It used to be that blogs looked like blogs and websites looked like websites. You could easily tell blogs and websites apart.
Then the WordPress CMS came along and everything changed. Now, it’s becoming more and more difficult to tell blogs and websites apart. Not so much in terms of what the sites are being used for, but in terms of website design and also being able to tell what’s under the surface.
For many website owners, understanding the difference between a Content Management System tool like WordPress and other website-building tools is huge, not so much in terms of the technical differences, but more importantly, regarding the areas that many website owners are deeply concerned with, like web development costs, ease of use, ability to maintain the site up-to-date, managing web content, etc.
Think about this …
Which of the options below would you choose?
A) An eye-catching, professional-looking website that turns out to be fairly expensive to build, or
B) The same eye-catching, professional-looking website, but at a fraction of the cost of getting site “A” above.
If you went with website “B”, then you need to learn more about WordPress, why WordPress can be used to create an eye-catching website that could cost far less to build than websites which use web-building software … and how to tell the two types apart!
WordPress is the world’s most popular online publishing platform and content management system (CMS). It is a powerful CMS platform that is ideally suited for all types of businesses.
Whether your reason for having a website is for personal blogging or business use, WordPress is easy enough for a newbie with no technical skills to use and manage, and offers a range of helpful functions that make your web presence highly effective in terms of getting your content published and indexed by search engines, promoting visitor interaction, generating business leads and sales, scalability, etc.
With almost one in every five websites around the world currently being powered by WordPress, chances are that if you already own a website, your website could also be powered by WordPress.
And if you don’t have a website yet, or are thinking of getting one built, then wouldn’t it be great to show your web developer an existing site with the design and layout that you like, know that it was built with WordPress and that you can, therefore, get a similar site built for your business for a much smaller cost?
How Can I Tell If A Web Site Was Built With WordPress?
Do you need to know if a website was built using WordPress? Maybe you’ve come here because you’ve heard or read about all of the great advantages of using WordPress, and you’re now wondering if your site runs on the WordPress software, or some other website application.
Here are some simple ways to tell if a website is powered by WordPress:
Check The Page Source Code
If you know how to search the source code of a web page (e.g. Firefox Menu > Web Developer > Page Source if using Firefox, or Google Menu > More Tools > View Source if using Google Chrome), you can look for a tell-tale footprint that the site was built using WordPress …
Let’s say that you are browsing online and you come across a web site that you like, and you’re wondering if the site runs on WordPress …
First, bring up the site’s source code on your screen, using the methods described above.
In the source code, you can search for words like “wp-content” either by visually scanning the code …
Or use the browser’s “Find” function …
This will quickly tell you if the site runs on WordPress or not.
Note: If you do not see “wp-content” in the source code, it does not necessarily mean that this is not a WordPress site.
There are other ways to tell if the site was built using WordPress, as we will soon discuss.
As the point of this article is to help non “techies”, however, we have listed below a number of easier ways to check if your web site is built with WordPress other than looking at the source code.
Ask Your Web Developer
While this may seem like the most logical thing to do, many website developers, for whatever reason, may build their clients a website and not tell them it’s been built with WordPress.
If you have an existing web site and you can’t tell what CMS application was used to build it, just ask your webmaster or whoever built your site if your website runs on WordPress.
That was easy, huh?
Okay … what if you can’t get in touch with the person who looks after your website, or what if you’ve come across a site that you really like while browsing the net late at night and you really would like to know if it was built using WordPress?
Check Below Footer
If the site uses a WP theme and the template has not been customized, you can often find a “Proudly powered by WordPress” message displayed in the footer section …
If these simple methods aren’t helpful to you, here are some other ways of telling whether a site runs on WordPress or not …
Tools That Can Tell You If A Website Uses WordPress
Here are a couple of tools that can tell you if a particular website uses WordPress or not …
Is It WordPress?
Is It WP is a free tool that can tell you if a site runs on WordPress or not.
Using this tool is very simple. Just enter the URL of the website into the search field and click the button.
The tool will then go and search through the site code and tell you if the site was built using WordPress, and if so, which version of WordPress the site is currently using …
If the site is not a WP website, you will get a message similar to the one shown below …
To use this tool, go here: IsItWP.com
What WP Theme Is That?
What WordPress Theme Is That? is a free online tool that lets you easily detect what WordPress theme and plugins a website or blog uses.
This is another useful site for telling you if a website was built using WordPress or not.
Using this tool is also very simple. Just enter the site’s domain name into the field and click the search icon or hit “Enter.” The tool will then not only confirm if a site is built on the WP CMS platform, but it will also list the WordPress theme being used on the site and list any WP plugins detected.
Tip: You can use this tool to see if your competitors’ websites are built using WordPress, and if so, see which plugins they are using …
Note: You will get a message like the one shown below if the site is not built with WordPress …
Go here to use this tool: What WordPress Theme Is That – WP Theme Checker
Wappalyzer.com
If you browse the net using either Firefox or Chrome and would like to be able to see if the sites that you are visiting have been built using WordPress, then Wappalyzer is a useful extension to install on your web browser.
Wappalyzer helps you identify what type of software is installed on the sites you are visiting.
According to their website …
“Wappalyzer is a browser extension that uncovers the technologies used on websites. It detects content management systems, eCommerce platforms, web servers, JavaScript frameworks, analytics tools and many more.”
Wappalyzer is also a very easy add-on to install.
After installing the Wappalyzer add-on on your browser, icons will display in your browser menu allowing you to see which technologies are being used by the sites you visit …
If you see the WordPress icon displayed on your browser menu (as shown in the screen shot above), then the site has been built with WordPress.
To visit the Wappalyzer add-on site, go here: Wappalyzer
We hope that you have found the above tutorial useful.
Did you enjoy reading this tutorial? Feel free to comment below or take a moment to share this article with your friends.
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Disclaimer: This site is not associated with WordPress or any of the WordPress products written about on this site. We may derive a financial benefit from sales of products advertised, reviewed or linked to from this site. The product images used in this review have been sourced from the plugin’s own website.
