The Future of WordPress Websites with LeadCroc: Trends to Watch For in 2026

The journey of WordPress from being just a blogging platform to becoming one of the most popular CMS supporting 43% of websites is truly incredible. In fact, WordPress powers over 43% of all websites on the internet and is used by 62% of the top 100 fastest growing companies in the US. Notable organizations that use WordPress include the White House, Sony Music, The Walt Disney Company, and The New York Times, showcasing the platform’s versatility and credibility through these wordpress site examples. The White House website is built on WordPress. Katy Perry, a popular artist, also uses WordPress for her official site, demonstrating how high-profile individuals leverage WordPress for fan engagement and to showcase their music careers. As we are about to welcome the new year 2026, most users are curious about the future of WordPress.

That is why we have come up with this article, in which we have shared what we can expect in the future of WordPress based on our research and predictions. Readers will learn about the possibilities surrounding WordPress, new advancements, challenges, and more in the upcoming year. To clarify, WordPress offers both self-hosted (WordPress.org) and managed hosting (WordPress.com) options. WordPress.org, often called ‘self-hosted WordPress,’ requires you to choose a domain name and a hosting provider, giving you complete control and customization over your website. With WordPress.org, you have the key benefits of complete control over your website and the ability to install any plugins and themes you want. With WordPress.org, you’re responsible for hosting, updates, and maintenance, while WordPress.com is a hosting service that uses the WordPress.org software.

Whether you are currently using WordPress or planning to embrace the platform, this article is going to be helpful for you. If you’re ready to start building your own site and use WordPress like these major organizations, read on. Before diving into the future, let us first discover what WordPress has recently announced. WordPress keeps things transparent, often giving users a behind-the-scenes look at upcoming features and development.

What WordPress has announced?

WordPress likes to keep things transparent to its users and follows a no-secret policy. Through its recent announcement it has shared the things that will possibly be introduced in WordPress 7.0 version in 2026.

Highlights of the WordPress announcement:

• The phase 3 of the Gutenberg project will be the key area of the new WordPress version. The project consists of four phases that include

1. Simplified Editing (already done)
2.  Customization (Almost done)
3.  Collaboration (current focus)
4.  Multilingual support(Upcoming)

• It will cover adding collaboration and workflow features to WordPress. 
• The emphasis will shift to multilingual support in the phase 4.
• Releasing WordPress 7.0 milestone in 2026.
• WordPress is also working on data ownership and portability to simplify the process of moving content.

WordPress Site Examples

When it comes to showcasing the power and flexibility of a WordPress site, nothing speaks louder than real-world examples. From personal blogs to high-traffic e commerce sites, WordPress has proven itself as the go-to open source platform for building some of the best websites on the internet. Whether you’re a small business owner, a non profit, or a global brand, WordPress offers the tools and resources needed to create a site that stands out.

Some of the most impressive WordPress site examples come from household names. The official site of the Walt Disney Company, Sony Music, and even the White House are all powered by WordPress, demonstrating just how robust and scalable the platform can be. These best WordPress websites leverage advanced page builders, custom themes, and a variety of plugins to deliver a seamless user experience and handle massive web traffic. Their success stories inspire users around the world to use WordPress for projects of any size and complexity.

But WordPress isn’t just for the big players. Small businesses and non profits also benefit from the platform’s ease of use and extensive library of plugins and add ons. With just a few clicks, users can add contact forms, optimize their site for search engines, or launch a full-featured online store. The intuitive interface and customizable themes make it easy to create and update web pages, while SEO tools help drive more visitors to your site.

What truly sets WordPress apart is its adaptability. Whether you want to start a blog, build a portfolio, or create a complex e commerce site, WordPress provides endless possibilities. Users can choose from thousands of themes and plugins to tailor their website to their unique needs, ensuring a personalized look and feel. Plus, with regular updates and a supportive community, your WordPress site can evolve alongside your business or project.

In short, the best WordPress websites—whether they belong to global brands or local businesses—showcase the platform’s ability to deliver beautiful, functional, and high-performing sites. If you’re looking for inspiration or considering which website type to create, exploring WordPress site examples is a great way to see what’s possible and start building your own success story.

The Evolving Role of Plugins and Themes in WordPress

As we look ahead to 2026, the role of plugins and themes in the WordPress ecosystem is more important than ever. Plugins are the backbone of any successful WordPress site, allowing users to add features, enhance functionality, and tailor their site to meet specific needs—whether it’s integrating contact forms, boosting SEO, or managing web traffic. WordPress plugins are like apps for your WordPress site, and there are currently more than 59,000 free plugins available. The best WordPress plugins are often those that are user-friendly and enhance the site’s SEO. For example, WPForms is a recommended plugin that lets you create any type of form, from contact forms to payment forms, improving user engagement and site functionality. Meanwhile, WordPress themes set the stage for your site’s design, ensuring a seamless user experience across all screen sizes and devices.

A WordPress theme is an essential design template that controls how a website looks and feels, determining the layout, colors, and fonts. There is a vast ecosystem of over 60,000 plugins and 12,000 themes available for WordPress. With the rise of intuitive page builders and advanced block editors, the line between plugins and themes is becoming increasingly blurred. Many of today’s best WordPress themes come bundled with plugin-like features, while plugins are being developed to work hand-in-hand with specific themes, making it easier than ever for users to create custom web pages without touching a line of code. SeedProd is a powerful theme and page builder that comes with over 350 ready-made theme templates, making customization even more accessible. This convergence empowers users to build everything from simple blogs to complex e commerce sites, all while maintaining full control over their site’s look and feel.

The WordPress dashboard allows users to add text, images, and customize layouts using a user-friendly interface. Creating essential pages and blog posts is a fundamental step in building a WordPress website, with posts being a primary content type for blog updates and organizing content with categories and tags. Data stored in WordPress is managed through a database, typically MySQL or MariaDB. The WordPress community continues to innovate, with developers releasing new plugins and themes that push the boundaries of what’s possible. As a result, the future of WordPress will be shaped by this dynamic ecosystem, enabling users to create the best WordPress websites for any website type—whether you’re running an online store, a portfolio, or a news blog. By staying engaged with the latest developments in plugins and themes, users can ensure their WordPress site remains at the forefront of web design and functionality.

The Power of the WordPress Community and Resources

One of the greatest strengths behind the success of WordPress is its vibrant, global community. From the official site to countless forums, blogs, and social media groups, users have access to a wealth of resources designed to help them create, manage, and grow their WordPress site. WordPress itself is a valuable resource for information, tools, and support, making it a reliable point of reference for anyone seeking assistance or expertise. Whether you’re a small business owner launching your first online store or a big fan of blogging looking to optimize your web pages, the WordPress community is there to support you every step of the way.

Major brands and organizations, including the Walt Disney Company and Sony Music, rely on the collective expertise of the WordPress community to keep their sites running smoothly and up-to-date with the latest trends. WordPress is also trusted by many government sites, including The White House and the National Archives. The community-driven development of plugins and themes means users can always find the right tools to add features, improve SEO, and enhance user experience. Specialized resources, such as schema markup and Google Analytics integration, help e commerce sites and businesses track web traffic and make data-driven decisions.

No matter your level of experience, the WordPress community offers guidance on everything from development and marketing to security and content strategy. With so many free and premium plugins, add ons, and support channels available, users can easily create a website that meets their unique needs. By tapping into this powerful network, you can ensure your WordPress site stands out among the best websites on the internet—whether you’re building for business, non profits, or personal projects. The future of WordPress is bright, thanks to the ongoing dedication and innovation of its passionate community.

Trends to watch in the future of WordPress in 2026

Besides the WordPress announcement, here are the things that we can expect in the future of WordPress (based on our predictions). WordPress is a powerful tool for building websites of any size, offering superior flexibility, customization, scalability, and SEO potential compared to other platforms. It also provides opportunities for modular growth, allowing users to start with a basic site and scale up as their needs evolve.

1. Growth of WordPress for eCommerce

There is no doubt that WordPress is an amazing choice for eCommerce business owners. All thanks to the bulk availability of WordPress eCommerce plugins. WordPress eCommerce websites help businesses engage with their customers, build loyalty, and offer a wide range of services tailored to their needs. WooCommerce supports more than 5 million WordPress websites to sell products covering 39% of market share.

WooCommerce is currently holding the top position in the market beating Shopify, Wix and other major plugins. The market share of WooCommerce is also constantly showing the upward trend indicating further user growth in 2026. WordPress eCommerce sites are not restricted by transaction fees and allow businesses to choose from various payment providers, giving them flexibility in how they serve their customers.

Considering the changes, we could expect increased penetration of WordPress based eCommerce store in the future of WordPress. Its position as one of the top rated website builders is also expected to remain intact.

2. Increase use of AI in WordPress

The future of WordPress is incomplete without AI, as advancements in technology are rapidly shaping the future of WordPress websites. We have already witnessed the use of AI-based WordPress plugins, which are part of the growing ecosystem of WordPress products. For example, the AI matchmaking add-on of WP Event Manager is designed to enhance networking in events.

Currently, WordPress users can utilize AI and machine learning to simplify tasks like:

• Creating well-researched content.
• Boosting website SEO.
• Delivering images for blogs, social media posts, etc.
• Automatically solving customer queries in no time and more.

When it comes to the future of WordPress, considering the AI factor, we can expect Artificial Intelligence features to be introduced to the WordPress core. In fact, in 2026, WordPress incorporates AI and collaboration features into its platform. In addition to that, AI-based WordPress products and plugins are also expected to become more powerful, delivering better content tools, intelligent chatbots, advanced AI-driven workflow, and more.

3. Multi-lingual support in WordPress core

WordPress websites are accessed by people from all over the world, making multi-lingual support essential for reaching a truly global audience. WordPress is used by global audiences, making it essential for WordPress based sites to be accessible to them. Similarly, it is also important for WordPress to offer support and guidance in multiple languages.

The term Multilingual websites refers to the site that offers content in multiple languages. Users can select the language they are comfortable in through a dropdown link or automatically modify the website language on the basis of location.

Currently, various WordPress plugins are there to help you achieve this functionality on your website. However, this may affect the website performance if the plugins are not installed or configured properly.

Additionally, this becomes a daunting task for developers as they need to constantly update such plugins and keep adding new languages to them. That is why adding multi-lingual support feature to the WordPress core is one of the main objectives of the Gutenberg Phase 4 launch.

As a part of the future of WordPress, we can expect it to translate website content in no time and it will be available to everyone, making your sites more accessible to visitors from around the world. Multi-lingual support will help attract and engage more visitors globally. Many educational institutions, such as the University of Washington, use WordPress for their websites, highlighting the importance of accessibility and multi-lingual support.

4. Mobile first in everything

The mobile-first approach is a must for every WordPress site owner because most websites are viewed on mobile devices. Users access WordPress websites through various browsers, such as Firefox and Chrome, on both mobile and desktop devices, making it essential to optimize for all browsing experiences. Mobile-first design is a best practice for optimizing WordPress websites for user experience and SEO. In the future, WordPress will primarily focus on the mobile first approach, which goes beyond having responsive designs. This covers a mobile optimized interface, website management, mobile friendly WordPress dashboard, etc., for a smooth website browsing experience in 2026. Users will be able to easily change their menu or publish content through their phone without affecting the desktop view of their website, and can easily change site settings to optimize for mobile devices.

This means in the future, updating WordPress website will be easier, and mobile experience will be improved. Read our previous blog on how to create a mobile friendly website to understand the steps you need to take to make your site mobile friendly.

5. Performance and Security by Default

When it comes to optimizing the speed of WordPress sites or securing them, expensive plugins are required. WordPress, in the future, aims to make both the process automatic for the users.

Soon, WordPress will add the performance optimization feature to the core platform. It will scrutinize the way a site works, and based on that, it will optimize the site by compressing images and adding proper format. These improvements can help WordPress websites achieve better rankings in search engines by enhancing site speed and security.

Just like the website performance part, the WordPress core team is also working on the security part to Stregnthen its core security automating best practices. Quality backlinks and maintaining technical site health are also important factors for higher search engine rankings for WordPress sites.

A lot of new and useful developments are going to take place in the future of WordPress that will not only improve user experience but also help them grow. However, no matter what improvements the platform brings in the future, it is crucial for every website owner to stay updated, relevant, and follow best website maintenance best practices. Though the result will be much better than the present.

Note: Being one of the leading WordPress plugins for events, WP Event Manager also updates itself regularly to offer a flawless user experience with enhanced features and major bug fixes.

Wrapping up

We hope that the article will help you understand what lies in the future of WordPress. Starting from the growth of WordPress for eCommerce to automating major features like performance and security, a lot of developments are expected to be seen in the future of WordPress.

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