Whether you are an independent professional working on a freelance basis, a student blogger, or a young entrepreneur, sooner or later, you might face the need to create your own website. And we bet that you have no clue how to build a website yet.
Site creation, like all the tasks in life, can become a struggle or just another chore to tick off the daily list. There are a couple of ways you can go about making your own website. You can outsource it to professionals like you would pay for papers on subjects that are far from your major. All things considered, why would you learn how to code if your dream is to sell a product you have in mind, right? Still, it can be money- and time-consuming.
The other choice is using WordPress to craft an easy-to-navigate website fast. If you didn’t know this, over 43% of websites on the web are built with the help of this platform. Why? Because it is super beginner-friendly.
But has it always been like that? No.
The platform has been changing a lot for almost two decades to become what it is now. Read on to discover its history of evolution and learn how WordPress became the most beginner-friendly CMS ever.
The Start of WordPress
The history of WordPress begins on 27th May 2003, when the tool was first released. At that time, the most popular blogging software was b2/cafelog. It was pretty good for that time but somewhat limited in features. So, two b2/cafelog enthusiasts Mike Little and Matt Mullenweg decided to build something new and better on top of it. And that’s how the first version of WP was born.
Since that time, WordPress has been shaping and changing quickly before it became the tool we know today. Let’s look at the most notable releases that made it so popular among users these days.
2003: WP 0.71
The first release was very plain and simple. In 2003, WordPress had no dashboard and was very limited in features. Basically, the only thing users could do from their admin panel is start writing a new post directly and assign a single category to their latest publication. And the process of installation was very complex and tedious.
2004: WP 1.0.1 Miles and 1.2 Mingus
One year after it was initially released, WordPress already received a new, much simpler installer and a new, its own type of filing structure instead of b2.
The 1.0.1 Miles version allowed adding more than one category to a post and moderate comments and also included an SEO-friendly URL structure.
The 1.2 Mingus was a truly monumental update in which the creators of WordPress introduced Plugins. Apart from this, it also had some other notable changes, including custom fields, sub-categories, thumbnail creation, encrypted passwords, post preview, etc.
2005: WP 1.5 Strayhorn and 2.0 Duke
In 2005, the platform was fully revamped. The Strayhorn release introduced to us a user dashboard, static pages alongside posts, and the support for adding several themes in a single installation. And the Duke release has brought to us a new admin area, a full WYSIWIG editor, some other cool features like file and image uploading, and a significant improvement in speed.
2007-2009
Between 2007 and 2009, WordPress has also undergone some major changes. In 2007, there was a huge shift in the way users could manage comments with the help of a new admin screen. The native support, auto-redirection to the correct URL, and update notifications were introduced for more convenience.
Then in 2008, WordPress teamed up with a leading web design firm Happy Cog to make a massive breakthrough in the platform’s and its dashboard’s design.
Also, some other major features added to WP between 2007 and 2009 included:
- One-click plugins update;
- Visual editor;
- Built-in gallery;
- Screen options and the possibility to customize dashboard elements;
- Sticky posts;
- Comments threads;
- Keyboard shortcuts;
- Image editing feature.
Many of these features still remain crucial components of the WP we use today.
2010: WP 3.0 Thelonious
This version was one of the most significant updates ever made to WordPress because that’s when it grew from a regular blogging platform to a real CMS. In this release, the creators added a broad range of vital features, including custom backgrounds, post types, headers, taxonomies, navigation menus, and short links.
Also, starting this year, WordPress made it a tradition to release one new default team every year.
2011-2020
After becoming a full-fledged CMS in 2010, WP started developing rapidly. Every update introduced between 2011 and 2020 was bringing something new and exciting to an already awesome tool that users loved. And some of the core focuses of the WordPress team were functionality, intuitiveness, and user-friendliness.
During these years, the platform received a wealth of features aimed at improving navigation. Namely, in 2011, users saw a revamped admin bar, fly-out menus, tool tips, and a super convenient drag-and-drop feature.
In 2012, one of the greatest releases was WP 3.5 Elvin, which made it possible for users to create mobile-friendly sites thanks to upgraded icons and adaptive styles designed to look great on all screens.
In 2013, the creators of WP made another major upgrade to the platform’s interface. It was becoming even more user-friendly and accessible to everyone. New features, customization options, and other improvements were also introduced in every new update from 2013 to 2016.
In 2016, WordPress became even more beginner-friendly by improving its editor features. Starting this year, the site creators received the possibility to preview their sites on different devices without actually switching between them.
In 2017, WP introduced a broad set of new widgets that allowed users to add media with ease and also improved its Theme Customizer.
In 2019, WordPress released another major update. The WP 5.0 Bebo was a breakthrough thanks to its brand new content editor. The Gutenberg editor is block-based and enables everyone to create beautiful and fully customizable content layouts.
We have to admit that there was a lot of controversy concerning this new editor. However, it had to be there because the previous editor, though good, already felt somewhat outdated. So, the introduction of the Gutenberg editor was a major step forward.
2021: WP 5.8 Tatum
Lastly, one of the latest releases of WordPress, Tatum, has also offered us some major improvements. Namely, it significantly improved the work of the block editor. And, of course, there were lots of additional updates too.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, the evolution of WordPress was long. Starting from 2003 and all the way to these days, the creators of the platform focused on customizability and user-friendliness in every new release they made. And they didn’t fail.
Thanks to all the major upgrades we’ve told you about, WordPress is now one of the most widely used CMS in the world. And it is incredibly beginner-friendly, thanks to its intuitive UI and simple navigation.
It’s hard to argue with the fact that WP has gone a long way, filled with changes and improvements. Still, the platform doesn’t seize progress even now. We believe that 2024 will bring us many other exciting changes that will make this CMS even better than it is now.
