Once upon a time, WordPress crafted sites looked like WordPress sites while webpages on the internet looked like webpages as one would expect. Due to the minimal features being offered, pages and blogs launched on WordPress were reasonably uniform in appearance. From the headers, footers, fonts, down to the color scheme, WordPress run pages displayed a general overall vibe. Therefore, it was straightforward to distinguish these blogs from sites built on other software.
Thanks to some changes, WordPress has outgrown their blog only image and has managed to crossover to highly customizable software. Not even the world’s top web designer can tell you off the bat if a page is one out of WordPress. Of course, this excludes sites that are using a preset theme that is easily recognizable. That said, there are still a lot of internet users who are in disbelief over the fact that their favorite websites are WordPress powered at its core.
Similarly, some users are considering setting up their site but are somehow unable to fathom that a professional one can be achieved by signing onto and setting up one with the aid of WordPress. It is understandable why this is occurring, after all when you see websites like the official White House page, Beyoncé’s sassy website, or the streamlined perfection of Sony Music that all look to be built as a standalone.
Reference: https://www.quora.com/Can-you-tell-if-a-website-was-created-using-WordPress-or-not
Now the perfect tool for individuals in search of a means to create personal or business websites, WordPress is sought after by expert coders as well as those who want to dip their toes and DIY a site of their own. If you find yourself curious to see whether a website runs on WordPress or not, here are a few things you can look out for.
Trick #1 Scroll to the footer
The footer is often a dead giveaway if a site is using WordPress. This may seem like the most obvious method, but hey, it is the first and most natural step you can do. By scrolling to the bottom of the page, users should be able to spot the “Powered by WordPress” phrase. In some instances, the page owner proudly displays this info, while most admit that it was merely something that got overlooked and was never edited out from a pre-existing theme. So if you want to check, take a look at the footer and get yourself clued in.
Trick #2 Check what’s under the hood
Reading a page’s source code is quickly done on just about any browser. Whichever browser you have on your device, load up a page and right-click anywhere. A popup menu will appear, and amongst its options is “view source code” or “show page source” Selecting this option will load a page that displays the codes and different elements behind the website.
The presence of “wp” files, as is the case with wp-uploads or wp-content, are also clear indicators since every site running on WordPress needs these functions to display content to readers. Interestingly enough, some site owners delete WordPress related tags in the fear that certain information such as the WordPress version leaves them open to security attacks. This concern is entirely unfounded.
Trick #3 Using Third-Party Tools
Free third party tools work just as well in looking up a WP page. IsItWp and BuiltWith are just two of the many options people can find online. These two third party applications work by providing not only the content management system name used by a site, but it also showcases the website’s entire tech profile. Everything from networks used for content delivery, widgets, security certificates, and hosting info, to name a few, can be viewed by running these tools.
How does it work? Just input the site URL you wish to investigate. The tool will then gather the data for you. It is that easy!
Trick #4 Website URL appending
For the most part, viewing source codes do work; aside from this option, there is another method that can be implemented as well. Simply type (insert website URL here).com/wp-admin.php or (insert website URL here).com/wp-login.php, doing so brings up the WordPress login page if the site is, in fact, under WordPress.
This technique is, unfortunately, not foolproof. Some sites do change the wp-admin and login URLs for security reasons. Furthermore, the wp-content folder can be edited or renamed. While the method is relatively reliable, it is not 100% accurate all the time.
Trick #5 Browser Plugins and Extensions
There’s a lot that a fantastic browser plugin can do for you. From security, productivity or entertainment, etc. there are so many available plugins to install. Aside from launching the BuiltWith app, Chrome users can install this tech extension to the browser, making it even more comfortable and accessible to use. Get info on-demand with this convenient tool.
Chrome also offers an extension aptly named Chrome Sniffer, touted as one of the easiest and quickest solutions users can access. Once installed, the extension appears on the browser bar. While you visit and navigate various sites, the icon changes to reflect the software that is being utilized. This reduces the need to go through codes or input any URLs. The extension does all the work for you the minute you launch a website.
To conclude
Whatever reason you may have for wanting to check if a site is on WordPress or not, using the previously enumerated methods should get the results you need. Thanks to the software, a large chunk of active and popular sites have all been relying on WordPress to get the job done. What else does someone have to lose with the software anyway? It’s free, simple, and an effective means to get your website up and running with minimal effort.
