Professional Website Design

Archived Website News

Mullenweg’s Vision: The Future of WordPress

07/03/25

In a recent podcast, Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress, discussed its future, focusing on security, AI integration, technical debt, and governance.

Key Takeaways:
Enhanced Security - WordPress aims to improve security for plugins and themes, the main sources of vulnerabilities. AI-powered code scanning will help detect flaws at scale.
AI Integration - WordPress will leverage AI for website building, allowing AI to create and customize sites while relying on WordPress's maintained core.
Reducing Technical Debt - WordPress plans to clean up outdated code and streamline its software to improve efficiency.
Governance & Leadership - While the community makes most decisions, Mullenweg believes in strong leadership and plans for structured succession.

Overall, Mullenweg sees WordPress as well-positioned for the future, benefiting from AI, open-source collaboration, and ongoing improvements in security and efficiency.

Archived Website News

Google Simplifies Personal Data Removal from Search

04/03/25

Google has introduced new features to streamline the removal of personal information from search results.

These include a redesigned "Results About You" hub, a simplified removal request process, and an option to refresh outdated search results. The new interface simplifies the process of signing up for and managing alerts about personal data.

Users can now access an updated panel that clarifies content that qualifies for removal and guides them through the request process. Additionally, Google now offers the ability to request a refresh of specific search results, prompting its systems to recrawl the webpage.

This change is in response to the growing concern about personal information online and regulatory pressure to protect personal data. It is important to note that these features only affect Google's search results and do not affect how personal information appears on other search engines and websites.

Archived Website News

WordPress Launches New 100-Year Domain Plan

24/02/25

WordPress.com has introduced a new 100-year domain and hosting plan, offering a one-year domain name registration for only $2,000.

This service is available for.com,.org,.net, or.blog domains and is managed in a trust account controlled by the domain registrant. This is a departure from the $38,000 plan that includes hosting and other benefits.

The $2,000 domain registration fee is more affordable and provides security for users who want their domain to not change hands. WordPress.com offers benefits such as no expiration surprises, lost domains due to admin mistakes, no stress about renewals, and a full century of security for the domain.

The 100-year plan also includes numbered trust accounts controlled by the domain owner and hosting, along with contingencies to ensure continued web presence in case of any issues.

Archived Website News

Google Uses Speculation Rules for Faster Search Clicks

17/02/25

Google has revealed that it uses the Speculation Rules API to improve search results click speed.

The process involves loading the top two search results before users click them, reducing wait times. The Speculation Rules API is used to improve navigation speed from the search results page to the result links.

Tests show a noticeable speed boost, with Android users experiencing a 67-millisecond drop in Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and desktop Chrome users seeing a 58.6-millisecond improvement. Google also selectively prefetches other results when a user's cursor hovers over them on desktop, saving bandwidth for links that might not be clicked.

The Speculation Rules API currently works in Chromium-based browsers like Chrome. Google believes that even slight speed boosts matter, especially with billions of daily searches.

Archived Website News

WordPress Founders Clash Over Leadership Concerns

10/02/25

Matt Mullenweg, co-creator of WordPress, announced that Joost de Valk would no longer speak at WordCamp Asia and would be unwelcome for betraying his confidence.

Mullenweg cited statements by de Valk to prove his point, but those statements were presented without their full context, significantly altering their meaning. Mullenweg claimed that de Valk was trying to "stage a coup" of WordPress and that he was merely suggesting the creation of a board.

Joost later explained that he was still thankful for what Matt had created and would love to work with him to fix all this. However, it is clear that he is no longer advocating for Matt's removal from leadership but giving a voice to all stakeholders, including Matt's.

Responses to Mullenweg's post were muted because the ability to respond was limited to those he mentions or follows. Arnie Palmer pointed out that de Valk was not trying to seize WordPress' leadership away from Mullenweg but discussing a way to expand leadership beyond just one person.

Archived Website News

Elementor Launches Free AI-Powered Site Planner for Website Creation

03/02/25

Elementor has released a free AI app called Site Planner, which allows users to create a website step-by-step.

The app features an intuitive user interface, allowing users to start with a general concept and end with a complete design. It also offers collaborative capabilities, allowing users to collaborate over Google Meet or proceed alone with the AI.

The app generates a website brief—a document outlining the goals and expectations of a web design project. Once approved, a sitemap, site or architecture diagram and wireframe of the entire site are created.

The process involves starting an AI-led conversation, mapping out key pages, and turning the sitemap into content-filled wireframes. The Elementor AI Site Planner is a successful implementation of AI for website planning.

Archived Website News

FTC Accuses GoDaddy of Security Failures

24/01/25

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has charged GoDaddy with violating the Federal Trade Commission Act for allegedly maintaining "unreasonable" security practices that led to multiple security breaches.

The FTC's proposed settlement order requires GoDaddy to take reasonable steps to tighten security and engage third-party security assessments. The complaint alleges that GoDaddy misrepresented itself as a secure web host, providing customers with "lax data security" in its web hosting environment.

The proposed settlement includes prohibiting GoDaddy from making misrepresentations about its security, requiring GoDaddy to establish a comprehensive information-security program, and requiring an independent third-party assessor to conduct an initial and biennial review of its information-security program.

Archived Website News

WordPress Founder Accused of Inciting Conflict, Judge Blocks Attacks

20/01/25

Matt Mullenweg, the founder of WordPress, has been accused of initiating a conflict that could lead to the closure of WordPress.org.

He claims that the only way to end the conflict is for WP Engine to drop their lawsuit, allowing Mullenweg to resume his campaign to drive WP Engine out of business.

A WordPress user who has published nearly 600 free WooCommerce tutorials and 500 newsletters tweeted a plea to reconsider the instability he has caused, stating that it is causing instability for thousands of developers, freelancers, and small agencies.

Mullenweg's response was not well-received, and a federal judge ruled against him by granting WP Engine's request for a preliminary injunction to block his attacks against WP Engine.

Archived Website News

Automattic Blames Lawsuit and Community for Reduced WordPress Support

13/01/25

Automattic has announced it is reducing support for the WordPress.org CMS project, claiming it is a positive change to strengthen WordPress. The decision is attributed to WP Engine's lawsuit and the belief that the WordPress community approves of this level of investment.

Automattic portrays itself as a victim and frames the withdrawal of support as the unavoidable consequence of WP Engine's lawsuit. The company also points a finger at the WordPress community, using doublespeak to reference critics and justify pulling back resources.

The statement portrays Automattic as the victim, WP Engine as the aggressor, and the WordPress community as complicit in undermining itself. The backlash against Automattic's marginalisation of critics is criticised as an inaccurate portrayal of the community. The attack on the WordPress community is seen as a milestone in Matt Mullenweg's "nuclear" war against WP Engine.

Archived Website News

The Impact of JavaScript on AI Search: Considerations for Web Developers

06/01/25

The Google Search Relations team discussed the increasing use of JavaScript in web development, highlighting its potential for overuse and limitations in the age of AI search.

JavaScript was created to help websites compete with mobile apps, but it's not the best choice for every part of a website. The current landscape is a spectrum between traditional websites and web applications, with websites being both websites and applications.

A study found that AI bots make up an increasing percentage of search crawler traffic, but they can't render JavaScript, potentially causing issues for search engines like ChatGPT Search.

To balance modern features and accessibility for AI crawlers, it's essential to use server-side rendering for key content, include core content in initial HTML, apply progressive enhancement techniques, and be cautious about when to use JavaScript.

Archived Website News

Court Orders Automattic to Remove WP Engine Customer Data

16/12/24

Automattic removed a spreadsheet containing the domain names of WP Engine customers from the WP Engine Tracker website in response to a preliminary injunction granted to WP Engine.

The order ordered Automattic and Matt Mullenweg to remove the spreadsheet within 72 hours. The lawsuit began after WP Engine declined to pay tens of millions of dollars in a cease and desist letter sent to Automattic's Chief Legal Officer.

On November 6th, Automattic launched a website called WP Engine Tracker, offering a list of WP Engine customers that could be used by other web hosts to solicit clients with offers to leave WP Engine. The WP Engine Tracker website became evidence of the harm Mullenweg was causing to WP Engine and was cited in the request for a preliminary injunction.

The judge sided with WP Engine and granted the preliminary injunction, requiring Automattic and Mullenweg to remove the list of WP Engine customers. Automattic has updated the WP Engine Tracker website and removed wording encouraging leaving WP Engine for another web host.

Archived Website News

Popular WordPress Plugins for Better Website Performance

09/12/24

Kinsta, a web hosting platform, analysed 140,000 websites to identify the most popular plugins for performance and reliability. The findings showed that publishers prioritise good performance, seamless user experience, and effective SEO.

Schema.org is the tenth most used plugin, with 1.75% of users using it. XML Sitemap Generator for Google Plugin is used by 2.17% of websites, while Broken Line Checker checks broken links and 404 errors. SEOPress is the seventh most used plugin, with 4.81% using it.

All-in-one SEO is the sixth most popular plugin, while Imagify is the fifth most used image optimiser plugin. Rank Math is the fourth most used plugin, with 18.32% using it. WP Rocket is the third most popular plugin, with 19.10% using it for performance optimisation.

At MultiWebMarketing, we use plugins to ensure your website runs as efficiently and smoothly as possible, enquire for our professional website design services today to improve your website today.

Archived Website News

Key Features of a Great WordPress Host for SEO

25/11/24

Choosing an SEO-friendly WordPress host is crucial for improving your site's search rankings and user experience.

Key features include reliable uptime and speed, data centre locations and CDN options for global reach, built-in security features, optimised database and file management, SEO-friendly, scalable bandwidth for growing sites, WordPress-specific support and SEO optimisation tools, and integrated domain and site management.

These features ensure a reliable, high-performance hosting environment, boost SEO potential, enhance user experience, and set your site up for long-term success. A reliable hosting provider with minimal downtime and fast server response times ensures seamless access for users and search engines, while a host with a distributed network of data centres and CDN options ensures global reach.

Integrated domain and site management simplifies SEO administration, allowing you to focus on growth and optimisation.

Archived Website News

Boost Your Website’s Performance with Core Web Vitals

18/11/24

Website performance is crucial for user experience and SEO and affects Google's ranking factors. Google has defined three user experience metrics: Largest Contentful Paint, Cumulative Layout Shift, and Interaction to Next Paint.

To pass the Core Web Vitals assessment, websites can add instant navigation with speculation rules, optimise interaction to next paint with the Long Animation Frames API, view Core Web Vitals metrics in the DevTools Performance tab, and analyse Largest Contentful Paint components.

Google has published a new article explaining which components have the most significant impact based on real user data. To pass Google's Core Web Vitals assessment, websites can use website performance monitoring tools like DebugBear to track optimisations and benchmark their site against the competition.

These tools provide detailed insight into page load times, real user experiences, and CrUX monitoring, helping to identify potential optimisations and track the metrics that impact Google rankings.

Archived Website News

Typosquat Domain Appears in Ongoing WP Engine Tracker Drama

11/11/24

A new website on WPEngineTracker.com has been registered using the words that Automattic's WordPressEngineTracker.com domain uses to describe itself, displaying a protest message against CEO Matt Mullenweg.

The domain was only registered a few days ago, on November 7th. 15 likes and 18 laughing emojis approved the post. A 16-year-old member on the WordPress subreddit announced the domain name variant, stating, “I found it odd that Matt registered wordpressenginetracker.com when the thingamajig isn’t called 'WordPress Engine Tracker' – it’s 'WP Engine Tracker'".

The registration of the WP Engine Tracker domain name variant could be seen as a manifestation of the negative sentiment toward Automattic and Mullenweg, as Automattic has received limited approval from WordPress users on social media.

Archived Website News

Mullenweg and Automattic Seek Dismissal of WP Engine Lawsuit

04/11/24

Matt Mullenweg and Automattic have filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against WP Engine, arguing that the company is causing harm rather than Mullenweg and Automattic.

The motion claims that WP Engine is compelled to provide free resources and support, but it restricts Mullenweg's ability to express his opinions about WP Engine's practices. The defendants claim that WP Engine benefited from the open-source community but declined to become an active partner.

The motion to dismiss argues that WP Engine's refusal to reach an agreement with Automattic and become a stronger partner with the community triggered the dispute. Mullenweg had two choices: continue to allow WP Engine to exploit free resources, use WordPress and WooCommerce trademarks without authorisation, or demand publicly that WP Engine do more to support the community.

Archived Website News

Google’s Mueller Offers Guidance on Troubleshooting Widespread Crawling Issues

28/10/24

Google's Search Advocate, John Mueller, has provided guidance on diagnosing widespread crawling issues, pointing to shared infrastructure as the likely cause when multiple domains are affected.

Mueller suggested checking Search Console data to determine whether DNS or failed requests were causing the problem. He also noted that the timing of the disruption was a key clue. Mueller reassured that a brief disruption lasting only hours wouldn't cause any visible issues in search.

When Googlebot suddenly stops crawling across numerous sites simultaneously, it can be challenging to identify the root cause. While temporary crawling pauses might not immediately impact search rankings, they can disrupt Google's ability to discover and index new content.

To help, check if the problem affects multiple sites at once, look at shared infrastructure first, use Search Console data to narrow down the cause, and monitor logs.

Archived Website News

WordPress Co-Creator in Legal Battle with WP Engine

21/10/24

Matt Mullenweg, co-creator of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, has been accused of attempting to curtail his free speech by managing WordPress web host WP Engine.

Mullenweg denounced WP for not giving enough back to the WordPress open-source project and banned thousands of WP Engine customers. WP Engine responded with a Cease and Desist letter and a federal lawsuit, alleging Mullenweg's attempt to extort millions of dollars from WPE.

Mullenweg published a tweet and blog post claiming WP Engine's lawsuit is an attempt to "curtail" his First Amendment rights. Social media responses ranged from polite debunking of his claim to hypocrisy, with some suggesting Mullenweg seek legal counsel.

Archived Website News

WordPress Appoints New Executive Directors Amidst Controversy

14/10/24

Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has appointed Mary Hubbard as the new Executive Director for WordPress.org. This follows the resignation of 8.4% of Automattic employees, including the previous Executive Director, Josepha Haden Chomphosy.

WordPress offered the severance package after the recent issues between Automattic, Mullenweg, and WP Engine (WPE), which resulted in WPE filing a federal lawsuit against Mullenweg and Automattic, alleging attempted extortion.

A post in the Dynamic WordPress Facebook Group generated 21 responses within seven hours, with most comments focusing on the recent drama and Mullenweg's ownership of WordPress.org. The official WordPress.org announcement on X was muted, with only 15 responses, 21 retweets, and 117 likes seven hours after posting the announcement.

The announcement was met with mixed reactions on social media, with many comments focusing on the recent WordPress controversy.

Archived Website News

WordPress Project Executive Director Resigns Amidst Turmoil

07/10/24

WordPress Project Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy has announced her resignation after nine years at the company. The move comes two weeks after Matt Mullenweg launched a controversial campaign against a managed WordPress host, Automattic, which responded by filing a federal lawsuit against him and Automattic.

Chomphosy reaffirmed her belief in the open source community as a positive economic force and the importance of strong opinions. The resignation comes amid a conflict between WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg and managed WordPress web host WP Engine, which has brought unprecedented turmoil within the WordPress community.

The news of Chomphosy's resignation was leaked on October 2nd by WP Tavern founder Matt Mullenweg, who confirmed her departure. This resignation is significant as it follows the resignations of 8.4% of Automattic employees due to a generous severance package.

Archived Website News

WordPress Plugin and Theme Block for WP Engine Lifted Until October 1st

30/09/24

Matt Mullenweg, the founder of WordPress, has granted WP Engine users a temporary reprieve from the block on the WordPress plugin and theme repository until October 1st.

The dispute stems from Mullenweg's frustration with WP Engine's lack of commercial licensing fees, which other web hosts pay. WP Engine has sent a cease and desist letter for the unfair attack on their business.

WordPress users on WP Engine are currently disrupted by Mullenweg's decision to block WP Engine from accessing the WordPress.org plugin and theme repository, preventing them from updating plugins and themes. Mullenweg has decided to allow WordPress users to engineer a workaround until October 1st.

He expressed disappointment that WP Engine has been negatively impacted by Silver Lake's commercial decisions and that they were aware of the possibility of removing access. Mullenweg has lifted the blocks on WP Engine's servers from accessing theirs until October 1st, hoping to help them spin up their mirrors of WordPress.org's resources.

Archived Website News

AI Design Assistant Simplifies Website Creation

23/09/24

Wix has launched its AI Theme Assistant, a tool that simplifies and enhances website design. The AI theme assistant offers personalised guidance and real-time suggestions, enabling users to create visually appealing websites.

The tool addresses complex website design challenges by offering an interactive chat experience. Users can ask the assistant for guidance on design aspects like selecting colour palettes, fonts, logo colours, and experimenting with different themes. The AI theme assistant is embedded within the Wix Editor and provides real-time insights and suggestions, allowing users to refine their designs while working on their sites.

The assistant can recommend features, direct users to specific areas in the Wix dashboard, and offer advice on optimising fonts, colours, and other design elements. The AI theme assistant is now available to Wix users in English.

Archived Website News

Yoast Co-Founders Launch New Productivity Plugin for WordPress

16/09/24

Yoast co-founders have launched a new WordPress plugin called Progress Planner, which aims to help users manage tasks, boost productivity, and experience success.

The plugin aims to combat procrastination and remove distractions, making managing critical tasks like website maintenance, publishing posts, and content updates easier.

The plugin provides immediate rewards, making achievement feel gratifying. It also offers clarity, focus, and achievements, making it suitable for solopreneurs or remote workers.

Progress Planner gamifies task completion with badges, encouraging users to continue completing tasks. The plugin is currently in Beta, one step ahead of the Alpha stage, and is available for free.

The official launch date is October 3, 2024, and a pro version with future features is planned. The plugin is available from the official WordPress Plugin Repository and the plugin dashboard in the WordPress admin.

Archived Website News

Webinar Explores WordPress Growth Challenges

09/09/24

WordPress executives from Automattic and Elementor, developers, and Joost de Valk attended a recent webinar discussing WordPress's stagnation in growth.

The discussion aimed to identify solutions to increase the market share of new users choosing a web publishing platform. While there are areas of growth in education and government sectors, the rest is still up for grabs.

Joost de Valk, the founder of Yoast SEO, acknowledged that WordPress's market share is stagnating, but also saw opportunities in ecommerce. WordPress experienced year-over-year growth of 1.85%, but the market share dropped by -0.28% over the latest month-over-month period.

The webinar highlighted the negative impact of stagnation on the business ecosystem by reducing growth opportunities and customer acquisition. One potential reason for this struggle is the perception of a lack of innovation, with no integration with popular technologies like Next JS.

The lack of innovation in the WordPress core could also be seen as a deliberate effort to make WordPress extensible. The webinar highlights the importance of the WordPress community's involvement in the continued evolution of the platform.

Archived Website News

WordPress Translation Plugin Affects Millions

02/09/24

A critical vulnerability in the WPML WordPress plugin has affected over 1 million websites, allowing an authenticated attacker to perform remote code execution, potentially leading to a total site takeover.

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) organisation rates the vulnerability 9.9 out of 10. It is caused by a lack of sanitisation, a security check that filters user input data to protect against malicious file uploads. The vulnerability exists within a function for creating a custom language switcher, which renders content from the shortcode into a plugin template without sanitising the data, making it vulnerable to code injection.

Wordfence discovered the vulnerability in late June and notified the publishers of WPML, which remained unresponsive for about a month and a half. Users of the paid version received protection eight days after the vulnerability was discovered, while free users received protection on July 27th.

To avoid potential problems like this, MultiWebMarketing can manage your WordPress site and any plugins used with it. Enquire for more information.

Archived Website News

Boost Site Performance: Combat Malicious Bots

27/08/24

Google's Martin Splitt has provided advice on how to block malicious bots and improve site performance. He suggested identifying the service that hosts the attacks and notifying them of their abusive use.

He also recommended using Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) with firewall capabilities to detect and block bot traffic. However, Splitt noted that notifying resource providers is not always effective due to the presence of hidden bots, bots switching IP addresses, and inefficient use of time.

Instead, he suggested using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) and a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to block malicious bots. Wordfence, a WordPress plugin WAF, also offers a WAF that automatically shuts down bots based on their behaviour. Both Wordfence and Sucuri are reliable WordPress security providers with limited but effective free versions.

Dealing with malicious bots can be stressful, so [multiweb] can take the burden off your hands. Let our talented team of developers manage your site security.

Archived Website News

Jetpack Launches Free AI Tool to Enhance Readability

19/08/24

Jetpack has launched a free WordPress AI writing tool called Write Brief With AI. The tool aims to enhance content clarity and readability while maintaining authenticity. Based on an internal tool used at Automattic, it is now available to all users, both free and paid.

It measures text readability, flags wordy sentences, and highlights words conveying uncertainty. Readability is crucial for SEO, conversions, and engagement, as search algorithms make the topic more evident and easily understood.

Removing uncertainty encourages writers to consider revisions, making the content more definitive and confident. This can help a web page rank better, making it easier for search-related algorithms to understand content.

The tool is embedded within the WordPress editor and requires blocks to be enabled. If your site already uses blocks, the tool is worth trying, as it focuses on improving content according to best practices while preserving the authenticity of human-written content.

At MultiWebMarketing™, we can manage plugins for your WordPress site. Enquire today to discuss how we can help you with a professional website design.

Archived Website News

Breadcrumbs: The Secret Weapon for SEO and User Experience

12/08/24

Breadcrumbs are crucial SEO tools that enhance user experience and search engine rankings. They are a link trail showing a user's location within a website, providing a clear path from the homepage to the current page.

There are three main types of breadcrumbs: location breadcrumbs, attribute breadcrumbs, and history breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs can significantly improve website performance by enhancing user experience, boosting search rankings, driving more traffic, increasing site time, enhancing internal linking, and generating rich snippets for search engines.

They can be implemented using HTML code or website builders, with popular content management systems like WordPress offering plugins for simplifying the process. Common mistakes to avoid include going too big or small, duplicating navigation, and using the wrong breadcrumb type.

To optimise breadcrumbs, use clear and concise language, test different styles, and monitor analytics to track their impact on user behaviour. By incorporating breadcrumbs into your SEO strategy, you can unlock their full potential and elevate your website's visibility.

Archived Website News

Google Boosts Ad Loading Efficiency with Publisher Tag Update

05/08/24

Google has introduced an update to its Publisher Tag Ads Library, focusing on improving Interaction to Next Paint (INP) scores and ad loading efficiency.

The new feature allows for more strategic ad loading, particularly for out-of-viewport ad slot insertions when using Single Request Architecture (SRA). By yielding to these out-of-viewport insertions, the ad library can prioritise more immediate content and interactions, potentially improving INP scores.

Google has also introduced an adYield Config option, giving publishers additional control over ad loading behaviour. This setting allows publishers to extend yielding to all ad slots, including those within the viewport, offering more flexibility in managing site performance.

The full impact of this update will be more apparent with the release of the next Chrome User Experience (CrUX) report, expected on September 10th.

Archived Website News

WooCommerce Unveils Roadmap to Help Developers and Sellers

29/07/24

WooCommerce has announced its roadmap for the platform's future. It will focus on two-way communication with the developer ecosystem to improve the experience for developers, merchants, and customers.

The roadmap includes seven areas for innovation and six specific areas for enhancements. These include stronger communication, upgrading the WooCommerce blog and documentation, improving the REST API v3, and improving the feedback loop on extensibility.

WooCommerce is committed to a 100% block-based future, enabling non-coders and adapting for future growth. Streamlined onboarding is being implemented, resulting in a 60% increase in completion rates. Modern store customisation is a priority, with WordPress's customisation options and fully optimised commerce-based themes specifically for WooCommerce.

Future improvements include improved product management, order optimisation, merchant analytics, store accessibility, checkout experience, and better integration of order confirmation with summary and shipping information.

Archived Website News

WP Engine Acquires NitroPack to Boost Performance

22/07/24

WP Engine, a managed WordPress web hosting provider, has acquired NitroPack, a leading SaaS website performance optimisation solution.

NitroPack, a relatively expensive but well-regarded solution, was formed in 2023 to power WP Engine's PageSpeed Boost product. The NitroPack team will become integrated into WP Engine in July. WP Engine has no immediate plans to change the pricing options for NitroPack products, as they will continue to be standalone products.

NitroPack currently works with page builders and other hosting providers and will remain available. In the coming months, WP Engine will continue leveraging NitroPack's technology to add functionality to their PageSpeed Boost product.

WP Engine spokesperson stated that these new integrations will be coming to WP Engine PageSpeed Boost in a matter of months. The acquisition signifies WP Engine's continued focus on improving client site performance.

Archived Website News

WordPress 6.6 Release Candidate 3 Available for Testing

15/07/24

WordPress 6.6 Release Candidate 3 is now available for download and testing. The latest version includes new features, enhancements, and bug fixes aimed at improving the overall user experience and functionality of the platform. This software version is under development and should not be installed or tested on production or mission-critical websites.

Testing is crucial to ensuring the best possible experience. The release can be tested using the WordPress Beta Tester plugin, direct download, command line, or the WordPress Playground instance. It includes eight bug fixes for the Editor and 18 tickets for WordPress Core.

Contributors can contribute by getting involved in testing, reporting issues to the Alpha/Beta area of the support forums, or joining the #core-test channel on Making WordPress Slack. Additionally, WordPress users should update their products, as their efforts contribute to the open-source community. If a plugin encounters compatibility issues, you should post detailed information to the support forum.

The release is expected to be released on July 16, 2024.

Archived Website News

WordPress Takes Steps Towards Tackling Plugin Attacks

08/07/24

WordPress has paused plugin updates and initiated a forced password reset to prevent further website compromises due to the ongoing Supply Chain Attack on WordPress plugins.

Hackers are attacking plugins directly at the source using password credentials exposed in previous data breaches. WordPress has encouraged plugin authors to use 2-factor authentication and temporarily blocked all new plugin updates at the source unless team approval was received.

WordPress has confirmed that plugin releases are no longer paused and that users will receive an email when it is time to reset their password. The forced password reset is due to evidence that some accounts were compromised, and WordPress has not directly contacted plugin authors who were identified as using "recycled" passwords.

By partnering with MultiWebMarketing, you can benefit from our expertise in WordPress security and ensure your plugins are updated safely and securely.

Archived Website News

Hackers Target WordPress Plugins With Malicious Code

01/07/24

Hackers are targeting WordPress plugins, leading to widespread infections via updates, a phenomenon known as a Supply Chain Attack.

Wordfence and WordPress.org have reported that the attackers inject malicious code directly at the plugin's source, forcing an update that spreads to all sites using the plugin. The infected plugins generate rogue admin accounts and alter websites with SEO spam links.

Wordfence has shut down all five plugins and published notifications on each plugin page. The WordPress advisory states that attackers are identifying plugin developers with "committer access," meaning they can commit code to the plugin and inject their malicious code using credentials from other data breaches. Wordfence recommends that affected sites delete rogue administrator-level user accounts and run a malware scan with the Wordfence plugin to remove the malicious code.

Archived Website News

Advantages of Custom Web Design Over Templates

24/06/24

Custom web design offers several advantages over using web design templates. Custom web designs allow businesses to create unique, personalised websites that reflect their brand's identity and personality. They are easier to update, with developers optimising code and simplifying the website's structure for faster loading times and improved user experience.

Custom designs also provide personalised support and maintenance, with experts who can quickly fix problems and ensure the website stays safe and works well. They also offer better security, as they are uniquely developed and can prevent cyber attacks. Custom websites also provide improved search engine optimisation (SEO), complete control over the creation process and expert guidance from web developers.

Lastly, custom websites offer better long-term investment, as they can adapt and grow with the business, enhancing performance and allowing for frequent updates. For businesses without budget and timeline constraints, custom web design is often the best option, as it allows for a unique, flexible, and high-performing website that is well-optimised for search engines.

Archived Website News

Bluehost Launches AI WordPress Builder

18/06/24

Bluehost has introduced an AI Website Creator, allowing users to create professional websites quickly and easily. This is an evolution of the click-and-build website builder, which combines the power and freedom of the open-source community with the ease of point-and-click site creation.

The WonderSuite system, which includes a user interface, patterns, templates, and a shopping cart, is the heart of the system. The AI website builder uses open-source WordPress components and plugins to create the website, with fonts, professional colour schemes, and plugins installed automatically.

Users can save custom-generated options for future use, which is beneficial for agencies that need to scale client website creation. The AI Website Creator represents the future of how businesses get online and how entrepreneurs can streamline site creation and scale their business with WordPress.

Archived Website News

From User Testing to Launch: Building a Website for Success

13/06/24

A website overhaul requires careful planning and execution to ensure a visually compelling and easily navigable website that aligns with your company's long-term strategy. Marketers should ask themselves and their teams these questions about the website's design and performance using research and findings from user testing.

Card sorting helps marketers group elements of the website and structure content in a way that makes sense for the end user. Navigation and taxonomy testing help determine whether users can find what they want on a website. Moderated user testing provides conversational, qualitative data on how end users feel about a website. Unmoderated task-based testing ensures users can easily find information on the website by having them complete various tasks and collecting data to analyse how they accomplished these tasks.

Is the site ready to launch? Marketers should use fit and finish testing to clean up any lingering errors and ensure the website is ready to go live. A/B testing gathers data and provides the best version of the website used. Using the appropriate tests allows marketers and designers to diagnose and fix problems and ensure their digital platforms drive business success.