In my last post, I showed how to modify the WordPress content endpoints using WordPress hooks — aka the WordPress plugins API — during REST API requests. The practical example changed the underlying query to improve search. Now I need to test that code isolated from the WordPress plugins API. For this article, we will assume the Plugins API is working as documented. This, however, isn’t a safe assumption, so we need to be ready if it isn’t working as planned. This post is really about how we can control for that problem. I’ll be walking you through setting up […]

Your New Year’s resolution might have been to start developing for WordPress. However, despite the platform’s ease of use, there’s still a learning curve to master. You’ll find there are plenty of resources available to help you begin, but understanding everything involved could prove challenging. Fortunately, the basics of developing for WordPress are easy to grasp. A number of key elements (such as the way WordPress is coded) can be found on other platforms and coding languages. All in all, getting started with development could take as little as an afternoon. This post will look at the basics beginner WordPress […]

Retargeting is currently one of the most-used digital marketing strategies on the market. The proven effectiveness of retargeting campaigns and the level of personalization you can now do are great things to have in your arsenal, especially with the market being as competitive as it is today. Retargeting – differs only in method from remarketing – isn’t just useful for sales purposes, but also for building a better relationship with potential and existing customers. Similar to other digital marketing tools, you have to know how to use retargeting to your advantage. Simply taking raw data and hoping the campaign will […]

Studies have shown that 55 percent of all visitors read a blog post only for 15 seconds or less. That means, by the end of this paragraph you have likely already decided whether to keep on reading or not. It is my job to make sure you do. So, do I still have your attention? Cool, thanks for sticking around. One of the best tools to keep visitors on your site is to produce intriguing content. That’s why it is important for anyone who runs or markets websites to study copywriting. Copywriting is the art and science of making words […]

If you’re frequently publishing content on your ‘dev blog’ or elsewhere on your site, you’ll obviously want it to reach as many people as possible. This is possible through ‘syndication’ – essentially, getting your content onto multiple blogs at once. Content marketing can positively impact the number of leads you get, so automating the process is a smart idea. Fortunately, WordPress offers several content syndication plugins that can help – all of which are completely free. Some will let you syndicate your own content from within WordPress, while others are great for curating content from other websites to display on […]

I’ve written a lot about object-oriented PHP and the WordPress REST API for Torque over the past few years. I’ve also touched on using Composer for dependency management and to provide an autoloader, as well as covered unit testing. The basic message of everything I’ve written is that by applying the established best practices of software development to how we develop for WordPress, we can create better plugins. This is the first of a series of articles, that will pull together these concepts in a practical, functional example. I’ll be walking through creating a WordPress plugin to modify the capabilities […]

Mobile device users have been in their billions for a number of years now (with the number steadily rising). In fact, over half of internet users now browse the web primarily via their devices. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that the content you create for your website can be easily viewed on smaller screens. Developing for smaller screens has progressed dramatically over the past few years, out of necessity. Making sure your site is scalable and collapsible is now easier than ever. Fortunately, there are a range of themes and plugins available that can help you accomplish those goals quickly. With […]

Three out of every four WordPress websites are vulnerable to attacks. If your site is hacked, it will not only cost you in terms of restoring the system back to a safe level, but it will also damage your reputation and affect your search engine ranking. But if you follow some best practices you can tighten the security and protect the website from malicious attacks. Here are some tips to fix WordPress security issues. Tip # 1: Two-factor authentication An effective method of protecting your WordPress website from brute force attacks is to secure your site’s login. By implementing two-factor […]

Picture the emotions that come to your mind when you think about your web development business. Can you recall the excitement of signing a new contract for building a website or the joy of solving a critical problem that took you most of the last week? But then there is fear. How you are going to pay your bills this month when the phone goes silent for too long, and you haven’t got a single offer request for a couple of weeks. There is frustration when your customer delays the project. There is anxiety when you are refused to get […]