Iterative development offers a flexible solution for clients who need to stretch their budgets while still achieving their web development goals. By prioritizing essential features first and gradually adding more complex functionalities, you can ensure that your website evolves alongside your business needs without compromising quality or breaking the bank. Let’s take a look behind the curtain at several of the day-to-day approaches that allow WebDevStudios to help our clients reimagine their websites iteratively.

What is iterative web development?

You may have heard the terms ‘iterative’ or ‘iterate’ used quite frequently. To some degree, they’ve become buzzwords in our modern vernacular. I think that’s in part because the term can apply to so many aspects of our lives.

Part of my inspiration for writing this article is to take a moment and appreciate the types of technology and processes we humans have developed over many generations. We should also slow down to appreciate all of the great technology we have today, which enables even more productive iteration.

I’d argue that iteration is nothing new. You can find evidence of iteration all over if you look hard enough. From Leonardo Di Vinci refining his ideas through sketchbooks to ancient cave paintings repeated on walls as humans improved their ability to express their ideas.

An excellent definition of the “iterative process” can be found in Julia Martins’ article “Understanding the iterative process, with examples” for Asana.

The iterative process is the practice of building, refining, and improving a project, product, or initiative. Teams that use the iterative development process create, test, and revise until they’re satisfied with the end result.

Who is iterative development for?

Iterative development is great for teams or individuals who want a flexible,  budget-friendly web development process that allows for adaptability as time goes on. The beauty of this is that assessments can be made in real-time as to the effectiveness of the work being done, and adjustments can be made if and when needed. Things are not set in stone, which would be antithetical to a proper iterative process.

Who isn’t iterative development for?

While iterative development offers many benefits, it may not suit every project or team. Projects with strict deadlines or fixed budgets that require a definitive scope may not thrive under an iterative approach.

If a client or project manager expects a fully completed product on a tight timeline without room for adjustments, then a traditional development process might be more appropriate. Additionally, projects with very clear and unchanging requirements might not benefit as much from the flexibility that iterative development offers.

Speed of Iterative Design

Consider the process of sharpening a pencil. You don’t aim to get it perfect in one go; instead, you refine the point gradually, making adjustments as needed until it’s just right.

The same applies to iterative development. Each phase of the project sharpens the final product a bit more, allowing for flexibility and ongoing improvements without starting from scratch.

Versatility of Iterative Development

Imagine drawing up a blueprint. The initial sketch provides a rough outline, but as the design progresses, details are filled in, and modifications are made. Iterative development allows for that same kind of versatility. It’s not about creating a rigid plan but about refining and enhancing the design over time, ensuring the final product meets the evolving needs of the client.

Technology Enables Iteration

Modern technology has made iterative development more accessible and efficient. Tools like Git for version control, Figma for design collaboration, and Jira for project management allow teams to work in tandem, making continuous improvements throughout the project’s lifecycle. The ability to iterate quickly and effectively is a direct result of these technologies.

At each stage of a project—planning, design, development, QA, and even post-launch—iteration plays a crucial role. Whether it’s refining ideas during initial meetings or tweaking the design based on client feedback, the iterative process ensures that the project evolves to meet its objectives.

Planning, Strategy, Discovery

At the beginning of a project, many people may be involved in the initial planning work. Usually, over the course of multiple meetings, stakeholders begin to shape the requirements for a project.

This can be thought of as a form of iteration. Ideas are refined as time goes on, and eventually, a project plan is arrived at. Ideally, input has been gathered from many people, including company owners and CEOs, various directors, team leads, and project managers.

Technologies that aid in this part of the process are team workspaces such as Confluence by Atlassian, Slack, and Google Docs. All of these products offer the ability to refine and improve ideas over time.

Design

Designers have many iterative tools at their disposal. Even knowledge from past projects and experiences can influence decisions for the current project.

If a designer creates a starting template for websites or components, that could be thought of as iterative since the templates themselves were generalized and planned to provide a well-informed starting point.

In some ways, iteration is all around us. Tools such as Figma and Adobe Illustrator allow for back-and-forth communication, as well as incremental adjustments to the various elements of a project, from layouts to logos.

Development

Most developers work in teams of specializations. A frontend engineer may begin working on HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, while a backend engineer may begin working on data migration and structuring the data for the site.

Version control systems such as Git allow for a relatively seamless development process. Engineers with different intentions can collaborate with each other, moving the project forward.

Git: The Ultimate Iterative Process

Git is the epitome of an iterative process in development. By enabling multiple branches and version control, developers can work on various parts of a project simultaneously, making adjustments and refinements without affecting the entire codebase. As each iteration is tested and improved, it gets merged back into the main project, ensuring that every improvement is carefully integrated into the final product.

QA Testing

It’s important to confirm that the work being done is correct. Quality assessment (QA) is an opportunity to spot potential issues and fix them. Fortunately, because this is an iterative process, these changes can be applied to the project, further improving the final outcome.

Tasks can be created in a project and issue tracking tool like Jira. Those individual tasks can be further investigated.

Client QA and Feedback

Now, it’s the client’s turn to review the website. Does the development work as expected based on the designs and the acceptance criteria? Is all functionality in place? Is anything missing?

It’s an important gut-check moment when the client reviews a site for the first time. If a client creates a QA ticket, the same process will be used that was done during internal QA testing.

Development Based on Client Feedback

Developers will fix issues mentioned through client feedback and prepare for launch. Everything should be buttoned up by this point. Any iteration that is done should focus on the small details.

Launch

It’s all come down to this moment. But of course, this is an iterative process, so we won’t stop here.

The launch is an opportunity to celebrate Version 1 of the website. Along the way, conversations may have occurred about additional functionality that was not scoped out in the original project. It won’t be long before we can start developing these ‘nice-to-have’ features.

Post-Launch Support

Typically, there’s a window of time where any issues related to the project can be resolved. This is considered the post-launch support window. Clients have an opportunity to log problems with the project managers, who can then assign tasks to the appropriate engineers. Engineers will then use their version control system to create a new ‘branch’ based on the need.

Maintenance

This is an opportunity for the client to develop features that may not have made sense during initial development or were considered too late in the project. The development cycle will continue again.

Depending on the size of the feature, it may start with planning, discovery, strategy, or design. If it’s a smaller feature, project managers can consult with engineers and develop a plan for it.

Using a Retainer to Achieve the Budget-Friendly Benefits of Iterative Web Development

WordPress development lends itself very well to iterative design, allowing for ongoing improvements, flexibility, and adaptability. Whether you’re refining an idea, adjusting a design, or responding to client feedback, iterative development ensures that your project evolves in line with your goals, delivering a polished product without breaking the bank.

At WebDevStudios, we achieve this through our retainer services for ongoing WordPress support. Whether it’s a full website build accomplished over time or feature improvements, we can use an iterative approach for budget-friendly web development that meets your requirements. Contact WebDevStudios when you’re interested in using this approach on your next WordPress project.

The post Reimagine Your Website Over Time: The Budget-Friendly Benefits of Iterative Web Development appeared first on WebDevStudios.

That’s why WebDevStudios devotes every last Friday of the month to Five for the Future—an initiative designed to encourage WordPress companies to donate 5% of their time to contributing to WordPress. As a matter of fact, tomorrow, August 30th, is Five for the Future Friday at our WordPress agency.

The Power of Contribution: Understanding Five for the Future

Launched in 2014, the Five for the Future initiative isn’t about maintaining the status quo. It’s about ensuring the platform’s sustainability, security, and continuous innovation. It takes a community to do that.

Five for the Future (5FTF) was born from a simple yet profound idea: ask WordPress companies and individuals to dedicate just 5% of their resources to WordPress. By doing so, we can create a balanced ratio of contributors to users. This “golden ratio” helps keep WordPress thriving and evolving. The success of WordPress hinges on the active participation of its community, and 5FTF serves as a catalyst to bolster this engagement.

Since its inception, 5FTF has seen a growing number of contributors, from web hosts and consultancies to individual developers and designers. The initiative’s primary goal is to increase the number of community members actively involved in WordPress development, making the platform more robust and resilient.

5FTF Enhances WordPress for Everyone

Participation in 5FTF has a ripple effect. Contributors work on various aspects of the platform, from developing new features to fixing bugs, enhancing security, and improving performance. This collective effort ensures that WordPress remains a cutting-edge, competitive platform in the rapidly changing web landscape.

By fostering innovation and encouraging a diverse group of contributors, 5FTF helps WordPress evolve to meet the needs of its vast and varied user base. The benefits are far-reaching: users enjoy a more secure, feature-rich experience; developers gain access to a constantly improving codebase; and companies that offer WordPress services can rely on a stronger, more resilient platform.

Building a Collaborative Community

One of the most significant advantages of 5FTF is the sense of community it fosters. Who doesn’t enjoy connecting with like-minded folks?

Five for the Future brings together developers, designers, content managers, users, and more, creating a collaborative environment where knowledge is shared and innovation is accelerated. This collaboration strengthens the bonds between stakeholders in the WordPress ecosystem and encourages exchanging ideas and best practices.

For organizations like WebDevStudios, participating in 5FTF provides a break from the day-to-day client work, allowing team members to focus on projects they are passionate about. This not only benefits WordPress but also enhances creativity and professional growth within the team.

Contributing Your Skills and Resources to Five for the Future

Participation in 5FTF is open to everyone, regardless of their skill set or the size of their organization. Wherever you are on your WordPress journey, there are numerous ways to contribute. Here are some areas where you can get involved:

• Core and Plugin Development: Help improve the WordPress codebase, fix bugs, and develop new features.
• Documentation and Support: Contribute to the WordPress documentation or assist users in the support forums.
• Translation: Make WordPress accessible to a global audience by translating the platform into different languages.
• Training and Education: Share your knowledge by creating tutorials, putting together a WordCamp talk, or mentoring new contributors.
• Event Organization: Get involved in organizing or volunteering at WordCamps, meetups, and other WordPress events.

Joining the 5FTF Movement

To start contributing, visit the official Five for the Future website, where you can sign up and learn more about how to dedicate your resources to WordPress. Whether you’re an individual looking to give back or an organization aiming to make a lasting impact, your contributions are invaluable to the continued success and growth of WordPress.

WebDevStudios’ Commitment to 5FTF

At WebDevStudios, we understand the importance of giving back to the WordPress community. In fact, we love it!

That’s why we dedicate every last Friday of the month to Five for the Future. Our team members contribute in various ways, from plugin development and support to preparing for WordCamp talks and more. This commitment not only helps WordPress thrive but also enriches our team’s skills and fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration.

Take a look at how we contributed last month, and be sure to follow us and the hashtag #5FTF on X (formerly Twitter) to see what we’re up to tomorrow.

From Our Internal Slack Channel

I’m getting my new machine setup for development, and then I’m bumping Tested Up to Values on my plugins. –Sal Ferrarello, Principal Engineer

I’m attempting some personal plugin support/troubleshooting, possibly helping Brad with a new plugin Idea that he has that has me jazzed (It includes RSS feed customization), and then probably more really old core ticket browsing/refreshing. –Michael Beckwith, Backend Engineer

I’m planning to invest some of the time looking into WP 6.6 features, and hopefully also invest some time on a project I started a couple of months ago (a security scanner pipeline that uses the open Wordfence API). –Rami Abraham, Lead Engineer

MediaCorps needed me to put in some time this and last week. –Jen Miller, Director of Accounts

From X (Formerly Twitter)

#5FTF @webdevstudios again and it’s a #WordPress + spreadsheets day. Wrangling spreadsheets for #WCAsia 2025, working on my slides for my #BlockTheme talk tomorrow for #WordPressIloilo and continue working on #WDSBT. Also my table is transitioning to a #RetroNeon aesthetics. pic.twitter.com/QBalodRjmi

— JC Palmes #WCAsia2025 (@jpalmes) July 26, 2024

It is #5FTF thanks to @webdevstudios and today I’m exploring overrides in Synced Patterns which has just been introduced in #WordPress 6.6

— Jennifer Farhat (@jenniFarhat) July 26, 2024

Joined the @gatherpress team today in a roadmapping call as part of #5FTF with @webdevstudios pic.twitter.com/dpZLoAR4BL

— Laura Byrne (@NewYorkerLaura) July 26, 2024

Today on #5FTF at @webdevstudios , I had the chance to catch up with WP 6.6, Block Bindings, and Pattern Overrides. Thanks, WDS, for the time to stay on top of the game! pic.twitter.com/19bKca5kqK

— Alfredo Navas (@3LPU4S) July 26, 2024

The post Sun, Code, and Contribution: It’s Five for the Future Tomorrow! appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Since 2008, we’ve been building websites that not only meet but exceed our clients’ expectations. Our team stays ahead of the curve by adopting the latest WordPress innovations. This ensures our clients benefit from cutting-edge features and a platform built to last.

Our mission is your success. We accomplish this by creating custom solutions that truly fit each client’s unique needs. This includes developing new (or custom-built) plugins, enhancing themes, and tailoring designs.

Embracing Change: Block and Site Editor as the Foundation

We are always looking for ways to push the boundaries of what WordPress can do. That’s why we’ve fully embraced WordPress Block Themes that bring the Block Editor and Site Editor’s visual editing capabilities to the forefront.

The introduction of the Block Editor was a game-changer! It shifted away from the classic, text-based editor to a more intuitive, modular approach. Now, creating complex layouts with text, images, videos, and other media is as simple as stacking blocks together.

This shift has made WordPress more accessible, empowering everyone—from beginners to seasoned pros. Anyone can craft rich, dynamic content without writing a single line of code. The Block Editor isn’t just an upgrade; it’s become the new standard for building and maintaining websites.

WordPress didn’t stop there.

Building on the Block Editor’s success, the Site Editor takes things a step further. It extends visual editing capabilities to the entire website design. With the Site Editor, users can design and customize every aspect of their website. That includes headers, footers, templates, and individual page elements. All of this is done directly within WordPress through a cohesive visual interface.

This evolution has turned WordPress into a powerhouse of flexibility. Users can achieve professional-grade designs without third-party page builders or heavy custom coding. By embracing WordPress Block Themes that are fully compatible with both the Block and Site Editors, we’re unlocking the full potential of WordPress. This means we can continue to deliver visually stunning and highly functional websites that meet the modern demands of our clients.

WebDevStudios Block Theme

We have always maintained our own theme framework for our client work. The framework we’ve been using for years is called wd_s, which is a starter theme that we forked from Automattic’s _s.

It served us well for several years, building themes the PHP way. We watched as the WordPress Block Editor evolved and the Site Editor became a reality.

In late 2023, we realized that our ol’ standard theme framework wasn’t going to cut it anymore. We faced three choices: updating wd_s to support modern WordPress capabilities, creating our own WordPress Block Theme, or selecting an existing theme currently on the market.

Ultimately, we created our own WordPress Block Theme. At first, we drew inspiration from Brian Gardner’s Powder theme. But we quickly realized that, while a very solid theme in its own right, it wasn’t set up for what we needed in our developer toolkit to keep in line with how we work.

WDS BT stands for WebDevStudios Block Theme.

WDS BT can be found in our WDS BT GitHub repo. We also set the theme up on a demo site, which allows us to showcase it when we talk to our clients about WordPress, Block Themes, Block Patterns, and more.

WDS BT is a product of the hard work of our engineering team, spearheaded by JC Palmes, Engineering Manager. A big thanks goes to JC for all her hard work and dedication in making our new Block Theme come to life!

Stylish and Tailored for WordPress

WDS BT is a stylish block theme tailored for WordPress that features native blocks and compatibility with the Site Editor. With a contemporary aesthetic, an intuitive interface, and seamless integration with the WordPress Block Editor, WDS BT ensures a polished and adaptable framework across all devices.

It’s crucial to understand that WDS BT is crafted as a foundational theme rather than a parent theme. This difference affords users a flexible starting point for customization.

Standard Development Tools Included

We equipped it with essential tools like NPM, Node, Composer, and Sass. These tools enable us to:

• Register block styles.
• Override or customize core block styles.
• Create block variations.
• Use mixins for responsive media queries.
• Implement Stylelint for consistent SCSS styles.
• Automated Versioning process designed to increment the BUILD number automatically upon merges to the main branch.
• Built-in WDS Block Template Creation Script

Full Design System Baked In

We created a full design system integrated into the theme, a departure from what we did with wd_s. This ensures that all core blocks and default templates have consistent styles. Normally, theme frameworks are plain and without much styling built into them.

However, for WDS BT, we wanted a starter theme with standard, consistent, and default styling for all core blocks out of the box. These default styles will provide a foundation for customizing client projects moving forward.

Manage Design at Scale

A design system is like the blueprint for your digital product’s look and feel, providing a set of guidelines, standards, and specifications that help you manage design at scale. It’s a framework that brings together design principles, patterns, and best practices, enabling designers and developers to create a consistent user experience across your entire website or product. Organizations use design systems to keep their digital products consistent, efficient, and scalable—whether it’s a website, app, or software interface.

What Makes Up a Design System

1. Design Tokens: These are the basic building blocks—like color palettes, typography, and spacing—that define your product’s visual style.

2. UI Components: Consider these as reusable puzzle pieces, like buttons, input fields, modals, and navigation bars. They’re designed to work together, allowing you to build complex user interfaces efficiently.

3. Patterns and Templates: Design patterns are tried-and-true solutions for common usability challenges, while templates are pre-built layouts for specific pages or screens.

4. Guidelines and Documentation: This is the instruction manual that includes design principles, usage guidelines, coding standards, and examples. It ensures everyone involved in the project is on the same page and knows how to use the design system effectively.

5. Tools and Resources: These are the libraries, design files, code snippets, and other resources that make it easy to implement the design system in your projects.

Why a Design System Matters

• Consistency: It standardizes visual elements and interaction patterns, ensuring your product feels cohesive no matter where the user goes.

• Efficiency: A library of reusable components and patterns speeds up your design and development process, cutting down on repetitive work.

• Scalability: As your product grows, a design system makes it easier to add new features and content without losing that consistent look and feel.

• Collaboration: A design system creates a common language for designers, developers, and stakeholders, making collaboration smoother and more effective.

Design systems aren’t static. They’re living, breathing tools that evolve as your product, technology, and user needs change. Keeping a design system relevant requires ongoing maintenance and governance. This ensures it continues to serve its purpose as your product grows and adapts.

Block Themes and Modern WordPress Development

Block Themes are changing the game, bringing a more unified and visual approach to site-building in WordPress. They make it easier for everyone—from users to developers—to create and customize websites without the hassle.

A Block Theme uses Blocks for every part of your site, from navigation menus to headers, content, and footers. These themes are designed to take full advantage of the latest WordPress features, letting you tweak and customize your site’s key elements without ever needing to switch themes.

Unlike old-school themes that leaned heavily on PHP templates and custom theme options, Block Themes are built almost entirely with blocks. This means you can edit nearly every aspect of your site’s design and content right through the Block Editor, giving you a more intuitive and visual design experience.

Some Key Features of Block Themes

1. Site Editor: Block Themes are designed to support the Site Editor in WordPress, allowing users to customize all parts of their site directly in the editor. This includes headers, footers, post templates, and more without editing theme files or using custom code.
2. Block-Based Templates: Instead of PHP templates, Block Themes use block-based templates. These templates are made up of Blocks and can be edited visually through the site editor.
3. Theme.json Support: Block Themes utilize a theme.json file. This configuration file allows theme developers to define custom settings and style options that can be used throughout the theme, including colors, typography, layout controls, and Block settings.
4. Global Styles and Settings: Users can globally customize styles and settings across their entire site, including fonts, colors, and layout configurations, directly within the WordPress admin interface.
5. Accessibility and Responsiveness: Many Block Themes are designed with accessibility and responsiveness in mind, ensuring that sites are accessible to all users and work well on various devices and screen sizes.
6. Simplified Theme Development: For developers, creating a Block Theme can be more straightforward than creating traditional themes. It relies on Blocks and a theme.json configuration, reducing the need for complex PHP coding and allowing for more direct manipulation of the site’s appearance.

Block Editor

Here’s a breakdown of what makes the Block Editor so powerful:

1. Block-Based Editing: The Block Editor is all about Blocks. Every piece of content—text, images, or videos—is a block you can easily add, arrange, and style. This gives you total control over how your posts and pages look and feel.

2. Wide Range of Blocks: Out of the box, the Block Editor comes loaded with various Blocks, from basic text and images to more complex elements like tables, columns, and embeds. This means you can build rich, dynamic layouts without touching a line of code.

3. Custom Blocks: For those who want to go a step further, developers can create custom Blocks that extend the editor’s capabilities even more. These Blocks can be tailored to fit specific site needs, bringing in custom functionality and designs that align perfectly with your vision.

4. Live Editing Experience: The Block Editor provides a true WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) experience. As you build your content, you see exactly how it will appear to your visitors, making real-time adjustments and tweaks. This live preview helps you ensure everything looks just right before hitting publish.

5. Block Patterns and Templates: The Block Editor also supports Block Patterns and templates, as well as predesigned Block layouts you can drop into your content and customize. This is perfect for quickly building complex layouts without starting from scratch.

6. Accessibility and Usability: The Block Editor is designed with accessibility in mind, making it easy for users of all skill levels to jump in and start creating. It adheres to web accessibility standards, ensuring a smooth, user-friendly experience for everyone.

7. Site Editor: With the evolution of the Block Editor, the Site Editor now lets you use Blocks to edit not just posts and pages but also site-wide elements like headers, footers, and sidebars. This brings everything together, offering a more holistic, intuitive site-building experience.

The Block Editor represents a major leap forward in creating and managing content in WordPress. Furthermore, it’s designed to be visual, intuitive, and flexible, empowering both beginners and experienced developers to craft engaging web content and layouts with ease.

Patterns

In WordPress and the Block Editor (Gutenberg), “patterns” are like ready-made block layouts that you can drop into your posts and pages. These Patterns are essentially collections of Blocks that are already arranged in specific ways to create a certain design or functionality.

The beauty of Patterns is that they simplify the content creation process. Instead of building complex layouts from scratch, you can just insert a Pattern and customize it to fit your needs. It’s a fast, efficient way to get your desired design without all the heavy lifting.

The Lowdown on Patterns in WordPress

1. Predefined Layouts: Patterns offer ready-made designs that combine different Blocks into a cohesive layout. These can be as simple as a row of buttons or as complex as a full-featured contact section with text, images, and a form—all setup and ready to go.

2. Time-Saving: Patterns are a huge time-saver. Instead of adding and configuring each Block individually, you can drop in a complete Pattern and tweak it to fit your needs. It’s a fast track to creating visually appealing and functional layouts without the hassle.

3. Customization: While Patterns come with predefined layouts, they’re fully customizable. You can add, remove, or adjust any Block within a pattern to match your content and design preferences, giving you the flexibility to make it your own.

4. Consistency: Patterns help keep your design consistent across your site. Using the same Pattern for similar sections on different pages ensures a uniform look and feel, making your site feel cohesive and polished.

5. Theme and Plugin Integration: Patterns can come from your WordPress theme, plugins, or even the WordPress core itself. This means when you switch themes or install certain plugins, you might get access to new patterns specifically designed to enhance the theme’s or plugin’s functionality.

6. Community Contributions: WordPress developers and designers can, and have, create and share their own WordPress Patterns with the community. The WordPress Pattern Directory is a treasure trove where you can find and import patterns created by others, opening up even more design possibilities for your site.

7. Ease of Use: Inserting a Pattern into your post or page is a breeze. Just browse through the available patterns in the Block Editor’s Pattern Library. Preview what you like, and insert it with a click. It’s that simple.

Patterns in WordPress are all about making content creation more flexible and user-friendly. They give everyone—from beginners to pros—the tools to create professional-looking layouts without needing to be a tech wizard or a design guru. It’s all about democratizing web design, making it easier and more accessible for everyone to build beautiful, functional websites.

Full-Page Patterns (Layouts)

Full-page Patterns are like having a complete, ready-to-go page layout at your fingertips. Unlike smaller Patterns that might only cover a specific section (like a header, gallery, or testimonial), these are full-blown page templates. They come with everything you need—think hero sections, About sections, services, contact forms, and footers—all laid out for you in one cohesive design.

Full-Page Patterns Are a Game-Changer

1. Comprehensive Layouts: They offer a full layout solution for an entire page, combining multiple sections and content Blocks. This means you can skip the grunt work and quickly have a fully structured page up and running.

2. Variety of Uses: Whether you need a landing page, an About page, a contact page, or a portfolio, full-page Patterns have you covered. They give you a quick way to add and customize content for any purpose, so you’re not starting from scratch.

3. Customization: Although full-page Patterns have a predefined layout, they are fully customizable. You can tweak, add, or remove Blocks to fit your content and style. Make it your own while still saving time.

4. Theme Integration: Many WordPress themes include a selection of full-page Patterns, ensuring they blend seamlessly with your site’s design. This keeps your website looking consistent and polished without extra effort.

5. Time-Saving: Full-page Patterns give you a head start, providing a structured foundation that speeds up the page-building process. You can roll out complex layouts quickly without compromising on quality.

6. Inspiring: If you’re stuck on page design ideas, check out full-page Patterns for inspiration. They show practical examples of how to combine Blocks effectively, helping you create effective layouts.

Full-page Patterns make the WordPress Block Editor even more powerful. It is easier than ever to create professional, well-designed pages without needing a ton of design or development know-how. It’s all part of WordPress’ mission to make web design more accessible and efficient for everyone.

Global Settings & Styles (theme.json)

The theme.json file has also changed the game for WordPress themes. It offers a streamlined way to manage a theme’s appearance and behavior, especially in the Block Editor (Gutenberg).

Introduced in WordPress 5.8, this configuration file lets theme developers set up default styles, settings, and configurations. This provides more control over the design and functionality of a WordPress site without needing a ton of custom code.

Here’s what theme.json can do:

1. Define Global Styles: With theme.json, you can set global styles that apply across your entire site, from colors and typography (fonts, sizes, weights) to layout settings. This ensures your site maintains a consistent look, regardless of the content you add.

2. Configure Block Settings: Developers can define default settings and styles for specific Blocks. You can control how they look and behave right out of the box. You can even decide which Block options users see in the editor or hide certain settings altogether.

3. Control Color Palettes and Gradients: Want custom color palettes or gradients available in the Block Editor? theme.json lets you set these up, making it easy for users to apply your brand’s colors throughout the site.

4. Manage Typography Options: theme.json allows you to specify custom typography options, like font sizes, families, and line heights, which users can easily apply through the Block Editor.

5. Customize Layout and Spacing: From one file, you can control the site’s overall layout. Control content sizing, spacing, and Block supports, like padding and margin.

6. Enable or Disable Block Features: theme.json allows you to globally enable or disable Block features like custom backgrounds, color settings, or link colors.

7. Simplify Theme Development: theme.json simplifies the development process by centralizing much of the theme’s design and functionality settings. It reduces the need for extra CSS and PHP, making it easier to implement and maintain design standards.

8. Enhance Theme Consistency: The theme.json file ensures that your site’s look and feel remain consistent. It maintains this consistency even as users customize and add content with the Block Editor.

The introduction of theme.json is a big step forward in making theme development more efficient and user-friendly. It empowers theme developers to create flexible, consistent designs. At the same time, it gives users the tools to customize their sites without disrupting the design system.

Conclusion

At WebDevStudios, WordPress is more than just a platform—it’s the heartbeat of everything we do. We’re all about pushing boundaries. WebDevStudios believes in embracing innovations like Block Themes, Block and Site Editors, and robust design systems. We aim to build beautiful, functional, consistent, and scalable websites.

Our WDS BT WordPress Block Theme proves our dedication to crafting tailored solutions that meet each client’s unique needs. We maximize WordPress’ potential in every project. As WordPress evolves, we’re right there with it, ensuring that every site we build is ready for the future. By partnering together, let’s create a digital experience that lasts and impresses.

The post Embracing the Future: How WebDevStudios Is Leading with WordPress Block Themes appeared first on WebDevStudios.

In this blog post, we’ll cover the latest WordCamps we’ve attended and those we’re going to, as well as a new site launch, a podcast featuring our CEO, and articles highlighting our work. Keep reading because there’s a lot of thrilling news to share.

JewelStaite.net Launch

We are very proud to announce the launch of the WordPress website for actor and foodie Jewel Staite! JewelStaite.net was built with the WordPress Block Editor, using Block Patterns and our very own block theme—WDS BT.

Jewel announced the launch on her social media and released a sizzle reel to highlight her new branding, website redesign, and all of the lovely elements that make her website unique, bespoke, warm, and inviting. Watch the reel below, and go to JewelStaite.net to see the website for yourself.

Full Site Editing in the Real World

Is no one truly using Full Site Editing and block themes? Fränk Klein, engineer and the person behind WP Development Courses, answered this question by presenting seven websites built using block themes. One of the examples included was Felicia.day, which WebDevStudios (WDS) built for the actor, activist, and streamer.

See all seven websites Fränk presented in his article and better understand the importance of learning block theme development. Read “Full-Site Editing in The Real World: 7 Websites Built Using Block Themes” now.

The Inside Track

Another podcast episode of “Scaling Enterprise, WordPress and Open Source Software” has dropped. Hosted by WDS CEO Brad Williams and Human Made CEO Tom Willmot, this latest installment is part of “The Inside Track,” which explores the world of enterprise WordPress and how the platform scales to meet the needs of large organizations.

In this episode, Brad and Tom teamed up to interview Mario Peshev, CEO of DevriX. The group shared their extensive experiences running their own agencies and the importance of contributing to open-source technology. Listen to the entire podcast episode at Do the Woo.

WP Weekly Inclusion

Thanks to WP Weekly for highlighting one of our recent blog posts, “Making the Switch from Webflow to WordPress,” in its weekly newsletter. A project by Davinder Singh Kainth, a creative professional who loves creating online spaces powered by WordPress, the WP Weekly brings the best bits from the WordPress ecosystem in a short and concise newsletter that should not take more than 10 minutes of reading time. Learn more about WP Weekly at thewpweekly.com.

WordCamps

The WordCamp fun continues! We recently attended one in Minnesota and have another coming up this weekend in the Philippines. Plus, we can’t forget about WordCamp US happening next month. Keep reading for all the details.

WordCamp Minneapolis / St. Paul

WordCamp Minneapolis / St. Paul (WCMSP) was a blast! Two WDS teammates—Engineering Manager John Heimkes and Marketing Manager Laura Coronado—got to meet for the first time ever while also connecting with former staff members, including WCMSP speaker Gary Kovar, who presented a talk on how NASA’s website was built on WordPress.

WordCamp Cebu

WordCamp Cebu, happening this weekend (August 24th) in Cebu City, Philippines, offers opportunities to learn, connect, and grow. Engineering Manager JC Palmes is speaking at this WordPress event.

JC’s talk is titled “Embrace the Blocks: Why Block Themes Are a Developer’s Friend.” It will cover the world of Block Themes, explore the tools and concepts, and demonstrate why Block Themes are not just user-friendly but a powerful new addition to a developer’s toolkit.

Next Month: WordCamp US

WordCamp US is the premiere WordCamp event in North America. It will take place in Portland, Oregon, from September 17-20. The event features a Contributor Day and a Showcase Day.

Five members of the WDS team will be in attendance: CEO Brad Williams, Director of Accounts Jen Miller, Account Manager Laura Byrne, Senior Frontend Engineer Marty O’Connor, and Senior Frontend Engineer Alfredo Navas.

Interested in meeting with our team in person at WordCamp US to discuss your next big WordPress project? Use this link to book an appointment. Our team would love to chat about your website needs.

The post Company News – August appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Should Developers Be Using WP_HTML_Tag_Processor?

Let’s all be clear that even experienced developers are not quite fond of using regular expressions. They are not readable and friendly, and it takes a while to get used to them if you haven’t used them in a while.

For example, what if you wanted to create a function that adds an extra-strong class to the existing <b> and <strong> tags in post content? Below, we’ll compare doing so using Regex vs using WP_HTML_Tag_Processor.

WP_HTML_Tag_Processor vs Regex

Here’s the example content:

This is how the function looks using Regex:

View the code on Gist.

That’s a lot of code for something that we might consider very simple. How hard does it need to be to add a class to a couple of tags, right?

Now, let’s look at what happens when using the WP_HTML_Tag_Processor approach:

View the code on Gist.

This is way more readable. You can see there’s a while, then you loop through the elements, and if you find what you’re looking for ( a <b> or a <strong> tag ), then you just go for it and add the class.

Here’s the result:

As we can see, the extra-strong class was properly added, and even the existing class was considered.

This is just one quick example of how using WP_HTML_Tag_Processor can make our lives easier. There are other things that we can do with it, such as:

• Updating properties before sending the content to the DOM. For example, adding properties like lazy-loading or removing inline CSS elements.
• Operations are safe by default. There’s no need to escape the content before or after.
• You can set an attribute value without checking if it exists; it won’t be duplicated.
• You can find tags by name and/or class name. See the example below.

View the code on Gist.

Everything looks great, but what about performance?

Performance matters. I took the liberty of testing the performance against our previous Regex function and through the XQuery function as well.

Remember the Regex function:

View the code on Gist.

Now, here’s the XQuery function:

View the code on Gist.

I ran this through a WP installation with more than 8,000 posts, and these are the results:

That makes you think. Is its readability enough to compensate for the lack of performance? Again, this is an isolated case, and maybe this might be fit for smaller use cases and not to be used to perform large operations.

What’s Missing from WP_HTML_Tag_Processor?

Since this is a new tool, there are a couple of features that we wish we had but are not still available in the API, such as:

• You can’t find nested tags or updated tag’s innerHTML or text.
• You can’t delete or add new tags
• You can’t read the content between two tags.
• Even though you can confirm if a tag is self-closing, you can’t match an opening tag with a closing tag.

Some of these features might never be available due to the nature of this API, and some of them can decrease its performance substantially, so those constraints help the API remain efficient.

Are you planning to use the WP_HTML_Tag_Processor in the future? Let us know down below in the comment section.

The post Using WP_HTML_Tag_Processor: What You Need to Know appeared first on WebDevStudios.

WTF is wrong with @webflow?

They’re forcing me to pay $15,000/year, up from $468!

A 32x price increase overnight!

And they gave me 1 week to decide if I want to upgrade or move the whole Failory site to another CMS!! pic.twitter.com/e7eO6lHlha

— Nico Cerdeira (Failory.com) (@nicocerdeira) July 15, 2024

If you’re like Nico and are considering making the switch from Webflow to WordPress, now is the time to act. The cost surge can significantly impact your bottom line, making exploring more affordable and versatile alternatives essential.

Webflow’s Pitfalls

Webflow has been a popular choice for many businesses due to its user-friendly drag-and-drop interface and available templates. However, the recent price increase has highlighted several critical shortcomings of the platform that may inspire many customers to switch from Webflow and head to WordPress. Here’s why.

Cost Implications

Webflow’s pricing model has always been on the higher side compared to other CMS platforms. With the recent hike, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for businesses, especially small to medium-sized ones, to justify the cost. These rising expenses directly affect your bottom line, eating into your budget for other essential business operations.

Limited Features

While Webflow offers a sleek design experience, it lacks many advanced features necessary for larger or more complex websites. Its limited eCommerce capabilities and lack of robust plugin support can stifle your website’s growth and functionality. This can be particularly frustrating for businesses looking to expand their online presence and offer more to their customers.

Lack of Technical Support

Another significant drawback is Webflow’s limited customer support. When you run into technical issues or need assistance with advanced customization, the lack of timely and effective support can lead to prolonged downtimes and lost revenue. This is a critical concern for any business that relies heavily on its website for sales and customer engagement.

Why WordPress Is the Better Choice

WordPress stands out as a highly flexible and scalable CMS solution, making it an important option. Here are some key benefits of switching from Webflow to WordPress.

Flexibility and Scalability

WordPress is renowned for its flexibility, allowing you to customize your website to meet your exact needs. With thousands of themes and plugins available, you can add almost any functionality you require, from eCommerce functions to advanced SEO tools. This scalability makes WordPress suitable for websites of all sizes, from small blogs to large enterprise sites.

High-Profile Users

The versatility and reliability of WordPress are evident in its user base. High-profile organizations like NASA, the White House, the NBA, and famous celebrities trust WordPress to manage their online presence. This level of trust speaks volumes about WordPress’ capability to handle complex and high-traffic websites.

Robust Community and Support

When you’re a WordPress user, you get automatic access to and become a member of a robust and supportive community. Being part of the WordPress community offers users a wealth of resources, fostering a collaborative environment that enhances their experience.

This includes access to a vast array of plugins, themes, and regular updates, which ensures users can build secure, functional, and versatile websites. Engaging with the community provides opportunities to learn from industry leaders, gain valuable insights, and solve challenges more efficiently. Ultimately, the strength and vibrancy of the WordPress community empower users to create dynamic and impactful online presences.

Addressing Common Content Migration Concerns

Many website owners find migrating a website from one platform to another daunting. Below are some of the most common concerns you may have about making the switch from Webflow to WordPress. Also included below are the solutions WebDevStudios uses to mitigate those issues.

Loss of SEO Rankings

One of the biggest fears during migration is the potential loss of SEO rankings. Search engine optimization is crucial for driving organic traffic to your website, and any disruption can result in a significant drop in visibility and revenue.

Mitigation: To prevent this, it’s essential to maintain the structure of your URLs, implement proper 301 redirects, and ensure that all meta tags, alt texts, and other SEO elements are correctly transferred. WebDevStudios meticulously handles these aspects to protect your search engine rankings during the migration process. Additionally, we conduct post-migration audits to ensure everything is in order and make necessary adjustments.

Data Loss

Another major concern is the potential loss of data, including customer information, product details, and content during the migration process.

Mitigation: Our team at WebDevStudios uses advanced tools and techniques to ensure a secure and comprehensive transfer of all your data. We perform thorough backups before initiating the migration and validate data integrity at every step. This approach ensures that no critical information is lost and your website remains fully functional post-migration.

Downtime and Disruption

Website downtime can lead to lost sales, frustrated customers, and a tarnished reputation. Owners worry that migrating to a new platform might significantly disrupt their business operations.

Mitigation: WebDevStudios employs careful migration strategies to minimize downtime. We utilize staging environments to ensure that your live site remains unaffected until the new site is ready to go live. This careful planning and execution significantly reduce any potential disruption to your business.

Functionality Issues

There’s always a concern that certain website functionalities might not work correctly after migration. This could be due to differences between the platforms or incomplete script and integration transfers.

Mitigation: We conduct extensive testing and quality assurance throughout the migration process. Our team ensures that all functionalities, including custom scripts, third-party integrations, and plugins, work seamlessly on your new WordPress site. Any issues identified during testing are promptly addressed to ensure a smooth transition.

User Experience Changes

Website owners worry that the migration might negatively impact the user experience, leading to higher bounce rates and lower conversion rates.

Mitigation: At WebDevStudios, we prioritize maintaining and enhancing user experience. We ensure that the design and navigation remain intuitive and user-friendly. Our team also optimizes the site for performance, ensuring fast load times and smooth interactions, contributing to a positive user experience.

By addressing these common concerns, WebDevStudios ensures a smooth, secure, and efficient migration to WordPress, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of a powerful and flexible CMS without the associated risks.

Introducing WebDevStudios: Your Content Migration Partner

Switching from Webflow to WordPress doesn’t have to be chaotic. WebDevStudios specializes in seamless data migration from any platform to WordPress, ensuring that your website’s performance and SEO efforts remain intact.

Comprehensive Migration Services

At WebDevStudios, we understand the complexities involved in migrating your website. Our team of experts has developed processes to handle every aspect of the migration, from data transfer to redesigning your website’s layout. We ensure that your site’s functionality and aesthetics are preserved, if not enhanced, during the transition.

Enhanced Performance and SEO Protection

We prioritize maintaining and improving your website’s performance throughout the migration process. Our services include optimizing your new WordPress site for speed and reliability, ensuring that it performs better than ever. Additionally, we take extra care to protect your existing SEO efforts so your search engine rankings remain stable or improve.

Making the Switch from Webflow to WordPress Makes Sense

With Webflow’s recent price increase, switching to a more affordable and versatile CMS like WordPress is smart. WordPress offers unparalleled flexibility, scalability, and support, making it the preferred choice for many high-profile users.

Partnering with WebDevStudios for your migration ensures a smooth and efficient transition, allowing you to focus on what matters most—growing your business. Visit our Contact page to schedule a time to talk. We can help you make the switch to WordPress today.

The post Making the Switch from Webflow to WordPress appeared first on WebDevStudios.

In this edition of our company news blog post, we’re focusing on the freshest updates from WordPress. Discover how two of our team members contributed to the latest major release.

We’ll also preview upcoming WordCamps, where you can catch up with us and learn more about our initiatives. Plus, we have news of tutorials featuring our own plugins. So, grab an ice-cold drink, soak in the summer vibes, and let’s explore all the latest news from WebDevStudios and beyond.

WordPress 6.6 Released

On July 16, 2024, the WordPress community celebrated the release of WordPress 6.6, affectionately named “Dorsey” in honor of the legendary big band leader Tommy Dorsey. This release brings a host of new features and improvements designed to enhance the user experience and expand the creative possibilities for site builders. Among the standout features are:

• Expanded design options for block themes, allowing for greater customization and creativity
• A streamlined Site Editor workflow, making it easier and faster to design and manage your site
• Plugin auto-updates, complete with a safety net that includes rollbacks to ensure stability if any issues arise
• Synced patterns for consistent styling across multiple instances
• A whopping 58 accessibility fixes and enhancements to make WordPress more inclusive and user-friendly
• And so much more!

Contributor Credits

The release of WordPress 6.6 exemplifies the power of open-source collaboration. A remarkable 630 contributors from at least 51 countries united to make this update possible. We are especially proud of our own team members, Frontend Engineer Aslam Doctor and Principal Engineer Sal Ferrarello, whose efforts were instrumental in this release.

Sal discovered a bug that prevented global JavaScript code from loading on the login page using the `wp_localize_script` method. He promptly submitted a ticket to address the issue. Aslam took the lead in developing a fix, pushing the patch to the WordPress repository for review.

After rigorous testing and updates, the patch was approved. Sal and Aslam also created PHP test cases to ensure the fix’s robustness. Their collaboration exemplifies the spirit of teamwork and innovation that drives WordPress forward. Congratulations to Aslam, Sal, and all the contributors to WordPress 6.6!

Reap the Rewards of WordPress 6.6

WordPress 6.6 truly delivers on the promise of a better web, offering style, finesse, and a suite of creative possibilities for your site-building experience. This version empowers users to do more with ease, providing enhanced tools and unprecedented power behind the scenes.

Additionally, “Dorsey” continues to deliver the performance and accessibility improvements that users have come to expect from every WordPress release. These enhancements make it easier than ever to create beautiful, functional, and accessible websites.

Following the major release, WordPress 6.6.1, a maintenance release, has also been made available. This update includes important bug fixes and improvements, ensuring that your WordPress site remains in top shape. Be sure to update your WordPress to the latest version today and take full advantage of all the new features and enhancements!

Explore what WordPress 6.6 offers and elevate your site-building experience with this powerful new release. Happy updating!

WordCamps

“I hate WordCamps,” said no one ever! With 23 WordCamp events planned around the world for the remainder of the year, WordPress users, developers, and community members will have the opportunity to network, learn, expand their skills, and make memories. Here are the upcoming WordCamps, where you’ll find team members from WebDevStudios (WDS).

WordCamp Minneapolis / St. Paul (WCMSP)

Taking place at the world-famous Mall of America on August 16th, WordCamp MSP is a one-day event of learning and connecting. This conference unites WordPress enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds to discuss, share, and explore the endless possibilities of the beloved content management system.

WCMSP’s schedule features multiple talks on accessibility and AI, but one talk our team is particularly excited about is titled “WordPress at a Galactic Scale.” Former WDS team member Gary Kovar, a Principal Software Engineer who has worked on projects for NASA and Disney, is the presenter. Additionally, WordCamp organizer and agency owner E Daniel Swain will deliver the keynote speech, discussing the importance of community.

WDS Co-Founder and COO Lisa Sabin-Wilson, Engineering Manager John Heimkes, and Marketing Manager Laura Coronado will attend WCMSP.

WordCamp US (WCUS)

While WCUS is still a couple of months out, we want to let people know well in advance that WebDevStudios will be there. WordCamp US is probably the most popular WordCamp in the United States, but people from all over the world attend. In fact, Senior Frontend Engineer Alfredo Navas is flying in from Costa Rica to attend WCUS.

Other WDS teammates attending WCUS are Co-Founder and CEO Brad Williams, Director of Accounts Jen Miller, Accounts Manager Laura Byrne, and Senior Frontend Engineer Marty O’Connor. At every WordCamp they attend, Brad, Jen, and Laura always make themselves available to meet with and talk to company representatives in need of WordPress design and development. If you want to connect with WebDevStudios while at WCUS, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Plugins News

It all started with creating our most popular WordPress plugin, Custom Post Type UI, launched in February 2010. Since then, the WebDevStudios team has developed a diverse array of plugins that have been downloaded and utilized by millions of WordPress users. Explore them all at our plugin shop, Pluginize. Here’s the latest news about our plugins.

Best Practices for WP Search with Algolia Index Management

More and more people are replacing WordPress native search with the power of Algolia search by installing our WP Search with Algolia plugin. Backend Engineer Michael Beckwith published a blog post that walks users through WP Search with Algolia index management and site launch. Read it on the Pluginize blog.

Learn How to Import Your YouTube Channel as Posts

Get ready to have your mind blown when you watch this video tutorial from The Cre8tive Diva. Using our plugin, Automatic Featured Images from Videos, and WP All Import, The Cre8tive Diva shows viewers how to import a YouTube channel to WordPress as blog posts. Watch her video below or on YouTube.

The post Company News – July appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Let’s face it. WordPress wouldn’t be what it is today without the support of its community. This makes 5FTF imperative. After all, its primary purpose is to bolster the success and growth of WordPress by increasing the number of community contributors actively involved in its development.

This is why WebDevStudios dedicates every last Friday of the month to giving back to WordPress by sponsoring our team’s contributions to 5FTF. More contributors mean a stronger, more resilient platform where issues such as bugs and security vulnerabilities can be addressed more efficiently. This benefits everyone—WordPress users, designers, developers, and companies selling WordPress services. The Five for the Future initiative also fosters a community where innovation thrives as diverse groups of individuals collaborate to enhance the platform. That’s the best part!

5FTF Benefits

Participation in Five for the Future offers numerous benefits. For example, it ensures regular updates and improvements, keeping the platform competitive and relevant in the fast-evolving web landscape. That’s because contributors’ collective effort leads to new features, enhanced security, and overall better performance of the WordPress core, plugins, and themes.

In fact, more than 630 contributors (150 first-timers) in at least 51 countries are responsible for WordPress 6.6, aka “Dorsey.” This includes two of our very own team members: Frontend Engineer Aslam Doctor and Principal Engineer Sal Ferrarello.

Sal discovered a bug that prevented the global Javascript code from loading on the login page using the (wp_localize_script) method. He submitted a ticket for it. Aslam then created a fix and pushed the patch to the WordPress repository for review, which was approved after a few tests and updates. Sal and Aslam collaborated to create PHP test cases for the fix.

Voila! That’s the power of 5FTF—discovery, investigation, collaboration, and contribution. How can you not participate in such an amazing opportunity?

5FTF Requires Support from WordPress Companies

For organizations, the initiative presents a unique opportunity to give back to the community that supports their business. By contributing to WordPress, companies can gain recognition, build stronger relationships within the community, and stay ahead of industry trends. Additionally, it provides a platform for employees to develop their skills, share knowledge, and gain recognition for their individual contributions.

Getting involved in 5FTF is straightforward. Organizations and individuals can pledge 5% of their resources—whether time, personnel, or financial support—to various areas of WordPress development. This can include core development, plugin and theme development, documentation, security, support forums, translation, and organizing or volunteering at WordCamps. Interested parties can visit the Five for the Future website to sign up and start contributing.

At WebDevStudios, our commitment to Five for the Future is a testament to our dedication to the WordPress community. Since the initiative’s inception, we have proudly dedicated 5% of our resources to contributing to WordPress. Our team members engage in numerous activities to support the growth and sustainability of open-source software.

We encourage all WordPress companies to sponsor their employees’ involvement in Five for the Future. It’s an easy and rewarding way to contribute to the platform’s longevity and success. Your contributions, no matter how small, can make a significant difference in the continuous improvement and innovation of WordPress.

Tomorrow, July 26, 2024, is Five for the Future Friday at WebDevStudios. Below, take a look at some of the ways our team participated in 5FTF last month. We appreciate everything they do to contribute.

From Our Internal 5FTF Slack Channel

I spent some time on client work, and I am now going to spend some time on my plugin. I will also spend 1-2 hours of time researching auto-repeater fields and form structure. –Awais Altaf, Backend Engineer

To start, I want to submit https://github.com/salcode/require-auth-users-rest-endpoint to the WordPress.org plugin repository. -Sal Ferrarello, Principal Engineer

I’m browsing Core Trac for the oldest tickets alive. –Michael Beckwith, Backend Engineer

When I was working with the BT theme, I noticed a funny issue when using non-native blocks (aka ACF). That’s my task for today. –Alfredo Navas, Senior Frontend Engineer

I’m going to ride along with Sal while he submits his plugin to the WordPress plugin repo. Helping to create some of the assets and whatever I can do to help. –Marty O’Connor, Senior Frontend Engineer

I’m going to finish my WP_HTML_Tag_Processor article. I added some performance sections, comparing it with other tools. –Ramsés Del Rosario, Backend Engineer

I’ll be working on a migration tool to hopefully make migrations easier in the future. –Keith Frey, Technical Strategist

Gonna do some experimenting with the Interactivity API. –Garrett Baldwin, Backend Engineer

I will be contributing to the Polyglots Team with more Spanish translations for some plugins. Then I will try to start some new article for the WDS blog. –Jairo Perez, Senior Backend Engineer

From X (Formerly Twitter)

Seeing everyone working behind-the-scenes on #5FTF makes me super happy. It would be so easy to ‘check out’ given that next week is a holiday week for our US team. But nope – everyone’s giving back as hard as they can.

Keep it up friends!

— CMDR Mitchcraft (@thatmitchcanter) June 28, 2024

It’s #5FTF @webdevstudios today and I can’t wait to play with #BlockThemes, wrangle some stuff for #WCAsia, take care of #WordPress #ProgramSupporter tasks, and teach PMs how to do their first PR for @LisaSabinWilson #ErasPlugin tagging #ErasTour @taylorswift13 just in case pic.twitter.com/OE8KZFxUsh

— JC Palmes #WCAsia2025 (@jpalmes) June 28, 2024

#5ftf June 2024 highlight! Contributed to a core ticket for some a feature enhancement at @webdevstudios!
Check it out: https://t.co/nir3qMzFnd #WordPress #OpenSource #WebDev

— Aslam Doctor (@aslammdoctor) June 28, 2024

It’s #5FTF at @webdevstudios again today!! Today I’m working on some updates to the build processes for our open source #WordPress block theme starter wds-bt!

— Amor (@itsAmorEh) June 28, 2024

It is #5FTF day thanks to @webdevstudios. Today I’m learning more about Block Bindings API improvements on WP 6.6 and trying to include my passion for in a Demo about it. pic.twitter.com/oOoBOYi71y

— Jennifer Farhat (@jenniFarhat) June 28, 2024

#5FTF here at @webdevstudios and I’m working my way through the onboarding process on the training team. Shout out to to @courtneyr_dev https://t.co/y3jj0zhy9u pic.twitter.com/AGLj7MqTAP

— Laura Byrne (@NewYorkerLaura) June 28, 2024

It’s #5FTF at @webdevstudios! Today I created a little #WordPress block that can be used to display post meta in a query loop block.

— Lindsey Bell (@lindseywb) June 28, 2024

The post Summer Is Sizzling with Five for the Future Contributions appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Troubleshooting a Slow WordPress Website

Test the speed of your website with Google’s PageSpeed Insights.

Waiting more than 1.65 seconds may result in a customer leaving the site (known as a bounce rate) and searching for a different solution offered on a faster competitor’s website. According to Google assessments conducted in 2017, bounce rates increase 32% when website page load times rise from 1 second to 3 seconds! That’s proof that nobody likes a slow WordPress website.

In 2024, optimal page load times are 0–2 seconds. Adding more time results in lower engagement, conversion, customer referrals, and search engine traffic.

Luckily, there are methods for measuring and improving on-page speed metrics. However, gaining insight into page speed takes time and requires carefully auditing of many website aspects.

7 Steps to Improve Speed  and Landing Page Performance

1. Evaluate the Platform: Consider whether the codebase of your website is open source and if it has a reputation for speed and performance. WordPress websites meet both of those requirements.
2. Assess Performance with Core Web Vitals (CWV): Insight gained from CWV illustrates how website visitors interpret and use the site. These metrics calculate the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) or how fast a webpage loads. Combined with Interaction to Next Paint (INP), which gauges the interactivity of clicks, taps, and key presses, and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), which measures the website’s structure and stability, these three indicators allow you to analyze your website from a search engine perspective.
3. Choose the Right Theme: The WordPress Block Editor offers the lightest, cleanest option for responsive website design and development. It consistently ranks faster on speed tests in load times and content creation than traditional themes and non-native builders.
4. Optimize Images: The WordPress Block Editor natively compresses images, allowing page images to match the needed size, resulting in a faster load time. Additionally, many image compression plugins enhance this further.
5. Activate Browser Caching: Determine and cache any assets web browsers need to accelerate webpage load times for returning visitors. Without caching, the website must repeatedly refresh the content, which takes longer.
6. Evaluate Hosting and Employ a Content Delivery Network (CDN): Web hosting service performance and pricing vary widely. Migrating to a new host and service may be a worthwhile answer, particularly if the host provides a CDN. A CDN identifies user locations and provides users with data from their nearest server, reducing load times globally.
7. Remove Unnecessary Files and Optimize CSS Delivery: When above-the-fold content loads first, visitors view the site as blazing fast. Removing unneeded CSS, JavaScript, and plugin files, and activating asynchronous file loading also speeds sites up.

As you can see, many factors determine website page speed. Following the seven steps outlined above will transform your slow website, allowing you to deliver rapid results and an enhanced user experience.

Are you still struggling to improve your slow WordPress website? Contact WebDevStudios. We’d love to look under the hood of your WordPress site and make recommendations.

The post Page Speed Insights: 7 Steps to Transform Your Slow WordPress Website appeared first on WebDevStudios.

While digital marketing agencies excel in their domain, they are not specialized WordPress experts or managed WordPress hosting providers, leading to various issues that can severely impact website performance. Keep reading to learn that your WordPress website is best left in the hands of industry professionals specializing in WordPress.

Why It’s a Bad Idea to Depend on a Digital Marketing Agency for WordPress Services and Hosting

Digital marketing agencies are excellent at helping companies improve their overall online presence—from ad campaigns to working with online influencers. Where they fail is in WordPress design, development, and hosting. The best digital marketing agencies are self-aware and refer their clients to WordPress agencies like us instead of taking on your WordPress needs. Why should more digital marketing agencies send their clients to WordPress agencies instead of taking on the tasks themselves? The answers are below.

Lack of Specialized Expertise

Digital marketing agencies typically lack specialized WordPress design, development, and hosting knowledge. Their focus is primarily on marketing strategies rather than the technical aspects of website management, which can result in subpar website performance, security, and scalability.

Performance and Speed Issues

Digital marketing agencies often do not invest in high-quality hosting solutions, leading to slower load times and poor overall performance. Shared hosting environments can also result in resource contention, negatively impacting your website’s speed and reliability.

Security Vulnerabilities

Security is another critical area where agencies may fall short. Without prioritizing regular updates and best practices, your website becomes vulnerable to attacks. Outdated plugins and themes can create significant security risks.

Limited Scalability

As your business grows, your website needs to scale accordingly. Digital marketing agencies may not provide scalable solutions capable of handling increased traffic and data, often using hosting solutions that are not flexible or easily upgraded.

Slow Response Times

Marketing agencies juggling multiple clients may not offer timely support and maintenance, leading to longer downtimes and unresolved issues. Your website’s needs might not be prioritized, especially if the agency is focused on higher-paying clients.

Inadequate Backup Solutions and Recovery Challenges

Agencies may not implement robust backup solutions, putting your data at risk. In the event of data loss, they might not have the expertise to restore your website effectively, leading to prolonged downtimes and potential data loss.

The Impact of Poor Digital Marketing Practices

Poor digital marketing practices can negatively affect website performance and user experience. Slow-loading websites frustrate users, leading to high bounce rates and low conversions. Additionally, slow website speed negatively impacts SEO, as search engines like Google prioritize faster websites in their rankings. Ultimately, a poorly performing website reflects negatively on your brand, eroding customer trust and damaging your reputation.

How WebDevStudios Saves Your WordPress Website

When a potential client approaches WebDevStudios with a myriad of mishaps, we set up a call with them to discuss what they’re seeing go wrong and offer some possible solutions. These are the most common.

Identify the Problems with a Website Audit

Saving your WordPress website can begin with a comprehensive website audit to evaluate performance, security, and functionality. A client can only know so much about what looks to be wrong with their WordPress website based on the frontend. However, a website audit allows our team of WordPress experts to get under the hood for a thorough investigation.

Common signs of poor website performance include slow load times, high bounce rates, and low conversions. We often find typical issues such as outdated plugins, bloated code, and poor hosting, which most marketing agencies miss.

Optimize Website Performance

Once we uncover the difficulties with a website audit, we can focus on cleaning up and optimizing code and removing unnecessary plugins and scripts that slow down your site. Enhancing security measures, such as implementing SSL certificates, regular backups, and security plugins, ensures your website is protected from threats.

Implement Best Practices

We ensure your website has a responsive design for all devices and optimize images and media for faster load times. Implementing caching solutions and CDNs improves performance, while regular maintenance and updates keep your website running smoothly.

Recommend Managed WordPress Hosts

Improving your managed WordPress hosting is crucial. WebDevStudios has established partnerships with the best options. Based on your specific needs, we recommend managed WordPress hosting providers and facilitate the necessary introductions to ensure you receive the best hosting solution.

Prevent Future Issues

To prevent future issues, WebDevStudios offers ongoing WordPress support services. Our team becomes your team, helping you maintain optimal website performance and emphasizing the importance of regular audits and performance checks.

Does Your WordPress Website Need Saving?

Rescuing and optimizing your website is crucial for maintaining a robust online presence. At WebDevStudios, we specialize in identifying and resolving performance issues, ensuring your website runs efficiently and effectively. Contact us for a comprehensive website audit and performance improvement plan.

The post Saving Your WordPress Website: How WebDevStudios Rescues Clients from Poor Digital Marketing Practices appeared first on WebDevStudios.