Simplicity of use has made WordPress the most popular CMS in the world. You can set up a beautiful-looking WordPress site by simply installing a theme, and achieve more complex features with the help of plugins. While this simplicity is a great advantage, if it isn’t used wisely, it can really work against you. A badly coded theme or too many plugins can slow down your site, and cause slow loading, a common problem for many WordPress users. So, in this article, you’ll learn what is potentially making your WordPress website slow and receive actionable tips for improving its load […]

In 2016 at WordCamp US, the Marketing Team for Core decided to put out the WordPress usage survey. The survey aims to act as a resource for freelancers and agencies and to take the temperature of the platform. At his State of the Word address, Mullenweg announced that WordPress now powers 29 percent of the Internet. That’s a huge number and the CMS shows no signs of slowing down, however, it’s important to understand what that number really means. In November, the Marketing Team released the 2017 results, and they provide valuable insight on where the platform is going in […]

If you are looking to purchase or invest in a website, you’ll need to do some background checks first. A site that looks good on the outside, may have some nasty surprises lurking in the code. Any web traffic or sales figures need to be analyzed and validated, and you’ll need to decide whether you’re the right person to take on the challenge of being a webmaster. Here is what you need to check up on when buying a website, and how to do it yourself. Background checks & motivators Why are they selling now? Seems obvious, but it’s an […]

In my last article for Torque, I wrote about why I think that for PHP code following the coding standards set by the PHP community make more sense than those set for WordPress core. These standards are based on serving the needs of an existing legacy code base, limited to language features that are 10 years old or later. When you start a new WordPress plugin, site, or app, there is no reason for you to make the same decision, when you’re circumstances are totally different. As a follow up to that article, I’d like to show you, technically how […]

What will change for WordPress SEO 2018? Search engine optimization is a field that is constantly in flux. As search engines update their algorithms, so must website owners and online marketers update their ranking strategies. Just a few years ago mobile responsive design was just an afterthought to the web design process. By now, with Google and other search engines using mobile friendliness as an important ranking factor, it has become a main focus. In the upcoming year, we will see more changes in the area of SEO. For that reason, in this post, we want to talk about what […]

While traditional content marketing is great for reaching a new audience, it’s not the only available method. Word of mouth from satisfied customers provides great social proof, although controlling whether it’s positive is difficult. To get the benefits of both strategies, you can launch a podcast. Podcasting can be an ideal way to reach more people, and provides a nearly perfect method for showcasing your expertise. Fortunately, the process of launching a podcast on your site is simple – just as you would expect from a platform like WordPress. In this article, we’ll look at how to launch a podcast using […]

My entry into the WordPress world started with support. It’s not an uncommon path to being a WordPress developer. Starting with support is a great way to learn development. But it’s also a great way to learn about your product by talking with the people who use it. Personally, I’ve always approached that process more conversationally then in a data-driven fashion. Talking to people is a great way to find out what they think, but it doesn’t scale. Early next year my friend Matt Cromwell, Head of Support and Community Outreach for GiveWP.com and WordImpress.com will be leading a webinar […]

All websites are running on code. In the old days, it was pure HTML, today it’s usually a mix of that plus CSS and JavaScript. However, that’s only once they are loaded. On the server, a different programming language is likely running the scene, especially if you have a WordPress website. We are, of course, talking about PHP. Most of the things you see on both the front and back end of your WordPress site exist thanks to PHP. You don’t only find it in your page templates, it also makes up the files that build the WordPress dashboard. The […]

Crowdfunding has quickly become a normal way to generate capital for new projects and products. However, the approach suffers from many of the drawbacks of a non-subscription business model. Most crucially, you’ll need to rely on a high number of customers in order to reach your goals. Patreon was created in part to provide a consistent, ongoing income source to help creatives keep doing what they do. However, with the recent release of its WordPress plugin, the platform has now become an excellent way to create a membership website with WordPress. In this post, we’ll discuss the benefits of creating […]

Moving your WordPress site to a new domain can be as exhausting as moving homes. In fact, it’s even more exhausting! At least when you move homes you don’t have to worry about the harm it’s going to do to your SEO. And this is the scary bit: when we move our WordPress site, it’s natural to get anxious that all the hard work we put into our SEO campaigns is going to go to waste. Our rankings will plummet, and we’ll lose visibility. The good news? That’s not going to happen if you do this right. The bonus good […]