WordPress recently shared the findings from its annual user and developer survey, displaying a mix of emotions regarding the direction of the software and a growing feeling of exclusion within the overall WordPress community.
The Gutenberg editor, a contemporary version of the default site editor, has added a visual editing paradigm to the WordPress core. While third-party visual WordPress editors have streamlined the website building process, Gutenberg was introduced in 2022 to provide a full site editor. The WordPress core development team has been making user interface improvements and adding more features over the past two years.
The 2023 survey findings showed a decrease in user confidence in Gutenberg, despite more publishers using it compared to previous years. While the percentage of users adopting Gutenberg increased from 37% in 2020 to 60% in 2023, a significant percentage disagreed that WordPress met their needs.
Furthermore, the number of users who disagreed that WordPress is as good as or better than other site builders and content management systems also increased in 2023.
It seems that user dissatisfaction with WordPress can be attributed to the availability of alternative platforms that have better performance scores and are easier to use.
Another contributing factor to user frustration is the decline in positive ratings for ease of use, flexibility, cost, and block themes when asked about the best things about WordPress.
WordPress market share has also experienced a downward trend, with competitors like Wix and Shopify seeing an increase in usage.
The survey also revealed that users are frustrated with too many plugins, the site editing experience, security, and performance. Additionally, the areas that users believe need more attention include performance, security, design/UI, developer resources, and core functionality/stability.
While WordPress has improved site performance in the past, its competitors are innovating at a faster pace, which is evident in the results of the survey.
Moving forward, it is crucial for the WordPress community to recognize and address the needs of influential groups like search marketing, affiliate, and publishing communities. The survey should also include categories that cater to content publishing, affiliate marketing, recipe bloggers, and local businesses.
Ultimately, the survey feedback can help the development team understand the sentiments of the user community and work towards enhancing user satisfaction.
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