number of sites with fewer than 500,000 unique visitors has decreased from 40% to 29%.
CMS / DXP STACK
When asked if enterprises use another CMS and/or DXP in addition to WordPress, the number of enterprises solely relying on the open source platform has risen to 55%. This is up by 17% when compared to last year’s findings, indicating that organisations are increasingly confident in WordPress as a standalone solution for managing their digital experiences and content needs.
WordPress offers enterprises versatile tools for managing and publishing content efficiently. In this section, the survey highlights how organisations have adopted the platform – from their approach to content editing and system integrations to their contributions to WordPress core code – offering insights into its evolving role in enterprise workflows.
How does your organisation use WordPress?
In total, 36% of surveyed enterprises confirmed that they primarily use WordPress to produce on-site content and self-build web pages and sites, while almost a quarter predominantly rely on the platform to publish news stories. Notably, more than 1 in 10 depend on the CMS to directly sell products and/or services online.
Is your organisation using WordPress as a headless CMS?
Although in 2023, 28% of surveyed brands stated that they were leveraging WordPress as a headless CMS, in our survey findings this year the total has fallen to 16%, suggesting a potential shift away from headless approaches as enterprises find traditional WordPress implementations more efficient.
How long has your organisation used WordPress?
75% of the surveyed enterprises have used WordPress for over five years – an increase of 16% when compared to last year’s results which demonstrates the platform’s long-term reliability and its ability to meet the evolving needs of large-scale organisations.
How frequently does your organisation use WordPress?
Almost two thirds of the surveyed enterprises use WordPress on a daily basis, highlighting its central role in their content management and publishing workflows.
Which WordPress editor do you use?
Around a fifth of enterprises continue to make use of the platform’s classic editor, however almost three fifths now solely rely on the block editor which shows year-on-year growth.
Does the WordPress block editor make it easier than the classic editor for you to create and publish content?
Consistent with last year’s results, over three quarters of respondents confirmed that the block editor has simplified the content creation and publishing process for their organisation.
Approximately how many people in your organisation use the WordPress CMS to create/edit content?
With 4 in 10 respondents confirming that WordPress is used by at least 50 people in their organisation, the results show that the CMS is not only leveraged by big brands but also relied on by large teams for collaborative content creation and management.
IS YOUR WORDPRESS SYSTEM INTEGRATED WITH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING?
Showcasing the platform’s extensibility as a key advantage for enterprise organisations, over 96% of respondents confirmed that their WordPress site is integrated with essential tools and software systems that support their business operations.
Does your organisation contribute to open source WordPress projects?
In a positive shift, the majority of enterprises now contribute to open-source WordPress projects. According to our survey findings, participation rose from 38% in 2023 to 61% in 2024.
In the competitive CMS market, brands have a variety of reasons for selecting a particular solution, however, our survey findings reveal a clear consensus on the key priorities.
Which department was the key decision maker when it came to working with WordPress?
According to our survey results, IT and Engineering departments remain the primary decision-makers for choosing WordPress, however in a notable shift from last year’s findings, marketing departments have become more influential, now surpassing boardroom leadership in driving this choice.
How important were the following factors in choosing WordPress over THE other solutions?
Nearly every enterprise surveyed identified the platform’s extensibility as a critical factor in choosing WordPress, making it a standout reason for its adoption. Functionality also received strong recognition, highlighting its robust capabilities, closely followed by usability, performance, and cost.
The latest findings reveal that the initial setup and ongoing costs for WordPress solutions continue to vary significantly depending on specific business requirements. However, one trend that does emerge is that a growing number of brands are investing in WordPress by recruiting in-house teams to manage and maintain their own solutions. Respondents also highlighted WordPress’s effectiveness for monetisation, with the majority leveraging it to drive revenue and recognising its strong return on investment.
What was the approximate set up/design and build cost of your current WordPress solution?
Similar to the findings of last year’s survey, there is a great deal of cost variance when it comes to the design, setup and build of enterprise WordPress sites, which is largely due to differences in size, infrastructure and functionality requirements.
Does that cost cover ongoing maintenance?
According to the survey, 62% of enterprises incur additional charges for ongoing site maintenance and updates, while 38% have these services included in their initial fees.
Do you have an in-house engineering team that manages WORDPRESS?
In 2023, over a quarter of participating brands relied entirely on external agencies to manage their WordPress solution, however among this year’s surveyed enterprises, the total has fallen to 13%.
Where do you host your WordPress sites?
While almost a fifth of enterprises depend on their own servers, over a third prefer to leverage the expertise of specialist WordPress hosting services.
Please indicate which price range your monthly hosting costs falls into
Nearly half of the surveyed brands spend less than $2,000 per month on hosting, with 21% paying between $2,000 and $5,000, and 31% spending more than $5,000.
Do you monetise your WordPress site?
A growing number of enterprise brands are monetising their WordPress sites via advertising (26%), affiliate marketing (20%), subscriptions/content paywalls (19%), and membership (1%).
Do you feel that your WordPress site is delivering return on investment, either in terms of revenue generation or time and resource savings?
Significantly, enterprise brands remain confident in WordPress’s value, with nearly three-quarters of respondents rating its overall return on investment as either excellent or good.
In this final section of the survey, in addition to answering the below questions, participants shared freeform responses on how WordPress could better meet their needs. The responses aren’t included in the published results due to the wide diversity of feedback, however one recurring theme was concern about the current legal dispute between two prominent WordPress service providers, Automattic and WP Engine. Although this conflict doesn’t directly affect the platform, it’s worth noting that the high-profile nature could potentially impact WordPress’s reputation and perception across the enterprise sector, and may have influenced survey responses.
Do you foresee that your organisation will continue to use WordPress?
Three quarters of the surveyed brands confirmed that they’re happy with the platform and will continue to use it for the foreseeable future, which indicates strong satisfaction and confidence in WordPress’s ability to meet their long-term needs.
How likely is it that you would recommend WordPress to other enterprise organisations? (scored out of 10)
Nearly half of all enterprises are extremely likely to recommend WordPress to others, rating likelihood at an eight, nine, or ten on the scale. While this result isn’t as strong as the responses recorded in 2023, it still reflects overwhelmingly positive sentiment toward the platform.
This year’s findings reaffirm WordPress’s position as a powerful and adaptable platform for enterprise organisations worldwide. With insights from over 100 participants across diverse sectors and regions, the survey highlights the platform’s ability to meet the shifting needs of large-scale organisations through its functionality, cost-effectiveness, and usability.
A significant number of enterprises continue to rely on WordPress as their CMS of choice, with almost three-quarters expressing confidence in its ability to deliver strong long-term value. From hosting affordability to seamless integration with other systems, the platform remains a cornerstone of enterprise digital infrastructure. The significant increase in contributions to WordPress open-source projects and growing adoption as a standalone solution further reflect the enterprise community’s commitment to its evolution.
The overall sentiment toward WordPress also remains overwhelmingly positive, with nearly half of respondents strongly recommending the platform to other major brands and large-scale organisations, and 75% planning to continue using it. As enterprises tackle challenges such as sector-specific demands and rapidly evolving user needs, WordPress’s flexibility, performance, and extensibility ensure its ongoing relevance as a premier choice.
This report not only captures a snapshot of WordPress’s current role in enterprise organisations but also signals continued growth and adoption in the years ahead. We look forward to tracking these trends further in the 2025 edition of the survey.
THE STATE OF ENTERPRISE WORDPRESS SURVEY
The State of Enterprise WordPress survey is a collaborative effort from key brands in the enterprise WordPress community. The survey reflects the community’s commitment to a shared journey of advancing the enterprise WordPress space.
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Thank you to all of the enterprises that participated in the State of Enterprise WordPress 2024 survey – if you would like to take part in the 2025 survey, please submit the form below.
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