WP Engine

A decade ago, WP Engine planted its first international roots in the heart of London, driven by a vision to empower businesses worldwide with the best performance, innovation, and support for their WordPress sites. 

This month, as we mark our 10-year anniversary in the UK, we’re grateful to celebrate a decade of growth, collaboration, and impact across the British Isles and beyond. From our early days in Shoreditch’s “Tech City,” where we shared space with some of the brightest digital innovators, to becoming a trusted partner for agencies, enterprises, and creators across Europe, our journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. 

Over the past 10 years, we’ve continually invested in regional infrastructure, supported a growing community of WordPress users and developers, and played a key role in some of the region’s most exciting and high-performing web projects. 

Read on to learn a little more about WP Engine’s history in the UK, our growth and impact over the past decade, and how we plan to continue strengthening our bonds and providing stellar service to our customers in EMEA and around the world.

A decade of growth: WP Engine’s history in the UK

WP Engine’s London office was the first of our international locations to open its doors back in 2015. 

At that time, we were already serving customers in more than 128 countries, and London was the perfect location for us to better serve those across EMEA. In the years since, our UK team has grown substantially, consistently earning awards and driving customer success in the region. 

That success can be seen across the UK and EMEA-based brands and businesses that host their websites on WP Engine’s fully managed platform. From notable brands like Penguin Random House and Amnesty International to businesses like Dexerto and Mitie, our UK and EMEA teams have welcomed thousands of new customers since 2015.

“Over the last ten years, WP Engine has built a reputation in the UK and across Europe as the best foundation for some of the continent’s most impressive digital experiences,” said WP Engine Senior VP and Managing Director of International Fabio Torlini.

“It has been such an honor to work with some of the most impressive brands and agencies in the region as they craft their online futures with us.”

In addition to supporting amazing brands and businesses over the past ten years, our UK team has also forged lasting partnerships with some of the region’s most innovative digital agencies. 

By working together with these agency partners and offering them the tools and dedicated support they need to succeed, WP Engine has continued to empower the builders and creators behind some of the UK’s most high-performing and creative sites.

Recently, our Agency Partner Awards highlighted the outstanding work of our UK partners, and sites built by StrategiQ, Mixd, and Plug & Play were named among the finalists. Whether they achieved outstanding Core Web Vitals scores, drove innovations to improve performance, or even built a navigable 3D model for a hospital, these agencies are using WordPress and WP Engine to reimagine what digital experiences can do.

Beyond the support we provide to our agency partners, WP Engine has continually invested in regional infrastructure, improving performance and platform capabilities for all our customers in and around the UK.

WP Engine’s continued focus on global growth

More than 40% of the web already runs on WordPress. To help keep that plurality of the internet up and running, WP Engine has strategically invested in specific regions to support our customers across the globe.

Since our London office opened in 2015, WP Engine has opened additional international offices in Limerick, Ireland (2016), Brisbane, Australia (2017), and Kraków, Poland (2020), as well as additional smaller offices around the globe. 

We’ve also invested in more global infrastructure, including recent investments to better serve Asia and the wider APAC region.

Each of these decisions, from the products we maintain to the infrastructure we operate, is intended to keep our customers’ sites fast and performant in all corners of the globe. That said, some of the most valuable investments we’ve made have been in our own team.

A few of our longstanding UK team members have been with us for the last ten years and remember that office in Tech City. They have watched us grow from a team of just three individuals to more than 70-strong in the UK and nearly 300 across EMEA.

“Watching the growth and expansion of our EMEA operations since the opening of our UK office has been such a privilege,” said WP Engine Principal Events Manager Imran Pervez.

“It’s been ten years of non-stop growth, relationship-building, innovation, and fun! Both for us and for our customers, the journey has been nothing short of remarkable.”

From a tight-knit team to one of the UK’s Best Workplaces, it’s our people who have made all the difference.

WP Engine is proud to be a global technology company

From our first international location in the UK to the additional offices and data centers we’ve since added around the world, WP Engine is committed to backing our customers with industry-leading innovation and expertise on a global scale.

We’re proud of our many investments in the products and people who are building the future of the web, and we’re especially pleased to celebrate ten years of WP Engine in the UK!

Learn more about WP Engine and how we’re able to help agencies and developers build better digital experiences or check out our open roles to find your next career move, no matter where you’re located!

This article on scalable hosting was written by DEMA Marketing CEO Mariana Krasteva. A WP Engine Agency Partner, DEMA Marketing is a comprehensive digital marketing agency focused on elevating their clients’ brands and driving growth through content, SEO, web design and development, and branding and creative design.

Running a growing marketing agency often feels like juggling; only you’re blindfolded… And someone keeps adding more balls… Sounds familiar? It sure felt like this when DEMA Marketing started working with multiple clients and hosting providers. 

But what if one decision could simplify everything, save hours, and boost client results? That’s what switching to WP Engine did for us. In this post, we’ll share the challenges we faced, the solutions we discovered, and the lessons we learned along the way.

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The challenges of multiple hosting solutions

The fragmentation problem

Managing multiple hosting providers felt like assembling IKEA furniture with instructions in five languages. Each platform had its quirks, leading to inefficiencies that sapped our time and patience. Here’s what we struggled with:

Administrative overhead:

• Diverse control panels: Each hosting provider often utilizes unique control panels (e.g., cPanel, Plesk), requiring team members to familiarize themselves with multiple interfaces, which increases training time and the likelihood of errors.
• Varied support channels: Different providers offer support through various channels with varying response times. Coordinating with multiple support teams can delay issue resolution and strain resources.
• Inconsistent security protocols: Ensuring uniform security measures across different hosting environments is challenging, potentially exposing client sites to vulnerabilities.

Performance inconsistencies:

• Resource allocation variability: Heavy traffic on one site can slow down others if sharing the same server.
• Unpredictable uptime: Some hosting providers don’t promise consistent uptime, hurting your site’s SEO and user trust.
• Server location disparities: If hosting servers are far from your audience, it can lead to slower loading times and a less pleasant experience for visitors.

SEO limitations:

• Lack of SSL certificates: Some hosting plans do not include SSL certificates, which are essential for site security and have become a significant ranking factor in SEO.
• Limited support for SEO tools: Certain hosting environments may not support advanced SEO plugins or tools, restricting the ability to optimize sites effectively.
• Slow page load times: Hosting providers with inadequate resources can lead to slow-loading websites, negatively impacting user experience and search engine rankings. 

DEMA’s real-life example

One of our clients had a beautiful Squarespace site. However, all the pages were loading slowly, which hampered their SEO. We rebuilt their site on WordPress with WP Engine, keeping the same design but supercharging performance. The result? A 50% faster load time, a jump in search rankings, and a happier client.

This transformation taught us a key lesson: A stunning site is worthless without robust hosting to back it up.

One hosting to rule them all: The WP Engine partnership

Switching to WP Engine wasn’t just a tech upgrade but a strategic pivot. Here’s why it worked for us:

Pay-as-you-go flexibility

Tailored hosting plans for every client meant no wasted resources.

Time-saving tools

WP Engine became our secret weapon for efficiency, from automated updates of WordPress plugins to advanced solutions like: 

• Genesis Pro providing advanced developer tools, such as Genesis Blocks Pro and Genesis Custom Blocks Pro, enabling the rapid creation of custom content blocks and themes for tailored client solutions
• Smart Plugin Manager automatically managing plugin and theme updates, ensuring sites remain secure and functional without manual intervention, and reverts changes if issues are detected
• Global Edge Security ensuring enterprise-grade security with a managed Web Application Firewall (WAF) and advanced DDoS mitigation, protecting sites from common vulnerabilities and attacks

Such tools significantly reduced the time spent on maintenance tasks, allowing us to focus more on strategic initiatives and client growth.

Built-in performance boosts: 

Enterprise-level features that ensure faster, more reliable websites for our clients.

• Content delivery network (CDN) distributing site content across global servers, reducing latency and improving load times for users worldwide
• Automated backups, providing daily and on-demand backups, ensuring data is securely stored and can be quickly restored in case of issues, enhancing site reliability
• Staging environments, allowing for testing changes in a safe environment before deploying to production, minimizing the risk of site disruptions and ensuring seamless updates

These features collectively contribute to delivering high-performing, secure, and dependable websites for our clients.

How did it work in the long run?

The results of our switch to WP Engine spoke for themselves. Here’s what we gained: 

1. Streamlined workflow: With one dashboard, we saved hours every week.
2. Improved client SEO: Faster sites translated to higher search rankings and a 20% boost in eommerce.
3. Cost savings: Consolidation cut hosting costs by 15%, freeing us to onboard three new clients.
4. Happier clients: One client called their new site ‘the most stable it’s ever been.’ That’s the kind of trust we aim for.

Reliable, scalable hosting fostered stronger client relationships. With reduced downtime and consistent performance, clients had more confidence in our ability to deliver.

Scalable hosting lessons learned from our WP Engine experience

Our journey wasn’t without hiccups. Here’s what we’d do differently and what you can learn from us:

1. Start small: Migrating all clients simultaneously was ambitious (and stressful). A phased approach would’ve been smoother.
2. Leverage support: WP Engine’s 24/7 help was a lifesaver—once we remembered to use it. Don’t hesitate to ask for help early.
3. Fully utilize tools: WP Engine’s tools, like Performance Insights, are gold. Don’t wait months to dig in.

Pro Tip: For agencies evaluating hosting solutions, consider platforms that align with your long-term growth objectives. Performance metrics are important, but scalability and support are equally critical.

The broader impact on our agency

The switch to WP Engine didn’t just solve our immediate challenges; it also transformed our business model. Here’s how:

Improved team productivity

With a centralized hosting solution, our team was free to focus on core competencies like strategy and creative development. The time saved on administrative tasks translated into more innovative client solutions.

Enhanced client offerings

The robust features of WP Engine enabled us to expand our service portfolio. From advanced security measures to performance optimization, we could offer clients a comprehensive package that meets their evolving needs.

Unified reporting and analytics

One unexpected benefit of consolidating all client websites onto WP Engine was the ability to unify reporting and analytics. With all sites managed under one platform, we could easily track performance metrics across our entire client portfolio. This gave us a clear picture of trends, bottlenecks, and successes, allowing us to make data-driven decisions quickly. 

Competitive advantage

In a crowded market, the ability to deliver reliable, high-performing websites became a key differentiator. Clients viewed us as a strategic partner capable of driving measurable results.

The takeaway: scalable hosting matters

Switching to WP Engine was more than a hosting decision; it was a strategic move that redefined how we operate as an agency. The streamlined workflows, improved client outcomes, and cost efficiencies set the stage for scalable growth.Learn more about working with DEMA Marketing here, and visit WP Engine to learn more about our Agency Partner Program and our industry leading hosting platform for WordPress.

Innovation, creativity, and community impact take center stage in our second-annual Agency Partner Awards. 

This year’s 160 submissions from more than 90 agencies around the world demonstrated best-in-class, WordPress-powered design and development, and the agency partners who built them drove truly impressive results for their clients.

Each of these sites built on WP Engine’s powerful platform reflects the depth of talent within our global network of agency partners, and with so many agencies delivering exceptional projects, selecting the finalists was no easy task.

In addition to the outstanding work recognized across five categories—Inclusive Design, Peak Performance, Future-ready Innovation, Business Transformation, and Committed to Give Back—WP Engine will bestow three Agency of the Year Awards and three Emerging Agency Awards (for North America, EMEA, and ANZ regions) next week when the official winners are announced.

In the meantime, check out these agencies that made it to the final round in each of our five design and development award categories, or click here to learn more about WP Engine’s Agency Partner Program!

Inclusive Design Award

The Inclusive Design Award honors agencies building sites that are as functional as they are beautiful. 

Sites nominated in this category had to meet or exceed AAA accessibility standards, meet or exceed a PageSpeed Insights Accessibility score of 85, optimize both the frontend and backend for editor accessibility—and look good doing it.

Family Fund site by Mixd 

The UK’s largest grant-making charity for families raising children with severe disabilities and illnesses required a revamp of its website to improve accessibility. 

Talented technologists at Mixd agency built a new digital experience on WP Engine’s platform that earned Family Fund a perfect 100/100 Core Web Vitals Accessibility score.

Farm Credit site by Social Driver

When a nationwide network of customer-owned cooperatives migrated their existing site from Drupal to WordPress, the immediate benefits were astounding.

With the help of agency professionals at Social Driver, the site became significantly more accessible—earning the site a perfect Core Web Vitals Accessibility score—and Farm Credit is seeing five times more traffic post-migration.

Alder Hey Children’s Hospital site by Mixd

One of Europe’s biggest and busiest children’s hospitals, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, chose agency experts at Mixd to reimagine its digital presence.

The new site boasts a perfect PageSpeed Insights Accessibility score and a fully interactive 3D map of the hospital that visiting children and their families can explore to become more familiar with the space before arriving for appointments or procedures.

Goodwill OC site by 500 Designs

Goodwill of Orange County needed a new site that would both encapsulate the importance of donating and expand accessibility for users with disabilities who were seeking employment.

The innovators at 500 Designs brought Goodwill OC’s vision to life with a beautifully reinvigorated site design and a perfect 100/100 PageSpeed Insights Accessibility score.

Culinary Institute of America site by Vital Design

They say you eat first with your eyes, and if that’s the case, visitors to the new Culinary Institute of America site are certainly feeling full.

Creative professionals at Vital Design crafted delicious visuals and updated more than 200 pages to improve PageSpeed Insights Accessibility scores on both mobile and desktop.

Peak Performance Award

The Peak Performance Award honors agency-built sites that combine complex features with exceptional speed and reliable performance across all digital touchpoints.

Each entry had to achieve a PageSpeed Insights Performance score of 85 or higher on both mobile and desktop and prove significant before-and-after performance improvements.

Freeman site by WebDevStudios

Freeman is an events services company focused on making moments that matter for exhibits, corporate events, trade shows, and more.

Through innovative use of Advanced Custom Fields and database optimization best practices, agency experts at WebDevStudios increased the site’s PageSpeed Insights Performance score by more than 30 on both mobile and desktop.

Factorial Energy site by 500 Designs

Factorial Energy is a pioneering company that’s revolutionizing battery technology to improve performance, sustainability, and safety.

The new site, created by 500 Designs, emphasizes the clean energy potential of Factorial Energy’s technology through simple storytelling, effective design, and the power of WordPress. 

Boomshot site by Coalition Technologies

Boomshot’s production experts are skilled at crafting distinctive, exceptional video content for their clients, but their own website was feeling the weight of that work and slowing down under the stress of heavy media files.

Digital experts at Coalition Technologies implemented a headless architecture and fully optimized the new Boomshot site, so the team’s award-winning videos now load and play faster than ever. 

Ocean Outdoor site by Plug & Play

Ocean Outdoor is a specialist media company that asks companies to see beyond the smartphone and take digital advertising out into the world, turning spaces into places that bring a brand closer to its audience.

They tapped the experts at Plug & Play to help reimagine their own digital presence, which has since achieved a PageSpeed Insights Performance score of 96 on mobile and 98 on desktop, even while organizing hundreds of thousands of large high-resolution media files.

Victaulic site by Crowd Favorite

Victaulic delivers advanced technologies and engineering services to address complex piping challenges faced by residential and commercial engineers.

The complexity and multitude of services provided by Victaulic—and its immense digital content library—was no problem for the digital architects at Crowd Favorite, who optimized the massive database on WP Engine’s platform to make finding information simple and speedy for users.

Future-ready Innovation Award

The Future-ready Innovation Award acknowledges innovative agencies using AI, headless architecture, and other cutting-edge WordPress technologies to set a new standard for modern web development.

Each agency entry had to include before-and-after examples showing how the applied technology translated into operational efficiency, scalability, or cost savings for the client.

The New Home Company site by Wpromote

The New Home Company is passionate about building homes with the latest ideas and innovations in mind to create a truly personalized, curated home-buying experience.

Its new website, built by the experts at Wpromote, uses headless technology to provide buyers with real-time, regional pricing data on homes, leading to a huge spike in user satisfaction and a more than 20% increase in engagement.

Farber Debt Solutions site by Art & Science

Farber Debt Solutions Farber has helped more than 100,000 Canadians successfully get out of debt throughout its 43 years of financial counseling and services.

Creative experts at Art & Science tapped into the power of headless to transform Farber’s digital presence, leading to a more than 150% increase in organic leads from the new site!

ACI Worldwide site by Vital Design

Secure digital payment processing is a complicated but necessary component of modern commerce. ACI Worldwide processes billions of transactions per day, equating to trillions of U.S. dollars, through its suite of electronic payment software solutions.

When ACI Worldwide needed a new website to better illustrate the advanced, cutting-edge technology it provides, agency experts at Vital Design utilized WP Engine’s Headless WordPress Platform to improve scalability and performance.

I Hate It Here site by Refact

Burnout isn’t a buzzword—it’s a very real issue experienced by up to three-quarters of professionals at some point in their lives. I Hate It Here is a site that acts as equal parts a safe space and an advice column for HR professionals experiencing burnout.

A project for Workweek created by agency professionals at Refact, the site is an exercise in community building, providing a place to vent as well as actionable insights for changing company cultures through its associated newsletter and podcast.

Cleveland Institute of Art site by thunder::tech

Showcasing a maximalist, media-rich design, and a clean, sophisticated bottom navigation, thunder::tech has seamlessly interwoven artistic flair and simple, intuitive UX design for the Cleveland Institute of Art.

The private, nonprofit college of art and design, which has been a training ground for students for more than 140 years, now has a striking, modern digital face to attract emerging artists to enroll. 

Business Transformation Award

The Business Transformation Award recognizes sites that drove impressive user engagement, conversions, or overall brand elevation after migrating or replatforming from another CMS or host.

These agencies created solid, scalable foundations on which their clients can continue to thrive in the modern market.

The Florey site by Spark Digital

Researchers at The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health—the largest brain research center in the Southern Hemisphere—work tirelessly to identify causes, interventions, and cures for conditions that affect brain function, including dementia, epilepsy, and mental health issues. 

Its new website—created by Spark Digital—requires lower IT support which has led to operational savings for the nonprofit, and visitors are viewing the site’s donation page 40% more post-migration to WordPress.

Financial Advice Association of Australia site by 3 Phase Marketing

The Financial Advice Association of Australia is (FAAA) the country’s leading professional organization for financial advisers.

After replatforming to WordPress and WP Engine, 3 Phase Marketing helped the FAAA dramatically reduce the total cost of ownership of their site and drive a 133% increase in user engagement by making sweeping changes to UX and SEO strategies and cleaning up more than 1,000 pages of content.

Safe Events site by Granite

When the “figure it out” safety people at Safe Events couldn’t figure out the best solution for their digital presence, agency artisans at Granite were there to help.

After a migration from ModX to WordPress, the new site and rebrand increased site session duration by more than 40% and decreased its bounce rate by more than 30%.

Halls Gap Zoo site by Defyn

Halls Gap Zoo, Victoria, Australia’s largest privately owned regional zoo, migrated its site from a custom CMS to WordPress with the help of digital specialists at Defyn agency.

In doing so, the zoo saw an increase in both site traffic and foot traffic thanks to a 230% increase in memberships sold through the site!

Prosper Home & Land site by DeltaV Digital

When agency experts at DeltaV Digital suggested that Prosper Home & Land move their website from Squarespace to WordPress, they could never have imagined the impact it would have on their digital performance.

The new site saw a 45% increase in conversions, a 30% increase in time spent on site, and a whopping 60% increase in organic traffic, helping this small second-generation family business thrive in the digital market.

Committed to Give Back Award

The Committed to Give Back Award celebrates agencies that are using their talents for good. Each entry had to demonstrate exceptional design and show that the site made a positive, real-world impact on a nonprofit organization.

These mission-driven sites foster support, generate engagement, and advance the missions of the important causes they serve. 

David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation by StrategiQ

Established in 1984 by conservationist David Shepherd, this nonprofit has helped turn the tide on species extinction.

Working pro-bono for a cause that resonated with their team, the experts at StrategiQ ended up completing a major site audit and refresh for the foundation, improving performance, functionality, and overall engagement.

Clooney Foundation for Justice site by Redback Solutions

Founded by George and Amal Clooney, the Clooney Foundation for Justice addresses human rights abuses on a global scale through on-the-ground investigations, trial monitoring, litigation, and advocacy.

Redback Solutions sought to center the people most affected by the nonprofit’s work by using high-quality, fast-loading video and multimedia content across the site. 

weADAPT site by Flipside Group

One of the world’s leading collaborative platforms for climate change knowledge and collaboration now focuses on sustainability in its own site design, thanks to the creatives at Fipside.

weADAPT’s new site makes it easy for visitors to learn about the effects of climate change, contribute content related to climate news, or connect and discuss these topics with like-minded peers. 

Cost of Inequity site by Online Optimism

The Cost of Inequity site explores scholarship related to the economic burden caused by racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic inequities in the U.S. healthcare system. 

Agency consultants at Online Optimism helped bridge the gap between data and storytelling with a new site that includes an interactive map of state-by-state statistics and other research done by Tulane University’s Institute for Innovation in Health Equity.

MIT MLK Scholars site by GraVoc

The MIT MLK Scholars Program welcomes outstanding scholars to MIT each year to share lectures, collaborate with other researchers, and deepen their scholarship. 

The organization tapped agency experts at GraVoc to build its new site, providing a digital face for the impact of this auspicious program.

What are WP Engine’s Agency Partner Awards?

WP Engine’s Agency Partner Awards recognize outstanding digital agencies that deliver exceptional site design, development, and innovation for their clients. 

Now in its second year, the awards aim to shine a light on some of the creative agencies enrolled in the company’s Agency Partner Program—the largest agency ecosystem in the WordPress community. You can learn more about 2024’s winners here.

Meet our winners next week!

Watch out for more news next week when we’ll share the winners for each of these categories!

In the meantime, check out some of the 2024 Agency Partner Award winners, or learn more about WP Engine’s Agency Partner Program!

WP Engine’s mission to power confidence online relies on the dedication and expertise of more than 1,000 global employees.

The combined effort of our whole team—from the support specialists solving technical challenges to the engineers driving performance and innovation across our fully managed hosting platform to the passionate professionals supporting our agency partners and everyone in between—ensures continued growth and success for WP Engine and our customers alike.

Our Meet the Experts series highlights some of the people who bring this mission to life, showcasing their roles, areas of expertise, and invaluable contributions to WP Engine’s success.

In this feature, we’ll introduce you to Kimberley Molloy, a culture and engagement team lead based in Limerick, Ireland.

Say hello to Kimberley!

Meet Kimberley Molloy, the culture and engagement team lead for WP Engine’s global locations. 

Based in Limerick, Kimberley is the person responsible for tracking the pulse of our workplace culture by creating meaningful events, fostering connections, and ensuring that WP Engine employees around the world feel supported and valued.

From managing regional town halls to organizing community give-back initiatives to running our two-day onboarding program for new hires in EMEA, Kimberley’s efforts make a lasting impact that helps WP Engine retain top talent.

“I think what I do contributes to the company’s success by making work better and easier for our employees,” Kimberley explains. 

“When people feel connected and appreciated, they’re more inspired to do their best work.”

When she’s not at work, you can find Kimberley at her CrossFit gym, headed to a horror movie, or tucking into a meal and a pint of Guinness in one of Limerick’s many exceptional restaurants. (She highly recommends The Buttery’s buffalo chicken burger.)

Kimberley’s career journey

Kimberley’s WP Engine journey began in technical support nearly seven years ago. 

“I had heard of this startup coming to Limerick, and everyone who joined couldn’t stop raving about the company,” Kimberley recalls. 

“I thought, ‘I want in,’ and here I am almost seven years later!”

Part of the reason she’s still with WP Engine after seven years is due to the support she received from her own managers. When she expressed an interest in moving to a different department, the company encouraged and celebrated her transition into a role that aligned with her passions.

As the culture and engagement team lead, Kimberley now plays a key role in driving initiatives that bring people together and elevate the employee experience. 

Whether it’s through small moments, like hosting weekly coffee mornings, or larger programs, like organizing the company’s quarterly culture awards, Kimberley’s work highlights the essence of WP Engine’s culture.

“It’s all about thoughtfulness,” Kimberley says. 

“We want people to feel like they’re part of something special, whether it’s their first day here or their thousandth.”

Words of wisdom: Take a break

One lesson Kimberley has learned both in her own career and in her work as a people motivator is the importance of self-care.

“When things get overwhelming, it’s important to prioritize looking after yourself,” Kimberley says. 

“Take a walk, book a day off, call a friend for a chat. No one will commend you for pushing through burnout—they probably won’t even notice. The only person who feels the effects is you.”

Her advice for aspiring culture and engagement professionals is equally pragmatic.

“Have fun with it! You’ll make mistakes and get things wrong, but those are the moments where you’ll learn the most.”

Powered by people

At WP Engine, culture isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a collective effort led by passionate individuals like Kimberley.

When asked what she loves most about her role, Kimberley doesn’t hesitate.

“It might sound cliché, but it’s the people,” she says. 

“The amazing culture we have at WP Engine exists because of every person here. Even on the busiest or toughest days, there’s always someone to make you laugh or brighten your day.”

Want to find out more about what it’s like to work at WP Engine? Visit our careers site to see the roles we currently have open, and check out our blog for more information about all the great people who work here!

Innovation is a continuous process of turning bold ideas into reality, and true innovators are those who dare to push the bounds of what’s possible. 

To explore how the fusion of creativity and technology is shaping the future of the web, WP Engine and The Webby Awards hosted Crafted Future: Driving Innovation. 

In this most recent Crafted Future event, experts discuss the strategies and tools they’re using to push boundaries, craft scalable solutions, and redefine the standards of digital excellence. Whether it’s through adopting cutting-edge technology, embracing new ideas, or ensuring seamless user experiences, the conversation explores what it takes to lead the charge in crafting forward-thinking, memorable digital experiences.

Panelists included Long Lead Editor John Patrick Pullen, DD.NYC^Ⓡ Creative Director and Managing Partner Anjelika Kour, and WP Engine Director of Digital Experience Caleb Eubanks. Together, they shared their perspectives on the big question facing agencies and developers today: How do you successfully balance creativity with technical excellence in the pursuit of digital greatness?

Read on for insights about the tools and perspectives that are setting new digital standards and driving the future of web design and development.

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Defining innovation: a thoughtful, collaborative process

The panel opened with a discussion that addresses the big theme of the day: What does “innovation” really mean in a technological sense, and how do we define it?

Panelists’ unique experiences informed their understanding of what innovation means. 

For Pullen, everything comes back to an editorial lens, so innovation means telling a story that imparts crucial knowledge to an audience in the most resonant way. 

For Kour, innovation means taking a sober look at a specific industry, deciding what changes would make the most impact, and taking meaningful strides within that niche to drive better experiences. She also cautioned against a need for speed, sharing that true innovation requires thoughtfulness, not haste.

“The best way to describe it is to take strides within each industry to push it forward,” she said. 

“But you can go too fast if you’re not communicating to your audiences.”

For Eubanks, innovation means improvement for both the storytellers and product designers behind the scenes and for the end consumers of that content.

“For me, it’s about solving age-old challenges in new ways,” he says. 

“As long as you’re focused on the end user and solving problems in better, faster, and more efficient ways to reduce strain on them, that’s innovation.”

From there, The Webby Awards general manager and panel moderator Nick Borenstein asked for specifics about two sites featured in this year’s Crafted With Code showcase: Hawkridge by DD.NYC and Lifting Ukraine by Long Lead. 

When asked how he approached digital design as a non-technical professional, Pullen shared that asking questions and dreaming big are vital to an innovative design process.

“I ask a lot of stupid questions, I say a lot of uninformed things, and then ask how we make this a reality,” he said. 

“A lot of times the answer is that it can’t be done, but I’m often surprised how often things can be done.”

Eubanks echoed that sentiment, taking a moment to share how collaboration is key to driving innovation.

“We have a fantastic product team here at WP Engine, and what they create is amazing. So, on the marketing side, we like to drink our own champagne by using those products and tools,” he said. 

“Then, we’re lucky enough to partner with those teams to create real-time feedback loops which allow us both—product and marketing—to innovate together and ultimately provide better service to the designers and storytellers using those products every day.”

Headless architecture, personalization, and embracing humanity in technology

As developers and creatives collaborate to drive thoughtful innovation across the web, choosing the right tools and technologies is vital to creating better, more human-centered products.

One such technology is headless development, which provides the foundation for both the Hawkridge Austin and Lifting Ukraine sites. Borenstein asked each panelist for their thoughts on headless technology and how it can enable more personalized web experiences.

“There are a lot of benefits to a headless platform. At a base level, headless technology allows greater flexibility across your entire ecosystem and is inherently modular and more flexible,” says Eubanks. 

“The separation of the front and backends allows you to choose the tools that are right for you, and headless allows content to be delivered across multiple platforms to improve the omnichannel experience.”

According to panelists, two of the main benefits of headless web architecture are the flexibility it offers and its ability to enable more personalized experiences.

“Headless architecture really gives us that flexibility across every project. We use headless in most of the projects that we do at DD.NYC,” she said. 

“Our agency utilizes headless to be able to create any design possible. By disconnecting frontend from backend, we can further scale even highly custom environments.”

And because even the most beautifully designed sites aren’t guaranteed to resonate with all users, headless’ ability to enhance personalization is a huge boon for both web developers and businesses that rely on web traffic for continued growth and brand awareness.

A truly personalized site must simultaneously gain valuable information about users and apply that knowledge to their on-site experiences. 

“Personalization is incredibly important—frankly, it’s table stakes in the modern digital economy,” said Eubanks. 

“Personalization is a matrix, so the more you know, the greater your technology stack is connected, the more you can personalize.”

Headless technology enhances the ability to create deeply personalized experiences on lightning-fast, completely custom websites, which is why experts believe it will continue to drive innovation web-wide.

Innovations on the horizon

As the conversation took a turn from what’s happening now to what’s possible in the future, experts discussed a number of trends they expect to continue growing, from minimalist site design to embracing artificial intelligence. 

“I would say that minimalism is one of the trends we do employ quite often at DD.NYC, and that’s because we want sites to be innovative at launch but also have longevity,” said Kour.

“We’ve built websites nine years ago that are still referenced today in client briefs today because they think it’s something that we built last year.”

Embracing artificial intelligence (AI) was another hot topic of discussion, and experts were excited to see how AI can be leveraged to drive future innovation.

“AI and machine learning are just tools that speed up the processing of data, which you can then leverage, but data is the important piece,” said Eubanks.

“Embracing AI is about using data for rapid experimentation to get to better outcomes faster.”

The most important innovation panelists noted, however, doesn’t come down to a single tool or technology—it comes down to design. Innovating the way information is presented to make it more attractive to a wider audience will be the driving force behind how and why designers make certain decisions.

“What we’re trying to do is push the [journalism] industry forward. There’s better ways to present information, and that’s what we’re endeavoring to show,” said Pullen. 

“Lifting Ukraine, for example, is a photo essay, so I think it would surprise some of you to know that it’s 7,500 words. You don’t feel that because it’s so rich in its visuals, but it’s a long story.”

In the end, innovation is about using creativity and technology in tandem to create compelling digital experiences that impart both knowledge and a specific sentiment upon the end users.

“For me, it’s about an emotion. Design depends on your audience, who you’re trying to reach, and what emotion you’re trying to convey,” said Eubanks. 

“A lot of websites look a lot of the same ways, so you have to be innovative and exploratory to create truly new experiences.”

What is Crafted Future?

Crafted Future is a series of compelling panel discussions created in partnership with The Webby Awards. The virtual event series explores topics impacting the work of digital professionals as told by top-level experts in their fields.

You can find previous Crafted Future discussions on The Webby Awards’ YouTube channel.

Craft your future with WP Engine

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Crafted Future: Driving Innovation—we hope the discussion inspired you to explore new ideas and find ways to infuse creativity into your workflows.

At WP Engine, we are dedicated to empowering developers, designers, and businesses to push the boundaries of what’s possible online. With cutting-edge WordPress solutions, we help our customers build secure, high-performance, and scalable websites that drive innovation and deliver exceptional user experiences.

Ready to craft the future of the web? Explore our hosting plans or connect with an expert to discover how WP Engine can support your next big idea!

Crafted With Code 2024 has reached an exciting conclusion with its innovation showcase—a collection of some of the most groundbreaking and imaginative WordPress-powered projects recognized by the Webby Awards throughout the year.

A collaboration between WP Engine and the Webby Awards, Crafted With Code has spent the past five years exploring the stories behind Webby-recognized websites, offering a glimpse into the creativity and technical expertise required to bring them to life.

Through in-depth video interviews with creators, the innovation showcase examines how technology and artistry merge to create unforgettable digital experiences.

“Innovation is what drives the web forward, and these projects demonstrate the limitless possibilities of WordPress,” said WP Engine Director of Brand Regina Yuan. 

“We’re thrilled to partner with the Webby Awards to celebrate the ingenuity of these creators and inspire others to push boundaries and break the mold.”

Final edition: Innovation

The first phase of 2024’s Crafted With Code showcase focused on design and accessibility, featuring projects that are equal parts beautiful and functional, striking a balance between style and user convenience. The second phase, the performance showcase, highlighted sites designed to deliver lightning-fast load times and optimized content delivery, all powered by WordPress.

The third and final phase of the 2024 Crafted With Code showcase is focused on innovation. The exhibition spotlights five sites that seamlessly blend creative vision with cutting-edge technology, illustrating how WordPress can be harnessed to craft scalable, memorable, and future-ready digital experiences.

2024’s most innovative projects

The following are three of the projects that earned a spot in this year’s innovation showcase—all hosted on WP Engine’s platform!

These sites deliver engaging content in unique ways and show how the world’s most popular CMS continues to redefine what’s possible on the web.

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Mentorship is a vital part of career development, but for many up-and-coming creatives and agencies hiring young professionals, finding the right person or resource to mold their raw talent is a challenge. 

Jason Bagley, former ECD of Wieden+Kennedy agency, founded the Audacious School of Astonishing Pursuits (ASAP) to fill that need. With programs and coaches that teach proven principles and techniques, ASAP aims to inspire the next generation of creative professionals and help them advance their careers to unlock their full potential. 

The Webby-nominated site is exactly as creative as the organization’s name might suggest, offering a unique parallax scrolling experience, fast-loading video, subtle glitch animations, and a distinctly ‘80s vibe.

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Candice B. Groot (1954–2015) was a prominent philanthropist and collector who earnestly believed in the transformative power of art. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Texas Tech University and spent much of her personal and professional life surrounding herself with as many works of art as possible.

Her legacy continues to inspire through several grants, awards, and scholarships named for her (provided through the Virginia A. Groot Foundation which she established in 1988), and her impactful contributions left a lasting impression on the art community at large.

The Art is Everywhere site was named a Webby Honoree in 2024 and acts as a digital exhibition of the work Groot collected over a lifetime of art appreciation. It shares images of the work itself alongside quotes and stories that honor the life and legacy of a true artist. Featuring an imaginative cursor and a minimalist layout that lets the art speak for itself, the site leans into some of the trends at the forefront of modern web design.

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Hawkridge is a subdivision located just south of downtown Austin, TX in the heart of the Hill Country. Named after the native hawks that soar the skies, Hawkridge represents the marriage of natural beauty and artful architecture.

Luxury developer Kirby Walls spearheaded the project, which covers 88 acres of land and incorporates local architectural materials like aged corten, weathered limestone, textural concrete, and river rock to complement the stunning aesthetic of the natural surroundings. 

The Webby-nominated Hawkridge website mirrors the project’s elegance and focus on natural beauty. Featuring subtle micro-interactions and stunning photography that captures the beauty of the Texas Hill Country, users are encouraged to explore available lots, schedule a tour, and imagine themselves nestled in the quiet luxury community.

Tune into our Crafted Future event to learn more 

Want to dive deeper into the cutting-edge projects in the innovation showcase and hear directly from the creators behind them?

Join us on January 22 for Crafted Future: Driving Innovation, a special event co-hosted with the Webbys, where digital leaders from the innovation showcase will share their insights on creativity, technology, and the future of WordPress.

Register now to secure your spot, and stay tuned to our blog for more updates about Crafted With Code 2025.

The relentless drive to simplify our customers’ workflows, enhance their websites, and invest in open-source tools beloved by the community—such as Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), Local, and NitroPack—inspired a banner year for innovation at WP Engine. 

Building on our 2024 Year in Review, which highlighted key upgrades and enhancements, we’re excited to present this comprehensive view of the innovations and improvements we launched for our customers and the wider WordPress community in 2024. 

From Smart Search AI, which transforms how site owners and online retailers connect with their users, to Page Speed Boost enhancements that make websites faster than ever, 2024 saw us redefine the possibilities of what your websites can do. 

Additionally, our developer sandbox environments and improved site transfer workflows simplified agency operations, while our Conversational AI search experience offered a glimpse into the future of website interactions. 

But that’s just the beginning. All of these innovations reflect our commitment to our customers, our agency partners, and WordPress users worldwide. They are embedded in the DNA of our industry-leading platform and products to help our customers and WordPress developers win online. 

Let’s keep evolving, improving, and innovating together in 2025! 

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WP Engine’s 2024 Key Improvements & Innovations

Performance innovations & insights

Frontend optimization

• Page Speed Boost optimizations tuning
  • Page Speed Boost’s 30+ code-level enhancements now further increase page speed, optimizing images, cleaning up code, and prioritizing loading.
• Page Speed Boost troubleshooting

Analytics

• Performance Insights & Recommendations
• Lighthouse scores monitoring with Page Speed Boost

Platform performance

• Edge Full Page Cache
• Improved Object Cache
• Entri Connect for automating DNS pointing
• Increased reliability and security 
  • We implemented robust security enhancements, resolved customer pain points, and upgraded hardware for faster, safer, and more reliable user experiences.

UI & accessibility improvements 

WP Engine User Portal

• Switch network workflow update
  • Effortlessly switch to our advanced network and receive DDoS mitigation. 
• Multi-factor authentication enhancements
• Copy site error handling &  status updates
  • More detailed updates throughout the copy site process, ensuring transparency to keep customers informed of progress and completion.
• Integrated search for support and account information
  •  Easily locate support resources and account information directly in the WP Engine User Portal 
• AI-powered chat support
• Automatic Search-Replace for primary domain updates
  • Take the hassle out of manual updates with our new auto search-replace feature.
• Site navigation redesign
  • We refined our core navigation to make the WP Engine User Portal easier and more intuitive.
• [Beta] Dark mode
  • Save energy and give your eyes a break with our new dark mode option.
• Account dashboard, usage reporting, and invoice updates
  • We’ve enhanced the Dashboard, Billing, and Usage pages in the User Portal, ensuring the most important information about your plan and website(s) is readily available.      

Specialized solutions

AI

• Smart Search AI
  • A natural-language search experience that understands user intent and delivers highly relevant, accurate results—even for vague, misspelled, or conversational queries.
• Conversational AI search experience
  • AI-powered hybrid search for both keywords and natural language. 
• [Beta] AI Recommendations
  • Enhance content, product pages, and more with AI-generated recommendations for your users.  
• [Beta] AI chatbot template
  • Our AI-powered vector-as-a-service technology gives you easy access to an out-of-the-box chatbot template.   

eCommerce

• Slow Query Monitor
• Smart Search AI for eCommerce
• Dynamic plugin loading
• Stripe Checkout integration

Headless

• Performant Node Package Manager (pnpm) support
  •  Added support for fast, space-efficient disk space management. 
• Improved runtime logs
  •  Gain an aggregated, real-time view of recent application logs generated by WordPress and Node.js environments.
• Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) 
  • Ensure dynamic content freshness with incremental static regeneration. 
• Cache purge library
  •  Removes resources from your cache without waiting for the cache to expire.
• Enhanced User Interface
  • In alignment with WP Engine’s UX and design standards, we refined our Headless Platform UI to boost usability and intuitiveness. Try it out for free for a firsthand look!
• HTTP health checks
  •  Monitor the health of HTTP servers with ease. 

Agency workflows & developer tooling

Solutions for agencies and large-scale sites

• All Accounts view
  • See all of your client accounts in one place, at once. 
• Bulk plugin and theme ZIP file upload
  • Say goodbye to individually installing plugins and ZIP files and get back to focusing on what matters most.  
• Developer Sandboxes
  • Give your devs access to a safe, secure development environment for building and testing your latest work. 
• Improved account switcher
  • Switch between accounts more seamlessly than ever. 
• Improved site transfer
  • Transfer client sites faster, with more intuitive workflows and dedicated support throughout. 
• Managed Migration Service
• New Push/Pull functionality
  • Update client sites and their content faster and seamlessly. 
• Status visibility for backups
  • Gain a clear line of sight into your backup processes. 

Tooling

• Smart Plugin Manager visual regression testing sensitivity configuration
  • Smart Plugin Manager now ensures plugin and theme updates haven’t caused site errors with even greater granularity.  
• Bulk plugin upload available for customers with Site Management 
  • Install multiple plugins at once to save time and refocus efforts elsewhere. 
• Smart Plugin Manager users can change the limit of tested URLs
  • Test more URLs for available plugin and theme updates.
• WP Engine Site Migration plugin  
  • The WP Engine Site Migration plugin simplifies the process of moving your local or hosted WordPress website to WP Engine or Flywheel.
• WP Offload SES: Enqueue Only mode and improvements for high-volume senders
  • Per Version 1.7, capture or pause emails in any environment and streamline email logs to reduce database bloat for high-volume senders.

Open-source tools

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)

Free

• New icon picker field type
• Support for WordPress Block Bindings API
• Multiple releases improving plugin security

ACF PRO

• Field validation for ACF Blocks
  • ACF now supports block field validation directly in the editor. 
• Store ACF Block field data in post meta 

Local

• Create a new WP Engine site from within Local
  • As of Local 9.0.1 WP Engine customers can create sites directly in Local, no browser needed. 
• Select and filter connected sites by individual accounts 
  • Sites dropdown now filters by account for easier navigation.
• Database-only pushes and pulls
  •  Push and pull databases instantly without file dependencies.
• Visual Studio Code integration
  • A new “VS Code” button opens sites in Visual Studio Code, providing users with a streamlined editing option that opens sites in new windows instead of replacing existing open VS Code windows.

NitroPack

Free

• Secure Cloudflare integration
• Faster JavaScript minification
• Improved Lazy Loading
• CSS optimizations
  • NitroPack’s new Critical CSS feature inlines essential styles for above-the-fold content, while asynchronously loading non-critical CSS to improve page speed.

Paid Plans

• Improved Adaptive Image Sizing
• Enhanced image optimization 
• Up to 60x faster font optimization
  • NitroPack’s Font Subsetting feature removes unused glyphs, reduces font sizes, and prevents FOUT/FOIT.

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All of these innovations exemplify our commitment to empowering you with cutting-edge tools, seamless workflows, and unparalleled site performance. 

As we begin the new year, we remain dedicated to pushing boundaries and delivering solutions that redefine what’s possible for WordPress users, ensuring your digital experiences stay ahead of the curve.

Find out more at wpengine.com or connect with a representative now for answers to your questions! 

WP Engine’s mission is to power confidence online, and every one of our more than 1,000 global employees is vital to fulfilling that mission. 

From the support specialists providing technical troubleshooting to the engineers driving performance and innovation across our fully managed platform to the ardent professionals aiding our agency partners, it takes the combined effort of a unified, goal-oriented team to keep WP Engine and our customers growing and thriving.

In our Meet the Experts series, we celebrate the people who are driving our mission forward by exploring their roles, areas of expertise, and contributions to the WP Engine’s success.

In this interview, we speak with Neil Daly, a senior software engineer based in Limerick, Ireland.

Say hello to Neil!

Neil Daly is a tinkerer and adventurer, both in and out of the digital world. When he’s not leading software engineering projects, you can find him scaling bouldering walls, crafting intricate Lego builds, or exploring Ireland’s picturesque trails.

Originally from Limerick, Neil discovered WP Engine during a university work placement. From day one, he was captivated by the opportunity to solve real-world customer challenges using modern tools and technologies.

“I was drawn to the idea of breaking down complex problems and collaborating with brilliant minds,” Neil says. 

“It’s incredibly satisfying to see a feature go live and know it’s making a real difference for our customers.”

Neil’s passion for engineering stems from a deep-rooted love of learning—a mindset that has helped him thrive at WP Engine. Whether he’s perfecting his guitar skills, diving into design pattern books, or building a Lord of the Rings Lego set, Neil’s enthusiasm for picking apart and solving problems is evident in everything he does.

Neil’s career journey

Since joining WP Engine in 2019, Neil’s role has evolved from intern to senior software engineer and tech lead. His work focuses on improving the customer experience in both the WP Engine User Portal and on their WordPress sites.

“I enjoy breaking large, complex projects into smaller, more manageable pieces,” Neil explains. 

“It helps our team move faster and stay focused while ensuring we’re solving the right problems.”

As a tech lead, Neil also mentors his teammates, helping them navigate technical challenges and develop innovative solutions. This collaborative approach helps fuel WP Engine’s culture of continuous improvement, which Neil finds particularly rewarding.

“I’ve learned so much from others here,” he says. 

“Our culture encourages knowledge-sharing, whether through tech talks, documentation, or even casual conversations. It’s a big part of what makes WP Engine such a great place to work.”

Words of wisdom: Communication is key

For Neil, one of the most challenging aspects of his role is ensuring effective communication—both within his team and across the organization.

“Whether it’s code, documentation, or diagrams, clearly presenting information takes thought and care,” Neil says. 

“I try to put myself in others’ shoes and imagine I’m encountering the information for the first time. It helps me think about different perspectives and find better ways to explain things.”

Neil’s thoughtful approach also extends to problem-solving. When tackling complex challenges, he emphasizes the importance of taking a step back to see the bigger picture.

“It’s easy to get tunnel vision,” he says, “but when you pause and reassess, you often uncover a better solution.”

Powered by people

WP Engine is powered by people just like Neil, each of whom plays a vital role in our ability to provide the best foundation for digital experiences on WordPress.

We’re passionate about building a culture where a problem-solving mindset and collaborative approach are the keys that unlock success. 

As Neil says, “Working with a brilliant team where I know I can be myself, provide and receive constructive feedback, and be open and honest makes my life easier.”

Want to find out more about what it’s like to work at WP Engine? Visit our careers site to see the roles we currently have open, and check out our blog for more information about all the great people who work here!

As 2025 gets off to a fast start, the world of web development is poised for several exciting advances, each driven by a blend of innovative technology and evolving user preferences.

From AI’s expanding role in web development and shifts in preferred coding languages to the emergence of new cybersecurity strategies, keeping up with the latest trends is crucial for web developers as the pace of innovation accelerates.

In this article, we’ll explore some of the key trends set to shape the world of web development in 2025 and what they could mean for WordPress users. Here’s what we’ll cover:

AI will continue to redefine the web development landscape  

It should come as no surprise that artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to remain a transformative force in web development throughout 2025. 

Building on unprecedented advancements and adoption in 2024, AI continues to revolutionize web development by enhancing workflows, optimizing user experiences, and reshaping how websites are built, maintained, and scaled. 

While AI’s influence now spans every stage of web development, its impact is set to grow. Tools like GitHub Copilot and Tabnine are already widely used to automate repetitive coding tasks, providing real-time suggestions that free developers to focus on more complex challenges. 

On the user-facing side, AI also powers dynamic personalization. Platforms like WordLift analyze user behavior to deliver tailored content, boosting engagement and conversions. Meanwhile, advanced search solutions such as WP Engine’s Smart Search AI leverage natural language processing (NLP) to provide intuitive, highly relevant search results.

AI will remain a transformative force in web development throughout 2025, building on unprecedented advancements and adoption in 2024.

In the background, AIOps solutions from providers like New Relic and Dynatrace proactively monitor site performance, detect anomalies, and recommend optimizations to prevent downtime and enhance reliability. 

While these trends are set to continue, the next evolution of AI in web development will emphasize creativity and innovation. With AI-assisted coding and automation now standard practice, the real differentiator in 2025 will be how developers leverage AI for advanced applications, such as predictive user journey mapping, generative content creation, and adaptive, AI-driven chatbots. 

AI’s integration with edge computing and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) is also unlocking new opportunities for speed and responsiveness. By processing data closer to end users, this combination enhances performance for dynamic, content-rich websites, ensuring seamless, real-time interactions. 

As AI matures, its potential to elevate web development will only grow. In 2025, it will challenge teams to move beyond the basics, crafting smarter, more innovative solutions that continue to redefine the web’s possibilities.

Low-code/no-code platforms will accelerate time-to-market 

Low-code/no-code (LC/NC) solutions have already revolutionized web development by democratizing the creation of applications and digital solutions. 

As their name suggests, these tools empower non-technical users to build applications through visual interfaces and pre-built components, reducing reliance on traditional coding expertise. As we enter 2025, the appeal of these tools—many of which have achieved mainstream adoption in recent years—is set to grow further.

LC/NC solutions excel in streamlining workflows and enabling teams with varying levels of technical expertise, making them invaluable for organizations of all sizes. However, these platforms are not a one-size-fits-all solution. 

While they are ideal for prototyping, workflow automation, and internal tools, complex projects often require skilled developers to address challenges like security, scalability, and integration. 

In 2025, look for LC/NC solutions to increasingly complement traditional development by automating routine tasks, enabling faster time-to-market without sacrificing quality. Startups and resource-constrained teams will leverage these tools for quick wins, while larger enterprises will adopt them for rapid prototyping and empowering non-technical teams.

The growing adoption of LC/NC tools like Bubble and OutSystems highlights their potential to balance speed and sophistication, making them indispensable in modern web development. 

For WordPress users, low-code solutions like Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) and Gravity Forms, as well as the WordPress block editor and Site Editor are all being used to streamline content creation, build dynamic digital experiences, and customize websites without writing code. 

Given the ability of LC/NC solutions to empower users while maintaining scalability and flexibility, look for this trend to gain steam in the months ahead as more businesses embrace these tools to enhance efficiency and meet evolving market demands.

Programming languages will evolve to meet modern demands

As we kick off 2025, the programming landscape is undergoing a remarkable transformation, with emerging languages like Rust, Go, and Kotlin gaining momentum alongside established leaders such as Python and JavaScript. 

This evolution reflects the growing need for languages that address specific challenges and unlock new opportunities in web development. 

Python continues to lead in AI, data science, and machine learning, thriving in data-intensive workflows and fields that demand rapid prototyping. Its versatility and robust library ecosystem make it indispensable for applications ranging from predictive analytics to automation. 

Meanwhile, JavaScript remains the backbone of web development, driving modern front-end frameworks like React and enabling scalable server-side solutions with Node.js. 

At the same time, newer languages are also making their mark. Rust, known for its focus on memory safety and concurrency, is becoming a go-to for systems programming and performance-critical applications. 

Go’s simplicity and efficiency position it as a favorite for cloud-native development, powering tools like Docker and Kubernetes. Kotlin, initially popular for Android development, is expanding into backend and enterprise applications with its concise syntax and seamless Java interoperability. 

This shift offers opportunities for WordPress developers to integrate emerging technologies into their workflows. Whether leveraging JavaScript for headless CMS solutions, using Python for AI-driven features, or exploring Rust and Go for performance optimization, the ability to adapt to modern languages will be a key differentiator. 

Developers who embrace this evolution will be well-prepared to meet the demands of increasingly complex software ecosystems.

Headless CMS adoption will continue to grow 

Building on the evolution of programming languages, the rise of API-first approaches, including headless CMS architecture, is reshaping web development, offering new ways for developers to harness flexibility and scalability. 

Headless decouples the frontend and backend, enabling developers to use modern programming languages, frameworks, and tools to create tailored solutions that excel across platforms and devices. 

In a headless setup, content is managed in a backend CMS and delivered to the front end through APIs. This allows developers to design unique user interfaces without being constrained by traditional CMS templates. 

For WordPress developers, headless solutions represent a significant opportunity. By leveraging tools like the WordPress REST API or GraphQL integrations, developers can combine WordPress’s robust content management capabilities with cutting-edge front-end technologies like React, Vue, or Next.js.

This approach enables faster load times, seamless omnichannel experiences, and the ability to push updates to multiple platforms simultaneously. The growing adoption of headless reflects a broader industry focus on performance and user experience. 

With consumer expectations higher than ever, organizations are embracing headless architecture to deliver faster, more dynamic websites that meet the demands of modern audiences. 

In 2025, headless solutions will remain at the forefront of innovation, giving developers the freedom to experiment with new technologies and create unique experiences.

Heightened regulatory scrutiny will expand to more sectors 

As data privacy becomes a global priority, regulatory scrutiny is set to intensify in 2025, affecting more industries than ever before. 

High-profile regulations such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) have already reshaped how organizations handle user data, but the landscape is evolving. Expansions to existing laws and the introduction of new regional standards—such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the EU or stricter privacy laws in the U.S.—will require businesses to adopt more comprehensive compliance strategies. 

For web developers, this means data protection and privacy must be integrated into every stage of the development lifecycle. Developers will need to ensure websites and applications are designed with features like cookie consent management, opt-in/opt-out mechanisms, and robust data encryption to meet regulatory requirements. 

Additionally, implementing privacy-first approaches such as anonymizing user data and minimizing data collection will become best practices to avoid penalties and build trust with users. Industries like healthcare, finance, and eCommerce—already subject to stringent compliance standards—are likely to see even stricter requirements. 

Meanwhile, emerging sectors like IoT (Internet of Things) and AI-powered applications will come under increased scrutiny, especially regarding data collection, usage, and storage. In this environment, developers who stay ahead of regulatory changes will play a crucial role in helping businesses adapt. 

As compliance evolves from an operational necessity to a competitive advantage in 2025, web developers will be at the forefront of building secure, privacy-conscious digital experiences.

DevSecOps will become a cybersecurity mainstay 

In 2025, DevSecOps will solidify its role in modern web development, embedding security practices directly into the development lifecycle. 

As cyber threats grow more sophisticated and frequent, traditional approaches to security—often treated as a post-launch checklist—are no longer sufficient. Instead, DevSecOps integrates security into every stage of development, ensuring web applications are resilient from the outset. 

At its core, DevSecOps weaves security into CI/CD pipelines, enabling teams to identify and address vulnerabilities early. Automated tools for vulnerability scanning, static code analysis, and dependency management are critical components of this approach, providing real-time feedback to developers without disrupting workflows. 

Solutions like Snyk and Checkmarx, for example, scan open-source libraries and application code for potential risks, reducing the risk of breaches caused by unpatched vulnerabilities. Real-time monitoring and threat detection further enhance DevSecOps practices. 

AIOps solutions like Splunk proactively identify anomalies and recommend mitigations, helping teams respond swiftly to emerging threats. In tandem, infrastructure-as-code (IaC) security ensures that cloud environments are configured securely, preventing misconfigurations that could expose sensitive data. 

The rise of DevSecOps reflects a broader shift toward shared responsibility for security across development, operations, and security teams. 

In 2025, organizations that embrace this proactive approach will not only reduce risks but also build user trust by demonstrating a commitment to safeguarding data. As cyberattacks become increasingly prevalent, DevSecOps will be essential for delivering secure, reliable digital experiences.

Decentralized web technologies will finally go mainstream  

In 2025, decentralized web technologies are set to move from niche adoption to widespread implementation, fundamentally changing how digital systems operate. These tools, including blockchain and peer-to-peer networks, promise to address critical challenges in data security, privacy, and control. 

Decentralized identity systems, like Microsoft’s Azure AD Verifiable Credentials and W3C’s Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs), empower users to securely authenticate without third-party intermediaries. They reduce the risk of data breaches while enabling granular control over personal information. 

For WordPress users, these shifts present unique opportunities to integrate decentralized technologies into their websites and digital experiences. 

The adoption of protocols like ActivityPub, which allows WordPress sites to federate with other platforms in the Fediverse, enables a new level of interconnectivity and user engagement Additionally, OAuth-based authentication systems and plugins built on decentralized frameworks empower WordPress administrators to offer privacy-focused features that align with users’ growing demand for secure, decentralized alternatives. 

In a similar vein, decentralized storage solutions, such as InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) can also enhance the resilience and security of WordPress-hosted content by providing distributed backups resistant to server outages and access restrictions.

By distributing data across multiple nodes, these systems ensure greater resilience against censorship and server outages. Peer-to-peer communication protocols like Secure Scuttlebutt (SSB) and Matrix further enhance privacy through encrypted, serverless messaging and collaboration. 

As these technologies become more accessible, they will spur a shift toward a more secure, user-driven web. Developers and organizations that embrace them in 2025 will lead the way in building a decentralized digital future where users control their own data.

Web performance and Core Web Vitals will become pivotal

In 2025, web performance will continue to become an increasingly critical factor in delivering exceptional user experiences and achieving competitive SEO rankings. 

With user expectations for fast, seamless interactions at an all-time high, Google’s Core Web Vitals will become essential benchmarks for website success. These metrics—focusing on loading speed (Largest Contentful Paint, or LCP), interactivity (Interaction to Next Paint, or INP), and visual stability (Cumulative Layout Shift, or CLS)—will continue to shape user satisfaction and search engine visibility.

To meet these demands, developers will adopt advanced tools and optimization techniques. Performance monitoring platforms like Lighthouse and WebPageTest will play a larger role in identifying bottlenecks, while real-time analytics tools such as New Relic and SpeedCurve will enable teams to proactively address performance issues. 

Techniques like image optimization, lazy loading, and server-side rendering (SSR) will become standard practices for ensuring faster load times and smoother interactions. Additionally, the increased adoption of edge computing and wider use of Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) will enable developers to process data closer to users, reducing latency and improving site speed for global audiences. 

Tools like Cloudflare and WP Engine’s Page Speed Boost are expected to gain more traction as businesses prioritize responsiveness across devices and regions. In this performance-driven landscape, success will depend on more than just meeting technical benchmarks—it will require a user-first mindset. 

Developers who invest in optimizing Core Web Vitals in 2025 will improve their sites’ search rankings and create frictionless digital experiences that build trust and drive engagement.

Preparing for a stellar 2025

2025 promises to be a year of evolution, as developers navigate a landscape defined by innovation and complexity. 

From AI-driven advancements to the rise of decentralized systems, these trends highlight a future where adaptability and creativity will drive success in web development.

Getting your digital presence ready for a stellar 2025? Check out WP Engine’s flexible hosting for WordPress sites and expansive set of developer tools.

2024 was a year of growth and innovation for WP Engine, our partners, our products, and our people. 

Throughout the year, we introduced new tools and enhancements designed to supercharge our customers’ sites, streamline their workflows, and empower their businesses to thrive. Guided by our Core Values, we launched innovative products, strengthened partnerships, completed strategic acquisitions, and welcomed new leaders—all with the goal of helping you build incredible websites with unmatched performance and support. 

As we look ahead to 2025, let’s take a moment to reflect on the strides we made together in 2024 and celebrate the progress that will set the stage for an even brighter future.

Empowering success through product and feature innovations

At WP Engine, our primary goal is to empower our customers with the best platform, tools, and workflows to make building on WordPress easier, faster, safer, and more accessible.

To that end, our team released several new products and features throughout the year and delivered updates to many existing offerings our customers already love. Here’s a look at the highlights: 

Dynamic plugin loading

Dynamic plugin loading, available on all WP Engine eCommerce hosting plans, optimizes site performance by selectively loading plugins only on pages where they’re needed. This targeted approach reduces unnecessary bloat, decreasing page size by more than 30% on average and improving key metrics like Core Web Vitals and Time to First Byte..

Launched this month, this feature speeds up page load times and has the potential to greatly improve user experiences, boost search engine rankings, and increase conversions. It’s easy to set up via the WP Engine User Portal and allows for customizable rules to maintain compatibility with essential tools. 

Dynamic plugin loading is an ideal solution for eCommerce store owners looking to deliver a faster, more efficient, and more scalable experience.

Page Speed Boost

Released in June, Page Speed Boost is a powerful addition to WP Engine’s platform that leverages NitroPack OneClick to dramatically improve website loading speeds and optimize Core Web Vitals. By streamlining code, optimizing images, and prioritizing key scripts, Page Speed Boost simplifies the complexities of frontend performance optimization, leading to improved SEO rankings, higher conversions, and better user experiences.

It also enables up to 60% faster load times, reduces plugin bloat, and works seamlessly across desktop and mobile platforms. With just one click in the WP Engine User Portal, Page Speed Boost eliminates the need for technical expertise, making it an accessible solution for marketers and developers alike. 

Real-world results include significant improvements in metrics like Largest Contentful Paint and Total Blocking Time, making it a game-changer for creating faster, more engaging websites.

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Smart Search AI

Smart Search AI is WP Engine’s advanced search solution. Released in April, it leverages machine learning and natural language processing to deliver fast, accurate, and highly relevant search results on WordPress sites. By interpreting user intent, even with vague or misspelled queries, it ensures visitors quickly find what they need, reducing frustration and boosting conversions.

Unlike traditional search solutions, Smart Search AI offloads search queries to an external server to maintain peak site performance, even during high traffic. Its features, including semantic search, advanced query processing, and custom filters, make search intuitive and user-friendly while enhancing SEO and user engagement. 

With simple installation and competitive pricing, Smart Search AI has already transformed the search experience in 2024, improving user experiences and driving business growth.

Stripe Checkout integration

Released in March, WP Engine’s Stripe Checkout integration streamlines the checkout process for eCommerce stores on our platform by offering a secure, frictionless, and customizable payment experience. 

The integration optimizes conversions by reducing the steps needed to complete a purchase. It also supports more than 135 currencies and simplifies regulatory compliance by offloading sensitive payment data to Stripe’s PCI DSS-validated servers. 

Features like automatic currency conversion, fraud detection, and support for popular payment methods like Apple Pay and Google Pay enhance global accessibility and shopper confidence. 

This integration even allows you to fully customize the branding of your checkout experience to ensure seamless shopping. It’s easy to set up in the User Portal and available for all WP Engine eCommerce plans.

Performance Insights

Performance Insights, a new feature introduced this year in WP Engine’s User Portal, provides a centralized dashboard for monitoring key frontend metrics, including Core Web Vitals, Speed Index, and Time to First Byte. 

These metrics help customers assess site speed, usability, and overall site performance, offering actionable insights to improve user experiences and search engine rankings.

By consolidating critical data and benchmarks in one location, Performance Insights eliminates the need to pull reports from multiple tools, saving time and enabling focused, data-driven decision-making. The feature also includes a “Performance Opportunities” section that highlights specific areas for improvement with estimated benefits.

For WP Engine customers, this streamlined reporting tool empowers proactive site maintenance to enhance engagement, conversions, and overall site success.

Willa: WP Engine’s live chat support 

In addition to the new tools and features listed above, we also welcomed a new member to the WP Engine support team this year, and she’s already helped thousands of customers. 

Say hello to Willa P. Engine, Support Concierge!

This helpful, AI-powered support agent is designed to quickly connect you with our extensive support resources. Willa can be found by opening a chat in the User Portal, and she’ll happily help you find the right documentation or connect you with one of her human teammates.

Slow query monitor

April also saw the introduction of Slow query monitor (SQM): a performance optimization feature included in all WP Engine Core and Enterprise eCommerce plans. It continuously logs and identifies slow database queries, highlighting problematic plugins, themes, or scripts that may be impacting site performance. 

Unlike traditional monitoring tools, SQM operates seamlessly in the background without slowing your site and provides actionable insights through detailed reports accessible via the WP Engine dashboard. The tool simplifies the process of resolving bottlenecks, helping eCommerce store owners and developers quickly address performance issues that could affect conversions and user experiences. 

With no setup required, SQM enhances site speed and ensures smooth operation, complementing WP Engine’s suite of eCommerce optimization tools.

Edge Full Page Cache

Edge Full Page Cache (EPFC) is WP Engine’s advanced caching solution for customers on our Advanced Network. 

Launched in September, EFPC is designed to improve server response times by up to 90%, delivering faster, smoother user experiences by caching static HTML and leveraging Cloudflare’s CDN. By storing site content closer to your end users, EFPC reduces data travel time and improves key metrics like Time to First Byte.

With a simple toggle activation in the WP Engine User Portal, EFPC provides a powerful, hassle-free way to enhance website performance and meet user demand for fast, reliable digital experiences.

Local version 8.3

March also brought about Local version 8.3 which enhances the experience of connecting Local to WP Engine and simplifies site deployment between environments. 

This most recent update to Local offers streamlined controls for selecting which files or databases are moved between local and live sites to boost developer workflow efficiency. 

By improving reliability and ease of use, Local 8.3 ensures a more seamless transition from development to production environments, enhancing productivity and reducing deployment complexity for WP Engine customers. 

Each of these 2024 innovations and updates underscores our continued commitment to making WordPress easier to use and more seamless for the countless agencies, businesses, and developers who are building state-of-the-art digital experiences and charting the future of the web.

Infusing performance excellence through a strategic acquisition

In July, WP Engine acquired NitroPack, an all-in-one SaaS solution for improving site speed and performance metrics. In the short time since, NitroPack’s powerful performance optimizations have greatly enhanced our already robust suite of web performance solutions. 

With NitroPack’s technology, we are providing customers with faster load times and increased mobile performance, helping to enhance their SEO visibility and the experiences of their end users. 

This acquisition strengthens our commitment to delivering cutting-edge, customer-focused solutions for WordPress builders and site owners.

Honing our voice through a brand relaunch

In May, WP Engine refreshed the look and feel of our brand’s creative elements to better reflect our mission, culture, and values. 

The refreshed identity is built on a research-driven strategy that also identified the four pillars of our business success: 

• Elevated expertise: We leverage our expertise to help educate and support our customers.
• People-focused culture: We empower our employees to bring their best skills and ideas to the table.
• Relentless innovation: We continuously optimize our offerings to build the best, most useful products for the developers and agencies who choose us.
• Unmatched performance: We aim to be the single best hosting provider for WordPress sites globally. 

The new visual and content standards set forth through this brand refresh create a more cohesive and intuitive experience across our suite of products, reinforcing these brand pillars as well as our commitment to empowering WordPress users with polished, modern solutions.

You can find out more about what went into our brand refresh here. 

Celebrating and facilitating customer success

As always, we also took time throughout the year to highlight some of the WP Engine partners and customers who are creating innovative, exceptional digital experiences on our platform.

For example, WP Engine Agency Partner Noble Studios chose our managed platform as the foundation for Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau (YMCTB)’s digital home. The redesigned and re-platformed site led to a notable 17.1% decrease in bounce rate, as well as increases in overall site traffic and lodging referrals. The new site also earned Noble Studios the title of Creative Partner of the Year as part of our inaugural Agency Partner Awards in February!

Additionally, leading virtual assistant services provider Wing Assistant migrated to our managed hosting platform to elevate their own site experience. Leveraging our advanced caching, built-in CDN, and scalable infrastructure, the team saw a 493% increase in site traffic and a 146% increase in engagement time.

Our Crafted With Code showcase, created in partnership with The Webby Awards, also spotlighted some of the fastest, most performant WordPress sites hosted on WP Engine’s platform this year. Each recognized site serves as an example of how WordPress can be leveraged to create digital experiences that are fast, responsive, and robust enough to meet the demands of today’s internet users.

And with new functionality and a refreshed look for our Agency Partner Directory, we’re now able to connect our Agency Partner Program members with even more brands and businesses looking to take on new projects. The page helps facilitate direct lead generation and enhances SEO for our partners by driving traffic back to their websites.

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Driving digital adoption through education

Staying on the cutting edge of digital innovation is essential for designers, developers, and agencies as they attempt to create more beautiful, performant, and user-friendly experiences year after year.

WP Engine helped facilitate some of that education in many ways, the first of which was through our all-virtual DE{CODE} conference, held in March. 

Serving as our fifth consecutive developer conference since 2019, DE{CODE} 2024 brought together thought leaders and experts from across the WordPress ecosystem to discuss emerging trends, tools, and strategies for success. Topics included everything from how to fix a site you didn’t build to fine-tuning your site with ACF to strategies for keeping your Core Web Vitals in the green.

We also hosted multiple webinars throughout the year. These sessions helped customers stay up to date with our product roadmap and vision for the future, learn more about AI’s impact on site creation and optimization, explore industry-specific strategies for digital success, and glean insights into the trends and challenges agencies will face in the new year.

Additionally, our in-depth research in 2024 explored many of the topics affecting modern WordPress users—from SEO strategies to the current state of headless WordPress adoption—and our ACF team’s annual survey provided high-level insights into how users are employing ACF in their workflows. This information will be vital to our future efforts as we continue to expand and optimize our tools and offerings to best meet the needs of our customers.

Investing in our culture and people

Finally, 2024 was a year of increased investment in our own company culture, our people, and the communities in which we live and work. 

This is evidenced first (and most often) by our many Great Place to Work recognitions throughout the year. We know that when employees are given the freedom and flexibility to do their best work, they will meet and often exceed expectations.

Our bi-annual hackathons also provided opportunities for employees to try new things, build new skills, work with different teammates, and explore new ideas. In 2024, WP Engine hackathon participants built new custom dashboards, found ways to optimize server performance, and even taught some animals to play music! (Sorta.)

Employees also used their time and talents to give back to their communities in creative ways, earning recognition from local charities and raising money for the causes they care about.

We also took some time to introduce the world to a few of the people who keep our engine humming along. Most recently, we’ve been shining a light on some of the change-makers and innovators throughout our ranks with the introduction of our Meet the Experts series. 

We can’t wait to introduce you to even more of the humans behind our success in the new year!

Powering your success in the new year and beyond

We’re brimming with ideas for new ways to offer our customers breakthrough innovations and more optimizations to help drive even more success in the new year!

Thank you for continuing to trust us with your digital future—we’re excited to continue learning, growing, and innovating alongside some of the best companies and builders in WordPress!

In the fast-paced world of eCommerce, speed isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Every second of delay can mean lost conversions, frustrated customers, and missed opportunities. 

At WP Engine, we’re committed to helping your eCommerce sites deliver exceptional performance. That’s why we’re excited to introduce dynamic plugin loading, a powerful new feature designed to streamline your site, boost page speed, and elevate user experiences—without adding any technical complexity.

Want to find out more? Speak with a representative now, or read on to learn how dynamic plugin loading can unlock your fastest eCommerce site speed!

The problem: Plugin overload slows sites down

By default, WordPress loads all active plugins on every page of a site, regardless of whether their functionality is needed.

This creates unnecessary bloat, slows down your site, and negatively impacts key metrics like Core Web Vitals. The result? Lower search rankings, higher bounce rates, and lost revenue.

Optimizing plugins to load on a page-by-page basis has historically been daunting, requiring advanced technical knowledge and time-consuming manual adjustments. 

This is where dynamic plugin loading enters the fray.

The solution: Intelligent plugin optimization

Dynamic plugin loading is a new feature for WP Engine customers on our eCommerce hosting plans. It intelligently determines which plugins are being loaded on each page and provides a framework for disabling unnecessary plugins on a page-by-page basis.

This targeted approach to plugin loading significantly reduces page size, improving load times and enhancing overall site performance.

Here’s what dynamic plugin loading can do for you:

Improve page speed: By reducing unnecessary plugin activity, your pages will load faster and provide a smoother experience for every visitor.

Enhance customer satisfaction: Faster pages mean happier users who are more likely to engage, purchase, and return.

Boost the effectiveness of existing tools: Dynamic plugin loading works seamlessly with performance boosters like NitroPack and caching tools, making them even more effective.

Enable more granular control: Simple settings in the WP Engine User Portal let you fine-tune the feature, ensuring compatibility with custom and third-party plugins while maintaining flexibility.

Key features of dynamic plugin loading

Dynamic plugin loading benefits digital storefronts by ensuring essential eCommerce plugins are only active on eCommerce pages, reducing the amount of content that would otherwise be loaded on non-commerce sections of your site, like blogs or landing pages. 

For agencies managing multiple client sites, dynamic plugin loading also offers preset configurations that can be customized per client, saving time while ensuring top performance.

Key features of the dynamic plugin loading feature include:

Easy setup: Activate dynamic plugin loading with a simple toggle in your WP Engine User Portal. For new eCommerce sites, dynamic plugin loading is enabled by default, including one default rule to disable all WooCommerce-related plugins on non-eCommerce pages.

Customizable rules: Exclude specific plugins or set page-based rules to maintain functionality and compatibility.

To add a new rule, click “Manage,” and from the “Rule manager,” select “Add rule.” This will open a pop-up where you can select which pages you want to manage and which plugins you want to exclude from loading on those pages. If necessary, add any additional notes about the rule, then click “Save” to add the (inactive) rule to your rule library or “Save and activate” to push your rule live.

Prevention tools: Dynamic plugin loading also includes a rule test tool, allowing you to preview how changes will affect your site before enablement to help prevent breakage. As with any site change, it’s important to thoroughly test your site and store functionality after activating dynamic plugin loading to ensure functionality.

Enhanced efficiency: Smaller, more streamlined pages reduce the load on servers, making your entire platform more efficient.

Real results: page size reduction and speed increase

Our preliminary tests show dynamic plugin loading can reduce page size by more than 30% on average, leading to faster time-to-first-byte (TTFB) and lower latency. 

These improvements are significant because faster TTFB and reduced latency enhance overall page load speeds. Streamlined server response times optimize resource usage, enabling websites to handle traffic spikes more efficiently. Plus, faster-loading sites tend to record higher user engagement, longer session durations, higher conversion rates, and higher ranking on Google due to improved Core Web Vitals scores. 

Early testing has indeed shown promising results, and our product experts believe dynamic plugin loading has the capacity to transform eCommerce stores hosted on WP Engine’s platform by delivering faster, more performant digital experiences for both store owners and their customers.

Build more dynamic digital experiences with WP Engine

WP Engine is making it easier than ever to create faster, smoother, and more engaging online shopping experiences thanks to our continued focus on creating cutting-edge performance enhancements, like dynamic plugin loading, which is now available as part of all WP Engine eCommerce plans!

Ready to revolutionize your site’s performance? See why more businesses trust WP Engine to power their success!

At WP Engine, our teams regularly host hackathons that aim to create innovation through a unique theme. These optional, company-wide competitions allow employees to work in teams as they craft new ideas, solve existing problems, flex their creativity, and have some fun during the process.

Historically, projects developed during our hackathons have driven meaningful innovations for WP Engine more broadly.

In November, we held our most recent hackathon. Channeling everyone’s favorite heroes in a half shell, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed “Slashathon” saw teams toiling to improve performance within WP Engine systems, slashing underused code and removing inefficiencies in their projects. 

Employees formed teams of at least two people to create projects that aligned with the hackathon’s overall goal. 

This year, winners were divided into two categories—Slashers and Engine Tuners—with the first-place winners in each category receiving $1,000 to donate to a charity of their choice.

The “Slashers” award recognizes the team that best decommissions code or legacy design elements that are no longer needed. Winners were selected through a popular vote among Slashathon participants. 

The “Engine Tuners” award recognizes the team that best improves performance, and WP Engine Product and Engineering leadership selected the winning project. 

Read on for a quick overview of the Slashathon projects and awards, as well as the charitable contributions that came out of this year’s WP Engine Slashathon.

The projects

This year’s competition featured five teams, and each made significant contributions to the overall goal of slashing through inefficiency. 

Reapos

Team Reapos created a service that generates new digital storage repositories, or “repos,” and allows users to view the current status of those repositories via a form. 

This was created to reduce unnecessary costs, decrease the number of repositories, and ensure GitHub compliance. This project demonstrated a proof of concept that WP Engine can potentially slash 10,000 lines of code down to 80 lines—a huge success that will save space on servers. 

Reaponomics

Team Reponomics used their Slashathon project to create node-reaping automation.

This has the potential to save WP Engine thousands of dollars in labor costs per month because packing the nodes optimally can automatically and regularly reduce server usage instead of having humans check workload sizes. 

SlasHAthon

Team SlasHAthon used its project to ensure stability within the platform, focusing on platform performance. The team created a process that will ultimately optimize the customer intake system and reduce downtime. 

Mesmeric

Team Mesmeric analyzed WP Engine’s servers and found deprecated data taking up storage. 

The team implemented changes in the production system to stop unnecessary SQL instances and created a new process for data cleanup. This new process only keeps 60-day-old notifications as records. After the 60-day period, the notification is deleted. 

Slash Slash Baby

The final team, Slash Slash Baby, cut inefficiency, negativity, and clutter through their practical project. 

Members of the team cleaned up their workspaces and created a gratitude channel in WP Engine’s Slack to help spread more positivity across the company. 

And the winners are…

All of these projects posed meaningful ideas and we congratulate everyone who participated in this event. Drumroll, please….the winners are:

Slashers Award: Team Repos

Engine Tuners Award: Team SlasHAthon

Team members selected a few nonprofit organizations to support with their Slashathon winnings. The chosen organizations include the Nebraska Humane Society, Caritas Poland, Texas Equal Access Fund, Mobile Loves and Fishes, and UNICEF. 

Slashing inefficiencies and solving problems

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who participated in our November Slashathon! Several of these projects have the potential to make a real impact and drive more efficient workflows across our platform. 

Our next spring hackathon will be a great opportunity to use creativity and innovation, so check out our open roles across the company to find your next career move and join the team in time to participate!

Each member of the WP Engine team plays a vital role in fulfilling our mission to power confidence online. 

From the support specialists who help with technical troubleshooting to the engineers who drive performance and innovation across our fully managed platform to the dozens of dedicated professionals providing support for our agency partners, it takes the combined effort of more than 1,000 individuals to keep WP Engine growing and thriving.

In our Meet the Experts series, we speak with the people who keep our engine humming along, exploring their roles, areas of expertise, and contributions to the company’s success.

In this interview, we speak with Jennah Yozze, an order-to-cash (O2C) operations specialist based outside of Chicago.

Say hello to Jennah!

Jennah is a proud mom with a passion for murder mystery novels and helping rescue animals. She’s also a vital member of WP Engine.

“I was drawn to WP Engine because of its amazing atmosphere and positive work environment, as well as the emphasis on a true work-family life balance,” Jennah says. 

“I just love the culture, the people—there are some people here who are even crazier for animals than I am!”

When she’s not grooming a rescue pup or tending to her children, Jenna enjoys a quiet life in the suburbs outside Chicago.

“Living in the burbs strikes the right balance for me,” she says. 

“The city is beautiful, but I prefer a quieter country life for the most part.”

WP Engine’s remote-first work environment makes it easy for Jennah to live and work where she wants, with lots of room to foster the rescue animals she loves so much!

Jennah’s career journey

Jennah was working full-time at another company when she found her way to WP Engine through a contracting position.

“I started off in a contracting role back in 2022, became a full-time member of the O2C team later that year, and then a specialist in 2023,” she says. 

Because her job revolves around financials and payment processing, any operational hiccups can be extremely concerning—both internally and for our customers. Jennah and her team excel at quickly and effectively solving issues in the order-to-cash cycle.

“Order-to-cash involves everything: ordering, troubleshooting, billing inquiries, assisting customers, taking and applying payments, and a little bit of everything in between,” Jennah says.

“Sometimes it takes multiple levels of expertise on different teams to get a task done properly, whether it be engineering, order entry, support, or even leadership. I try to help better connect each team so we can work together toward our goal: to help the customer.” 

When asked which of WP Engine’s Core Values resonates most with her, Jennah’s response came quickly.

“Customer Inspired. I have the best intentions for our customers in mind from start to finish and do what I can to get the job done right, both by the customer and the company,” she says. 

“I’ve learned in my career and life to always, always be kind. Kindness can make a huge difference in any interaction.”

Words of wisdom: Growth is a long game

Jennah’s experience leaving a full-time position to become a contractor at WP Engine has provided her with a unique perspective on achieving professional growth.

“The ability to work with some incredibly amazing people in a cutting-edge technology industry was something I couldn’t pass up,” she says.

“So I did the work: reading articles, attending online seminars, asking my peers questions (sometimes multiple times about the same thing), and taking classes. Plus, I believe a positive attitude can go a long way.”

Reflecting on her career path, Jennah’s responses continually underscore the power and importance of positivity. So, when asked what her advice would be to aspiring experts in her field, it makes sense that her answer would be empathetic and optimistic.

“Everyone makes mistakes, and learning new things takes time,” says Jennah.

“Be patient with yourself and remember that the quality of your work is more important than the speed at which you get it done.”

Powered by people

WP Engine is powered by people just like Jennah, each of whom plays a vital role in our ability to provide the best foundation for digital experiences on WordPress.

We’re passionate about building a culture where positivity thrives and collaboration is the key that unlocks success. 

As Jennah puts it, “A positive attitude can make processes so much easier, and I’m always down for a Zoom to help explain something or learn how to make it better.”

Want to find out more about what it’s like to work at WP Engine? Visit our careers site to see the roles we currently have open and check out our blog for more information about all the great people who work here!

WP Engine powers the freedom to create online, and our commitment to this goes far beyond our tools and platform.

We show our commitment to the builders responsible for creating exceptional digital experiences by hosting thought leadership events, producing informative webinars, and creating showcases like Crafted With Code, which highlights impressive projects built on the world’s favorite CMS.

But it’s within WP Engine offices around the globe where you’ll find the true source of our power: our people. They make it possible for us to support our community in creative and meaningful ways.

Recently, a leader of one of WP Engine’s employee resource groups (ERGs) took that creative spirit to new heights, organizing a live art event at our Omaha hub that uses artwork to connect, educate, and support a charitable cause. After a short exhibition in the WP Engine Omaha office, their finished piece will be auctioned for charity.

Read on for the story behind this meaningful event, and how WP Engine is powering the freedom to create, both online and in the real world!

Rise and WP Engine’s ERGs

ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups dedicated to fostering workplace inclusivity. These groups empower employees to bring their unique perspectives to work and contribute to a supportive, high-trust environment. 

“We all want to be seen, heard, respected, understood—to feel comfortable being our authentic selves in the workplace,” says Tarsha McCormick, VP of DEI, Culture, & Development at WP Engine. 

“So the importance of our DEI programs and ERGs is to create and foster environments where everyone can thrive and do their best work.”

Rise is one of WP Engine’s longest-standing ERGs. Its mission is to provide a safe, inclusive environment for the advancement, advocacy, and education of BIPOC and allies. Members use their unique talents and interests to advance this mission, hosting events, bringing in speakers, and conducting impactful initiatives throughout the year.

“I became a leader with the Rise ERG because I saw it as an opportunity to do something bigger than my day-to-day,” says Jason “Geo” Geolingo, a product manager and Rise leader based in our Omaha office. “I saw it as a platform I can use to impact my community while continuing to educate myself on social issues.”

WP Engine’s continued commitment to investing in our ERGs has helped build tighter community bonds across our global hubs, bringing teammates together to collaborate on projects that affect lives both inside and outside the office.

The art event in Omaha

During a discussion with Rise leadership, Geo first thought about using art to connect, educate, and do some good in the community, all in the context of Rise’s mission. 

“Through this particular event, I really want to demonstrate the stance that WP Engine has on diversity, equity, and inclusion,” says Geo. 

“I feel this is the time for us to make a statement about where we stand and what we believe: that work should be a space where employees feel safe to discuss difficult topics.”

Geo shared this idea with his tattoo artist, Russ Oberg, during one of their sessions. Oberg, who would go on to create the commissioned artwork, was drawn in by the idea that art provides a unique perspective.

“I feel like art is often used as the voice of a community,” says Oberg.

“Whether it’s a city-funded mural or graffiti on the streets, art has an impact, from the individual level all the way up to a communal level.”

Geo’s original concept was to commission the creation of a piece that asks viewers to think about the differences between equity and equality—how each term is defined, and how the differences between the two can play out in the real world. 

As a technology company and because Rise’s mission extends across the globe, Geo also wanted to live stream the creation of the artwork so that any WP Engine employee could log in and watch the process. In more ways than one, this artwork was aimed at creating community, connection, and understanding.

On August 8, 2024, a small crew set up space in the WP Engine Omaha office where Oberg could paint and bring his vision to life. 

The finished piece is a fable set to canvas. It shows a scene of two rabbits, each wanting to provide for its family. A dragon gifts each rabbit with a mountain, but the mountains are unequal in resources. While each has been given the same solution for their problem, a disparity still exists in their outcomes due to the unique circumstances of each rabbit’s environment.

“I wouldn’t say that I hope the audience learns any specific lesson,” says Oberg. 

“Moreso, I hope it invokes a deeper thought that can be translated into other facets of life. I hope viewers make connections to their own experiences and apply those reflections in their daily lives.”

After a few final touch-ups, the art now hangs in the WP Engine Omaha hub. Leaders are currently discussing plans to create and sell prints of the work to raise additional funds as well as future plans to auction the original piece. All proceeds from both the prints and the auction will go to a Rise partner charity organization in Omaha.

Powering the freedom to create, in Omaha and beyond

From our products and platform to our community outreach and events, WP Engine powers the freedom to create in a myriad of ways.

The opportunity to power the creation of impactful artwork in Omaha would not have been possible without the help of many people, including many WP Engine team members. We’re grateful to everyone involved, including our artist Russ Oberg, for their dedication to this impactful project, and we’re excited to see the impact this project continues to make once it’s auctioned for charity. 

To learn more about WP Engine’s employee resource groups, visit this page. 

To learn more about Russ Oberg and his art, visit his Instagram. 

From our award-winning customer support team to the engineers who keep our platform and services fast and performant, each one of WP Engine’s more than 1,000 employees is vital to fulfilling our mission to power confidence online.

We take pride in our team’s expertise, whether in technical troubleshooting for WordPress sites, driving relentless innovation across our fully managed hosting platform, or providing exceptional support for our agency partners.  

In this ongoing series, we speak with WP Engine’s experts to learn more about their roles, areas of expertise, and contributions to the company’s success.

In this interview, we speak with Raphaela Kelly, aka Rapha. She’s a senior technical support agent based in Galway, Ireland.

Say hello to Rapha!

Rapha is a gamer who enjoys life and immersive simulation games like Stardew Valley, The Sims, and Animal Crossing. She’s also a vital member of WP Engine Ireland.

Originally from Espírito Santo, Brazil, Rapha joined a student exchange program to Europe in 2019, where she met an Irishman who would later become her husband. After some international changes in residence—including a couple of years back home in Brazil and a quick stint in Portugal—she officially moved to Ireland in 2021, and applied at WP Engine shortly after.

“I had been very active in the open-source community back in Espírito Santo, so WordPress was already familiar to me,” Rapha says. 

“While researching potential jobs, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that WP Engine is highly rated by Great Places to Work as well.”

When she’s not working or gaming, Rapha also enjoys spending time outdoors or taking in the city.

“I like taking a good walk. Living in Ireland, it’s hard not to—the place is absolutely stunning,” she says.

“I live in Galway. I like that it is not a very big city, but it’s very active. No matter the weather, there is always something happening in Galway, and walking down Shop Street always provides a bit of entertainment.”

Even though she lives just over an hour from the WP Engine Ireland office in Limerick, she still visits the bustling hub to say hello.

“Everyone is very warm and supportive. We have fun together, and going to the office is always great craic,”  says Rapha. 

“Although I work mostly remotely, I make a point of going to the office when I can to connect with people.”

Rapha’s career journey

Before joining WP Engine, Rapha had plenty of technical experience, including a background working with several technologies WP Engine integrates into our current platform configuration.

“I had worked for Cloudflare previously, which made WP Engine even more appealing to me,” says Rapha. 

“Working with Linux, WordPress, and Cloudflare services makes me feel right at home.”

Now, she provides expert advice to our customers as a member of our support team. As a senior technical support agent, her role often involves handling more complex issues.

“I think my experience working with open-source services, networks, and Cloudflare helps me understand things more easily, making me one of the go-to people for unusual cases,” she says. 

“It also helps that I love a bit of sleuthing. If there’s something I don’t know yet, I’ll go learn it to help our customers.”

When asked what advice she would give to someone starting out on a career journey similar to hers, Rapha’s advice mirrored that of her colleague, Julio.

“Ask questions. Entering any IT field can be challenging, especially if you didn’t start in IT,” she says. 

“Some people are afraid to ask questions, but no one can know everything. Working in IT is a constant learning process, and asking for help is one of the best ways to get the hang of things.”

Words of wisdom: Focus on finding solutions

One of the most challenging aspects of Rapha’s role is not just the complexity of the issues she is tasked with solving but also the level of frustration that often accompanies this complexity.

“The cases I work on are technically challenging, but they’re also often challenging on a social level. It’s not easy to refocus a customer on resolving the problem rather than letting them dwell on their frustration,” she says.

“I believe I am an empathetic person, and I do my best to put myself in the customer’s shoes every day.”

Complex issues are often the ones most rife with opportunities to learn, and Rapha uses these moments to hone her own skills—both from a technical and interpersonal perspective.

“We have such a variety of customers, and I learn a lot from working with them to understand their specific needs and situations,” she says. 

“There is usually a mix of technologies involved, which really keeps me on my toes. And because WP Engine is also constantly changing and adapting to more modern technologies, I learn a lot from our engineering teams as well.”

Even during the most challenging cases, when tensions are high and it’s easy to feel defeated, Rapha remains focused on finding solutions and remaining positive.

“Don’t take it personally. If a customer is upset with an issue, our focus should be on resolving it,” she said. 

“It’s understandable to feel frustrated by a problem—I feel it myself. But it’s not personal, so we need to empathize and not let that frustration affect our problem-solving.”

Powered by people

WP Engine is powered by people just like Rapha who work around the clock to optimize our platform and solutions to provide the best possible digital experiences on WordPress.

When asked to identify her favorite aspect of her job at WP Engine, her answer wasn’t all too surprising.

“The people—both our employees and our customers. We have a very diverse workforce and customer base, and I love that. Everyone has something unique about them, and I enjoy finding opportunities to connect with people.”

Want to find out more about what it’s like to work at WP Engine? Visit our careers site to see the roles we currently have open and check out our blog for more information about all the great people who work here!

Cyber Weekend 2024 is just around the corner, and if past years are any guide, the weekend between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is sure to bring a surge of eager shoppers. 

For anyone gearing up for the rush, it’s important to make sure your website is ready to handle traffic spikes and increased customer activity. But Cyber Weekend isn’t only about more site visitors and sales; it’s also the perfect time to grab exclusive discounts and offers for enhancing your site’s functionality.

If you’re on the hunt for premium Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, we’ve got you covered. Check out the list below to find great offers for your WordPress sites, including plugins, themes, and more!

Do you have a Cyber Weekend offer you’d like to add to the list? Click here for details on how to submit your offer, and stay tuned throughout the month as we update the list below with the best Cyber Weekend deals on WordPress-optimized web hosting solutions, plugins, themes, and more. Let’s dive in!

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2024 Cyber Weekend deals

ACF PRO

Up to 40% off

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) makes it easy for developers to create full CMS solutions with WordPress, including easy-to-edit fields for content creators on any kind of site. ACF PRO includes extra fields & features to better develop websites including ACF Blocks, Repeater, Flexible Content, and Gallery fields, and custom Options Pages.

Offer: Get up to 40% off when you sign up for ACF PRO

Coupon Code: N/A

Dates Valid: Now through November 30, 2024

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WP Migrate

Up to 50% off

WP Migrate makes painful site migrations a thing of the past by fitting neatly into your developer workflow and giving you seamless and simple migrations between any two WordPress installs.

Install WP Migrate on two or more WordPress sites and simply push/pull the database, media, themes, and plugins between those sites. From your machine to development, development to staging, staging to production, or production to your machine, WP Migrate does it all.

Offer: Get up to 50% off when you sign up for WP Migrate

Coupon Code: N/A

Dates Valid: Now through November 30, 2024

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WP Offload Media 

Up to 44% off

WP Offload Media speeds up your site by serving media and asset files from Amazon CloudFront or another CDN, bypassing your server entirely.

This opens up server resources that can be focused on processing PHP and serving your WordPress pages faster. It also makes it easy to create new storage buckets, connect to existing ones, and gives you the ability to upload your entire existing media library with a single click. 

Offer: Get up to 44% off when you sign up for WP Offload Media

Coupon Code: N/A

Dates Valid: Now through November 30, 2024

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WP Offload SES

Up to 40% off

WP Offload SES sends all site emails through Amazon SES, offering the high delivery rates and low cost of Amazon SES with a much easier setup. Plus, WP Offload SES has open-and-click tracking built-in, eliminating the need for laborious and time-consuming CloudWatch setup. Perfect for eCommerce or any other site where outgoing mail is business-critical.

Offer: Get up to 40% off when you sign up for WP Offload SES

Coupon Code: N/A

Dates Valid: Now through November 30, 2024

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NitroPack

Four months free

NitroPack is a powerful website performance optimization platform designed to enhance page speed and Core Web Vitals, making websites faster and more user-friendly. It combines multiple optimization features, including caching, image optimization, and code minification, all in a single solution that works seamlessly with platforms like WordPress. 

With NitroPack, users see improved loading times, leading to higher SEO rankings, better user experiences, and increased conversions.

Offer: Get 20% off on monthly plans & 35% off on yearly plans for NitroPack

Coupon Code: BFCMPROMO2024

Dates valid: November 21, 2024–December 3, 2024

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Formidable Forms

Up to 65% off

Formidable Forms is a WordPress form builder that helps you create contact forms, surveys, quizzes, registration forms, payment forms, email marketing, a calculator form, or just about any other type of form you can imagine. It’s 100% mobile responsive, helping your WordPress forms look great on all devices (desktop, laptop, tablets, and smartphones).

Offer: Up to 65% off

Coupon Code: N/A

Dates Valid: November 25, 2023–December 4, 2023

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WP Tasty

Up to $150 off

Use WP Tasty to easily create content round-ups, make images Pinterest-perfect, maximize affiliate revenue and instantly create beautiful recipes.

Offer: Up to $175 off

Coupon Code: N/A

Dates Valid: November 25, 2024–December 4, 2024

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Business Directory Plugin

Up to $175 Off

Business Directory Plugin is the perfect solution for professionals looking for a simple directory website builder for WordPress. Highly customizable, the  Business Directory Plugin lets you create any type of listing directory, from a member directory to a Yelp clone

Offer: Up to $175 off

Coupon Code: N/A

Dates Valid: November 25, 2024–December 4, 2024

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WP Courseware

50% off

Create and sell online courses with WP Courseware, a Learning Management System plugin for WordPress.

Offer: 50% off WP Courseware

Coupon Code: BFCM2024

Dates Valid: November 3, 2024–December 3, 2024

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FooGallery Pro

Save 30% on all annual licenses

FooGallery lets you build stunning galleries, add videos, create dynamic galleries, integrate with WooCommerce and more.

Offer: Save 30% on all annual licenses.

Coupon Code: FooBF30

Dates Valid: November 18, 2024–December 3, 2024

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WP Client Portal

Up to 72% off Lifetime Plan

WP Client Portal is an all-in-one client and project management tool for WordPress, enabling you to manage dedicated client portals and secure file sharing.

Offer: Up to 72% off Lifetime Plan.

Coupon Code: N/A

Dates Valid: November 7, 2024–December 6, 2024

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AOVUP: Wholesale B2B Suite

35% off

Use the Wholesale B2B Suite from AVOUP to create a robust wholesale system on your WooCommerce store to sell to B2B or B2C and B2B.

Offer: 35% off.

Coupon Code: BFCM35

Dates Valid: November 21, 2024–December 6, 2024

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Tableberg

70% off

Tableberg is a powerful WordPress table block plugin designed to create and customize responsive tables effortlessly.

Offer: 70% off

Coupon Code: BF2024

Dates Valid: Now through December 10, 2024

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AAWP

40% off

AAWP is the best WordPress plugin for Amazon Affiliates: Easily place conversion-optimized product boxes, bestseller lists, and comparison tables on your affiliate and niche sites.

Offer: 40% off

Coupon Code: N/A

Dates Valid: Now through November 29, 2024

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ClickWhale

40% off

ClickWhale is the best link shortener and WordPress link manager. Easily manage and analyze your affiliate links and bio link pages.

Offer: 40% off

Coupon Code: N/A

Dates Valid: November 29, 2024–December 1, 2024

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MH Magazine

40% off

MH Magazine is the perfect WordPress theme for bloggers, journalists, and editors who want to create organized online magazines and news websites.

Offer: 40% off

Coupon Code: N/A

Dates Valid: November 29, 2024–December 1, 2024

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A Happy Cyber Weekend to All!

From successful sales events to site enhancements that set you up for future success, we hope this Cyber Weekend and the larger holiday season bring good tidings to you and your websites. 

If you have a WordPress service, theme, or plugin and a Cyber Weekend offer you’d like to add to the list above please reach out to our partner management team with the details of your offer, including:

• A link to your site 
• A description of your service, plugin, or theme
• A promotional image or logo file
• The details of your offer 
• A coupon code (if applicable)  
• The dates your offer is valid

We’ll reply if your offer is a good fit, and update this post to include it. 

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Happy Thanksgiving and a Happy Cyber Weekend to all!

Visit wpengine.com to learn more about our managed hosting for WordPress, eCommerce hosting, Headless Platform, and our powerful themes and tools!

WP Engine is proud to be recognized as the New Business Partner of the Year by United Way of the Midlands, showcasing our commitment to driving meaningful change in the communities we live and work in.  

The award honors first-time corporate partners whose significant contributions empower United Way of the Midlands to expand their reach and impact. Representatives from WP Engine accepted the award during the organization’s Annual Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska on October 25.

“United Way of the Midlands has a huge impact here in Nebraska, and we’re so grateful to be a part of their story,” said WP Engine Director of Technical Support and Omaha Site Lead Dan White. 

“Plus, we now have the added benefit of seeing that impact up close, since they’re our neighbors on the fourth floor of the Ashton building!”

WP Engine’s partnership with United Way of the Midlands is rooted in a shared commitment to community betterment. Read on to learn more about this collaboration and the far-reaching impact United Way of the Midlands has made in Nebraska and beyond. 

What is United Way of the Midlands?

United Way of the Midlands has been a community cornerstone for nearly a century. Dedicated to promoting inclusivity, social justice, and well-being, its holistic approach to community support spans four focus areas: Healthy Community, Youth Opportunity, Financial Security, and Community Resiliency.

Through initiatives like JAG Nebraska and the 211 Helpline, the organization provides a strong support network for underserved individuals and families, working tirelessly to support those in need.

Last year, approximately 850 organizations contributed to United Way of the Midlands, donating their time and talents to help create change and provide community support. At their Annual Meeting, United Way of the Midlands announced its 2024 Campaign Partner Award winners, recognizing businesses that went above and beyond to support the organization throughout the year.

They bestowed five Corporate Partner of the Year awards (presented to companies within four different employee-size categories), the New Business Partner of the Year award, two Volunteer Organization of the Year awards, and a Corporate Partner of the Year—Leadership Donors award.

In total, nine organizations were honored at the Annual Meeting, and WP Engine is proud to be counted among them. 

WP Engine’s contribution and award

United Way of the Midlands recognized WP Engine for contributing something that’s often difficult for nonprofits to obtain: Functional, affordable space to grow. 

Earlier this year, WP Engine sublet a portion of our Omaha office space on the fourth floor of the Ashton building in Millwork Commons to United Way of the Midlands—complete with furnishings and technology—at the cost of just $1. 

This in-kind support allowed United Way to quickly establish operations in a vibrant, functional coworking environment, empowering them to expand staffing and enhance program capacity. 

The new office space is also large enough to host meetings and events for other nonprofits, contributing to the collaborative nature of both the Millwork Commons community and the United Way of the Midlands.

WP Engine’s donation of this much-needed space illustrates our core value, Committed to Give Back. It will allow United Way of the Midlands to continue to grow and foster community support in Nebraska.

Powering the freedom to create community 

Our team is deeply honored by this recognition and excited to continue supporting United Way in its mission to create positive, lasting change in Nebraska and beyond.

Check out the other organizations recognized as Corporate Partner Award winners, and click here to learn more about United Way of the Midlands!

WordPress 6.7, slated for release on November 12, is packed with new tools designed to enhance design flexibility and streamline site management. The sleek Twenty Twenty-Five default theme leads the update, offering adaptable styling that’s perfect for any site, whether running a personal blog or a complex content hub.

This release also brings an upgraded font management system, giving users better control over typography to achieve the right look and feel. For those who like to see the whole picture, the new Zoom Out mode allows designers to step back and view their entire layout from a broader perspective.

With each update, WordPress continues to refine its tools for a more intuitive and customizable experience. Now, let’s dive deeper into the key features that make WordPress 6.7 a release to remember.

Twenty Twenty-Five

The default Twenty Twenty-Five theme in WordPress 6.7 offers a flexible, fresh design suitable for any site, from personal blogs to business websites. With its clean, straightforward style, users can easily customize it to match their vision and needs.

A key feature of Twenty Twenty-Five is its range of templates and block patterns, making it simple to build pages that look polished and structured. With ready-made layouts for headers, footers, and critical content areas, users can quickly piece together professional designs, whether crafting a homepage, blog post, or landing page.

The theme also includes multiple style variations, allowing users to explore different color schemes, fonts, and overall aesthetics with just a few clicks. These options make it easy to switch up the site’s appearance without diving into advanced design work.

Final development work for the Twenty Twenty-Five theme is happening on GitHub, where contributors can report issues, test code, and provide feedback. This collaborative effort ensures that any remaining bugs are identified and addressed, making the theme as polished and stable as possible before release.

Twenty Twenty-Five is a versatile default theme in WordPress, empowering users to build cohesive, personalized sites while providing builders with a hands-on way to explore the latest block features.

Upgraded font management

WordPress 6.7’s upgraded font management system gives users more precise control over typography, making it easier than ever to style text across their sites. The new features, accessible in the Styles interface, allow users to create, edit, and remove custom font size presets, allowing designers to break free from default theme settings and craft a truly personalized look.

A key highlight of this update is the ability to override theme defaults with custom font sizes. Whether working with large headers or fine-tuning paragraph text, this flexibility means you can create font styles that match your brand’s unique personality. It’s a powerful addition for anyone looking to bring a distinct flair to their website.

Fluid typography, also included in this update, ensures your customizations look great on any device by scaling font sizes automatically for different screen dimensions. Altogether, WordPress 6.7 lets users embrace their inner font enthusiast, enabling a detailed, responsive approach to text design.

Zoom Out mode

WordPress 6.7 introduces the Zoom Out mode, which gives users a new, big-picture perspective on their site’s layout. This mode lets you step back and see how various sections fit together, offering a more holistic view of your content’s flow and structure. With this broader perspective, it’s easier than ever to identify design opportunities and ensure your site has a cohesive, visually engaging layout.

In Zoom Out mode, users can add, edit, and rearrange block patterns across the page, making structural adjustments without needing to zoom in and out of individual blocks. This feature simplifies designing or reworking entire sections, making it ideal for those who want to see the layout and make sweeping changes confidently.

Zoom Out mode is like a blueprint view for your site, helping you channel your inner architect. Whether creating a fresh design or refining an existing one, this tool allows you to move elements around quickly, keeping your site’s look balanced and purposeful.

Conclusion

With the release of WordPress 6.7, users gain powerful new tools that make designing and managing sites more intuitive and flexible. The adaptable Twenty Twenty-Five theme provides a solid foundation for any project, whether you’re running a blog or a complex site.

Enhanced font management gives users greater control over typography, while Zoom Out mode offers a broader perspective, allowing designers to arrange entire sections easily.

These updates highlight WordPress’s commitment to meeting the evolving needs of its community, enabling creators to build cohesive, personalized websites. As WordPress continues refining and expanding its features, version 6.7 stands out as a release focused on elevating the design experience and empowering users to bring their vision to life.

We’re keenly aware of the impact recent events have had on the WordPress community and ecosystem, and we’re deeply grateful to the many partners and customers who have stood by WP Engine and trust us to serve you in the face of unprecedented and unwarranted attacks and attempts to disrupt our platform.

WP Engine’s top priority has always been and remains the integrity, security, availability and performance of our tools, and we will continue to take the decisive steps necessary to ensure we can continue to deliver the enterprise-grade experience we’re committed to building.

Whether as a customer, an agency partner, or a valued member of the WordPress community we’re committed to keeping you updated on the latest developments. With that in mind, we’d like to share the following timeline of our most recent actions and statements:

October 18, 2024: Request for preliminary injunction

On October 18, WP Engine filed a motion for a preliminary injunction, requesting that the court order Matt Mullenweg and Automattic to stop their harmful actions immediately and act to preserve the status quo ante while the case is being litigated. 

We sought rapid court action to minimize or prevent any further interference with WP Engine’s access to the WordPress community, including WordPress.org and the plugin and theme directory and repository, and to re-establish control over the plugins and extensions we manage as they existed before September 20, 2024. The requested injunction also seeks to provide protection and certainty for WP Engine’s partners, employees, users, and customers, and demand the restoration of any restricted or altered access or operations. You can view the injunction request in full, here.

October 16, 2024: Email to customers

On October 16, WP Engine CEO, Heather Brunner emailed customers to address concerns about recent events and outline the actions we’ve taken to ensure platform stability and security. 

The letter, which you can read here, emphasizes our commitment to protecting customers and supporting the ongoing success of the open-source WordPress community.

October 12, 2024: ACF takeover

On October 12, WordPress.org forcibly took control of our Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin, marking the first time in WordPress’s 21-year history that a plugin under active development was taken over without consent.

While ACF Pro users remain unaffected, free users are advised to download ACF 3.6.8 from advancedcustomfields.com for secure updates.The ACF team released the following statement regarding the takeover:

We have been made aware that the Advanced Custom Fields plugin on the WordPress directory has been taken over by WordPress dot org.

A plugin under active development has never been unilaterally and forcibly taken away from its creator without consent in the 21 year history of… pic.twitter.com/eV0qakURLc

— Advanced Custom Fields (@wp_acf) October 12, 2024

Since 2011, our ACF team has actively developed the plugin, evolving it into a highly sophisticated solution with over 200,000 lines of code. Our continuous work to enhance, support, and invest in the plugin has made it a critical part of the WordPress ecosystem, relied on by millions of users.

The forced takeover replaced the ACF plugin with unapproved code, breaking from standard protocol and raising concerns about control, governance, and the motives behind such a move. WP Engine continues to actively develop the genuine version of ACF and provide support and updates which can be downloaded at www.advancedcustomfields.com, and will automatically update once downloaded.

October 9, 2024: New checkbox on WordPress.org

On October 9, WordPress.org added a new checkbox to its login and registration process, requiring users to assert that they are “not affiliated with WP Engine.”

The unclear statement next to the check box has left many bewildered—both as to whether and how they should answer it and as to why it’s there. We believe that the checkbox is confusing and disturbing to many and that none of our customers, agency partners, open-source tool users, or members of the community, are legally ‘affiliates’ of WP Engine. WP Engine released the following statement regarding the checkbox:

Like the rest of the community, we have seen a new checkbox for logins at https://t.co/ZpKb9q4jPh that has created confusion amongst the community as to whether or how they are obliged to answer the question posed next to the checkbox.
We value our customers, agencies, users and…

— WP Engine (@wpengine) October 9, 2024

October 7, 2024: Secure Updater plugin

On October 7, we introduced the WP Engine Secure Updater plugin, which currently supports updates for all of our open-source plugins and allows us to assist other plugin or theme developers in the community on request.

Installing the Secure Updater is optional and precautionary, and this free-to-everyone plugin has been developed for users self-hosting, or hosted outside of the WP Engine platform—detailed instructions are available here.

Note: WP Engine and Flywheel managed customers are already protected by the WP Engine update system and do not need to take any action.

October 3, 2024: Independent update capabilities

On October 3, we released new versions of our widely used plugins, featuring independent update capabilities and updates delivered directly from WP Engine.

While WP Engine and Flywheel customers are already protected by the WP Engine update system and don’t need to take any action, community members are encouraged to download these versions of our free, open-source plugins and updates directly from the ACF and NitroPack websites to ensure they receive updates directly from us.

Note: ACF PRO customers are automatically protected by the WP Engine update system and don’t need to take any action.

If you’re running v6.3.2 or earlier of ACF, or have been forcibly switched to “Secure Custom Fields” without your consent, you can install ACF 6.3.8 directly from the ACF website, or follow these instructions to fix the issue.

These efforts support our customers and plugin users and seek to protect the community at large.

October 2, 2024: Commencement of legal action

On October 2, WP Engine took legal action against Matt Mullenweg and Automattic to address their continuing misconduct and protect our business, our customers, and our participation in the broader community. The complaint can be read here and WP Engine released the following statement regarding the decision to file a lawsuit:

Matt Mullenweg and Automattic’s self-proclaimed scorched earth campaign against WP Engine has harmed not just our company, but the entire WordPress ecosystem. The symbiotic relationship between WordPress, its community and the businesses that invest millions to support WordPress…

— WP Engine (@wpengine) October 3, 2024

September 30, 2024: Plugin and theme update solution

On September 30, following interruptions to WordPress.org, and instability in the services used to update WordPress websites, we deployed a solution to all sites across the WP Engine and Flywheel platforms, that enables customers to use their normal workflows and receive plugin and theme updates without relying on the WordPress.org API.

The solution was launched after WordPress.org was once again blocked for thousands of WordPress users. WP Engine released the following statement regarding the block and our solution:

Thousands of WordPress community members have once again been blocked from accessing https://t.co/ZpKb9q4jPh. WP Engine has commenced deployment of its solution for accessing updates and installations for plugins and themes across our customers’ sites. We expect deployment of the…

— WP Engine (@wpengine) October 1, 2024

This solution allows WP Engine and Flywheel customers to use their preferred workflows without fear of further disruption or delays.

September 27, 2024: Temporary access restored

On September 27, WP Engine was given three days to develop a solution to help its customers update plugins and themes, and access to WordPress.org was temporarily restored. We released the following statement regarding our restored access:

We’re pleased to see access restored to the repository of WordPress plugins for our customers who operate their sites with us at WP Engine.

— WP Engine (@wpengine) September 27, 2024

WP Engine engineers worked around the clock on a solution for the reliability of update functionality and workflows. Their work was vital to increase resilience, reduce dependencies, and provide improved stability and protection from further disruptions. 

September 25, 2024: WP Engine blocked from WordPress.org

On September 25, WP Engine was blocked from accessing plugin and theme updates on the WordPress.org repository. This forced WP Engine customers to update plugins and themes manually or seek other solutions.

While Matt Mullenweg asserted that he took this action because WP Engine had filed litigation against WordPress.org, this was untrue. Our prior cease-and-desist letter was not a lawsuit—and it was directed at Automattic due to Matt Mullenweg’s pattern of repeated misconduct.WP Engine released the following statement in response to the blocked access:

Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic, has misused his control of WordPress to interfere with WP Engine customers’ access to https://t.co/ZpKb9q4jPh, asserting that he did so because WP Engine filed litigation against https://t.co/erlNmkIol2. This simply is not true. Our Cease &…

— WP Engine (@wpengine) September 26, 2024

September 23, 2024: “Cease and desist” letter

On September 23, WP Engine sent a “cease and desist” letter to Automattic demanding that Automattic and its CEO Matt Mullenweg stop making and retract false, harmful, and disparaging statements about WP Engine.While you can read the full letter here, it was initially sent privately. We also released the following statement regarding our letter, after Matt Mullenweg made various inaccurate statements about it:

Today WP Engine sent what is called a “cease and desist” letter to Automattic demanding that Automattic and its CEO Matt Mullenweg stop making and retract false, harmful and disparaging statements against WP Engine. In response to misinformation he has disseminated about the…

— WP Engine (@wpengine) September 23, 2024

After our cease-and-desist letter was sent, Automattic sent a cease-and-desist letter to WP Engine, alleging infringement of several trademarks, including WordPress and WooCommerce. WP Engine denies these allegations as set forth in our Complaint.

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Resource links

● Install and Update WP Engine Owned Plugins and Themes

● All Customer email

● Cease and Desist

● Legal Complaint

● Preliminary Injunction

● WordPress Community Contributions

In honor of Local’s eighth anniversary and the recent release of Local v9.1.0, I’d like to reflect on how the tool has grown and changed alongside the WordPress community throughout the years.

I can honestly say that I love and believe in Local more than ever. I’ve seen it change so much over the years, and I’m proud to have supported the product as it’s grown into a tool with more than 1.7 million downloads and 100,000 recurring monthly users.

For those unfamiliar, Local is the world’s leading local development tool for WordPress sites. It offers a free, simple way to build sites on your local machine—no matter who you are, where you host, or what you’re building. Local’s mission has always been to empower all WordPress developers with advanced workflow features. 

When I started at Flywheel more than seven years ago, Local had just become part of the Flywheel brand, and I’ve been supporting it in various ways since. At the time, our teams were thrilled to acquire this incredible tool called Pressmatic (more on that in a moment). Since then, it’s grown and improved developers’ workflows worldwide. (Fun fact: More than 80% of Local users are outside of the U.S.!)

As we celebrate Local’s eighth year, read on for a closer look at the innovations and investments that have made it one of the most beloved free tools in the WordPress community!

A brief history of Local

If you’re familiar with the WordPress ecosystem circa 2016, you may remember Pressmatic, the popular brainchild of Clay Griffiths. Pressmatic revolutionized local website development with a simple and straightforward way to spin up WordPress sites. It quickly grew in popularity, to the point that Flywheel purchased it in December 2016.

Rebranded as Local by Flywheel, the tool continued to grow, combining its original strengths with Flywheel’s design-first mindset. Over the following years, we doubled down on community-requested features and expanded Local’s offerings to include Local Pro and Local for Teams, supporting different developer workflows. We also created ways to give back to the WordPress community through open-source Add-on creation and developer programs like Local Lab.

When Flywheel and Local were acquired by WP Engine in June 2019, we took a step back to reexamine the product’s vision and mission and brought all functionality into the free version of Local, eliminating paid tiers. 

Our goal was always to make it as easy as possible for everyone to work with WordPress: a place to learn, grow, share, and build the WordPress ecosystem! 

While Local can do many things, here are a few key features we’ve added over the years that I’d be remiss not to mention! 

• Live Links: Review and test your sites with provisioned site tunnels, which transform your locally built site into a shareable environment with just a few clicks.
• Link Checker: Scan your Local site content and get a list of broken links to quickly access and update the content within WP admin.
• Image Optimizer: Scan your local site for images and compress them offline without the need for cloud-based services.
• Instant Reload: Refresh the browser window automatically when saving a CSS file, making real-time updates and reviews a breeze.
• Blueprints: Create a site by utilizing pre-saved site settings such as themes and plugins.
• Cloud Backups: Connect your local sites to your Google Drive or Dropbox to quickly save any Local site to the cloud.

Local was founded on the idea that all developers should be able to quickly and easily create, build, update, and maintain WordPress sites for everyone. We remain proud of our efforts to create a product the entire WordPress ecosystem would find valuable.

Making WordPress development accessible to all

Our belief is that building and giving back to the WordPress community starts with quality tools built with open-source values.

Over the past six years, improvements to Local included countless features that improve the workflows of all WordPress developers. From simple deployments with Local Connect and MagicSync to expanding WP-CLI functionality and opening site shell for multiple terminals, Local empowers developers to create with confidence on WordPress.

Here are just a handful of the improvements requested by the Local community that our teams have implemented over the years:

• Hot-swapping PHP environments and other site services
• Major performance improvements for the application on multiple operating systems
• Editable Live Links passwords to protect your site previews
• One-click opening your site in VS code 
• Site grouping for better organization and workflows
• Drag-and-drop imports of WP Migrate files
• Creating headless WordPress sites with a Node.js frontend

To this end, we’re always looking for user feedback, if you have feature requests or other ideas on how we can improve Local for everyone, head over the the Local community forums!

Building a community around WordPress

In addition to supporting the wider WordPress community, we’ve built the “Local Community” within our community forums! 

A core part of maintaining Local is considering the variety of users worldwide who rely on it daily. We’re proud to support the agencies and individual developers building plugins, themes, and tools within the WordPress ecosystem. Local has also been helpful in testing the latest versions and updates to WordPress core.

We believe anyone who uses Local should be able to build confidently with a safe, secure place to build, learn, and experiment with WordPress! Beyond that, Local’s development environment keeps your sites, plugins, and themes safe from outside interference.

Both at Flywheel and WP Engine, the team behind Local has demonstrated its commitment to supporting users in the forums by fixing product bugs, taking feature suggestions, troubleshooting issues, providing a space to learn WordPress, and discussing workflow hacks. 

Looking to the future

Local has always been free—that’s not going to change. We want to keep building for the future and making WordPress accessible to all.

This includes keeping Local up-to-date with the latest versions of WordPress and PHP, addressing community and security issues promptly, and ensuring compatibility and performance as technology evolves.

“We’re passionate about what Local empowers developers to do,” said Local Senior Product Manager Austin Wendt.

“Whether it’s working on a site build or just creating a sandbox to test out the latest technologies, we want Local to be a place for everyone building with WordPress. Our focus has been and will continue to be on creating the best possible development tool for WordPress users, no matter what plugins they use, where they host, or what type of sites they build.”

For my part, I’ll continue to support this incredible community and keep powering the freedom to create on WordPress by harnessing the power of Local.