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January 24, 2025

By Daniel Devereux in featured, Featured, Updates & New Releases, Wordpress Insights

2025 WordPress Annual Report & Business Meta Analysis

Executive Overview

As we step bravely into 2025 (despite all odds), WordPress remains the unshaken monolith of the internet. Powering a staggering 43.6% of the web and holding a 62.3% share of the content management system (CMS) market, the platform is less a tool and more a digital institution. Unlike that weird corner of the web still stuck on outdated WYSIWYG editors from 2008, WordPress keeps marching on—block by block.

2024 was a milestone year. Version releases 6.5, 6.6, and the beta of 6.7 all arrived with meaningful, forward-looking upgrades: real-time collaboration, performance boosts, accessibility enhancements, and major groundwork for an AI-integrated ecosystem.

The new WordPress AI Team, announced in May 2025, also proved that even open-source juggernauts can embrace artificial intelligence—as long as it’s open, ethical, and maintains that slightly sarcastic DIY ethos we all love.

But don’t worry, it still breaks when you forget a semicolon.

Platform Evolution: 6.5 to 6.7

6.5: The “Under-the-Hood” Update

Released in March 2024, 6.5 focused on performance, core APIs, and accessibility. It didn’t come with flashy marketing slogans, but it did what every WordPress veteran appreciates: reduced TTFB (Time to First Byte), streamlined REST API authentication, and improved support for classic plugins inside block themes.

Highlights:

  • Improved core Web Vitals scores (good news for your SEO consultant).
  • Faster loading of images with native lazy loading.
  • Enhanced block editor caching.

Translation: better UX, less complaining.

6.6: Editor Maturity & Collaborative Futures

The summer 2024 release doubled down on the block editor. The site editor became even more intuitive, allowing drag-and-drop image integration, inline link previews, and full pattern overrides without needing to understand regex (finally).

Key features:

  • Block-level commenting (beta): Content teams can comment inline.
  • Synchronized patterns: Create once, deploy everywhere.
  • Theme previews via “Style Book”: A central place to preview global styles.

Honestly, it made the Gutenberg editor feel like a real application rather than a prototype in permanent beta.

6.7 & Beyond: Real-Time & Interactivity

Currently in beta, 6.7 is preparing the foundation for full real-time collaboration in the editor, a.k.a. Google Docs for WordPress. Aided by server-side enhancements and frontend synchronization logic, authors can write in tandem without versioning chaos.

Expect full rollout by late 2025, assuming nobody unplugs the internet.

The Formation of the WordPress AI Team

On May 6, 2025, WordPress.org dropped a quiet bombshell: the formation of the official WordPress AI Team. Their goal? To explore AI-assisted content creation, support, moderation, and accessibility tools that integrate seamlessly into the open-source ethos.

Mandates include:

  • Building AI-powered blocks (text generation, code suggestions, etc).
  • Training lightweight LLMs fine-tuned for WordPress tasks.
  • Ethical AI: No data hoarding, no creepy surveillance vibes.

Initial projects:

  • AI-powered site builder suggestions.
  • Comment moderation filters (less spam, more sanity).
  • Accessibility auditing tools using ML pattern recognition.

In short: Less time fighting spam, more time publishing spicy takes.

Business Meta Analysis: WordPress for Real-World Ops

Local Businesses

What does WordPress 6.7 mean for Jane’s Pet Grooming on Main Street?

  • Lower build costs thanks to themes like Blocksy, Kadence, and Astra.
  • SEO plugins (Yoast, RankMath) now analyze in real-time thanks to faster Core Web Vitals integration.
  • WooCommerce updates make it easier to launch a small store with Stripe or Square in minutes.

Yes, even Uncle Bob can finally edit the homepage without breaking the whole site.

Regional Businesses

For regional outfits with marketing teams and modest budgets, the power lies in:

  • Multilingual site support: Polyglot is now core-compatible, and translations load faster with caching built directly into the block editor.
  • Custom dashboards: The REST API improvements allow real-time metrics via Metorik or other BI dashboards.
  • Role-specific collaboration: Thanks to block-level commenting and permissions, marketers don’t overwrite devs’ work.

Yes, project managers can finally approve content without 19 back-and-forth emails.

Global Enterprises

Enterprises get the best ROI:

  • Interactivity API enables dynamic experiences (filters, instant search, no page reloads).
  • Scalability: WordPress + Docker + Redis + Cloudflare equals a global-ready stack.
  • Custom block development using React/JSX that connects to enterprise backends (Salesforce, SAP, HubSpot).

Oh, and WordPress can now auto-translate your blog into 17 languages without losing your brand’s snarky tone.

The Roadmap: WordPress 2025 and Beyond

Looking forward, the official roadmap focuses on:

  • Real-Time Collaboration: A Google Docs-like experience baked directly into the editor.
  • Private Workspaces: Think “Draft Mode for Teams” with role-level toggles.
  • AI Integration in Core: Thematic block suggestions, image alt-text generation, content summarization.
  • Offline Mode: Build locally and sync changes when online.
  • Headless Enhancements: GraphQL native support and deeper Next.js integrations.

Also on the radar:

  • Multisite UX Refresh (finally).
  • Design Tokens Standardization for better design systems.
  • Wider Adoption of the Interactivity API with core patterns for dropdowns, tabs, filters.

Translation: Less spaghetti code, more spaghetti dinners.

Open Source Contributions & Community

The community has grown larger and more organized:

  • 3,000+ contributors from 58 countries.
  • Women and non-binary representation saw a 25% increase.
  • 1,700+ WordCamps and meetups hosted.

Plugin approval times dropped by 60% due to AI-assisted submission reviews. Core commits are now semantically labeled, and new contributor onboarding is actually understandable.

If you haven’t contributed yet, you’re running out of excuses.

Ecosystem & Economy

  • Plugin downloads topped 2.4 billion in 2024.
  • WooCommerce now powers over 8.3 million stores globally.
  • WordPress-related freelancers and agencies generated over $12.5 billion in revenue last year.

Also:

  • Plugin Review Team added “Plugin Check” tools (like Theme Check) for better security and faster approval.
  • 4 major WordPress-focused hosting companies now offer 1-click full site restores with Gutenberg rollback.

Final Thoughts

2024 wasn’t just a technical success for WordPress—it was a philosophical one. The platform doubled down on accessibility, community, multilingual openness, and yes, even tasteful AI. With 6.7 and future versions laying the groundwork for the next era of digital content creation, WordPress is poised to move from “just a CMS” to a true digital experience platform (DXP).

Which, ironically, makes it even easier for your cousin Kevin to start his crypto-themed cat blog.

Report compiled by Site Assembly
Digital strategy, SEO, web ops, and just enough snark.

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