Announcements

• WP Tavern is alive
• A brand new way to WordPress
• Black Friday Trends report
• WordPress 6.6 is out (next podcast)
• WordCamp US is next week
• KitchenSinkWP has released episode 550 and Dustin is the guest!
• I’ve transitioned to a Customer Success Role at Automattic (WooCommerce)
  • Building relationships with customers and advising them on their needs
  • Drive adoption to WooCommerce and WooPayments
  • Develop total cost of ownership for switching to WordPress/Woo or to our payment gateway

Thank You!

Thank you to those who use my affiliate links. As you know I make a small commission when someone uses my link and I want to say thank you to the following people. For all my recommended resources, go to my Resources Page

Announcements

• Custom Post Types in WordPress Admin
• WordPress Training Team’s Site Redesign
• Where the Cloud Touches the Ground
• How WordPress is Creating a Faster Web

Is there a plugin for that?

With more than 50,000 plugins in the WordPress repository, it’s hard to find the perfect one. Each week, I will highlight an interesting plugin from the repository.

For more great plugins, download my 50 Most Useful Plugins eBook.

[Check Conflicts](https://wordpress.org/plugins/check-conflicts/) allows you to enabled/disable plugins or activate a default theme for only your IP and other visitors will not see any changes.

WordPress 6.5

Podcast Episode Notes: WordPress 6.5 Regina – Jazzing Up Your Site Building Experience

In this episode, we delve into the latest WordPress release, version 6.5, named after the renowned jazz violinist, Regina Carter. This update brings many new features and improvements to enhance your site-building experience.

Topics Covered:

• Introduction to WordPress 6.5 Regina
• Enhanced typography control with the ability to add and manage fonts across your site
• Comprehensive revisions for better tracking and management of changes
• Improved image handling with background and shadow tools, aspect ratios for cover blocks, and box-shadow support
• Introduction of data views for organizing and filtering content data
• Smoother drag-and-drop functionality for a seamless editing experience
• Enhanced link-building experience with a more intuitive UI and shortcut for copying links
• Introduction of the interactivity API for building interactive front-end experiences with blocks
• Appearance tools added to classic themes for better customization options
• Plugin dependency management improvements for a smoother plugin experience
• Performance updates resulting in faster loading times and improved efficiency
• Accessibility improvements to enhance accessibility for all users

Links Shared During the Conversation:

• WordPress 6.5 Release Notes
• WP Briefing Podcast – Exploring the Interactivity API

WordPress 6.5 is a testament to the collaborative efforts of over 700 contributors from 57 countries, resulting in more than 2500 enhancements and fixes. It’s time to update your sites and leverage the power of WordPress 6.5 for a better, stronger, and faster website-building experience.

Thank You!

Thank you to those who use my affiliate links. As you know I make a small commission when someone uses my link and I want to say thank you to the following people. For all my recommended resources, go to my Resources Page

Announcements

• WordPress Annual Survey Results
• WPTavern is Back!
• eCommerce Automations from WPSessions
• WordPress News on PostStatus.com

Is there a plugin for that?

With more than 50,000 plugins in the WordPress repository, it’s hard to find the perfect one. Each week, I will highlight an interesting plugin from the repository.

For more great plugins, download my 50 Most Useful Plugins eBook.

Spring Clean Your WordPress Site

In this episode, Dustin takes a nostalgic journey back into the archives of his podcast, reflecting on an episode from 10 years ago. He explores the relevance of topics discussed then and how they still hold weight in today’s WordPress landscape. Join Dustin as he delves into the timeless art of spring cleaning your WordPress site.

Topics Covered:

• Reflecting on past podcast episodes and their relevance today
• Evaluating product sales and optimizing product listings
• Analyzing website traffic and page views for better user engagement
• Upgrading to Gutenberg and optimizing content with reusable blocks
• Enhancing the checkout process and implementing upsells/downsells
• Checking site speed and ensuring security measures are up-to-date
• Assessing website compatibility with new devices and responsive design
• Reviewing and updating outdated content and offers
• Optimizing website navigation and removing unnecessary elements
• Cleaning up database tables and removing old plugins/themes
• Revamping newsletter autoresponders for improved user experience
• Planning for the transition to block themes and full-site editing

Thank You!

Thank you to those who use my affiliate links. As you know I make a small commission when someone uses my link and I want to say thank you to the following people. For all my recommended resources, go to my Resources Page

On Episode 547 of the Your Website Engineer podcast, host Dustin Hartzler explores the benefits of optimizing WordPress sites using the WP Optimize plugin. The episode is inspired by a Twitter thread detailing a significant reduction in site size achieved through WP Optimize.

Topics Covered:

• Overview of WP Optimize: Dustin introduces WP Optimize as a trusted plugin used on over a million WordPress sites. It focuses on boosting performance, reducing page load times, and improving user experience and Google rankings.
• Caching: Explains the caching feature, emphasizing one-click optimization, cache preload, Gzip compression, and serving cache content to logged-in users.
• Image Compression: Discusses how WP Optimize compresses images, allowing users to choose between maximum space saving and best image quality. Highlights WebP conversions, auto compression, and bulk compression.
• Database Cleanup: Details the plugin’s ability to clean and optimize the WordPress database by removing unnecessary data, with options for scheduled cleanups and retaining specific data.
• Minification: Explores how WP Optimize minifies HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, with options for custom minification, asynchronous loading, and excluding files.
• Premium Features: Provides an overview of premium features, including multisite support, scheduled optimizations, WPCLI support, lazy loading, optimization preview, and premium support.

Links Shared:

• WP Optimize: The featured plugin for optimizing WordPress sites.
• Media Cleaner: A complementary plugin is mentioned for cleaning unwanted images.

Announcements

• Plugin previews are now opt-in
• Most popular plugins on WordPress.com

Is there a plugin for that?

With more than 50,000 plugins in the WordPress repository, it’s hard to find the perfect one. Each week, I will highlight an interesting plugin from the repository.

For more great plugins, download my 50 Most Useful Plugins eBook.

WP Tabs is the most user-friendly, highly customizable, responsive WordPress tabs plugin to display your content in a clean organized tabbed navigation.

All About Passkeys

In this episode, we delve into the world of passkeys, a topic that many find intriguing but might not fully comprehend. Dustin shares his journey of discovering passkeys through a podcast on syntax.fm, highlighting the importance of staying updated on technological advancements.

Topics Covered:

1. Introduction to Passkeys:
   • Exploring the host’s initial confusion and curiosity about passkeys.
   • Reference to the podcast episode on syntax.fm (Episode 710) featuring Anna from 1Password.
2. Understanding Passkeys:
   • Technical explanation of passkeys as cryptographic keys.
   • Description of public and private keys and their role in enhancing security.
   • A simplified analogy of a treasure chest with a gold key (public) and a silver key (private).
3. Advantages of Passkeys:
   • Comparison with traditional passwords.
   • Passkeys are being generated rather than created by users.
   • Phishing resistance due to the nature of passkeys.
   • Enhanced security and resistance to hacking compared to passwords.
4. Usage and Implementation:
   • List of major websites already implementing passkeys.
   • Tools and methods for using passkeys, including 1Password and the integration with Apple devices.
   • Discussion on bringing passkeys to WordPress, including insights from iThemes Security Pro.
5. Looking to the Future:
   • Acknowledgment of the current status of passkey adoption.
   • Expectations for increased prevalence and ease of use in the coming years.

Links Shared During the Conversation:

• Passkeys.directory
• 1Password Blog Post on Saving Passkeys
• iThemes Security Pro Article

As technology evolves, passkeys emerge as a promising solution for secure and hassle-free authentication.

Thank You!

Thank you to those who use my affiliate links. As you know I make a small commission when someone uses my link and I want to say thank you to the following people. For all my recommended resources, go to my Resources Page

In today’s episode, we dive into the annual WordPress State of the Word recap. Below the video are the notes I took from the event

Welcome to State of the Word 2023

• Was held in Madrid Spain on Dec 11, 2023
• This was the first State of the Word that was help outside of the United States
• Kicking off the event, Josepha Haden Chomphosy, Executive Director of the WordPress project, spoke about the community’s heart and spirit as what fuels hope for the future, ensuring the freedoms of the open web for all. She invited Matt on stage with a closing statement of confidence that such values and characteristics will move the project forward into the next 20 years as it has for the last 20.
• WordPress turned 20 on May 27th, tons of cake
• 70 WordCamps in 33 countries
• WordCamp Asia happened
• 2500 WordCamp organizers
• 2023 Meetup Survey – how can we make meetups better?
• WordPress.org/meet will show meetups
• 100k requests per second when T.Swift was named the person of the year
• whitehouse.gov is secure
• w.org/remembers
• WordPress playgrounds – a virtual machine in your browser – short demo video
  • plugin authors can optin to add a button to their plugin in the repository
  • you can develop locally and sync local changes to the browser
  • you can try out plugin and code effortlessly without having to spin up an environment
  • 56,689 users in 2023
• TwentyTwentyFour built with 35 patterns
• 1339 new contributors to WordPress
• Moving into Phase 3 in 2024 which is collaboration
• You can start viewing the collaboration feature now with the latest version of Gutenberg
• Lock down features, swap out patterns, style variations that will affect only certain patterns
• Custom fields – connect blocks with custom fields — something that hasn’t changed in MANY years
• Performance – making the admin faster as well as making the frontend faster. 6.4 is 2x faster
• wpmovies.dev
• Updating list views and view as columns add filters, etc.
• Learn AI deeply – a short demo with playgrounds
• Data Liberation – migration tools – unlock the digital barriers
  • one click migrations
  • copy/paste
  • other sites, page builders, etc
  • https://wordpress.org/data-liberation/
• Plugins team is looking for volunteers
• WordCamp US – Portland Oregon
• AI tools for translating videos — translate State of the Word in 2024

What are your plans for 2024?

Here are my WordPress plans:

• Weekly content, with a variety of new shows
• Contributions to WordPress core or WooCommerce core
• Transforming ALL my sites to block theme sites
• Day job – helping WooCommerce customers switch over to WooPayments

In this episode, Dustin Hartzler catches up with Matt Maderos from the WordPress community. They delve into Matt’s journey with WordPress, his involvement in the community, and his current role at Gravity Forms. The conversation explores topics ranging from podcasting to the challenges of running a WordPress agency and the evolving landscape of the WordPress space.

Topics Covered:

• Matt Maderos’ background and introduction to WordPress.
• Running a WordPress agency and the challenges faced.
• Leveraging podcasting for business growth and building a personal brand.
• Transitioning from agency work to a full-time job at Gravity Forms.
• Matt’s current role at Gravity Forms and involvement in the WordPress community.
• Insights into the WP Minute podcast and its focus on important WordPress developments.
• The significance of the Block Editor and Matt’s preference for it over page builders.
• Monetization strategies within the WordPress space.
• The evolving landscape of WordPress and its impact on content creators.

Links Shared:

• WP Minute Podcast
• Gravity Forms
• Breakdown Podcast

Announcements

• Elementor page builder raises their prices
• WordPress will focus on Collaboration in 2024
• Update to the WordPress Theme Handbook to include Block Templating

Is there a plugin for that?

With more than 50,000 plugins in the WordPress repository, it’s hard to find the perfect one. Each week, I will highlight an interesting plugin from the repository.

For more great plugins, download my 50 Most Useful Plugins eBook.

Enable Button Icons is a plugin that will allow you to add icons to your buttons.

WordPress 6.4

Introduction:
In this episode, we explore the latest WordPress release, version 6.4, codenamed Shirley, paying homage to jazz artist Shirley Horn. Executive Director of WordPress, Josepha Haden Chomphosy, describes the update as focusing on small but impactful features, alongside the versatile 2024 theme designed to streamline content creation.

Topics Covered:

Introduction to WordPress 6.4

• Inspiration from Shirley Horn
• Small but impactful features
• Overview of the 2024 theme

2024 Theme Features

• Multifaceted design for writers, artists, and entrepreneurs
• Over 35 templates and patterns
• Demo link for the 2024 theme

Enhancements for Content Creation

• New keyboard shortcuts in list view
• Smarter list merging
• Enhanced control over quick link settings
• Cohesive toolbar experience

Command Palette Updates

• New commands for editing, resetting, toggling settings, and more
• Improved design and functionality

Categorizing and Filtering Patterns

• Organizing patterns with custom categories
• Advanced filtering options for quick access

New Design Tools

• Expanded tools for building layouts
• Background images in group blocks
• Lightbox functionality for interactive images

Group Block Features

• Renaming group blocks for organization
• Custom names visible in the list view

List View Improvements

• Preview images for easy identification
• Image previews in list view for efficient editing

Sharing Patterns Across Sites

• Exporting and importing patterns as JSON files
• Enhancing flexibility across different websites

Block Hooks for Developers

• Inserting dynamic blocks at specific content locations
• Enriching the extensibility of block themes through plugins

Performance Wins

• Over 100 performance-related updates for efficiency
• Optimization of script loading strategies

Accessibility Updates

• List view improvements
• Label support for the navigation block
• Enhancements to button placement and site health messages

Other Highlights

• PHP 8.1 or 8.2 recommended
• Disable attachment pages for new installations

Community Contribution

• Over 600 contributors from 56 countries
• 170+ first-time contributors
• Release of WordPress 6.4.1 for bug fixes

Links:

• 2024 Theme Demo
• WordPress 6.4.1 Release Notes
• PHP Support Information

Thank You!

Thank you to those who use my affiliate links. As you know I make a small commission when someone uses my link and I want to say thank you to the following people. For all my recommended resources, go to my Resources Page

Announcements

• WooCommerce Rebrands to Woo.com
• Gutenberg 16.8 Lets You Rename Blocks
• No more Attachment pages for WordPress
• $1 Million for TechCrunch’s Website
• Post Status Black Friday Deals

Is there a plugin for that?

With more than 50,000 plugins in the WordPress repository, it’s hard to find the perfect one. Each week, I will highlight an interesting plugin from the repository.

For more great plugins, download my 50 Most Useful Plugins eBook.

Cool Timeline is a plugin that will allow you to showcase your story or company history in a precise and elegant way.

Preparing Your Site for Holiday Sales

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are significant events for e-commerce businesses, so it’s important for store owners to ensure their websites are prepared. Here are some key points you can highlight for store owners to check on their websites:

1. Website Performance: Ensure that your website loads quickly and efficiently. Slow-loading pages can drive potential customers away.
2. Mobile Optimization: Make sure your website is mobile-friendly. Many shoppers use smartphones and tablets for online shopping.
3. Inventory Management: Check your inventory to ensure you have enough stock to meet the expected increase in demand. Highlight your popular Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.
4. Website Security: Ensure that your website has robust security measures in place, such as SSL certificates, to protect customer data and transactions.
5. User Experience: Review the user experience (UX) on your website. Is it easy for customers to navigate, find products, and complete the checkout process? Consider usability testing if needed.
6. SEO Optimization: Optimize your website for search engines to improve visibility. Use relevant keywords and meta descriptions to attract organic traffic.
7. Promotions and Discounts: Clearly display your Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, including start and end times, on your website’s homepage. Ensure that promo codes are easy to find and apply during checkout.
8. Email Marketing: Prepare email marketing campaigns to promote your Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Make sure your email list is segmented for targeted messaging.
9. Social Media Integration: Connect your website to your social media profiles and consider running paid advertising campaigns to reach a broader audience.
10. Customer Support: Prepare your customer support team for increased inquiries and be responsive to customer questions and issues during the sales events.
11. Payment and Checkout Process: Test your payment gateway to ensure it’s working smoothly and that the checkout process is straightforward.
12. Shipping and Delivery: Clearly communicate shipping options, estimated delivery times, and any special Black Friday and Cyber Monday shipping deals.
13. Return and Refund Policies: Review and update your return and refund policies to accommodate the holiday shopping season.
14. Load Testing: Conduct load testing to ensure your website can handle the increased traffic without crashing.
15. Analytics and Reporting: Set up tracking and analytics tools to monitor website traffic, conversion rates, and other key metrics during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period.
16. Backup and Recovery: Have a robust backup and disaster recovery plan in case of unexpected technical issues.
17. Feedback Collection: Encourage customer feedback and reviews. Positive reviews and testimonials can help boost your credibility.
18. Post-Sale Engagement: Plan for post-sale engagement, including follow-up emails and offers to retain customers for future purchases.
19. Competitive Analysis: Keep an eye on your competitors’ promotions and pricing strategies to stay competitive.
20. Sustainability and Ethical Considerations: Consider how your business can contribute to sustainability and ethical shopping practices during the holiday season.

By addressing these key areas, store owners can better prepare their websites for the increased traffic and demand during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, providing a seamless shopping experience for customers and maximizing their sales opportunities.

Thank You!

Thank you to those who use my affiliate links. As you know I make a small commission when someone uses my link and I want to say thank you to the following people. For all my recommended resources, go to my Resources Page

Announcements

• Texts Joins Automattic
• State of the Word 2023 from Madrid
• New WordPress Showcase – Built with Blocks

Is there a plugin for that?

With more than 50,000 plugins in the WordPress repository, it’s hard to find the perfect one. Each week, I will highlight an interesting plugin from the repository.

For more great plugins, download my 50 Most Useful Plugins eBook.

WP Recipe Maker is an easy recipe plugin that allows you to add recipes to any post or page with metadata for your recipes.

How to Analyze Your Site for Unused Plugins

In this episode, we’re diving into the fascinating world of WordPress plugins and the challenges they can pose for site owners in 2023. WordPress plugins are essential for enhancing your website’s functionality, but what happens when you accumulate too many or when some become outdated? It’s time to tackle the plugin overload problem and optimize your WordPress site.

We discuss the following key points in this episode:

Topics Covered:

• The Plugin Overload Problem
  • Identifying unnecessary and outdated plugins.
• The Impact of Excess Plugins
  • Conflicts, slowdowns, and security risks.
• Best Practices for Plugin Management
  • Cleaning up and optimizing your plugin list.
• Effective Strategies for Identifying Unnecessary Plugins
  • Navigating through your WordPress site.
• Replacing Functionality
  • Transitioning from old to new plugins.
• Dealing with Obsolete Services
  • Removing plugins for services you no longer use.
• Taking a Critical Look at Your Plugins
  • Assessing their value and necessity.
• Speed Optimization
  • How plugins can affect your website’s speed.
• Testing and Monitoring
  • Using speed tests to evaluate your changes.

Links Shared in the Episode:

1. MailPoet
2. ConvertKit
3. OptinMonster
4. WordPress Theme Detector and Plugin Detector

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to maintain a lean and efficient WordPress plugin environment, ensuring your website operates smoothly, remains secure, and loads quickly. So, let’s get started on the journey to a streamlined, well-maintained WordPress site.

Thank You!

Thank you to those who use my affiliate links. As you know I make a small commission when someone uses my link and I want to say thank you to the following people. For all my recommended resources, go to my Resources Page

In this episode, we’re diving deep into the world of keyboard shortcuts and the powerful command palette within WordPress.