All in One SEO Plugin Turns on Automatic Updates without Notifying Users, Removes Functionality in Latest Release

Buried in the changelog of a series of minor releases that dropped before the Christmas holiday, All in One SEO plugin users were given the surprise gift of automatic updates. After a seemingly endless run of releases (12 updates during a span of six weeks at the end of 2020), the plugin’s developers decided to change its auto update policy …

How To Scan Your WordPress Site For Malware

If your WordPress site is infected with malware, you’re at risk of server crashes, data leaks, and even complete site suspension. Running regular scans is important if you want to tackle any problems before they get out of hand. We’re here to show you how… Whether by clicking a dodgy link in an email, visiting a compromised website, or downloading …

Block System Will Create More Commercial Opportunities for WordPress Theme Authors

Ten years ago, a potential WordPress theme buyer might stumble upon a site like ThemeForest. The themes on the site would primarily tout the hundreds of shortcodes they included. These shortcodes would allow the user to build anything they wanted with simple BBCode-like brackets around some tag or another. The practice was not limited to ThemeForest. Nearly every theme development …

How To Easily Secure Your WordPress Site for Free

It goes without saying — WordPress security is vital. The importance of having a secure site can’t be understated if you want to be protected against malware, avoid being hacked, and stay high-ranking on Google. The good news is that there are easy steps you can take to secure your WordPress site — for free! If your site isn’t secure …

WordPress.com Rattles Freelancer Community with New Website Building Service Launch

WordPress.com launched a new website building service today with prices starting at $4,900. Automattic has been beta testing the service since the last quarter of 2020. The product announcement invites customers to let WordPress.com’s professional team “translate your vision into a compelling and modern website” but does not specify pricing for more customized websites: Whether you need a fast and performant …

2020: Step Away From the Fire

If there was a common theme that held humanity together in 2020, it was that most of us agreed that the year was nothing short of a dumpster fire. That and sweatpants. As people learned to cope with a new reality in the Covid-19 era, the WordPress community has been a beacon of hope. When other industries needed to learn …