30 Interesting Websites That Use WordPress as a CMS 2017
About a decade ago, blogging began to take off in a big way. Back then, WordPress was the platform of choice for bloggers. WordPress has since evolved into a full fledged publishing platform. Though many people still view WordPress as a blogging platform, discerning users have made it their Content Management System of choice. You can count many reputed organizations, big brands and Fortune 500 companies among them. You need look no further than eBay, Forbes, GM and Reuters to find WordPress users.
WordPress currently powers about 26% of the websites on the internet. It is popular for a reason. Let me correct that, it is popular for many reasons and I will list them here for you.
- WordPress is an Open source Content Publishing System. The source code is available for developers to customize, extend, modify and share. It is community software and enjoys solid community support.
- WordPress is constantly updated and keeps up with the fast changing technological scene. Users can easily download updates and install them. This will also help to keep their websites secure.
- There are hundreds of themes that are built for WordPress. Most of them can be customized by using the options in the Admin panel. Or if you want to work with code, you can customize using code as well. This also means that all WordPress sites need not look the same and can be unique and distinctive, if they choose to be so.
- There are thousands of plugins for WordPress. These plugins can extend functionality of WordPress enormously. Users should take care to purchase plugins only from reputed vendors or highly rated plugins that offer good support.
- WordPress is free software and is easy to install. Here, it is important to remember that only the WordPress software is free. You will have to pay for hosting or if you wish, purchase of premium themes and plugins.
- WordPress is easy to manage and easy to use. A number of tutorials are available for you to fall back on. Backup of the entire site can also be can also be made and kept for safety.
- WordPress is scalable. This means that you can start your website in a small way. And expand it along the way just as much as you want. If you hear talk about WordPress not being able to handle high traffic, you can most likely put it down to the limited resources of your server.
- WordPress is Search Engine friendly as it is well coded, fast loading, easily navigable, integrates well with social media and offers splendid user experience.
- WordPress supports multimedia and you can load high resolution images and videos easily.
So whatever your need, a blog, an online store, a membership site, a portfolio or a corporate website, you need have no hesitation in picking WordPress as your Content Management System. Take a look at some of the websites that have done just that,-
The Walt Disney Company
Mickey Mouse, the mascot of the Fortune 500 company, has made his home with WordPress. And WordPress.org has proudly included The Walt Disney Company in their showcase.The website has a load of corporate information contained in many pages.
To make reading easy, a lot of white space is retained on the pages and text is placed in white boxes that accompany boxed images. The pages are sectioned neatly, with full width horizontal images serving as separators. The header on the homepage merges with the full width image, but becomes distinctive in a white background when you hover over it.
View Live PageGracenote
Gracenote is a leading entertainment data and technology company that helps to link people to the entertainment they want.
The header at first glance appears ordinary, shrinking a bit as you move away. But when you hover over the menu, the sub menu opens upto small, neat images with text alongside. A catchy way to make you read further. The images on the slider on the homepage will give you an idea of the services they provide.
View Live PageHerald Sun
The Herald Sun is a daily newspaper in Australia. The content heavy website has arranged content neatly on muted backgrounds with neat fonts. The menu is color coded, each item on the menu opening into a sub menu that sports content related to that sub menu in the same color almost throughout the website.
The news snippets are arranged in columns and a number of videos are available to view the news on screen. The footer is very broad and the entire website is boxed in a pale background to provide relief from the heavy content.
View Live PageAMC
AMC Networks that runs some of the most popular TV shows such as Walking Dead, has used WordPress for their website.
A click on the Browse button will display all the AMC shows on a full width slider placed above an almost non existent header. Clicking on the individual shows will take you to that page, where you can check out the cast and crew, schedules and episodes of that show. The website carries a dark skinned layout throughout and you can find the menu in the footer.
View Live PageWooThemes
WooThemes are the people behind WooCommerce, the popular WordPress plugin for eCommerce. The website is mostly white background, with a broad horizontal band below the header and the broad footer in the signature blue color of WooThemes.
The green color of the call to action buttons makes sure that you don’t miss them. And a pop up that appears when you click on the sticky arrow at the bottom left assures a visitor that the products are upto date with the latest WordPress versions.
View Live PageMercedes-Benz
The black background of the website and the stunning scenery in the images on the slider make a perfect backdrop for the various models of cars of this corporate biggie. This slider moves down when the mouse hovers over a menu item, so you can read the sub menu and see the images associated with it.
All the pages have horizontal sections in which articles are arranged in marginless boxes neatly. Some videos of cars in action also find a place on the website.
View Live PageBata
This reputed brand for shoes that serves over a million customers everyday has an image rich website. The images showcase the various models of shoes. As you hover over the images, text headings appear which you can click on to read further.
Small icons of a shoe and of people appear alongside the text, so you know what you are likely to find within. Small strategically placed arrows help you to navigate the website.
View Live PageBrian Smith
Brian Smith Pictures is the website of Pulitzer Prize winning Photographer, Brian Smith. He has placed a good number of his pictures in a portfolio on a slider. A viewer can immediately catch the highlight of his work on the slider, before taking a closer look at the main content.
The dark skin layout of the website serves as an ideal backdrop for his pictures.
View Live PageSweden.se
Sweden.se is the official website of the country of Sweden and it is built on the WordPress platform. It has a huge number of images with thin borders, arranged in a three column layout.
There is a broad empty space to the left, so the images do not seem to clutter the page. You you can click on each of them to read more about the subject. The images cover a wide range of topics from human rights to cultural events to the Swedish Monarchy to elder care and more. Information about the website is placed on a footer that can be pulled out and pushed back in.
View Live PageCourts and Tribunals Judiciary
The Judiciary in the United Kingdom appears very formal on their WordPress website. There is nothing fancy in this website and the information is laid out in a no fuss manner. In case you cannot find what you are looking from after glancing through the drop down menu, you can search for judicial and legal information and citations right from the top of the homepage.
Some current reports are placed in a slider in one half of the page. The page is unevenly divided in two vertically, with updated information presented to the right and standard information occupying the left.
View Live PageDassault Aviation
The website of this French aviation company has a technical feel to it.
The full width image at the top is placed in a kind of streamlined frame, with the menu placed in the wider portion of the frame. Below the full width image of the aircraft, the remainder of the website sports a boxed layout which contains small images, web TV and a boxed footer.
View Live PageChuck Yeagar
The good General in all his uniformed glory is seen in the full screen image on the homepage. A small box is cutout in the homepage as well as in the other pages. You can scroll the box for articles on General Yeager.
You can also find a store on the menu, where you can purchase books, photographs and models signed by the General. A visitor can also choose to hide the text and simply browse through the images.
View Live PageBoston Market
Baked Cod, Half Chicken and Sliced Ham are all temptingly advertised as full meals in the slider of the website of Boston Market.
The menu can be accessed from the homepage and you can also locate the eatery easily with the help of call to action buttons. So the website makes it easy to find them or to order in, if you don’t want to make the trip. Exclusive offers can be accessed by clicking on the VIP Club and the footer can be pulled out by clicking a button at the bottom. Very neat and mouth watering display on a WordPress platform.
View Live PageThe Official James Bond Website
It appears that the James Bond saga can never die. You will be quite sure of this if you begin to scroll down this website. The never ending list of articles, interviews, snippets and memorabilia are placed one below the other in a one plus three column boxed layout.
The images from the movies and the awards ceremonies stack one on top of another in a fashion that is as stylish as the English spy himself. Stories about Bond and auction particulars of movie related stuff are also included in the website.
View Live PageRealtor
This WordPress based website will help you to find just the home you want. You can search for homes location wise, and find realtors and Mortgage lenders to assist you in your search.
The menu is accompanied by appropriate attractive icons. Information or current news about the industry is placed on a small slider that runs midway down the page.
View Live PageRenault
The website of French car manufacturer, Renault sports a bright yellow color throughout. From the horizontal strip above the header, you can pick how you want to view the website – as an analyst, as a journalist, as a job seeker or as a shareholder. Social icons are also placed prominently in the same strip.
The menu in the header is attractively arranged and the drop down contains not only text, but also images and downloadable documents.
View Live PageBoardShorts
BoardShorts sells shorts for men and women online. The products are categorized and displayed neatly and accepted payment methods are mentioned prominently in the footer.
Imaginative icons for free shipping and customer care are found in the header. The store also has a blog section, in which you can find a number of articles mostly about travel and well, shorts too.
View Live PageInvisible Children
Invisible Children is an organization that is working hard to return the captive child soldiers of East Africa back to their homes. It is actively engaged in collecting money to end the war in Africa.
The call to Donate button remains sticky on the website, urging a visitor to contribute towards peace. The menu is located in a sidebar to the right.
View Live PageSylvester Stallone
The website of the Rocky star is simple and built on WordPress.
While some pages on the website support his bio data and fan login, the homepage pays more attention to his TV shows. His Instagram address is shared on the website.
View Live PageIZOD
IZOD is an online store that retails American fashion for every occasion. The website is innovative in the display of it’s wares. A click on the Shop Collection will allow you to browse through their recent collection. You can call up the next screen by clicking on bulleted points and for details on any particular item that catches your fancy, you can click on the + on that item.
Attractive display and easy navigation makes shopping online a breeze.
View Live PageKaty Perry
Internationally famous singer Katy Perry is one among many celebrities using WordPress for their website. The site is filled with images of the singer and they transition in interesting ways.
Latest album and video releases can be bought here or pre ordered. And she also invites you to share Instagram pictures with her. Social icons are prominent on her website.
View Live PageChicago Weather Center
The website of Chicago Weather Center has been sectioned in very functional way. The fixed sidebar to the right is divided into three with the top panel showing temperatures, the middle panel showing a video clipping of the weather roundup on the news and the bottom panel is where visitors can upload photos.
On the rest of the homepage, you can switch viewing buttons to check out today’s forecast and tomorrow’s forecast of the weather. Other articles can be seen as you scroll down the page.
View Live PageVan Heusen
Van Huesen sells formal and casual shirts, polos and neckties on their website.
You can view their collection by scrolling down or simply by clicking on the menu in the shop collection page. Each piece is pulled away from top to reveal a new item below it. A helpful store locator with map is included.
View Live PageThe Next Web
The Next Web is an Amsterdam based group that is keen on finding and sharing technology and in bringing technical people together.
The website is packed with technology related information in a good mixture of text and images. Interesting tech tit-bits are also shared. There is very little video or transition effects, so the visitor is focused on the information displayed.
View Live PageJames Brandon Photography
Five stunning landscape photographs occupy the full screen in turns in the homepage of James Brandon, a photographer.
You can buy photographs on his website after glancing through them in the portfolio section. Sign up for free tutorials, join for workshops conducted by James, or ask him deep questions about photography or lives of photographers and he will get back to you with an answer.
View Live PageCienne
Cienne is an online store selling fashion clothing for women. The clothes are well displayed in the shopping section and you can filter them to help you make your choice.
Hovering over each panel will give you a slightly different view of the dress. You can shop directly from the item you choose. Some clothes are also displayed in the homepage in alternating black and white and color sections.
View Live PageRotary Means Business
Rotary Means Business is a fellowship of Rotary International. It promotes business cooperation among members by referring other Rotarians to them. It has an event calendar integrated in the website, so members can keep track of upcoming events and locations.
Content is placed in a white boxed layout with static images forming the background on the screen. Delayed text overlay on the images is an eye catcher.
View Live PageOutbrain
Outbrain is a marketing platform that helps websites gain recognition. They recommend content to readers and increase the visibility of the website.
They reach about a half a billion people every month globally. Client testimonials are placed in a slider.
View Live PageThe Washington Post
This newspaper daily needs no introduction. Looking through the website almost feels like holding a newspaper in your hand and going through the columns slowly. The layout and font gives the appearance of a traditional newspaper.
The menu is carried in a narrow strip above the header, but disappears as you scroll down. But to make turning the pages easy, a drop down menu can be pulled down on the left side of the screen. You can spend many hours reading interesting stuff on a variety of subjects on this website.
View Live PageConservative Tribune
The Conservative Tribune writes for a very conservative audience. A sidebar with just the Editor’s pick and little else runs down the length of the website to the right. The content is arranged in columns that reduces to one in number towards the bottom of the screen.
You can hear USA radio live if you click on the link in the sidebar.
View Live PageAnd Finally
The examples above may have given you an idea how versatile WordPress can be. From content heavy reputed newspapers to individual photographers, from retailers to realtors and from weather centers to celebrities, many have built their websites on WordPress. If you do know of any other interesting WordPress websites, drop us a line.
