Progressive web apps are the hot new trend online. Everyone’s making one for their business, and to hear many people tell it, you should be too. But what exactly are these mini-apps and how can your company make use of them? Are they really the best way to draw in new visitors? PWAs have almost all the functionality of a typical downloadable app. But the big difference is that they’re accessible in your browser rather than having to be downloaded and run on a device. This has huge implications for you and your visitors, and that’s why everyone loves them. […]

The Torque Social Hour is a weekly livestream about WordPress news, events, and other news. This week’s special guest is Ben Turner, the Local Community Manager. Local Pro just went free for all users, so we asked Ben why. We also talk about recent developments with WP Engine’s Atlas project and other WordPress news. Join us next Wednesday from 3-4pm PST for the next episode of the Torque Social Hour.

Performing regular backups can keep your site safe and provide peace of mind. However, if you’ve only just set up your WordPress site or have limited technical knowledge, this task may sound a bit daunting.  Fortunately, backing up your site can be a straightforward process. There are different methods you can use, some of which won’t require much work on your part.  In this post, we’ll talk about the importance of regular backups. We’ll then walk you through three methods you can use to back up your site. Let’s get started! Why You Should Perform Regular Backups WordPress is the […]

With the recent release of Local 6.0, the Local platform is now free for everyone. Features that were once only available for WP Engine and Flywheel customers can now be accessed by any WordPress user. According to the announcement, “By making previously subscriber-only tools like Live Links, MagicSync, Link Checker, Image Optimizer, and Instant Reload available for free, we’re continuing to bring the best, most innovative solutions to more developers. That way, they can continue to improve both their own sites and the larger WordPress ecosystem as a whole!” How Can You Use Local? Local simplifies site-building by offering a […]

It’s more important than ever for online stores to keep up with the latest eCommerce trends. The shift in buying culture due to COVID-19 has left a lasting impact on online stores that will continue this year, and perhaps forever. Even if you’re not ready to turn your store on its head to follow a trend, you should be mindful of the major changes. It could prevent your business from becoming outdated, or missing out on a lucrative opportunity. Here are 13 eCommerce trends that are definitely worth keeping an eye on. 1. Greater Variety of Online Products The pandemic […]

It’s common knowledge that WordPress themes and plugins can make your site more vulnerable to attack. However, third-party libraries can also leave your site susceptible to hackers. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect your WordPress installation – even when the security loophole originates from third-party code. This has never been more important, as a critical vulnerability was recently discovered in the library that WordPress uses to send emails.  In this post, we’ll discuss what this new object injection vulnerability is, and why it could spell disaster for your website. We’ll then share three simple ways to protect […]

The WordPress Representational State Transfer (REST) Application Programming Interface (API) opened up a world of possibilities for website owners and developers. However, sometimes you may need to work with content and services that REST doesn’t support out of the box. Fortunately, it is possible to extend this powerful API with a custom REST endpoint. By defining your own endpoints, you can get WordPress chatting to practically any application or service, including your own bespoke mobile applications.  In this post, we’ll discuss why you may want to create a custom endpoint for the WordPress REST API, and then show you how. Let’s […]

Creating a Facebook Business Page can be an effective way to promote your products. However, by default, your followers will need to navigate away from your page to purchase any items that catch their eyes. This extra step can significantly impact your conversion rates.  Fortunately, there is a way to sell your entire catalog directly from your page. With a little help from the Facebook for WooCommerce integration, you can transform your Facebook Page into an additional sales channel. In this post, we’ll look at what Facebook Shops are and why you might want to create your own. Then we’ll […]

The Torque Social Hour is a weekly livestream about WordPress news, events, and life in quarantine. This week’s guests is Jono Alderson, who does Special Ops for Yoast. We dive into the future of AMP for WordPress and Google’s soft launch of the Core Web Vitals update. Join us next Wednesday from 3-4pm PST for the next episode of the Torque Social Hour with Lindsy Farina from New Relic. We’ll be chatting about prepping your WordPress site for Core Web Vitals and her upcoming Summit/2021 talk.

In this post, we will review TranslatePress, a popular plugin to build multilingual websites. Not only was it a nominee of plugin madness 2021, it also boasts over 100,000 installs in the WordPress directory and a solid 4.6 out of 5-star rating. Why use a multilingual plugin and translate your WordPress site in the first place? Well, there are some compelling reasons: Though English is the most commonly used language on the web, ¾ of Internet users don’t speak it as their primary language – that’s 3.8 billion people! 56.2% of consumers say the ability to obtain information in their […]