Hongkiat https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/category/wordpress/ Tech and Design Tips Wed, 06 Sep 2023 08:16:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0.6 10+ WordPress Plugins to Improve Images Performance https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/wp-image-performance-plugins/ https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/wp-image-performance-plugins/#comments Mon, 22 May 2023 10:01:42 +0000 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/?p=16351 Boost your WordPress site's performance with top image optimization plugins for faster load times and improved SEO.

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In today’s digital landscape, the performance of your website can significantly impact your user engagement, SEO rankings, and overall user experience. One key aspect of this performance is how quickly your website loads images, as slow-loading images can lead to increased bounce rates and a decrease in user satisfaction. WordPress users have a powerful tool at their disposal to tackle this issue: plugins.

In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the best WordPress plugins designed specifically to enhance image loading speed and overall site performance. These plugins can compress and optimize your images, manage thumbnails, and even integrate with services like Amazon S3 and CloudFront for more efficient content delivery.

Let’s dive in and see how these WordPress plugins can give your website a performance boost.

Imsanity

Imsanity WordPress plugin

Imsanity is a free WordPress plugin that helps prevent users from uploading large images to your website. It resizes images that are larger than a specified size to improve site performance by reducing the amount of bandwidth used to load images.

To use Imsanity, install and activate the plugin, then configure its settings. You can choose to resize all images or exclude certain image sizes from resizing. Once configured, the plugin will automatically resize any images uploaded to your site that are larger than the specified size.

Testing the plugin is easy: upload an image larger than the configured size, and if the plugin is working correctly, the image will be automatically resized.

WP Smush.it

WP Smush.it WordPress plugin

WP Smush is a WordPress plugin that optimizes, compresses, and resizes images uploaded to a website. This tool employs advanced compression methods to shrink image size without compromising quality, enhancing the website’s loading speed – vital for user experience and SEO ranking. WP Smush offers a free version and a premium version known as Smush Pro.

The free version of WP Smush, Smush, provides features like lossless compression, bulk smushing for up to 50 items simultaneously, and image resizing. However, it caps the maximum resolution at 5 megapixels. Conversely, Smush Pro offers additional features like compression of images up to 32 megapixels, automatic resizing of large images, and support for multiple file formats.

Imagify

Imagify WordPress plugin

Imagify is a WordPress plugin that accelerates your website by optimizing images. It compresses your images to shrink their size without compromising their quality, enhancing user experience and boosting your website’s SEO ranking. The plugin provides three compression levels, enabling you to choose the optimal one for your needs, and includes a backup feature for restoring images to their original state if necessary.

Imagify is compatible with all popular image formats, including JPEG, PNG, and GIF. It can automatically optimize new images upon upload and supports bulk optimization, enabling you to optimize all existing images with a single click. By optimizing your images, you can significantly reduce your website’s loading time, which can enhance user engagement and raise the likelihood of visitors remaining on your website.

Download ShortPixel Image Optimizer

Download ShortPixel Image Optimizer WordPress plugin

ShortPixel Image Optimizer is a WordPress plugin that shrinks the size of images on your website without degrading their quality. This accelerates your website’s loading speed, enhancing user experience and potentially increasing your SEO ranking. The plugin delivers both lossy and lossless image compression for a range of image types, such as JPEG, PNG, GIF, and WebP. It can also compress PDF files and automatically resize images to further shrink file sizes and boost loading times.

The plugin can compress new images upon upload and supports bulk compression for existing images. It even provides a backup option, allowing you to restore your images to their original state if necessary.

WP Compress

WP-Compress WordPress plugin

WP Compress is a WordPress plugin that optimizes and compresses images on websites. This enhances website load times, improves user experience, and boosts SEO rankings. The plugin provides both automatic and manual optimization options, allowing you to compress new images upon upload or selectively compress individual images or perform bulk compressions.

WP Compress offers three levels of compression: Lossless, Intelligent, and Ultra. These levels enable you to strike a balance between image quality and file size reduction based on your preferences. Moreover, the plugin provides features like auto-scaling, which resizes images to match your website’s layout, and a backup function that stores your original images should you ever need to restore them.

Optimole

Optimole WordPress plugin

Optimole is a WordPress plugin that enhances website loading speed by optimizing and compressing images. It shrinks the size of images without sacrificing quality, resulting in an improved user experience and potentially boosting SEO rankings. The plugin automatically optimizes and resizes new images upon upload and incorporates lazy loading, which only loads images as users scroll down the page.

A unique feature of Optimole is its dynamic content delivery network (CDN) integration. It serves images directly from a fast image CDN, choosing the best server location based on the visitor’s location. This guarantees that images are delivered quickly to all users, regardless of their geographical location.

Lazy Load

Lazy Load WordPress plugin

The Lazy Load plugin is a free, open-source tool that boosts your website’s performance by loading images only when they’re visible on the page. This strategy lessens the number of images loaded simultaneously, thereby improving your website’s perceived loading speed. The plugin is user-friendly and customizable, allowing you to choose whether to lazy load all images or exclude some.

To start using the plugin, you simply need to install, activate, and configure its settings. Upon setup, it begins lazy loading images on your website – a functionality you can check by scrolling your webpage to see if images appear only when they’re in view. The Lazy Load plugin is a fantastic asset to increase your website’s speed and performance, especially useful when your pages are image-heavy.

Regenerate Thumbnails

Regenerate Thumbnails WordPress plugin

Regenerate Thumbnails is a WordPress plugin that helps you regenerate thumbnails for your image attachments. This is particularly useful if you’ve changed your thumbnail dimensions, switched to a new theme, or want to convert your images to a new file format. When you change your WordPress theme or modify thumbnail sizes, the new dimensions are only applied to images uploaded post-change, potentially leading to inconsistencies in your media library and website.

Regenerate Thumbnails addresses this issue by enabling you to delete outdated, unused thumbnails and create new ones that align with your current theme’s specifications. With this plugin, you can effortlessly regenerate all of your thumbnails with just a few clicks, ensuring that all of your images are consistent and appear well on your website.

Hammy

Hammy WordPress plugin

Hammy is a WordPress plugin that optimizes your website’s images for better performance. It cleverly shrinks your images’ file sizes without losing their quality. Key techniques it uses include lossless compression and gzip compression, effectively making your image files smaller and quicker to load, hence boosting your website’s loading speed – crucial for user experience and search engine optimization.

Hammy’s features include lossless compression, which strips unneeded data from the image file while maintaining its quality. It also uses gzip compression, a potent lossless algorithm especially good at shrinking text files. Lastly, Hammy supports lazy loading, loading images only when they’re visible on the page. This minimizes the simultaneous load of images, leading to improved website performance.

WP Parallel Loading System

WP Parallel Loading System plugin

The WP Parallel Loading System is a plugin for WordPress that accelerates website loading by initiating resources in parallel. This results in images, scripts, and styles loading simultaneously, potentially enhancing your website’s perceived loading speed. The plugin is straightforward to use and needs no configuration.

After installation and activation, the plugin automatically begins to load resources in parallel. This allows users to start interacting with the website without waiting for all resources to load. The plugin’s effectiveness can be tested by visiting the website and loading a page. If working correctly, there should be no noticeable lag or delay when the page loads.

WP Offload Media Lite

WP Offload Media Lite WordPress plugin

The WP Offload Media Lite plugin for WordPress lets you store and serve your website’s media files from Amazon S3 and CloudFront, which can enhance your website’s performance and reliability, and reduce the load on your hosting server. This plugin automatically copies uploaded media files to Amazon S3 and changes the URLs to serve them from S3 or CloudFront, all while maintaining the usability of your WordPress media library.

Using this plugin is especially advantageous for websites with high traffic or large media libraries, as it can significantly accelerate load times and provide a layer of redundancy. This ensures your media files remain accessible even if your website experiences issues. By integrating with Amazon’s services, you can boost your website’s overall performance and reliability, making it faster and more reachable for visitors.

CW Image Optimizer

CW Image Optimizer WordPress plugin

CW Image Optimizer is a tool that boosts your WordPress website’s performance by shrinking the file size of your images without compromising their quality. This leads to a quicker website load, reduced bandwidth usage, and an improved user experience.

Optimizing your images can dramatically speed up your website’s loading time, particularly for image-heavy pages. As a result, visitors wait less for your site to load, potentially boosting engagement and conversions.

Moreover, image optimization can cut down your website’s bandwidth usage, possibly saving you money on hosting costs. This is due to smaller file sizes necessitating less data transfer between the server and the user’s device.

PB Responsive Images

PB Responsive Images WordPress plugin

PB Responsive Images is a WordPress plugin that enables website owners to offer responsive images to their visitors. Responsive images automatically adjust to fit the width of the viewing device, thus enhancing website performance by minimizing the bandwidth needed to load images.

This plugin achieves its goal by automatically resizing images to the width of the viewing device using the srcset attribute. This is an HTML attribute permitting multiple image sizes to be allocated to an image, with the browser selecting the most suitable image size for the viewing device.

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Why Create MVP Website with WordPress? https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/mvp-website-wordpress/ Mon, 08 May 2023 10:01:49 +0000 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/?p=66883 What MVP is, why it is beneficial for your future business, and why it’s better to use WordPress when creating an MVP website.

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When it comes to creating a new product or service, there are many different strategies and guidelines out there. You can find advice on how to run your business, organize the process, deal with accounting, and so on. But what is really important to know when starting something new is – whether the game is worth the candle.

And that’s where MVP (Minimum Viable Product) comes into play.

create MVP website

In this article, I’ll explain what MVP is, why it is beneficial for your future business and why it’s better to use WordPress when creating an MVP website.

So, let’s get the ball rolling!

What is MVP?

Simply saying, an MVP is a basic version of the product you want to launch.

Sounds easy, yeah?

However, you should not confuse the basicversion, which includes the main features of your product but without all the bells and whistles, with the rawversion, which lacks crucial functionality and cannot be used by your target audience.

To get a better idea of this concept, let’s take a look at the definition of the minimum viable product given by Eric Ries, an author of “Lean Startup” and a true MVP evangelist:

“The minimum viable product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort.”

So, making an MVP is probably the best way to test your business idea.

Reasons to Create an MVP for Your Business

In this section, let’s dive deeper and discover the advantages of an MVP website for your future business.

MVP benefits
1. Validation of Idea & Business Assumptions

Often when starting a new business, entrepreneurs get to work with a lot of enthusiasm and believe that their product will be the next market giant. Creating something new is indeed inspiring and engaging, but it’s also true that starting a business is not always all about rainbows and unicorns.

To be honest, it’s never so (unless you sell puppies).

The sad reality is that 35% of startups fail because there’s no demand for such a product or service.

Creating an MVP allows you to escape such a bleak future and find out the answers to the following questions:

  • Is there a market need for my product or service?
  • How big is it?

Moreover, besides validating your idea (i.e., understanding that there’s a demand for your product or service), MVP can show you whether your business has a monetization potential.

Knowing that users are ready to pay for your future products or services is crucial in the early stages because if you know that they won’t, you should ask yourself:

“Why I’m spending time and money on a business that will not be profitable?”

So, unless you are building a nonprofit organization (thanks for doing that), you should think twice about whether to proceed if your MVP shows low demand for your services and small monetization potential.

2. Customer Feedback

Creating an MVP allows you to get priceless feedback from early adopters. You can find out how end-users interact with your product and gain valuable insights, like:

  • What is lacking?
  • What is redundant?
  • What is difficult?, and
  • What do users like?

Simply saying, customer feedback gives you the right direction and a better understanding of what to do next.

However, it’s important to keep a cool head when planning a product development based on your customers’ feedback. Often, users ask for some small, unnecessary or complicated, time-consuming features that provide little to no benefits.

So you don’t have to rush and try to satisfy every customer request. Instead, you should listen to them, analyze what they say, and do what’s best for the product and most users.

To better understand what I’m saying, check out the A.C.A.F. Customer Feeback Loopcreated by Hubspot.

customer feedback loop
3. Faster Time-to-market

The next advantage of creating MVP is having a faster TMT (Time-to-market) for your product. Simply put, TMT is the time frame from developing your product to the moment it’s released to first users.

Here are the two main benefits of faster time-to-market:

  • First-mover advantage. If you are the first on the market, you can build strong brand recognition and occupy the most significant market share.
  • Revenue. It’s simple, the sooner you start, the sooner you can earn some money and reinvest them in your business.

Also, if you plan to play big and want to raise funding in the future, already having a “working” product definitely adds a few points to your investment attractiveness.

4. Cost-efficiency

Starting a new business is always accompanied by expenses, and the worst thing is that you cannot be sure everything will work out. But here again, MVP comes in handy and helps you to do the following:

  • Save money on development. A good MVP should have only crucial functionality, and you don’t have to spend money on “nice to have” but not essential features at the beginning;
  • Stop early. As mentioned before, not every business will be successful, and sometimes it’s better to stop and start a new one. The sooner you understand that your product has no market need, the more you

So, summing up all the benefits of creating MVP in one sentence:

MVP allows you to “test the waters” in the shortest possible period with the minimum required budget.

Now let’s jump into the next section, where I explain why WordPress is a great tool for creating MVP websites.

Why build MVP websites with WordPress?

Basically, you have two options for creating an MVP website:

  • Starting from scratch, or
  • Use existing tools, like WordPress

Everything depends on the complexity of your project, budget and time limits. Below, I’ll explain why WordPress may be a good starting point.

1. Variety of Plugins & Themes

The first great thing about WordPress is that there are tons of various plugins for probably any use case. To be precise, at the time of writing, the WordPress repository includes more than 60,000 free plugins.

It means that you don’t have to spend time coding all of the features for your MVP since there’s a high probability that you can find a ready-made plugin with the necessary functionality.

Also, the great news about WordPress is that all plugins are open-source, so even if you don’t find a plugin that fully suits your requirements, you can always customize it to match your needs.

On top of that, there are thousands of free and premium WordPress themes for every taste and style. It doesn’t matter what niche you choose – I’m pretty sure you can find a theme that can be used for that.

For example, let’s imagine that you want to create a niche booking or rental website. To create an MVP, you can simply use a WordPress plugin such as HivePress and combine it with the RentalHive theme.

Alternatively, you can check out this list of other popular booking WordPress themes and go with the option you like the most.

3. WordPress is Easy to Use

Currently, WordPress is the most popular Content Management System (CMS) in the world (more than 43% of all websites are built with WordPress).

wordpress use

One of the main reasons for its popularity is pretty straightforward: WordPress is easy to use.

It’s such a simple CMS that even a rookie can work with WordPress hassle-free. There are three factors that make it a piece of cake:

  • Installation. Most hosting providers offer 1-click WordPress installation, so you don’t have to read any docs on how to do that;
  • Intuitive interface. WordPress dashboard is really intuitive, so you won’t get lost there for sure;
  • Community. There are millions of people out there who use WordPress and share their You can easily find WP-related forums, subreddits and groups where people help each other.

Have I already convinced you to use WordPress for your next MVP website? If not yet, check out the next WordPress advantage.

3. It’s Cheap

Finally, building an MVP website using WordPress is cheap. The CMS itself is free to use, but you’ll have to pay for premium themes and plugins (which have more features). On average, starting a WordPress website with premium themes and plugins will cost you about $150 – $300, which is a tiny amount for testing your idea.

Also, if you want to customize something on your website or add extra features and you need to hire a freelancer, you’ll be happy to know that developers specializing in WordPress are often cheaper.

So, using WordPress allows you to create an MVP website quickly, easily and without an enormous budget.

Tips on Running an MVP Website

I’d also like to share a few tips on how to get the most out of your MVP website. So, to increase your chances for success, you need to:

  • Identify core features. Your MVP website should include the main features of your future product to ensure that early adopters will be able to use it.
  • Keep it simple. As mentioned before, keep your website simple but at the same time “viable”.
  • Work with existing tools. Avoid creating everything from scratch and try using existing tools and resources to save time (e.g., open-source libraries, APIs, frameworks, etc).
  • Collect data. The main reason for creating MVP is to collect the necessary data and user feedback, so use the proper tools to measure The more – the better.

Following these tips, you can properly test your idea and make data-driven decisions.

Wrapping Up

That’s it! I hope this article was helpful to you and that now you have a better understanding of what MVP is and why it’s better to create your future MVP website using WordPress.

Also, always keep in mind that an MVP website is just a starting point to collect data that can help you develop and improve your future product. So your entrepreneurship journey only begins.

Disclaimer: This article is contributed by HivePress.

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12 Cool Pre-Built Affordable Websites for Small Businesses https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/prebuilt-affordable-websites-small-businesses/ Mon, 13 Mar 2023 10:01:27 +0000 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/?p=65108 Discover pre-built, affordable websites perfect for small businesses. Get your online presence up and running quickly and easily.

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It is pretty common for small business owners to be on a tight budget. And while there are some areas of your business where you can cut corners, your website is not one of them.

Some people will say you need to spend thousands of dollars on a website if you want it to look good and be effective for your business. Others will tell you about website builders you can use to build your own site, if only you’re willing to pay a monthly subscription fee – from now until the day you stop needing the site.

There’s another option.

With a one-time $60 licensing fee, you’ll get access to BeTheme, BeBuilder, and more than 650 awesome pre-built websites.

Want to see how amazing these affordable websites for small businesses look and how easy they are to customize?

Keep reading.

Showcase: 12 affordable websites for small businesses

Costs quickly add up in business. Here are twelve awesome websites for small businesses bundled with the BeTheme WordPress theme.

Start your cost savings with one of these, and then we’ll show you below how to save even more time and money with BeTheme.

1. BeBlogger
BeTheme - BeBlogger

Are you a content creator who needs a website? While the BeBlogger website is designed using the example of a blogger, any content creator, influencer, or entrepreneur could use this pre-built website.

You’ll have areas to show off your photography, write posts, advertise partnerships, and build your list of subscribers.

View BeBlogger Prebuilt Website

2. BeBurger
BeTheme - BeBurger

Independent food and drink establishments can have websites that are just as professional and flashy as big chains. BeBurger will make it easy to advertise your restaurant, cafe, doughnut shop, or other establishments in a big way.

Add video backgrounds, share yummy photos of food and drinks, and show off your full menu in all its glory.

View BeBurger Prebuilt Website

3. BeBusiness
BeTheme - BeBusiness

If you’re looking at this list and don’t see your specific industry represented, that’s okay. BeTheme has a big selection of BeBusiness sites that are easy to customize and put your personal twist on.

This particular pre-built website is best for small businesses, like accountants, law firms, consultants, and others, who want to appear professional yet accessible and relatable.

View BeBusiness Prebuilt Website

4. BeEcoFood
BeTheme - BeEcoFood

If you feel like your business would benefit from a website that feels more organic and down-to-earth, BeEcoFood could be a good option.

This site doesn’t rely on high-impact imagery to make a statement. Instead, its earthy design allows the business’s natural and healthy food products to shine through.

View BeEcoFood Prebuilt Website

5. BeEvent
BeTheme - BeEvent

Want people to hire you to coordinate or host events for them? Then you need a website that gets them excited about what you do. BeEvent combines bright colors, fun textures, and exciting imagery to help you grab people’s attention.

The site also comes with tools that make it easy for website visitors to book a consultation with you.

View BeEvent Prebuilt Website

6. BeFoodTruck
BeTheme - BeFoodTruck

If you’re a food truck owner, you shouldn’t have to rely on social media or third-party sites to get the word out about your business.

One of Be’s pre-built websites, the BeFoodTruck site has everything you need to share your current menu and your food truck’s whereabouts and schedule.

View BeFoodTruck Prebuilt Website

7. BeITService
BeTheme - BeITService

It doesn’t matter how big or small your operation is or if you work on your own or with a team of employees. You need a website that makes your small tech business look as well-established and trustworthy as the bigger companies you compete against.

Use the BeITService pre-built website for advertising your technical support services, phone repair shop, or other tech-based business.

View BeITService Prebuilt Website

8. BeNursingHome
BeTheme - BeNursingHome

When you run a small medical or care facility, you need a website that will do more than just rattle off information about the services you offer. You need one that feels warm and empathetic.

With BeNursingHome, you’ll have tons of room to show off the faces of the people whose lives you are impacting and those who care for them day in and day out.

View BeNursingHome Prebuilt Website

9. BePersonalTrainer
BeTheme - BePersonalTrainer

Personal trainers, health coaches, nutrition consultants, and others in the business of helping people reach their optimal health need websites that visually demonstrate what those results will look like.

BePersonalTrainer does this with a dramatic flair, combining greyscale and colorful imagery of the personal trainer and their clients.

View BePersonalTrainer Prebuilt Website

10. BeTheme Store
BeTheme - BeTheme Store

If you have a small, local shop that mainly relies on foot traffic and word-of-mouth, then now is a great time to get it online. While you can use BeTheme Store for any shop with a small to medium-sized inventory of products, the design would work great for businesses in the tech, auto, or athletics space.

View BeTheme Store Prebuilt Website

11. BeTire
BeTheme - BeTire

As more and more people turn to the internet to discover local service providers, having an impressive website waiting for them is a huge competitive advantage these days. But you don’t just want it to look good.

The BeTire pre-built website, for instance, is built to educate prospective customers on your services and to help them make appointments online.

View BeTheme Store Prebuilt Website

12. BeWedding
BeTheme - BeWedding

The wedding industry is massive. But sometimes couples don’t want to use expensive and out-of-touch vendors to plan the wedding of their dreams.

While the BeWedding pre-built website could certainly be used by couples who want to advertise their upcoming nuptials, it could also be repurposed for local wedding photographers, planners, florists, and more.

View BeWedding Prebuilt Website

Build a cost-efficient website for your small business

It’s okay if you can’t afford huge upfront website costs or you don’t want to pay an ongoing subscription for your site. BeTheme makes it possible to build a cost-efficient website that will put your business on the map, and that will be easy to scale alongside your business.

One of the biggest reasons for this is the growing library of affordable websites for small businesses. As of writing this, there are more than 650 pre-built websites to choose from.

And in just a couple of minutes, the BeTheme setup wizard will help you get a fully-loaded site up and running.

BeTheme setup wizard

Plus, BeTheme’s $60 price tag comes with everything you need to customize your site or shop.

For instance:

  • An easy-to-use drag-and-drop website builder (give BeBuilder a try now, no installation required)
  • 3000+ pre-built pages
  • 100+ premade sections
  • 80+ page blocks

If your goal is to build an attractive, modern, and responsive small business website, then everything you need is here. As a bonus, your website will be much faster than if you’d built it with another WordPress theme or website builder – and fast loading speeds are always a great competitive edge.

In other words, what others would pay an agency tens of thousands of dollars to do in months can be done by you or your designer in no time at all.

Disclaimer. This article is sponsored by BeTheme.

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The Best 9 WordPress Plugins (2023 Updated) https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/wordpress-plugins-2023/ Wed, 18 Jan 2023 13:01:12 +0000 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/?p=64600 *** Top 9 Essential WordPress Plugins for 2023: A Comprehensive Guide Building a website with WordPress offers unparalleled versatility. Whether you’re looking to host a high-traffic blog, an e-commerce store, or a lead-generating business site, WordPress has got you covered. One of the pillars of WordPress’s adaptability is its plugins. These add-ons enhance your site…

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*** Top 9 Essential WordPress Plugins for 2023: A Comprehensive Guide

Building a website with WordPress offers unparalleled versatility. Whether you’re looking to host a high-traffic blog, an e-commerce store, or a lead-generating business site, WordPress has got you covered.

One of the pillars of WordPress’s adaptability is its plugins. These add-ons enhance your site in various ways, from adding new features and extending functionality to optimizing SEO and improving performance.

Investing in the right WordPress plugins can be a game-changer for your website or business. Here, we present a curated list of 9 premium plugins that can significantly elevate your WordPress experience.

Brizy: The Ultimate Website Builder for Everyone

Brizy Website Builder

Brizy is a cloud-based website builder designed for WordPress. It’s user-friendly for beginners but also offers advanced features that tech-savvy users will appreciate.

Not only is Brizy fast and flexible, but it’s also free to download. A Pro version with additional features is available as well. With Brizy, you can create stunning websites without any coding knowledge.

Key features include:

  • Customizable Theme Builder for tailoring any part of your site or creating dynamic templates.
  • WooCommerce integration for those planning to set up an online store.
  • A selection of over 100 high-converting templates, as well as importable pages, blocks, and pop-up designs.
  • A white-label option for businesses.

Click on the image above to learn more about Brizy.

wpDataTables: The Go-To Plugin for WordPress Tables

wpDataTables Plugin

Creating visually appealing and informative tables or charts on your website can either be a breeze or a challenge. wpDataTables, a specialized WordPress tables plugin, simplifies this task for you.

Managing and organizing large sets of complex data can be daunting. wpDataTables, trusted by over 66,000 companies and individuals, takes the hassle out of building tables and charts.

Noteworthy features include:

  • Compatibility with multiple database sources and data formats.
  • Creation of responsive, user-editable tables and charts.
  • Integration with popular page builders like Elementor, Divi, Avada, and WPBakery.
  • Conditional Formatting for easy data visualization.

Click on the image above to discover more about wpDataTables.

Amelia: The Ultimate WordPress Booking Plugin

Amelia Booking Plugin

Amelia is an automated booking plugin that offers significant advantages for website owners:

  • Efficient management of unlimited appointment bookings for business clients.
  • Centralized booking management for multiple locations through a single dashboard.

Key features of Amelia include:

  • 24/7 online appointment booking for clients.
  • Email and SMS reminders for clients.
  • Event, ticket sales, packages, and group booking management.
  • Integration with WooCommerce and various payment methods like PayPal, Stripe, Mollie, and Razor.

Click on the image above to learn more about Amelia.

TheDock: Build Robust Websites Efficiently

TheDock Theme Builder

TheDock is a WordPress theme builder designed to accelerate website creation by streamlining team workflows.

Notable features include:

  • An auto-adjusting layout system.
  • Global UI components.
  • A white-label builder for businesses.

Slider Revolution: More Than Just a WordPress Slider Plugin

Slider Revolution Plugin

Slider Revolution has evolved into a multi-functional tool, trusted by over 9 million users, for enhancing website design and functionality.

Key features include:

  • Advanced animation effects to enrich your website.
  • A library of over 250 website and slider templates.

LayerSlider: The Premier WordPress Slider Builder Plugin

LayerSlider Plugin

LayerSlider is more than just a slider plugin for WordPress. It offers a versatile platform for creating a variety of web content.

With LayerSlider, you can create:

  • Stunning animations with unique effects to captivate your audience.
  • Image galleries, pop-ups, landing pages, animated page blocks, parallax scenes, and even entire websites.

Download Monitor: The Leading WordPress Download Manager

Download Monitor Plugin

Download Monitor is a trusted plugin with over 100,000 installations. It tracks and secures file downloads on your WordPress site.

Additional features include:

  • A log file that records downloaded files and the IP addresses of the users.
  • Support for various file formats like ZIP, PPT, XSLX, PDF, and more.

Essential Grid: The Top WordPress Grid Plugin

Essential Grid Plugin

If you want your gallery to be the centerpiece of your website, Essential Grid is the plugin for you.

Key features include:

  • Over 50 customizable grid templates.
  • Various grid-building options, including boxed, full-width, and full-screen layouts.
  • Integration with social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Flickr, and Vimeo.

Ads Pro: Comprehensive WordPress Ad Management

Ads Pro Plugin

Ads Pro simplifies ad management on your WordPress site. Noteworthy features include:

  • 25+ customizable ad templates, 20+ display options, multiple billing and payment methods, and click fraud protection.
  • An Admin Panel for managing a large number of ads.
  • A Frontend User Panel for advertisers to manage their ads.
  • A Frontend Order Form for selling ad spaces.

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The 10+ Best WordPress Themes for 2023 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/premium-wordpress-themes-2023/ Thu, 12 Jan 2023 13:01:57 +0000 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/?p=64560 There’s more than one way to look at your business website. For instance, you might want it to reflect your brand accurately. That’s all well and good, and that is often your goal when you begin to plan your website’s design. Another way might be to have it reflect what you want your business to…

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There’s more than one way to look at your business website. For instance, you might want it to reflect your brand accurately. That’s all well and good, and that is often your goal when you begin to plan your website’s design.

Another way might be to have it reflect what you want your business to become. On the surface, that might not make too much sense. Your business is what it is.

You can, however, make your brand look as good as you want it, and a WordPress theme can help you do just that.

Not just any cool WordPress theme, though. There are tons of great WordPress themes out there, but only a small portion, if I may, is capable of making your brand look more successful than it may be a.t.m, and that’s worth pursuing.

Here are some of the best WordPress themes out there right now, with the tools and techniques to make that happen.

1. Be – Multipurpose WordPress Theme

Be WordPress Theme

This popular multipurpose WordPress theme can place more than 40 powerful core website-building features at your fingertips.

These core features include a library of 650+ professionally crafted and customizable pre-built websites, the new Header Builder, a WooCommerce builder, and a host of other design aids, elements, and options.

Dig deeper, and you’ll find:

  • The popular BeBuilder, a Shortcode Generator and Shortcode Library, and a ton of design and layout options to give you the flexibility you’ll need
  • Be’s Blog, Portfolio, and Shop layouts will considerably shorten your workflow
  • BeTheme is Elementor ready and features the popular Slider Revolution and LayerSlider plugins as well
  • The 650+ pre-built websites are one-click importable, responsive, and feature embedded UX functionality
  • Shop layouts and customer-centric shopping elements accompany Be’s Woo Commerce builder.
  • Live Demo for testing the stunning Be Builder’s features.

BeTheme’s user base exceeds 250,000 satisfied customers. Click on the banner to learn more about Be’s core features.

2. Total WordPress Theme

Total WordPress Theme

Total WordPress theme’s site-building tools with a myriad of design options enable you to create an engaging website that hints at what you envision your brand to become.

It does this with the following:

  • Extended version of WPBakery, section templates, and ready-to-use demos.
  • A host of live Customizer settings, Elementor elements, Gutenberg blocks, and more.
  • Ingenious styling options and professionally designed page builder blocks, post entry cards, animations, and custom backgrounds.
  • Preset header styles, scroll menus and mobile menu styles, and a simple mega menu.
  • Boxed, full-width, and dynamic layouts, one-page sites, and advanced page settings.

In short, Total has the tools and design aids you need to build an engaging website that will boost your brand. Click on the banner to find out more.

3. Electro – WooCommerce Theme for Affiliates, Dropship, and Marketplace Websites

Electro WordPress Theme

The Electro WooCommerce WordPress theme is fast, user-friendly, highly customizable, and just what you need to showcase your brand in the best possible light.

  • Choose from Electro’s seven fully customizable home pages to get off to a quick start.
  • Electro is ideal for building an affiliate, dropship, or marketplace website.
  • Electro is not reliant on any page builder. Still, because of its full compatibility with WPBakery and Elementor, you can create the pixel-perfect designs you’ve envisioned to create a brand-enhancing site.
  • Choose from Electro’s modern WooCommerce layouts is to showcase your products, create headers, build mobile layouts, and generate different color schemes. Click on the banner to find out more about what this modern and upscale WordPress theme can do to help you create a stunning custom-made website that gives visitors everything they have a right to expect.

4. TheGem – Creative and WooCommerce WordPress Theme

TheGem WordPress Theme

TheGem is a creative WordPress theme with a variety of multipurpose features, 400+ pre-built websites, and unlimited customizations:

  • Its Theme Builder helps to build every part of your website right away in Elementor or WPBakery: headers, footers, blogs, popups, and much more.
  • TheGem Blocks help to significantly speed up your work.
  • An extensive set of WooCommerce features helps you to build a solid conversion-optimized online shop.
  • Boosting performance with one single click.

5. Vault – Multi-Purpose Elementor WordPress Theme

Vault WordPress Theme

Vault is a next-generation website builder with a high-class selection of 50+ full websites, 1200+ templates, and 230+ premium widgets.

You’ll love Vault’s next-generation Theme Options Panel and its collections of beautiful interactions and animations. The interactive design tools and customization options are also more than impressive.

With Vault at your fingertips, you can easily create an online presence with customer-engaging pages highlighting your brand.

6. Uncode – Creative & WooCommerce WordPress Theme

Uncode WordPress Theme

Add this creative WordPress theme to your design toolbox, and you’ll have everything you need to build attractive and engaging WooCommerce websites.

Uncode’s features include:

  • 70+ professionally crafted pre-made designs you can mix and match to fit your needs.
  • 500+ wireframes sections, an advanced Drag and Drop builder, shop layouts, and Ajax product filters.

Its 100,000+ sales have made Uncode an Envato top seller.

7. Blocksy Free eCommerce WordPress Theme

Blocksy WordPress Theme

Blocksy is a free eCommerce WordPress theme, and free is always nice, but you also get lightning-fast performance and a theme that is eCommerce ready and loaded with impressive website-building features.

Its Content Blocks allow you to insert a segment of content anywhere throughout your site, and additionally, the Header Builder, Footer Builder, custom post types, dynamic data support, and content blocks provide plenty of flexibility.

A white label option is also available.

8. Avada WordPress Theme

Avada WordPress Theme

Its 750,000 satisfied users make Avada the #1 best-selling WordPress theme of all time. That fact alone would seem to make it an excellent addition to your web design toolbox.

Having said that, visiting Avada’s website is still the best way to see what this Swiss Army Knife of WordPress themes has to offer with its:

  • 400+ pre-built web pages.
  • 120+ design and layout elements.
  • $200 premium plugins bundle and drag-and-drop builder.

9. Rey WordPress WooCommerce Theme

Rey WordPress Theme

The Rey WooCommerce theme is packed with user-friendly features and is performance-oriented, developer-friendly, and easy to use.

Its popular and powerful Elementor page builder is a key feature, along with a selection of Elementor widgets that will see you through any situation.

It also comes with Quickview, Ajax search, and smart search to help visitors quickly find what they want. Headers are eCommerce-customized, as are Rey’s customer-centric shopping cart, wish list, and checkout features.

10. KnowAll – WordPress Knowledge Base Theme

KnowAll WordPress Theme

KnowAll, WordPress’s premier knowledge base theme, is a powerful tool for building a knowledge base guaranteed to satisfy its users.

KnowAll’s advanced analytics provides valuable insights into what your visitors look for and their approach to finding it, hence, giving you a better perception of what visitors find useful from the feedback they provide.

KnowAll can also be personalized to match your brand.

11. Impeka – Creative WordPress theme

Impeka WordPress Theme

This impeccable WordPress theme gives you complete freedom to build an engaging website your way; a website that is UI-friendly, fast, fully responsive, and optimized for SEO. Select among its 37+ detailed demos to get your project underway knowing that:

  • Impeka-built websites get noticed by the right people.
  • Impeka-built websites give your visitors what they want.
  • You can select Elementor, Gutenberg, or WPBakery as your page builder.
  • You can build an online shop with WooCommerce.

12. XStore – WooCommerce WordPress Theme

XStore WordPress Theme

XStore gives its users a quick and easy approach to building an online store from the get-go. An Envato favorite for the past ten years, XStore can help you get any project off to a rapid start with the following:

  • 120+ awesome shops and multi-vendor marketplace building features.
  • 60+ Elementor widgets.
  • High-converting eCommerce features.
  • Header and single product page builders.

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10 WooCommerce Themes to Check Out (2022) https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/woocommerce-themes/ Thu, 15 Sep 2022 10:01:51 +0000 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/?p=62224 Were you about to give up looking for a suitable WooCommerce WordPress theme to help you open an online store? But, you’re not quite sure what you should be looking for. All you know is that you want a fast WooCommerce theme that takes very little time to set up and place your products on…

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Were you about to give up looking for a suitable WooCommerce WordPress theme to help you open an online store?

But, you’re not quite sure what you should be looking for. All you know is that you want a fast WooCommerce theme that takes very little time to set up and place your products on sale. And ultimately leads to high conversion rates.

Finding such a great WooCommerce WordPress theme can be difficult, and many advertise themselves as providing ideal solutions. But they may be missing key features you must have to create a genuinely innovative store and operate it as smoothly and effectively as possible.

You need a WordPress theme with WooCommerce that offers the optimal design options and settings to allow this to happen. One that suits your needs perfectly.

In this article, we have compiled a list of 10 best WooCommerce Themes, one or more of which should more than fulfill your wants and needs.

1. BeTheme – The Biggest WordPress & WooCommerce Theme
BeTheme

With BeTheme’s 40+ core features at your fingertips, you can build any type of website quickly and with minimal effort. If building an online store is your objective, the following subset of Be’s core features will prove to be invaluable.

  • With BeBuilder and BeBlocks, you can drag, drop, and customize your way to building an online store featuring attractive, pixel-perfect, and 100% responsive product pages and other pages.
  • With BeBuilder Woo at your fingertips, you can create custom WooCommerce templates, create custom attribute swatches, and embed drop-down login and other customer-centric features.
  • The Header Builder offers static, fixed, or absolute positions together with drag and drop to create device-dependent headers.
  • The Mega Menu Builder lets you combine elements any way you want.

Click on the banner to get a complete picture of BeTheme’s capabilities.

2. WoodMart
WoodMart

While the list of WoodMart features you won’t find in most other eCommerce-oriented themes is impressive, you can get an immediate idea of what this WooCommerce theme could do for you by visiting the website.

Still, this WooCommerce theme has featured its website photos alone won’t make you aware. They include the following:

  • An easy-to-use setup wizard.
  • 80+ importable pre-built demo websites; demos can be combined to create pages.
  • A library 400 templates, and special pages that make excellent prototyping tools if you are unsure of how you want to present a product.
  • Plenty of product page display options.
  • A full AJAX shop with a valuable array of AJAX shop filters.
  • Elementor and WPBakery support.

WoodMart’s 2,200+ customer reviews have given it an average rating of 4.95. Click on the banner and check it out.

3. Rey Theme
Rey Theme

The Rey WooCommerce theme is designed with performance and innovation in mind. Special attention is given to product filtering, searching, templating, and navigation – the four pillars of eCommerce.

Features of Rey includes:

  • Rey integrates with Elementor and WooCommerce and offers powerful Elementor extensions. Elementor page builder content can be appended everywhere in any page.
  • Rey features strength in header building, mega menus, smart search, Quick View, Ajax search, and a host of shopper-centric features ranging from a cart page progress bar to cart discounts and boost conversions.
  • Ajax Navigation offers paged navigation, load more, and load more on scroll options.

Rey is responsive, developer-friendly, SEO-friendly, and definitely, performance oriented. Click on the banner to find out more.

4. TheGem – Creative Multi-Purpose WooCommerce Theme
TheGem

TheGem is a best-selling premium WordPress theme that also happens to feature a virtual Swiss Army knife of WooCommerce site building tools and options.

Key features of TheGem includes:

  • Fast loading, top performance, and an extended library of pre-built designs.
  • TheGem WooCommerce builder together with 400+ WooCommerce-oriented designs.
  • Elementor and WPBakery page builders.
  • Product grids, Ajax filters, a shop mega menu, Ajax live search, and more.
5. Total WordPress Theme
Total WordPress Theme

Total is an aptly-named multipurpose WooCommerce theme that features everything you need to create an imaginative, pixel-perfect, high-converting online shop.

Its packages come with the following:

  • Excellent selections of quick start demos, site-building elements, and section templates.
  • Built-in WooCommerce options for colors, fonts, product pages, and social sharing.

Total is fully compatible with all the most popular plugins.

6. Uncode – Creative & WooCommerce Theme
Uncode

With Uncode at your fingertips, you can experience the same performance that more than 100.000 buyers already have.

Uncode’s WooCommerce theme features a Wireframes plugin with 550+ section templates plus a souped-up Page Builder and advanced WooCommerce and shopper-centric features.

The best way to get a good idea of Uncode’s impressive capabilities is to browse its user-created websites gallery.

7. Avada Theme
Avada Theme

A 6+ year run as the #1 selling WordPress theme is impressive but understandable in that Avada is one of the most-complete WooCommerce WordPress themes on the market and the most trusted.

Avada offers:

  • An impressive selection of theme and page options that give you complete control over building your website.
  • The Fusion Builder and Fusion Toolbox that combine the power of drag and drop with a wealth of page-building tools.
  • A WooCommerce shopping experience that is both intuitive and gorgeous.
8. Hongo – Modern & Multipurpose WooCommerce WordPress Theme
Hongo

Hongo is a modern multipurpose theme ideal for designing business-oriented websites and WooCommerce stores.

Hongo’s key features include the following:

  • A library of easy-to-use page-building template blocks.
  • 10 modern styles you can select from to showcase your products along with 12 eye-catching store demos that will get your creative juices flowing.
  • the WPBakery page builder.
  • Ready-access to WPBakery and WordPress customizer shortcodes.
9. Xstore – Best WordPress WooCommerce Theme for eCommerce
Xstore

An online shop built using XStore makes its builders (65,000+ of them) and its visitors happy.

Its features include:

  • An XStore-built website guarantees enjoyable visitor experiences.
  • 120+ prebuilt ready-to-customize shops make creating an online shop easier for the builder.
  • Bought together, cart countdown, cart progress bar, and other booster sales features make the site a joy for all concerned.

XStore is SEO friendly, WPBakery and Elementor compatible, and features a single product builder.

10. Jupiter X
Jupiter X

Jupiter X doesn’t fool around regarding WooCommerce, especially with the X2 update that provides website builders with features they usually associate with Elementor Pro.

Jupiter X’s features:

  • A layout builder with improved full site editing.
  • A product catalog and advanced product checkout builders.
  • Checkout optimization features you seldom find in other themes, such as sales funnels, discounts and coupons, and smart checkout notices.

Creating an exciting online store can be a difficult task. Unless you’ve selected a WooCommerce-oriented WordPress theme to work with that features many useful eCommerce-oriented tools.

Pick one of these ten best WooCommerce WordPress themes randomly and see how easy it is to create a successful online store.

We suggest that you take a little time to check all of them out so you can pick one you feel best suits you best.

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Top 7 WordPress Security Plugins for 2022 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/wordpress-security-plugins/ Thu, 16 Jun 2022 10:01:52 +0000 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/?p=60043 It’s estimated that 30,000 websites are hacked on average every day. And with over 40% of the websites on the internet being powered by WordPress, an arbitrary estimate would assume that over 12,000 WordPress sites could have fallen victim to a cybersecurity breach in the past 24 hours. If your website is running on WordPress…

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It’s estimated that 30,000 websites are hacked on average every day. And with over 40% of the websites on the internet being powered by WordPress, an arbitrary estimate would assume that over 12,000 WordPress sites could have fallen victim to a cybersecurity breach in the past 24 hours.

If your website is running on WordPress and you haven’t invested in a robust security plugin, your site could be next on the hit list.

Thankfully, there are a number of reliable and highly adaptable plugins available for WordPress sites (you can browse a few of the options available at Envato) but how do you know which one is right for your business?

In the following post, we’ve broken down the 7 best security plugins available for WordPress users right now.

Wordfence

wordpress security plugin Wordfence

One of the most widely-used WordPress security plugins, Wordfence is a comprehensive security solution encompassing a global team of security analysts, threat researchers, software engineers and support staff.

Providing a 24/7 service and a 1-hour response time for mission-critical websites, Wordfence focuses its energy purely on WordPress sites, so it’s often a go-to solution for WordPress users. According to their own data, Wordfence has thwarted over 7 billion attacks and blocklisted over 65,000 malicious IPs. The numbers don’t lie!

So, what do you get with Wordfence? Well, there’s industry-leading login security, which includes brute-force protection and IP access control, as well as two-factor authentication using secure open standards.

Then there’s its malware database (the largest WordPress-specific one on the planet, apparently) and a firewall which is constantly monitored and updated by a threat intelligence team. You’ll also get 24-hour incident response support, all managed via a centralized platform.

Pros:
  • Constantly updated for protection from the latest threats.
  • Largest WordPress-specific malware database.
  • New firewall rules deployed in real-time.
Cons:
  • 27/7/365 support is only available to premium users.
  • Add-on pricing for some features.
More info:

Sucuri

wordpress security plugin Sucuri

Built for various platforms including Magento, Joomla and, of course, WordPress, Sucuri is a cloud-based security solution that offers 24/7 website support with zero hidden costs.

Aimed at both small businesses and enterprise organizations, with Sucuri you can choose from a standalone firewall option (this might suit startups or SMEs with limited budgets and less mission-critical security concerns) or a more comprehensive security plan.

With the latter, any malware or hacking attempts will be removed by Sucuri’s security experts within a matter of hours (SLAs are dependent on your chosen plan).

One of the chief advantages of Sucuri is its Security Resource Center, a self-service hub aimed at helping businesses stay on top of their own security needs. Among its resources are DIY guides and tutorials, a free skill-building email course and a security insights blog that covers up-to-the-minute and emerging trends in the online security landscape.

In addition, Sucuri provides complete website security scans (the frequency of which will depend on your chosen plan; it’s every 30 minutes for business users), SSL support and monitoring, and a website application firewall.

Pros:
  • Instant notifications when your website encounters a threat.
  • Advanced DDoS protection available through some plans.
  • DIY resource center for training and knowledge development.
Cons:
  • Not a WordPress-specific solution.
  • Only covers one website, unless you sign up to a custom plan.
More info:

iThemes Security Pro

wordpress security plugin iThemes

Previously known as Better WP Security, the USP of iThemes Security Pro is that it offers more than 30 ways to protect your WordPress site from outside threats. Built by WordPress security experts in 2014 (and therefore created specifically with WordPress sites in mind), iThemes works on a three-step approach of preparation, prevention and detection.

By monitoring all the security-related activities happening on your website 24/7 (all the stuff you can’t see), iThemes Security Pro takes the guesswork out of WordPress security, with a dynamic, real-time security dashboard that analyzes your website’s security stats in one place.

According to the team at iThemes, vulnerable plugins, themes and WordPress core versions are the main security risks for WordPress sites, and the number one reason they get hacked.

With the iThemes Security Site Scan, you’ll know every time a theme or an app on your site is vulnerable and needs updating. Plus, iThemes will automatically run those updates for you, so you can rest assured that any potentially vulnerable software is stabilized when it needs to be.

Pros:
  • Easy to set up and use, with clear documentation.
  • In-depth defense, with various measures to protect against a range of threats.
  • Real-time security dashboard that is straightforward to navigate.
Cons:
  • Doesn’t necessarily interact well with all web hosting providers.
  • The wide range of options can be overwhelming.
More info:

Cloudways WordPress Migrator

wordpress security plugin iThemes

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting solution that enables not only unmatched speed and performance but also in-built enterprise-grade security. Partnering with the Cloudflare CDN, Cloudways is a comprehensive and reliable alternative to WPEngine (one of the best known WordPress hosting providers) that can mitigate DDoS attacks in under 3 seconds via dedicated IP ranges.

What’s more, Cloudflare’s secure Web Application Firewall (WAF) analyzes millions of sites per second to intelligently identify and block attacks and emerging threats.

Using the Cloudways WordPress Migrator plugin, you won’t need in-house technical teams to navigate the complex process of migrating your WordPress site(s) to the Cloudways hosting platform.

All you’ll need to do is provide the Cloudways SFTP details and the Cloudways WordPress Migrator plugin will seamlessly migrate your data across, including all themes, product pages and customer records, meaning there’s minimal downtime and allowing you to focus on time-critical business projects.

Pros:
  • Faster server speeds than competitors.
  • Setup and migration can be done in minutes.
  • Offers a fully scalable solution.
Cons:
  • No root access and no server modifications, since they’re managed.
  • Most additional add-ons come at a cost (including email).
More info:

WPScan

wordpress security plugin WPScan

The thing that makes WPScan unique is that it uses its own manually-created WPScan WordPress Vulnerability Database. Built in 2014 by a team of WordPress security experts, the database includes over 28,000 (and counting) known WordPress vulnerabilities (encompassing WordPress core, themes and plugins) and it’s continually updated as new information becomes available and new threats emerge.

With up-to-the-second knowledge on newly discovered vulnerabilities, WPScan can ensure your site is protected against security risks you never even knew existed.

Already used by brands including Sony and Accenture, WPScan is not a catch-all security solution like some other options on this list, but purely as a security scanning tool – plus, it’s free (that is, unless you opt for an enterprise plan where you’ll get additional features such as custom API requests per day and CVSS risk scores).

The non-paid option includes daily vulnerability scans and email reports, which is probably sufficient if you’re a smaller business looking for a straightforward easy-to-use security solution.

Pros:
  • Real-time vulnerability database with over 28,000 existing threats.
  • Free version which is perfect for small businesses.
  • Customizable email notifications.
Cons:
  • Not a comprehensive security solution.
  • Software usage is restricted (it’s for non-commercial use only).
More info:

Jetpack

wordpress security plugin Jetpack

More than 5 million WordPress users trust Jetpack, an all-in-one solution that focuses not just on website security but also on site performance and growth. In truth, it’s probably the most comprehensive tool in this list, although if it’s just their security solution you’re after, you can forgo the ‘complete’ plan (which unsurprisingly comes at a much bigger cost) and select the security-only option.

If you do decide to go for the full platter, Jetpack’s performance features promise lightning-fast speed, SEO improvements and an enhanced user experience, while the growth tools help to turn more leads into customers.

Let’s focus on Jetpack’s security solution: with easy-to-use, comprehensive WordPress site security including backups, malware scanning and spam protection, Jetpack includes at least 10GB of backup storage (1TB if you upgrade to a pricier package) and allows one-click restore from the last 30 days of backups (again, if you opt for a higher-level plan, that extends to a full year).

A simple yet powerful security solution, with Jetpack you can review scan results in one centralized location, and you’ll get email alerts as soon as Jetpack encounters a security problem.

Pros:
  • A comprehensive tool that also enhances site performance and UX.
  • There’s a free option which covers essential security features.
  • Features are frequently updated.
Cons:
  • Not a dedicated security solution.
  • As the interface is feature-rich, it can be difficult to navigate.
More info:

Defender

wordpress security plugin Defender

One of the simplest security solutions out there, Defender is perfect for SMEs who don’t have a team of in-house security experts. Including a free option (as well as more feature-heavy premium plans) Defender starts with a list of one-click hardening techniques that will instantly add multi-layered protection to your WordPress site.

Defender can help to prevent brute-force login attacks, SQL injections, cross-site scripting and other WordPress vulnerabilities using its malware scanner, antivirus scans, IP blockers, firewalls, activity and security logs and two-factor authentication (2FA).

Defender is built to make security straightforward, so it’s a great option if you don’t want to concern yourself with training your teams on security matters (although, we’d still recommend that you provide them with at least a basic level of awareness).

With Defender, you can run a scan and implement recommended updates in one click, with changes often taking just minutes to implement.

Pros:
  • Extremely easy to use, even for security novices.
  • Free and low-cost options to suit smaller businesses.
  • Reliable customer support.
Cons:
  • Its simplicity means it might not be suitable for large enterprises.
  • Post-hack cleanups are not included.
More info:

Remember, all websites need protecting; no matter the scale of your business or the purpose of your site. If you’re a WordPress user and your site is in need of some beefed-up security, you won’t go far wrong if you’re using one of the options we’ve covered here.

From basic packages to comprehensive all-in-one security solutions, make sure you select the right option for your business.

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How to Migrate Your WordPress Site from Local to Remote Server https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/migrate-wordpress-local-liveserver/ Mon, 17 Jan 2022 13:01:14 +0000 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/?p=58686 Working on a local server is the best practice for building your WordPress website securely. Once you’re done with the development, the next move is to transfer your site to a live server so it’s available on the internet. In this guide, we’ll cover two methods to achieve this. First, we’ll walk you through the…

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Working on a local server is the best practice for building your WordPress website securely. Once you’re done with the development, the next move is to transfer your site to a live server so it’s available on the internet.

In this guide, we’ll cover two methods to achieve this. First, we’ll walk you through the manual steps for migration. Next, we’ll introduce you to helpful plugins that can simplify the process of moving a WordPress site.

How to Install WordPress Locally With Vagrant

How to Install WordPress Locally With Vagrant

Developing locally is one of the best things that can happen to you. Not only does it let... Read more

How to Manually Move Your WordPress Site

This guide will walk you through the steps to manually transfer your WordPress files and database from your local computer to a live server.

Note: For this tutorial, we’re using MAMP on the local computer and Hostgator with cPanel for the live server.

Step 1: Download Your Local Database

First, let’s make a copy of your existing WordPress database. Follow these steps:

  1. Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost/phpmyadmin/.
  2. Accessing phpMyAdmin on localhost
  3. In the left sidebar, click on your WordPress database name.
  4. Selecting WordPress database
  5. Click on ‘Export’, choose ‘Gzip’ under Format, and then click ‘Go’.
  6. Exporting WordPress database
Step 2: Create a New Database on the Live Server

Before uploading the local database to the live server, you’ll need to create a new database in your hosting account.

  1. Log in to your hosting account. In the cPanel or admin page, find and click on something like “MySQL”, “MySQL Database”, or “Database”. Then click on “Create New Database”.
  2. Creating new MySQL database
  3. Name your database and click “Create Database”.
  4. Naming the new database
  5. Next, create a user for this database. Enter a username and password, then click “Create User”.
  6. Creating database user
  7. Link the new user to the database. Select both the User and Database names, then click “Add”.
  8. Linking user to database
  9. If prompted, ensure all privilege boxes are checked and click “Make Changes” or “Done”.
  10. Setting user privileges

Note: Make sure to save the username and password – you’ll need them later.

How to Upload Your Database to a Live Server

Now that you’ve exported your local database and created a new one on the live server, it’s time to import the database there.

  1. Go to the admin area of your web hosting account, find the Database section, and click on “PhpMyAdmin”.
  2. Accessing PhpMyAdmin in web hosting account
  3. In the left sidebar, click the name of the database you created earlier. Then, click “Import” in the top menu.
  4. Importing database in PhpMyAdmin
  5. Click “Browse,” select your local database file (in .gzip format), and click “Go.”
  6. Selecting local database file
Update Settings in Your Live Server Database

Once the database is uploaded, you’ll need to update the site URL. Navigate to the wp_options table in the database and locate the siteurl and home entries.

Editing site URL in database

Change the siteurl and home entries from http://localhost to your domain, for example, http://mywpblog.com.

Transfer Files to the Live Server

You’ve successfully migrated the database. Now it’s time to upload your WordPress files to your web hosting account. We recommend using an FTP client for this.

If you don’t have an FTP client, you can download FileZilla, or check out our list of free FTP clients. Connect to your web hosting account and start transferring your WordPress files.

Using FileZilla for file transfer

Note: Ensure you’re transferring files to the correct directory, usually public_html/.

Edit the WordPress Configuration File

Finally, you’ll need to edit the wp-config.php file on the live server to connect it to the database.

Open wp-config.php in a text editor and find the following section:

define('DB_NAME', 'your_database_name');
define('DB_USER', 'your_database_user');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your_database_password');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

Replace the placeholders with the actual database information you set up earlier.

Verify Settings and Test Your Site

If everything is set up correctly, your site should now be live. Go to the WordPress Dashboard, navigate to Settings > General, and confirm that the URLs are correct. Then, save your changes.

Verifying WordPress settings

Open a new browser tab, enter your site’s URL, and your WordPress site should appear just like it did on your local machine.

Easy Ways to Move Your WordPress Site With Plugins

If you’d rather avoid the hassle of manually transferring files and databases, you can use WordPress plugins to make the migration process easier.

Here are some plugins I highly recommend:

UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus is a comprehensive backup plugin for WordPress. It allows you to automatically back up your site and store it on various remote servers like Google Drive, FTP, Dropbox, and more. The plugin offers incremental backups and the option to restore your site directly from the admin panel. The premium version even includes a migration tool for easy site transfers.

UpdraftPlus Plugin Interface
DesktopServer

DesktopServer is a desktop app available for macOS and Windows that lets you run WordPress locally on your computer. It simplifies the process of setting up virtual hosts, cloning test sites, creating local multisite networks, archiving sites, and migrating your site.

The application’s Wizard GUI makes the migration process as simple as a few clicks.

DesktopServer Application Interface
All-in-One WP Migration

All-in-One WP Migration is a user-friendly plugin that simplifies the process of transferring your WordPress website. It takes care of complicated steps like moving the database, files, and updating web addresses.

You have the option to leave out specific folders from the transfer, such as spam comments, media files, and blog posts.

Related: Learn how to use the All-in-One WP Migration plugin.

All-in-One WP Migration Plugin Interface
Duplicator Pro

Duplicator Pro is another user-friendly WordPress migration plugin. It’s designed to be easy to use, regardless of your technical expertise. The plugin allows you to move your WordPress site from a local environment to a live server, or between different servers.

Duplicator Pro Plugin Interface

Extra Tip: How to Migrate Using the All-in-One WP Migration Plugin

This guide will show you how to use the All-in-One WP Migration plugin to move your WordPress site.

  1. First, go to your local WordPress site and install the All-in-One WP Migration plugin. Activate it.
  2. Installing All-in-One WP Migration plugin
  3. Next, look for the “All-in-One WP Migration” link on the left sidebar of your WordPress dashboard. Hover over it and click on “Export.”
  4. Navigating to Export option
  5. Choose “Export to,” and then select “File” to download a backup of your database.
  6. Selecting File for database backup
  7. Now, install a fresh WordPress on your live server. Don’t forget to install and activate the All-in-One WP Migration plugin there as well.
  8. Installing WordPress on live server
  9. Go back to the left sidebar and under “All-in-One WP Migration,” click on “Import.”
  10. Navigating to Import option
  11. Select “File,” then browse your computer to find the database backup you downloaded earlier.
  12. Importing database backup
  13. Finally, click “Proceed” to replace the existing database with the one from your local setup.
  14. Confirming database replacement

The post How to Migrate Your WordPress Site from Local to Remote Server appeared first on Hongkiat.

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10 Cool WordPress Themes to Choose From (2022) https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/cool-wordpress-themes-to-choose/ Wed, 12 Jan 2022 13:01:56 +0000 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/?p=58666 Even though there are many CMSs available, WordPress continues to be the favorite among users. The platform has introduced so many new features that add to its favorability. Owing to its growing popularity, web developers are producing hundreds of amazing WordPress themes. This post lists some of the best WordPress themes in terms of features,…

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Even though there are many CMSs available, WordPress continues to be the favorite among users. The platform has introduced so many new features that add to its favorability.

Owing to its growing popularity, web developers are producing hundreds of amazing WordPress themes. This post lists some of the best WordPress themes in terms of features, versatility, and customization. Each theme offers a unique UI and set of features and you can read about all of them in the write-up below.

1. BeTheme

BeTheme WordPress Theme

Its more than 240,000 customers and a ton of premium website-building tools and design aids make BeTheme the biggest WordPress and WooCommerce theme of them all.

Size isn’t always everything, but given Be’s 40+ core features and how they give web designers the flexibility to build one top-quality, fully responsive website after another, it can matter a great deal.

  • 650+ pre-built websites address every industry sector and website type. They are customizable, fully responsive, and include excellent UX frameworks.
  • Be’s Live Builder is fast with an ergonomically-designed UI and features incredibly powerful page building, live content editing, and autosave, update, and backup options capabilities.
  • Be’s WooCommerce Builder features valuable selections of template-building tools and Single Product layouts along with a variety of useful customer-centric elements.
  • A Live Search function and Muffin and Header builders come with the package.

This Elementor-ready, mobile-ready theme offers its users free lifetime updates. Click on the banner to learn more about what it has to offer and what it can do for you.

2. Total WordPress Theme

Total WordPress Theme

Total is complete in all respects in terms of what it can do to help you easily build amazingly attractive, fully responsive websites.

Features that Total’s more than 48,000 users have benefitted from include:

  • An expanded WPBakery page builder together with 100+ layout builder elements.
  • 45+ quick import demos and 90+ quick-start section templates.
  • Slider Revolution for creating beautifully animated sliders.
  • A host of design and layout options and navigation styles, including 500+ live customer options and page builder block animation capabilities.
  • The ability to disable any core feature you don’t intend to use.

Total is a developer-friendly and fully responsive WordPress theme. Click on the banner to see everything it can do for you.

3. Avada Theme

Avada WordPress Theme

When a WordPress theme becomes the #1 best seller of all time, it must have plenty going for it. Avada does, but most importantly, it doesn’t encumber you with usage or design restrictions.

If you can think of it, you can build it.

Avada is built around three core features: Fusion Theme Options, Fusion Page Options, and Fusion Builder. Together, they will make you feel like a kid in a candy store.

Among the many goodies you will find:

  • the Fusion drag and drop page builder.
  • $200+ worth of premium tools and plugins.
  • 40+ single-click importable demos and 50+ design elements together with hundreds of design options.
  • a tried and tested framework that makes Total fully responsive and adaptable to any screen size.
  • WooCommerce design tools and elements.

Click on the banner to learn more about what 450,000+ delighted customers already know.

4. Uncode

Uncode WordPress Theme

It takes a pixel-perfect WordPress theme to build a pixel-perfect website, and Uncode is just such a theme.

  • Uncode enables you to create a website that embodies the same characteristics as the theme itself — including being 100% responsive.
  • Uncode is excellent for building WooCommerce, portfolio, and blog sites.
  • 450+ Wireframes section templates, the WooCommerce custom builder, and a souped-up frontend editor are just several of its features.

Uncode has more than 85,000+ sales to date.

5. WoodMart

WoodMart WordPress Theme

Woodmart is an excellent choice for building any type of corporate or business-related website.

Its unlimited flexibility and customizations have made Woodmart Theme Forest’s top-rated WooCommerce theme.

Its site-building features include:

  • 75+ pre-made websites, 400+ high-quality templates, and a host of Product and Shop elements and options.
  • A powerful drag-and-drop builder, an intuitive setup wizard, and full AJAX shop filters.

Woodmart is fully responsive and is SEO optimized as well.

6. TheGem

TheGem WordPress Theme

60,000 users have made TheGem a ThemeForest top seller. This 100% responsive, highly-customizable WordPress theme is an ideal choice for beginners and professional designers alike.

This Swiss Army knife of website building tools features –

  • More than 400 beautiful pre-built websites and templates together with TheGem Blocks with its more than 300 premium pre-designed section templates.
  • Industry-leading frontend page builders Elementor and WPBakery for easy editing & customizing.
  • Best performance with one-click optimization feature and premium WP Rocket plugin, bundled with TheGem.
  • Extended WooCommerce features for making high-conversion online shops.

With TheGem, 5-star support is given.

7. Rey Theme for WooCommerce

Rey WordPress Theme

Rey’s integrations with Elementor, WooCommerce, and WordPress itself, together with a complete package of design elements, can take your design efforts to the next level.

Rey’s many features include:

  • Elementor extensions that give you the ultimate in flexibility.
  • Ajax navigation, search, and filtering capabilities.
  • Flexible code that makes it developer-friendly.

Rey is a performance-oriented, user-friendly, SEO and developer-friendly, and responsive WooCommerce theme.

8. Impeka

Impeka WordPress Theme

It’s not just what a WP theme can do, but what a website built using that popular theme can do. An Impeka-built online shop will do anything and everything you expect of it in terms of overall performance.

Impeka gives you a choice of 3 popular page builders to get the job done:

  • Elementor with 50+ handcrafted widgets.
  • WPBakery with 53+ handcrafted elements.
  • Gutenberg with ten professionally crafted blocks Impeka is an excellent choice for beginners and professionals alike.

9. Litho

Litho WordPress Theme

Although this multipurpose Elementor WordPress theme is excellent for building a blog, portfolio, and eCommerce sites, it can in fact, be used to create virtually any type of site you can think of.

Litho’s key features include:

  • Extraordinary selections of home pages, templates, and creative design elements.
  • Elementor, the world’s #1-page builder.
  • The versatile Slider Revolution plugin.

Litho sites are 100% responsive and feature healthy SEO results and excellent loading speeds.

10. XStore

XStore WordPress Theme

There’s no limit as to the types of online shops you can build when you have the huge selection and variety of tools and design aids that XStore WooCommerce theme places at your fingertips.

It includes:

  • WPBakery and Elementor page builders, a Single Product page builder, and a Header builder.
  • 110+ ready-to-customize shops, supplemented by 500+ pre-built blocks and a host of product display and customer-centric design options.
  • $550 worth of premium plugins.

The post 10 Cool WordPress Themes to Choose From (2022) appeared first on Hongkiat.

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Setting Up Cloudflare CDN in WordPress https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/setup-cloudflare-wordpress/ Wed, 05 Jan 2022 13:01:10 +0000 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/?p=58549 Content Delivery Network or CDN is a geographically dispersed group of servers that enables serving content, such as the HTML pages, JavaScript files, stylesheets, and images, from the closest location allowing your users to see the content as fast as possible. However, setting up a CDN can be a bit complicated especially when you’re setting…

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Content Delivery Network or CDN is a geographically dispersed group of servers that enables serving content, such as the HTML pages, JavaScript files, stylesheets, and images, from the closest location allowing your users to see the content as fast as possible.

However, setting up a CDN can be a bit complicated especially when you’re setting up a traditional CDN. You will need a new domain, typically a subdomain. Add the domain to the CDN configuration. If you’d like to load the CDN from HTTPS, you will also need to install the SSL certificate for the domain which can be a challenge of its own.

You’ll also need to change the URLs for existing static content on your site. The process can take days or weeks depending on the size of your site.

This is where Cloudflare comes in.

What is Cloudflare?

Cloudflare is a web infrastructure provider with over 100 data centers in 80 countries. It works similar to a proxy in which it will deliver your website through their network which includes the static files so, essentially, it also works as a CDN.

On top of that, Cloudflare is also a DNS provider which is among the fastest. It also provides free SSL, some security features like Firewall and DDoS protection that’ll protect your website from some common security threats, and other unique services to optimize your website performance like Edge computing, and Automatic Platform Optimization (APO).

Let’s see how we can set up a CDN on top of your website with Cloudflare.

Setting up Cloudflare

Here’s a walkthrough of how to set up Cloudflare on your WordPress website.

  1. Go to cloudflare.com and create a new account.
  2. Step 1
  3. You will be automatically logged in after signing up. If you aren’t, manually log in, and then click “Website” on the left sidebar. Click “Add Site”, enter your domain, and click “Add Site” again.
  4. Step 2
  5. Select a plan from the options available as per your requirements and click “Continue”. If you don’t know which to choose, start with the free plan first.
  6. Step 3
  7. Confirm or change DNS records in Cloudflare. Depending on your site settings, you can check the MX records for emails (if any) as Cloudflare does not forward MX records over its network. Also see if the subdomains you use are included or excluded from Cloudflare, whichever you want.
  8. Step 4
  9. When all records are added and confirmed, click “Continue”.
  10. Step 5
  11. Finally, you will need to point your domain’s current nameserver to Cloudflares’. Follow the on-screen instructions on how to do this. Click “Done, check nameservers” when you have updated and your DNS has properly propagated.
  12. Step 6

Connecting WordPress to Cloudflare

Cloudflare also has a free WordPress plugin. It’s an official plugin so you can be sure that it would work out of the box and be well-maintained directly by the developers from Cloudflare.

It makes it easy to integrate WordPress with Cloudflare infrastructure. Once you have it connected with your site, you can operate Cloudflare such as viewing the analytics and changing the settings right without having to leave your WordPress admin page.

Here’s how to add, and connect Cloudflare plugin to your WordPress website.

  1. In your WordPress admin, navigate to Plugins > Add New.
  2. Step 1
  3. Enter “Cloudflare” in the search, hit enter, and click “Install Now” in the Cloudflare plugin.
  4. Step 2
  5. After the Cloudflare plug-in is installed, on the sidebar, navigate go to Settings > Cloudflare, and click on the green button to connect your account.
  6. Step 3
  7. To get the API Key, click the user icon on the top right, click on My Profile, and then click “API Tokens” on the left sidebar.
  8. Step 4
  9. Click the “View” button beside the Global API Key, enter the password, copy the API key, and paste it into the plugin settings in WordPress.
  10. Step5
  11. On the next screen, enter your email and API key and then click “Save API Credentials”.
  12. Step 6
  13. Back on the Cloudflare homepage in your WordPress, click the Apply button to allow the Cloudflare plugin to optimize all required settings for you automatically.
  14. Step 7

That’s it, your Cloudflare WordPress plugin is all set up.

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10 Best Photo Gallery & Slideshow WordPress Plugins https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/photo-gallery-slideshow-wordpress-plugins/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 10:01:04 +0000 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/?p=56022 For any portfolio or image-oriented website running on WordPress, it is imperative to have a photo gallery and slideshow plugin. They allow you to showcase your images and video content and add different features. If you’re confused about the many choices in the market, we took out some of the best photo gallery and slideshow…

The post 10 Best Photo Gallery & Slideshow WordPress Plugins appeared first on Hongkiat.

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For any portfolio or image-oriented website running on WordPress, it is imperative to have a photo gallery and slideshow plugin. They allow you to showcase your images and video content and add different features.

If you’re confused about the many choices in the market, we took out some of the best photo gallery and slideshow plugins for WordPress. Each plugin comes with a different set of features and attributes and you can learn about them in the following.

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LayerSlider

LayerSlider features more than just an image slider that allows you to create compelling popups as well. It offers more than 100 templates for image sliders, 90 for the popups templates, and over 200 built-in transition FX.

Finally, LayerSlider also provides an API that enables developers to extend the plugin to add custom features beyond the built-ins.

LayerSlider

Slider Revolution

Slider Revolution is a powerful plugin that offers many features to build sophisticated image sliders without needing to know how to code.

The plugin provides more than 200 templates, 20+ add-ons to spice up your image slider with special FX, and a full-fledged editor to compose your own slider with advanced settings to manage the keyframes, animations, etc.

Slider Revolution

Jetpack Carousel

It’s a bundled feature inside Jetpack that you can enable through the plugin setting. The feature is light and is pretty straightforward to use. You can include images from the WordPress Media Manager, customize the title, the caption, and the description of each image.

Additionally, with this plugin, you can show the EXIF metadata and even enable comments to allow people to comment on the image.

Jetpack Carouse

Meow Gallery

A simple WordPress plugin designed for photographers or photo enthusiasts to build gallery and image slider. The plugin includes a Block as well as Shortcode that allows you to include a gallery in both the Gutenberg and Classic editor. It’s responsive, performant, and provides a number of beautiful built-in layouts.

Meow Gallery

FooGallery

Built with performance in mind, FooGallery is a great photo gallery plugin. The developer has done a great job of optimizing the plugin front-end codes that leads to a better score on the latest Google Core Web Vitals requirements. It is responsive, loads fast, Gutenberg ready, and offers lots of other features.

FooGallery

WP Modula

Whether you’re a casual WordPress user, hobbyist, photographer, or developer, you can build a beautiful image slider in minutes using the WP Modula plugin.

It supports features beyond just adding image slider and galleries; you can, for example, edit the EXIF data of the image, add watermark, include videos on the same gallery set, add right-click protection, and a lot more.

WP Modula

Corefortress Simple Slider

This plugin makes creating a beautiful slider easy. You can add any image or video from the WordPress media library or directly upload them from your computer.

The plugin also features some pre-built styles and templates. But it also allows you to customize the slider including the heading, button, colors on every image to make the slider yours and your site unique.

Corefortress Simple Slider

Envira Gallery Lite

Envira Gallery is an easy-to-use, fast, and powerful plugin to build an image slider for your WordPress site. It allows you to build the image slider with drag-n-drop.

On top of that, you can customize the built-in templates or create your own. It’s also built with performance in mind; both the front-end and the back-end are carefully optimized.

Envira Gallery Lite

Gallery by Supsystic

This plugin offers a lot of features and flexibility to build an image slider on your WordPress site. Not only that you can include image and video, but you can also include post feed into the gallery, add captions, and add social media icons — to name a few.

The plugin also provides a couple of advanced features like the ability to set the image from FTP or social media, and integration to CDN.

Gallery by Supsystic

Master Slider

Master Slider is a plugin with extensive features to offer that both users and developers will appreciate. It provides an intuitive interface and some pre-built templates that allow users to create image sliders easily.

For developers, the plugin provides the tool to import and export slider and API to extend the plugin. The slider is compatible up to IE8+ and all the modern browsers.

Master Slider

Smart Slider

This plugin features a beautiful custom editor that allows you to create a unique image slider. You can add posts, images, and videos including videos from Youtube and Vimeo into the image slider. You can compose text, buttons, and images atop each slide to make it look more compelling.

The plugin also displays great compatibility with the WordPress ecosystem as it supports many page builders, it also works with the Multisite setup, and well-integrated with various WordPress admin interfaces such as the Media Manager, Widget, and Shortcode.

Smart Slider

MetaSlider

One of the most-used slider plugins, MetaSlider, supports different types of slideshows like Flex Slider 2, Nivo Slider, Responsive Slides, and Coin Slider. Few of its exceptional features include drag-and-drop slide rearrangement, full-width support, and multiple slideshow configuration options.

metaslider

Soliloquy Lite

This plugin runs a smart slider, loading the CSS and JS only when the slide is displayed within the post. Your posts and pages will load faster with this plugin compared to the other plugins mentioned here. The slider is responsive, touch-enabled, and built with SEO in mind.

Soliloquy Lite Cover

NextGEN Gallery

NextGEN Gallery is one of the most popular WordPress gallery plugins around. It allows batch uploading and management of image galleries, slideshow, thumbnail style galleries, and editing of thumbnails.

It also allows one to turn group galleries into albums and various other features that can really give a striking look to one ‘s website.

NextGEN Gallery

Slider by 10Web

Slider by WD supports displaying images as well as videos from YouTube and Vimeo along with transition effects and layer support. It offers image watermarking support, full-width sliders, and various customization options. However, video support is available only in the premium version.

slider-by-wd

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20 Beautiful Free WordPress eCommerce Themes https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/free-wordpress-ecommerce-themes/ Fri, 10 Sep 2021 13:01:02 +0000 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/?p=57425 Starting an online store can be a daunting task especially when it’s your first time. Aside from the technical side of things like web hosting, product descriptions, photos, pricing, shipping fee, taxes, you still have to think about the best way to present your products to the world. And since your online storefront is literally…

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Starting an online store can be a daunting task especially when it’s your first time. Aside from the technical side of things like web hosting, product descriptions, photos, pricing, shipping fee, taxes, you still have to think about the best way to present your products to the world.

And since your online storefront is literally your brand’s face, choosing a design can easily get expensive, anywhere from $1000 to the upper $10,000 if you hire a WordPress theme designer and developer.

But many budding entrepreneurs just take shortcuts by using pre-made eCommerce WordPress themes, and then just set off to customize them themselves in order to save costs. And that’s totally fine. What’s important is that you take the first step of launching your online store!

So, to help you narrow down your choices, I compiled some of the best eCommerce themes for WordPress that you can download for free.

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1. Ecommerce Solution

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Ecommerce Solution is an incredible and free WordPress eCommerce theme that allows you to design and customize your online store with ease. The theme works with WooCommerce, is easy to customize, so you can modify your new online store with minimal coding knowledge.

With this awesome ecommerce solution, not only can your store look good but it will have high ranking in search engines as well thanks to its excellent SEO structure.

2. Shophistic Lifestyle

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Shophistic Lite is the perfect theme for your online shop — you are guaranteed a beautiful and sleek design for your fashion-related store. It is fully compatible with WooCommerce, so making an online store is as easy as 1-2-3.

Sophistic Lite has a laid-back vibe to it that will appeal to many audiences. The refreshing monochrome look is made to make your store comfortable to the eyes, thus welcoming to the visitors.

3. Hypermarket

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Hypermarket is a unique product-driven WordPress theme for online shops. The focus is all about showcasing the products with large previews, which makes it easy for visual shoppers to instantly make a decision.

It is responsive and Retina ready, so Hypermarket works beautifully across devices and screen sizes.

4. StoreCommerce

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Do you need a website that’s built for an awesome store? Look no further than StoreCommerce, a free multipurpose WordPress theme. This WooCommerce-powered theme is perfect for stores of any type — from fashion and clothing to gadgets and home appliances shops.

Choose from the many features this theme offers, ranging from unlimited colors to easy customization of content on blog posts and product descriptions as well as featured section headings — StoreCommerce can help you create an awesome store in no time!

5. Zakra

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Zakra is a modern multipurpose WordPress theme that can be used for any site you have in mind. Be it a personal blog, online shop, or a simple landing page for your service or app — Zakra has everything typography and layout wise to make your listings stand out.

6. Trusted

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Get your business off the ground with Trusted, a free WordPress theme that is simple yet elegant, guaranteeing that you will have a site that sparkles with modernity. For the price of zero, customizing all the different aspects or colors is really easy through the Customizer.

You can preview it in real-time to see if it’s what you had dreamed about — and it also comes with several pre-loaded templates as well as built-in sections that you can turn on and off anytime.

7. Estore

free eCommerce WordPress theme

eStore is a proven eCommerce WordPress theme loaded with all the features needed to take your online store. It offers an intuitive customization for site and content management which ensures that you can always bring something new to your storefront every time customers visit.

The theme is WooCommerce-ready, ensuring your site will always be up-to-date with the latest industry trends in digital shopping.

8. Envo Marketplace

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Envo Marketplace is the ultimate free WordPress theme that runs on WooCommerce. Featuring a modern, clean design with an intuitive interface and sleek features for your online store. It is compatible with popular plugins like Elementor, KingComposer, Thrive Architect and more!

9. Zigcy Lite

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Let your shop be its own creative space, rather than a one-hit wonder. Zigcy Lite directly integrates with WooCommerce to bring you an easy and seamless setup process that will give your visitors so many ways to win them over.

It is an easy to use, customizable theme that comes with 3 starter sites, allowing you to quickly set up your online store and get it going.

Whether you want a basic online store or something more complex, this simple yet powerful theme can handle anything.

10. Modern Store

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Modern Store is the perfect clean and minimalist eCommerce theme for WooCommerce stores like clothing boutiques, sports shops, and other fashionable products.

With Modern Store, you can embrace the trend today – it works on all screen sizes, devices, and has a built-in shopping cart button, has a header section of its own so you won’t have to install other plugins, and many more.

11. Storefront

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Storefront was coded by WooCommerce Core Developers for developers’ ease of use with a lean and extensible codebase that’s easy to customize and extend. There are several layout and color options to personalise your store, multiple widget regions, a responsive design, and more.

12. Flower Shop Lite

free eCommerce WordPress theme

The Flower Shop Lite is a minimalist website template for florists. The easy to use design features allow you to build professional websites with ease, from adding a blog and contact details, to showcasing your products.

13. Bard

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Bard is a clean, elegant and professionally coded template with WooCommerce compatibility that provides long-term value to shop owners. It offers unending possibilities while being highly customizable and responsive in any browser or device.

The minimalist design will help showcase your content beautifully without distracting from the true contents of your site.

14. Orchid Store

free eCommerce WordPress theme

As flexible as they are stylish, Orchid Store lets you design your website from the ground up. This eCommerce WordPress theme is built on top of WooCommerce and includes all the features of an effective online store, such as a full product catalog with each item’s customizable options for variations like size, color and price.

With Orchid Store, creating a shopping experience that suits modern customers has never been easier.

15. TheShop

free eCommerce WordPress theme

TheShop is a minimalist eCommerce theme that is compatible with WooCommerce. It is an easy solution for shops that don’t require much colors or fluff to stand out.

16. Botiga

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Make your store look beautiful with Botiga, a clean and minimal theme designed for fast set up. Find styles of product cards to best suit your taste: card, list-style, or gallery.

Customize the checkout page by displaying the total amount on either the right side or at the bottom. It makes any online shop stand out with its attention to detail and professional design.

17. Ecommerce Hub

free eCommerce WordPress theme

The Ecommerce Hub is a very versatile and eCommerce WordPress theme that can serve a variety of purposes like building online stores for different types of businesses, creating portfolios, or even galleries. It has all the necessary features to set up an attractive website without paying a premium fee.

The design is responsive and fluid and you can choose between clean typography or Google Fonts for beautifully-looking text on your store’s pages.

18. WS Jewelry

free eCommerce WordPress theme

WS Jewelry is a specialized eCommerce store WordPress theme that can help put the spotlight on your products, be it bracelets, earrings, rings, necklaces, and the like.

It is integrated with WooCommerce so everything can be set up in just a few minutes, and it also makes use Page Builder so you can easily customize every page to your heart’s content.

19. EightStore Lite

free eCommerce WordPress theme

EightStore Lite is a lightweight and free Ecommerce theme that will give you the perfect canvas to create whatever online store for your business. This includes an easy-to-navigate dashboard and customization tools so you can put together the ecommerce site of your dreams with just a few clicks.

You can choose the layout between boxed or full width and decide how many columns of categories are better for your shop’s presentation. It also offers various marketing tools such as product slider, advanced wishlist, featured product show list, youtube video integration on popup banners and much more!

20. VW Ecommerce Store

free eCommerce WordPress theme

VW Ecommerce Store is a free WordPress theme for online shops for displaying a wide array of products in one go. With its rich features like threaded comments, click to action buttons, custom menu, multiple widget regions, and SEO-friendly structure, you can set up an online storefront in just a few clicks.

Bonus:

21. Hestia

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Hestia is an elegant and modern theme that is built with user-experience and performance in mind. It is perhaps one of the best-looking freemium multi-purpose themes available right now that can be used along with Page Builder, WooCommerce, Elementor, and other top plugins for an online store.

22. Woostify

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Woostify is a lightweight, SEO-focused, ecommerce theme that runs on WooCommerce. It is highly focused on boosting sales, and the design itself is structured in a way that will drive a better conversion rate.

At its default state, it has a page speed score of 94 from GTMetrix and 84 from Page Speed, and page load time of 808ms, which is an extreme example of a well-made theme.

23. Viral

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Viral is an SEO-ready WordPress theme for online stores who are also heavily into producing content, be it blog posts or instagram posts. It is fast, has three layouts, content voting (upvote, downvote), supports video content natively, and a bunch of other marketing-related features that any online store can utilize for more conversion.

24. Neve

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Neve is carefully designed and created in order to provide the best experience on all devices. Being light-weight, easy-to-use, mobile friendly, compatible with drag-and-drop page builders as well as being SEO friendly are just some of the attractive features that make up this theme.

With Neve it’s easy to create a fully custom header and footer for your online store using its simple yet powerful builder tool. It is also AMP-ready.

25. Phlox

free eCommerce WordPress theme

Phlox is perhaps one of the most beautifully designed multi-purpose themes out there that you can use not only to build a WooCommerce shop, but also to create a blog, agency site, and landing page for your services.

It is a truly versatile theme that has 30 widgets, portfolio features, and many more. In fact, it was nominated as the best WordPress theme of the year by many websites and organizations.

To end

I know that choosing the perfect theme for your online store is difficult. I’ve been there and it took me literally days just to settle on one. I probably downloaded 15 different themes and installed all of them, and eventually I was able to settle on one.

Your experience might be the same, or it could be totally different, but in any case, do not be dissuaded! Analysis paralysis is real. Just do it!

The post 20 Beautiful Free WordPress eCommerce Themes appeared first on Hongkiat.

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10 Tested SEO Hacks to Attract More Traffic for WordPress Sites https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/attract-more-traffic-to-wordpress-website/ Mon, 14 Jun 2021 13:01:38 +0000 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/?p=55541 Thousands of sites are created every day, and WordPress remains the leading CMS for them. As the study showed, 39,6% of all websites are built on WordPress. The reasons for this choice are quite obvious. WordPress provides ample opportunities for sites and their promotion. Many plugins make using and setting up this platform even more…

The post 10 Tested SEO Hacks to Attract More Traffic for WordPress Sites appeared first on Hongkiat.

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Thousands of sites are created every day, and WordPress remains the leading CMS for them. As the study showed, 39,6% of all websites are built on WordPress.

The reasons for this choice are quite obvious. WordPress provides ample opportunities for sites and their promotion. Many plugins make using and setting up this platform even more convenient.

magnet

(Image source)

SEO promotion of WordPress sites can be especially effective if compared with website builders. However, this requires the proper use of professional tools and plugins for WP. Plus, there are a few SEO tricks that you can use to promote your WordPress website. Let’s consider them today!

1. Get your website ready for Core Web Vitals

The community expects Google to update its ranking factors by the end of summer 2021. The new set of metrics is called Core Web Vitals. And you need to prepare for these changes in advance.

core vital web

(Image source)

The new Core Web Vitals algorithm will focus on the following factors:

  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). This parameter measures the loading speed of the main content on the site page – images, text, videos, etc. The optimal loading speed is considered to be up to 2.5 seconds.
  • First Input Delay (FID). Here we are talking about the site’s interactivity – the faster the user can interact with it, the higher the site will be ranked in the search results. The recommended rate is 100 ms.
  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). This parameter measures visual stabilization. In simple terms, the faster all page elements get to their places after loading and the fewer layout and page element shifts, the better for the SERP. Google calculates the CLS as the maximum session window with a 1-second gap, capped at 5 seconds.

2. Automate your processes with SEO plugins

WordPress provides huge opportunities for SEO promotion thanks to the use of special plugins. It is also worth using professional services to audit your site and automate some SEO work.

Top SEO Plugins

All in One SEO for WordPress (AIOSEO)

AIOSEO is a versatile plugin designed to work with Title, Description, and Keywords meta tags. Also, it allows you to avoid duplicate pages on the site, create an automatic sitemap, etc.

Yoast SEO

In addition to convenient work with meta tags, it provides convenient customization of “breadcrumbs,” sets redirects, and allows to set stop words for comments.

SEOPress

SEOPress creates canonical addresses, checks broken links, supports Google Knowledge Graph and Google Local Business services.

Schema

Scheme is a micro-markup plugin. Using the service, you can match a schema with existing data, add new fields, configure inclusion/exclusion options, and control what content is provided for certain schemes.

Redirection

Redirection is a plugin for setting up redirects on WordPress sites. It can be used to set up redirects between pages, monitor statistics, and identify broken links.

3. Keep an eye on technical SEO

Website promotion on WordPress is not much different from SEO promotion on any other CMS. Besides, most of the technical work is already done by WordPress developers and can be implemented with plugins.

To achieve even better results, you just need to carry out standard technical work:

  • Collecting and clustering keywords. Prepare a semantic core and structure keywords for different pages by topics and user intents.
  • Preparation of titles, headings, and descriptions. They should include keywords, be short and engaging. SEO plugins allow you to automate the creation of titles and descriptions a little, but you have to check these parameters manually.
  • Setting up redirects. This includes creating a 404 page and technical redirects (3xx) that tell Google robots where to look for a page, whether it has been moved or merged with another page, etc.
  • technical seo
  • Setting up Schema micro-markup. The Schema Pro plugin allows you to customize the display of company information in search results (contacts, rating, price range, and so on). This is important for both users and the search engine.

4. Take advantage of local SEO

Local SEO is used by local businesses that operate within a specific geographical area. These can be companies that sell goods or provide services in a particular region, city, district, etc.

Local SEO is important because some search queries are georeferenced. For example, if a person wants to buy clothes, they can search for a “clothing store in New York". In this case, Google will offer brands and shops in this particular city.

For local SEO, you can use the following methods:

  • Use branded search queries, as well as the name of a specific region, city, or district;
  • Create separate pages for different geo, especially if you work in several regions or throughout the country;
  • Add your company to Google My Business. It is a special service that allows you to manage your company card. You can particularly specify the address, contacts, business hours, work with customer reviews, etc. All this will affect your ranking in the search results.

5. (Try to) Get into the featured snippet

The featured snippet is also called Position Zero. It is located at the top of the SERP, above the rest of the search results. It usually consists of the title, short text up to 50 words that totally corresponds to the query, an image/list/chart, and a link to the page.

snippets

Being featured in the rich snippet is an important advantage for any site. According to this HubSpot study, the CTR of content in the rich snippet is, on average, two times higher than the CTR of content that did not hit the zero position.

rich snippets

(Image source)

Unfortunately, there is no proven way to get into the rich snippet, so you need to try different approaches. Here are five tips that can help you achieve your goal:

  1. Use long-tailed keywords.
  2. Formulate your copy in such a way that it answers the questions: “how", “where", “what is…”, etc.
  3. Use charts and lists.
  4. Use micro-markup on pages.
  5. Use words such as “recipe", “best", “vs", “make", “definition".

6. Get an SSL certificate

An important principle of website ranking in Google is their safety. Therefore, it is recommended to get an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate for effective promotion.

The addresses of sites with such a certificate start with HTTPS, not HTTP. When using a secure protocol, all data is transmitted in encrypted form and can only be decrypted with a special key.

ssl cert

(Image source)

An SSL certificate contains the following information:

  • The domain for which the SSL certificate is issued.
  • Information about the company which the certificate was issued.
  • Location of the SSL owner.
  • The validity period of the certificate.
  • Information on the company that issued the certificate.

7. Boost your site speed

Site loading speed is one of the key site parameters for the new Google ranking algorithms. The faster your site loads, the better, not only for search engine optimization but also for the user experience.

Akamai conducted a study according to which a website loading delay of even 0.1 seconds reduces conversion by 7%.

boost site speed

The following factors affect website loading speed:

  • Large pages.
  • Heavy images.
  • Videos.
  • A large number of server requests.
  • Overloaded site code.
  • A large number of extensions and scripts.
  • Slow hosting.

After all, it’s not about how fast a web page loads but how fast it renders the first display area so users can engage and interact with the content without a break. Otherwise, Google will react to the slow website performance and lower it in SERP, resulting in lower organic traffic.

8. Make sure your WordPress site has a mobile version

Google has been using the Mobile-first Indexing approach since 2016. If your site has a mobile version, it will take a priori rank higher than similar sites not optimized for mobile browsing.

There are several requirements for adapting design and content on your website for mobile devices. The list includes:

  • Location of menu items and buttons within the page boundaries.
  • The page must be displayed correctly on all devices, with any screen size.
  • Readable font size.
  • Correct display of images and videos.
  • Correct loading of the content without layout shifts, and so on.

Thanks to dedicated WP plugins, you don’t need to hire a programmer to develop a mobile version of your website.

The plugins below will allow you to create and configure the mobile version of the site in just a couple of clicks:

Jetpack

Jetpack is a versatile WordPress plugin that provides several important features, including a mobile site version. To customize it, you need to go to the “Theme extensions” section and select a mobile theme. However, it’s worth noting that JetPack will not work for complex sites on WordPress.

Wiziapp

Wiziapp is a WordPress plugin that allows you to create a mobile version and turn your website into a mobile application. In order to customize the site, you should select Themes. Here you will see a list of eight themes that Wiziapp has to offer. Each of them determines how the site will be displayed on mobile devices.

WPtouch Mobile

This plugin allows you to adapt sites for gadgets using dynamic content loading. The plugin uses Ajax technology, which provides a smooth transition between pages or between versions – from vertical to horizontal, and vice versa.

9. Create viral content

The ranking of a site is significantly influenced by user behavior. The longer a user stays on your site and the more clicks he/she makes, the better it is for your ranking.

create viral content

(Image source)

If the user shares your page on social networks, it will also be a big plus for you. Here are some tips you can use to create viral content:

  • Compose a portrait of your target audience to understand what is interesting to your customers.
  • Create entertaining content – users willingly share articles that surprise them or make them laugh.
  • Connect a plugin for comments – extended comments of your users are ranked by the search engine and can raise you in the search results. The most famous plugin for this is Disqus.
  • Social relevance – bring up socially important topics that relate to public life.

10. Don’t stop getting backlinks to your site

Link building is considered the hardest strategy to grow website rankings as it consumes lots of time and effort. In return, it is the most actionable and rewarding once Google notices your website.

If many reputable sites link to your site, it will increase your ranking as Google considers your site more reliable.

However, you should grow links smoothly and select reliable sources only – the times when it was possible to buy hundreds of links on exchanges have already passed.

Now, this can lead, on the contrary, to a decrease in your ranking.

To get backlinks, you should:

  1. Analyze your niche and collect a list of similar sites in terms of topics and work with contributors.
  2. Check the authority of their domain – the figure must be more than 40.
  3. Agree with the selected sites on the placement of your articles with links.

Summary

WordPress is the most popular website building platform in the world. More than 50% of users choose this CMS. WordPress is SEO-friendly and provides vast opportunities both for blogs and online stores.

Use plugins and third-party services for the customization, analytics, website audit, and adaptation for mobile users. Also, standard technical SEO issues, working on the quality of content, etc., will help you with promotion.

A competent combination of these techniques will allow you to be successful in taking your website to the top of the SERP.

The post 10 Tested SEO Hacks to Attract More Traffic for WordPress Sites appeared first on Hongkiat.

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5 Tips for a Fast and Secure DIY WordPress Website https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/keep-wordpress-fast-and-secure/ Fri, 04 Jun 2021 10:38:58 +0000 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/?p=55422 Aren’t we always on a tight budget and tight timeline? Building your own website could indeed help you to balance these factors. Save lots of time in the long run by reading these invaluable tips from experienced web developers about DIY-ing your own WordPress website! 1. Install a WordPress Backup Plugin This is the single…

The post 5 Tips for a Fast and Secure DIY WordPress Website appeared first on Hongkiat.

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Aren’t we always on a tight budget and tight timeline? Building your own website could indeed help you to balance these factors. Save lots of time in the long run by reading these invaluable tips from experienced web developers about DIY-ing your own WordPress website!

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1. Install a WordPress Backup Plugin

This is the single most important action to take in all web projects. A backup plugin like UpdraftPlus will schedule weekly automatic backups and store your website content and database information periodically.

It’s a free plugin that you can connect to a Google Drive account to store all the backup data. In any event that your website malfunctions, you can simply roll back to an earlier backup. All too often, we hear horror stories about websites with no backups and it’s definitely more than frustrating to see weeks of work disappear just like that!

updraftplus
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When you update the website content, don’t forget to backup the database information as well. Make sure that UpdraftPlus backs up your database by going to the “Settings” tab and schedule an automatic backup for your database.

For added safety, you can purchase storage space on the Updraft Vault so that you can store the backup data in their secure online storage vault. This backup data can be accessed from different WordPress dashboards as long as you log into the same Updraft account. This makes it much easier for you to migrate a site to another domain when you need to.

Most people can become all too excited about the design stuff and getting a website up quickly, skipping the process of setting up a solid backup system. We’ve been building websites for years and our auto backups have saved the day on quite a few occasions.

Think of it as a form of insurance that you can activate (usually free) to protect your website from being lost to hackers, plugin conflicts, and user errors.

2. Shorten your WordPress Plugins List

WordPress plugins help web developers achieve special features on their websites via customization. They come in the form of code packages that you download and add to your WordPress backend. Most of the plugins available are free, but some are not.

Alarm bells should go off if you find yourself installing more than 20 plugins. Even if you only use one particular function each of the various plugins, having so many plugins will cause your website to be bloated by plugin code and load significantly slower.

This can have a big impact on your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts as site speed and structure are critical factors. A useful tool I recommend to find out about how your website is doing in these areas is Google’s Page Speed Insights.

google pagespeed

One common reason for installing many plugins is to avoid purchasing premium plugins. Some premium paid plugins can perform multiple functions that would require a combination of 3 or 4  free plugins to achieve. However, doing so will increase the risk of code conflict between the plugins as they are built on different code structures.

One good example is Elementor Pro. The Premium version of this popular drag-and-drop builder has a myriad of different widgets that are not offered in the free version of the plugin.

elementor pro

There is a huge library of free Elementor Addon plugins that can add the required widgets into Elementor, but it creates bloating of code and a significant reduction in your page vitals (website scores in areas like speed, security, and UX). Here’s an article that further explores the benefits of such paid plugins.

Besides paying for premium plugins, another way to avoid code bloat is to forecast the functions and designs features that you want. Then, research what plugins can cover as much ground as possible. Of course, you can experiment with the various plugins and decide along the way.

With some advance planning, it is possible for people seeking to DIY their own website to reach the end goal of minimising the final number of plugins used.

3. Install WordPress Security Plugins

In 2020 alone, there were more than 90 billion malicious login attempts to hack WordPress websites. Statistics from Wordfence show that these attacks come at a rate of 2,800 per second!

Wordfence also reported 4.3 billion attempts to exploit the vulnerabilities of WordPress, which powers 40% of the Internet. As a web developer, I can attest to the reality that hacking happens to any website, not just those of high net worth.

wordfence stats

Most DIY webmasters panic when they realize that their website link is being redirected to another malicious site, or that their web content is being altered. They’ve been hacked!

Hence, it is important to deploy steps to prevent hacking of your website. You can install a WordPress security plugin, and use complex login credentials.

For the websites that we build, we use Wordfence security plugin. It’s free and very effective as it’s updated once a week for the newest exploits or loopholes on the internet. For websites that collect personal data, I recommend using the upgraded Wordfence Premium as it updates live and keeps your website safe the moment these exploits are discovered.

As for good login credentials, an example of a good password is "ijv813rA9!JB?Ad". Sounds inconvenient, but it’s critical to have a unique and complex password because hackers have a big database of passwords that they retrieve from leaks and other hack attempts.

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If you use a password that you also use for a Google account and your Facebook account, the chances of you being hacked are much higher. Personally, I don’t memorize these long passwords. Instead, I have them in a Microsoft Word file that I save on my computer. When I need to use them, I copy and paste.

If you are using a shared hosting platform, you will have another security concern to consider. Most cheap hosting packages are shared hosting platforms, where multiple websites share the same resources and are hosted on the same server.

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This is how the cost is kept low. However, the setup of a shared hosting platform opens up your website to more risks. If you do not protect your website well, and another website on the same server gets attacked with malware, the malware can reach your website too.

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If you host a vast amount of personal data on your website and you feel the need to step up the security, I’d advise upgrading your hosting to a dedicated server package. After working with different hosting providers, I recommend DreamHost for their prompt support and user-friendly interface.

dreamhost

4. Create a Website Maintenance Plan

WordPress provides regular updates every other month, including major updates to its operating system. The themes and plugins that we use with WordPress also receive regular updates.

These updates implement additional security measures to close up loopholes that hackers take advantage of. The updates also improve the performance and compatibility between WordPress and the themes/plugins. Therefore, it is important to keep your website regularly updated.

While it might seem fuss-free to set all the plugins on auto-update mode, there is good reason to re-think that. Some major updates can cause new code conflicts which may be difficult to fix.

With experience, you will know which plugins will need to be carefully updated. Drag-and-drop builder plugins often cause some minor frontend issues when major updates happen, so it’s advisable to wait for the new updates to stabilize before going ahead to update them. Testing the updates before updating is also a good idea.

To be on the safe side, you could even create a staging environment to test the plugin updates on a local computer first before pushing the changes to a live website.

5. Create a WordPress child theme

A WordPress child theme is a copy of the actual theme that you are using. It’s a safe zone where you can edit theme files, update plugins, and test your codes without touching the theme files directly. You can follow this guide if you would like to know how to create a child theme.

Why is a child theme important? If you are learning how to modify theme PHP codes, which is the type of coding language that WordPress is built on, be aware!

The next WordPress update will overwrite all your modified code with the default code that comes with each update. By the time you realise it, all your hard work would have been gone.

The child theme is designed to not be overwritten by the parent theme. Hence, when you proceed to update the parent theme, the code that you have written in the child theme will stay as it is. Updating the parent theme will add on to the child theme as well.

Creating a child theme therefore helps you get the best of both worlds i.e receiving updates regularly while not losing your edited PHP codes.

Ready to Speed Up and Secure your DIY Website?

Walk far in your journey of DIY-ing your own WordPress website by following these recommendations! Added with good research done on Google, you can bring your website to its full capacity.

We hope our recommendations, formulated from our years of accumulated website building experience at Banah Digital, will help you avoid the common pitfalls and exponentially improve your learning curve. All the best!

The post 5 Tips for a Fast and Secure DIY WordPress Website appeared first on Hongkiat.

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25 Best (Free and Paid) Material Design WordPress Themes https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/material-design-wordpress-themes/ https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/material-design-wordpress-themes/#respond Thu, 29 Apr 2021 10:19:18 +0000 https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/?p=43597 A collection of free and paid material design WordPress themes along with the demo and download source for each theme.

The post 25 Best (Free and Paid) Material Design WordPress Themes appeared first on Hongkiat.

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As material design is gaining popularity, most designers are now using WordPress material design themes to visualize their blogs or websites. However, due to the variation in features and look and feel of these themes, I have seen many people struggling while choosing the right one for their websites.

That’s why I’m writing this post to make it simpler for you to visualize various material design themes, understand their features, and download or buy one of them as easily as possible. Come on, let’s check out the best material design themes for WordPress platform.

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1. Realistic
Realistic WordPress Theme

The Realistic is a blazing fast theme that supports widgets and sidebar customizations. This theme is SEO friendly, and it will astonish your reader with its intuitive interface and smooth animations. Also, Realistic has a responsive layout with many color schemes.

Surprisingly for a free theme, Realistic also offers 40 lightweight background patterns along with material font icons. It has a powerful live customizer feature that lets you set up a custom error page, use breadcrumbs, and add related posts in your posts.

Preview Realistic WordPress Theme.

2. CPMmagz
CPMmagz WordPress Theme

CPMmagz is a magazine-oriented theme that is specifically built for media companies. This template includes the live customizer tool that allows you to customize your site as per your needs easily from a graphical interface like Hestia or Sirius.

It supports easy customization of colors and look and feel so that you can make the theme to suit your brand. CPMmagz also includes top navigation to add social media channels. It is a cross-browser-compatible theme that is good for creating simple blogs.

Preview CPMmagz WordPress Theme.

3. Renard
Renard WordPress Theme

Renard is a lightweight theme with a clean design, and its full-width slider lets you show the featured posts on the homepage. The theme supports making any type of blog and suits almost all devices.

Renard is a fully customizable and translation-ready theme that even includes five widget areas and a lot more customization options.

Preview Renard WordPress Theme.

4. SEO WP
SEO WP WordPress Theme

SEO WP is suitable for any website or blog. This theme is SEO optimized, and interestingly, it is compatible with the latest Google algorithms. The SEO WP theme is built for speed and brings more features like support for Jetpack’s Infinite Scroll feature.

The theme includes top navigation to display your website categories or pages and a sidebar to show the widgets on the right. Though it’s not a full-featured theme like Hestia yet, it brings in the necessary features to make a simple blog or personal website.

Preview SEO WP WordPress Theme.

5. MaterialWP
MaterialWP WordPress Theme

MaterialWP lets you customize the theme as you wish. You can also change its CSS directly to modify the look & feel per your requirements. Interestingly, you get access to all 700+ material design icons and all bootstrap features with this theme. Of course, this theme is simple and best for creating personal or portfolio sites only.

Preview MaterialWP WordPress Theme.

6. MDLWP
MDLWP WordPress Theme

MDLWP is a small and handy template that supports additional plugins like material design icons, portfolio, etc., to add extra features and extend the functionality of the theme. It even includes live customizer options and dev features like theme hooks.

You can build your portfolio and use it as your business website or even a blog. Although the theme has the purpose of being the base theme for building material design themes yet, you can use it to create a simple personal website or portfolio listing website.

Preview MDLWP WordPress Theme.

7. Zephyr
Zephyr WordPress Theme

Zephyr is a responsive and Retina-ready theme with a drag-and-drop page builder that lets you create flexible pages easily. The theme is translation ready and provides a unique header builder too. Also, you can change the theme colors according to your needs.

Along with being an SEO-optimized theme, Zephyr has five different portfolio grid styles and six unique blog layouts. From its various typography options and 1300+ icons, you can choose the best that fits your brand requirements. I also liked Zephyr because of its amazing animation and parallax effects, and backgrounds that give a premium look & feel.

Preview Zephyr WordPress Theme.

8. Gridlove
Gridlove WordPress Theme

Gridlove is a grid-styled template that is specifically designed for magazines and news-related websites. The theme comes with many flexible homepages and allows you to choose and organize the post groups with its drag and drop module system.

You can highlight posts and widgets and customize using unlimited fonts and colors to make the theme your own. Moreover, Gridlove is optimized for high speed and offers ad monetization slots. You can also use sticky sidebars and WooCommerce with it.

Preview Gridlove WordPress Theme.

9. Unika
Unika WordPress Theme

Unika provides unique navigation and portfolio layout with its classic drop-down menu along with the latest design tools and techniques. Surprisingly, the theme supports video backgrounds and full-screen sliders to help you impress your audience easily. And moreover, it’s easy to design pages using its drag-and-drop page builder.

Unika is translation ready, and you can choose from unlimited colors, Font Awesome icons, and different background types to customize the theme or you can also create a unique color variation to match your brand. The theme also comes with support for Ecwid Shopping Cart, helping you to start an e-commerce portal as easily as starting a blog.

Preview Unika WordPress Theme.

10. Buggy
Buggy WordPress Theme

Buggy offers multiple home pages and supports RTL like Moharram. It also provides unlimited colors and typography options a and one-click import of demo content for testing out the template configuration. The theme is SEO-optimized, Retina-ready, and includes a visual page builder for creating customized pages using drag-and-drop modules.

Being a blog and magazine-styled theme, Buggy supports advanced typography and color options along with ten homepage options and support for plugins like WPML and WooCommerce. Like other premium themes, you can customize header options, contact forms, and more using its theme options panel and custom page-builder elements.

Preview Buggy WordPress Theme.

11. Sylor
Sylor WordPress Theme

Sylor is built upon the bootstrap framework and consists of a drag and drop page builder and a revolution slider like other premium themes. It supports RTL and contains a clean responsive design that’s optimized for speed. The theme is translation-ready and SEO optimized, and is best for creating personal or agency portfolio websites.

I like its clean and simple interface, a minimalistic design that works for almost all types of websites. And along with its other features, it’s WooCommerce-ready and comes with built-in support for Google Maps and also various plugins like Contact Form 7.

Preview Sylor WordPress Theme.

12. RS Card
RS Card WordPress Theme

RS Card is a resume, vCard, and CV template which is meant for professionals. One can easily create a portfolio or resume website using this theme as easily as installing the theme, configuring your details along with a logo and your profile picture. Moreover, the theme includes a separate social media section with a statistics counter.

RS Card incorporates a skills section, image slider section, products section, and a client’s carousel section. You can also use it for creating a simple blog with a contact form and map. Overall, if you’re willing to create a personal website, I’ll suggest trying it.

Preview RS Card WordPress Theme.

13. Hestia Pro
Hestia Pro WordPress Theme

Hestia Pro is a modern material design theme made with a focus on high performance and powerful features. It provides great customization, demo import with one click, different sections (with an option to add extra sections), video header, and SEO optimization, among other features.

Preview Hestia Pro WordPress Theme.

14. Materialize
Materialize WordPress Theme

A multi-purpose WordPress theme, Materialize comes with a modern design, 14 high-quality pre-made demo websites, amazing header and footer styles, and a huge choice of icons, colors, fonts, and layouts to choose from. The theme is also completely responsive and retina-ready.

Preview Materialize WordPress Theme.

15. All Business
All Business WordPress Theme

All business is a WordPress theme to cater to any kind of business website. You’ll find many built-in plugins, different layout options, customizable header, footer, color combos, icons, and fonts, and complete documentation.

Preview All Business WordPress Theme.

16. Sheila
Sheila WordPress Theme

With a clean and modern material design, Sheila offers a drag-and-drop page builder, SEO-friendly markup, contact form, and many useful plugins integrated into the theme. Also, you can import the demo website with just one click.

Preview Sheila WordPress Theme.

17. Kleo
Kleo WordPress Theme

Here is a community-focused WordPress theme made with material design and high customization in focus. You get one-click demo installation, responsive and retina-ready design, and comprehensive documentation along with other features.

Preview Kleo WordPress Theme.

18. Slitty
Slitty WordPress Theme

Sility is a material design-based WordPress theme with flexible navigation options, high customization with Live Customizer, and a feature-rich admin panel. Moreover, it is fully responsive, translation ready, and comes with detailed documentation and support.

Preview Slitty WordPress Theme.

19. Pappaya
Pappaya WordPress Theme

Papaya is a versatile material design theme with many features. It has layout options for shop and blog page and a portfolio section, a Unyson page builder, a mega menu, and a theme options panel, along with being responsive and retina-ready.

Preview Pappaya WordPress Theme.

20. Material
Material WordPress Theme

A hosting website theme, Material Web Hosting provides a whole gamut of features. You can install the demo site instantly, modify the layout to your liking, apply fluid animations, fonts, or color combinations, and much more. There’s also a whole bunch of demo data included with the theme.

Preview Material WordPress Theme.

21. Material Design Google
Material Design Google WordPress Theme

This is an official material design theme for WordPress by Google’s open-source design system. It allows you to customize the style, navigation, colors, fonts, icons, etc., and use it to house just about any kind of website.

Preview Material Design Google WordPress Theme.

22. Pixxy
Pixxy WordPress Theme

Pixxy is versatile WordPress theme specially designed for Startups and new businesses. It comes with 17 creative demos that you can import with just one click, 300+ useful shortcodes, responsive and retina-ready layouts, and SEO optimization among many other features.

Preview Pixxy WordPress Theme.

23. Woffice
Woffice WordPress Theme

Woffice is a clean material design WordPress theme that is responsive and full of useful features. It offers front-end customization, a responsive layout, and everything you need for a community website like a calendar, project manager, login page, chat messaging, and so much more.

Preview Woffice WordPress Theme.

24. Ideabuz
Ideabuz WordPress Theme

A versatile business WordPress theme, Ideabuz provides some of the coolest features including a unique banner and slider style, testimonial, about us, and team section, as well as 404, coming soon, and a contact page. The theme is also retina-ready and SEO optimized.

Preview Ideabuz WordPress Theme.

25. Niko
Niko WordPress Theme

Niko is a resume/ CV WordPress theme made with material design. It comes with premium plugins, multiple layout options, blog/ portfolio options, and high level of customization. It is also quite well-documented to help you through the installation process.

Preview Niko WordPress Theme.

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