WordPress is growing stronger. That’s hardly news, as today, nearly 488.6 million websites are built using WordPress. That’s 43.7% of the entire market, making it a dominant force in website building as a whole.

In the CMS market, WordPress is even more intimidating. There, the platform owns more than 62% of the market. Naturally, how WordPress will develop in the future will determine the entire market.

Now, WordPress hasn’t become the King of website builders and CMS platforms by force. They managed to gain their reputation as the easiest-to-use website builder, featuring an intuitive dashboard that simplifies the entire management process within the website. Moreover, the extensive and ever-evolving customization options became an industry standard for anyone who wants to provide users with a code-free website builder. However, arguably, the most prominent reason WP is at the top is the entire community and ecosystem surrounding this magnificent platform.

So, to get a glimpse of what the future holds for website building and design, let’s see what to expect from WordPress in 2025. The CMS giant is preparing three major releases. On April 15th, WordPress 6.8 will come along, followed by 6.9 on August 5th. Finally, on November 11th, we will ultimately see the arrival of WordPress 7.0.

Still, what will these new versions focus on? Let’s have a look.

Finishing Gutenberg Phase 3

The Gutenberg Project started way back in late 2018 with its introduction in WordPress 5.0. It aimed to revolutionize how users create and manage the content on their websites. Naturally, the aim was to make it as flexible as it is effortless. Essentially, this was when WordPress first introduced the block-based approach.

Over the years, the project evolved, and now it’s in its third phase, focused on collaboration. While with the latest release (v.6.7), this feature was heavily implemented, there is a long way to go before we can say for certain that phase 3 has been completed. Yet, with the current rates, by the end of 2025 (or even earlier), phase 3, which started in 2021, WordPress will finally bring to an end this phase’s efforts.

The main focus during this third phase has been to transform WordPress from a single-user platform to a dynamic team environment. Naturally, this would significantly boost websites, which count on multiple actors to work simultaneously on a single project. This aims to transfer the entire work process from team-friendly tools like Google Docs to WordPress itself.

After Phase 3 is successfully implemented, the Gutenberg editor will allow both real-time and asynchronous collaboration. So, by the end of 2025, project managers will be able to discuss assignments, tag collaborators, and suggest edits. This is a goldmine for the workflow, as it will eliminate third-party platforms and enhance the overall user experience.

Improving the Multilingual Support

While developers are finalizing Phase 3 of the Gutenberg project in 2025, WordPress is set to take the first steps toward implementing Phase 4. During this phase, WordPress will focus on integrating multilingual support directly into the Gutenberg editor’s core. Naturally, this will make creating and managing multilingual websites effortless and without the additional weight of third-party plugins. So, with this change, WordPress will improve not only the user experience but also the speed and security of their websites.

When you have over 43 percent of the global website-building market, it’s really a no-brainer to provide your users with simple and effective multilingual support. What’s astonishing is not that WordPress is finally doing it but that it took them so long to start the process. Frankly, it should have been on their list 4-5 years ago.

The main idea behind Phase 4 is to allow users to get the same content in many different languages. So, website owners won’t have to create multiple texts in different languages or pay for translators to transcreate their texts. Instead, the Gutenberg editor will do it automatically. Users will simply choose their preferred language from a dropdown menu. Website owners can even make a particular language the default based on the user’s geographical location.

Currently, this feature is available on WordPress only through a third-party plugin. However, not all plugins cover all languages, so some website owners are forced to install multiple tools that essentially do the same job.

In 2025, this will change. At least it will start to change, with WordPress centralizing the efforts within its core. Naturally, this will happen step by step, but we can’t wait to see the first version of this feature next year.

Full Site Editing Maturity

WordPress has been at the forefront of usability in website development for the better part of a decade now. So, in 2025, we expect the CMS king to reach new heights in their user-friendly interface. Naturally, it wouldn’t be a surprise if WP’s Full Site Editing (FSE) finally reaches its maturity.

FSE is behind the seamless front-end customization of the website. It allows users to edit all parts of their website without the need for any code. Thanks to the block-based approach, anyone can create a visually stunning website. This is the trademark of WordPress. So, it’s safe to say that they won’t leave it behind when enhancing the user experience in their next versions.

The evolution of FSE has led to the development of block themes. They are specifically designed to leverage the full capabilities of the Site Editor. These themes provide pre-designed block patterns and templates. They allow users to build and customize their sites without ever stumbling on a problem.

We can already see the first glimpse in the Twenty Twenty-Five theme, which is fully compatible with the Site Editor and utilizes new design tools such as the Grid block and Pattern/Section Styles.

We expect to see this in many of the new 2025 WordPress-built websites. Naturally, this will focus on refining the user experience and expanding the library of block patterns. Unfortunately, WP designers will have to get used to this new block theme reality, as we suspect they will become the norm in late 2025 and will even go beyond it in 2026.

However, reaching maturity, FSE will signify a crucial change in the WordPress ecosystem – one that will drag third-party plugin developers into the new age where flexibility and user empowerment will be a top priority.

Headless WordPress

While there is no doubt that WordPress is the CMS king, if they want to retain the crown, it’s time to take some action on that front as well. Sure, they currently own 62.2% of the market, but that’s their lowest level in the past 4 years. Their share has been shrinking for the past two years with a rapid decline of roughly 1% per year.

So, in 2025, they will finally take some drastic measures to retain and even broaden their positions in the CMS market. Headless WordPress is the perfect solution to the growing problem.

Headless architecture decouples the front-end presentation layer from the back-end content management system. This allows developers to utilize modern JavaScript frameworks. For example, they can use frameworks like React, Vue.js, or Angular for the front end while managing content through WordPress.

The trend has been gaining traction in the past few months, and we suspect it will finally go into mainstream web development as early as 2025. This way, WordPress will allow designers to implement their vision without the editor’s limitations and without worrying about the back end. Ultimately, this will bring greater flexibility and more unique websites without sacrificing the client’s comfort in using the well-known WordPress dashboard and interface.

2025 will bring along more robust tools and APIs designed to simplify the integration of headless WordPress. This will improve experiences across various platforms, including mobile apps, IoT devices, and augmented reality platforms.

Enhanced eCommerce Capabilities

WordPress has always been a beacon for eCommerce websites. Currently, WooCommerce is the second most popular WordPress plugin (after YOAST), and it powers 4.6 million online stores worldwide. This equals 9.1% of all eCommerce websites or 38.74% of the entire eCommerce platform market. This makes it the biggest eCommerce platform on the internet, and as such, WordPress will undoubtedly focus on this aspect of the business.

There are some rumors that WordPress is working on a seamless payment gateway, including one-click payments and cryptocurrency acceptance. However, it’s more likely that these features will be implemented into WooCommerce rather than the WordPress core.

One thing that is for sure, though. WP will make efforts to retain and expand its market share across e-commerce platforms, and the headless WP will bring them a long way. However, the most significant boost is expected to come from implementing AI into WordPress’s features.

Infusing AI Further Into WordPress Functionalities

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will continue to rise in the following years. Naturally, WordPress will not let this marvelous innovation go to waste. In fact, in 2025, we expect Artificial Intelligence to take a more central role in the website builder and CMS platform. This will not only enhance the website building process but also streamline the management process and elevate user experience.

In 2025, we expect AI to bring a more personalized user experience to their websites. Easier personalization of content will lead to improved engagement, user satisfaction, and results. So, it won’t be a surprise if WP starts recommending content based on individual preferences rather than on segmented groups.  

Moreover, with plugins like YOAST SEO already leveraging AI for SEO optimization, we expect WordPress to go in the same direction, assisting editors to reach their SEO goals while they are creating their content.

In 2023, Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress, spoke about the inevitable integration of AI into WP. However, he was adamant that this would happen only when the AI was mature enough.

Well, in the past year, we’ve seen a significant surge in AI use, so it’s safe to say that AI will start finding its place in WordPress’s core as early as 2025. If we had to guess the first place artificial intelligence would be implemented, we’d bet on security.

Increased focus on Cybersecurity

WordPress will double down on cybersecurity next year, always eager to keep one step ahead of all malicious actors. Recognizing the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks, WordPress will answer the ever growing concerns of its users.

Indeed, AI will play a central role in WordPress’s security strategy. By utilizing AI-driven tools, WordPress can proactively detect and neutralize potential threats in real-time. These systems analyze patterns, identify anomalies, and respond to suspicious activities instantly. This will create a robust shield against malware and brute-force attacks.

Moreover, WordPress is expected to align closely with Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) principles, a gold standard for modern security frameworks. As we already discussed in our previous blog post, ZTA will be the norm in the web hosting industry in 2025. Naturally, WordPress will likely integrate these practices deeply into its core.

Last but not least, blockchain technology is emerging as a promising tool for enhancing cybersecurity. It offers a decentralized solution for secure data storage and transactions. While adoption across web platforms is still in its early stages, there is a strong possibility that WordPress will explore blockchain integration as an added security layer.

Speed Will Be A Buzzword.

However, as always, the main focus will be on speed. Website speed is always front and center when it comes to builders and CMS platforms. With nearly 47% of users expecting a website to load within two seconds and 40% abandoning the website after the third second, that’s hardly a surprise.

Moreover, WordPress is adamant about being the most SEO-friendly platform. Thus, with Google considering page speed a core ranking factor, WordPress will definitely be on top of its game in the next 12 months.

Naturally, WordPress will likely implement a new built-in caching solution to reduce the server response time and focus on next-gen image formatting.

One thing is for sure – WordPress will aim to give the best speed to their users.

Still, WordPress can only do so much for high-speed website loading time. What you need is a lightning-fast, secure, and reliable cloud hosting provider to ensure your website will be on your customer’s screen in the blink of an eye every time.

HostArmada is just that. Thanks to our cloud hosting infrastructure, we offer unparalleled loading speed, robust security, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee. Moreover, we offer seamless integration with WordPress with a click of a button, making the entire process a child’s play.

So, in 2025, there are two things you can be sure of. WordPress will remain the most preferred CMS and website-building platform, and HostArmada will remain the best cloud hosting service provider on the market. Combine the two, and you can be confident your website will always be at the forefront of all trends.