Businesses are constantly seeking ways to gain a competitive edge online. Small businesses, often constrained by limited resources, recognize that choosing the right website development platform is a fundamental step towards achieving success.

Years have gone by, and many solutions have popped up, but WordPress has consistently remained a top choice for small businesses looking to establish a strong online presence. 

This article explores why WordPress continues to be a popular option for small business owners in 2023.

1. WordPress is cost-effective and scalable

WordPress has asserted its dominance in the SME market, in part, due to its cost-effectiveness. The fundamental software is both free and open-source, enabling anyone to download, install, and tailor it to their needs without incurring any licensing fees.

Aside from the free themes and plugins you can get, there are also plenty of premium options for those who want extra features. This affordable and adaptable method enables small businesses to create professional websites without spending too much money.

2. WordPress has a user-friendly interface

WordPress is well-known for its easy-to-use interface. Even if you’re not a tech expert, you can handle a WordPress website. Small business owners can smoothly navigate the admin dashboard to make and change content, add new pages, upload images and videos, and tweak the look of their sites. This simplifies things and lets small businesses concentrate on other crucial parts of their work.

3. WordPress offers many customization options

With thousands of themes and plugins available, WordPress offers unparalleled customization options. Small businesses have a wide variety of themes to choose from and can easily tailor their website to fit their unique brand identity. 

But that’s not everything. Plugins expand what a WordPress site can do, letting you add important features like online stores, contact forms, SEO improvements, and more. With this wide range of customization choices, small businesses can effortlessly build a website that matches their exact needs.

4. WordPress offers strong SEO capabilities

There are many reasons why WordPress is the best content management system for SEO, including that it offers a solid foundation for optimizing a website. WordPress themes come with clean code that allows search engines to crawl and index the site easily. Plus, several SEO plugins are available to help small businesses improve their website’s visibility in search engine results. By harnessing the power of WordPress and its SEO capabilities, businesses can increase their online exposure and attract more potential customers. 

5. WordPress embodies responsive and mobile-friendly design.

In today’s digital landscape, it’s crucial for websites to adapt and work well on mobile devices. WordPress themes are typically crafted with responsiveness as a priority, guaranteeing that websites appear and perform effectively on different screen sizes and devices. This mobile-friendly design is vital for small businesses aiming to meet the demands of their diverse customer base.

6. WordPress issues regular updates and security features

WordPress is constantly evolving. With regular updates to its core software, themes, and plugins, the platform’s stability, performance, and security have never been better. WordPress also offers several security features, such as user authentication, access controls, and automatic backups, to protect websites from potential threats. For small businesses, the availability of these updates and security measures is invaluable in keeping their websites running smoothly and securely.

7. WordPress has a large support community

The popularity of WordPress has resulted in a massive global community of users, developers, and designers who are committed to improving and supporting the platform. Small businesses can easily access this knowledge through online forums, tutorials, and blogs. This support network ensures that even those with limited technical expertise can find answers to their questions and troubleshoot any issues they may encounter.

8. WordPress provides easy e-commerce integration

As online shopping continues to soar in popularity, numerous small businesses seek to integrate e-commerce features into their websites. WordPress provides effortless compatibility with well-known e-commerce platforms like WooCommerce, simplifying the process for smaller companies to establish and oversee their online stores.

These e-commerce solutions provide a range of features, including product management, payment gateways, shipping options, and inventory tracking, enabling small businesses to sell their products or services online effectively.

9. WordPress offers multilingual support

As businesses grow and reach global markets, the capacity to serve an international audience becomes more vital. WordPress provides robust multilingual support, complete with a variety of plugins to assist in translating and handling content in different languages. This empowers small businesses to connect with a wider audience, bridging language gaps and potentially expanding their customer base.

10. WordPress enables easy integration with third-party services

The adaptability and expandability of WordPress make it easy to connect with external services like email marketing systems, social media platforms, and analytics tools. Small businesses can utilize these integrations to simplify their work, automate specific tasks, and access valuable data on their website’s performance and user interaction.

11. WordPress is future-proof technology

By consistently staying up-to-date with the latest web development trends, WordPress maintains its relevance in the ever-evolving digital environment. This commitment guarantees that small businesses can have faith in ongoing support and updates for their WordPress websites as new technologies surface. This dedication to future-proofing ensures that SMEs can make a secure investment in WordPress as their preferred website platform.

12. WordPress provides both blogging and content management

Starting out as a blogging platform, WordPress has since evolved into a comprehensive content management system (CMS). Its powerful blogging features, such as easy content creation, a built-in commenting system, and advanced publishing tools, make it an ideal choice for small businesses looking to share their expertise and connect with their audience.

Moreover, WordPress accommodates a wide range of media formats, empowering businesses to integrate multimedia content like images, videos, and audio to enrich their storytelling and captivate their website visitors.

13. WordPress enables custom user roles and permissions

Running a website often involves teamwork, and WordPress provides an easy way for small businesses to manage user access and permissions. The platform offers various predefined user roles like Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, and Subscriber, each with specific abilities. This allows businesses to assign tasks and responsibilities to different team members, ensuring that everyone has the appropriate access rights to carry out their roles effectively.

14. WordPress is celebrated for its speedy loading times and optimized performance.

Website speed and performance are essential to retaining visitors and improving search engine rankings. WordPress, by default, offers a solid foundation for fast-loading websites.

Nonetheless, there are several plugins and recommended methods that can take WordPress site performance to the next level. These include caching, image optimization, and code minification. By incorporating these performance-enhancing techniques, small businesses can guarantee that their website loads swiftly and smoothly, delivering a positive user experience to their visitors.

WordPress is still a winner

WordPress continues to be the foremost choice for small businesses looking to build a robust online presence. Its affordability and scalability, user-friendly interface, abundant customization possibilities, and robust SEO features make it a perfect solution for small businesses operating within budget constraints.

Here’s a snapshot of what makes WordPress so special:

• Super responsive design
• Regular updates
• Top-notch security features
• Large support community
• E-commerce integration
• Multilingual support
• Easy integration with third-party services

Small businesses can create professional, functional, and visually appealing websites tailored to their specific requirements by leveraging the capabilities of WordPress. As the platform evolves and aligns with the latest web development trends, SMEs can trust that their investment in WordPress will prove enduring and fruitful.

You can begin building your website with our WordPress Hosting Packages. It’s a user-friendly and popular choice for website creation. If you have any particular questions or require guidance to get started, please don’t hesitate to ask in our online chat, and our team will be happy to assist you.

The post 14 Reasons That Continue To Make WordPress a Top Choice appeared first on Cloudys®.

As this version is still a part of the Gutenberg project phase two, it features many block editor improvements, including backports from over 10 Gutenberg releases after WordPress 6.0. On top of that, it comes with the new Twenty Twenty-Three default theme.

Let’s discuss the new updates for WordPress 6.1.

New Twenty Twenty-Three Default Theme

Following the Twenty Twenty-Two block theme released with WordPress 5.9, 6.1 introduces a new default block theme called Twenty Twenty-Three.

It comes with eleven theme styles from the get-go, allowing you to easily switch the color scheme and typography via the global styles switcher feature. Even if you don’t want to use pre-defined theme styles, the wide variety of options is a great starting point for customization.

Another improvement in Twenty Twenty-Three is the typography. Not only do you get more font family options, but they are available across all eleven styles. This allows more freedom to mix and match the typography between styles.

Block Editor Improvements

With over 10 Gutenberg releases merged into the WordPress 6.1 core, we can see plenty of block editor improvements in the new version.

Improved Template Options

6.1 comes with two new template options – Page and Single Item: Post. The new version also streamlines the template creation process by automatically adding relevant patterns, so you no longer have to start from scratch.

For example, when you add the Single Item: Post template, it will start with block patterns that include post content, the comments query loop, and template parts such as the header and footer. From that point, you can start customizing the layout or design.

Another improvement is that you can choose to add the template to all items or a specific one. For example, when adding an author template, you’ll be prompted to choose whether the template will apply to all authors or just one.

As such, you can create tailored templates for Author, Category, and Single Item: Post.

In addition, there’s now the Custom template option allowing you to create a new template for any post or page. It will feature a pattern similar to the post template, but you can reconstruct it to suit whatever type of content.

Improved Block Locking

Block locking is a neat feature that ensures your content blocks won’t be accidentally deleted or moved. However, locking a nested block can take a lot of time as you have to lock all individual blocks one by one.

WordPress 6.1 introduces a new improvement to this system, allowing you to apply block locking to all elements inside a group block. This option will appear on the block locking pop-up when you want to lock a group block. You’ll see the Apply to all blocks inside toggle switch.

Content-Only Editing

WordPress 6.1 supports content-only editing for group, cover, and column blocks using the templateLock attribute. This lets you lock the content layout while writing, uploading images, or in any other way editing the content.

Patterns allow practical use of content-only editing. If a pattern uses a group block to contain several blocks, add the templateLock attribute to the pattern’s code and set it to contentOnly.

With that pattern active on the block editor, the design tools will be removed from the sidebar panel. Instead, you will see a list of the content blocks in the group. The toolbar will also contain no block-moving tools after selecting a block. With the feature active, you can freely edit the actual content.

You can temporarily disable content-only editing by clicking Modify on the group block’s toolbar. When disabled, you can access all design and layout tools for the group block and its components. Click Done on the group block’s toolbar to enable content-only editing again.

Updated Quote and List Blocks

Quote and list blocks can now contain inner blocks for more content flexibility.

The block inserter is now available in the quote block. You can use it to add any block in the quoted content by clicking the add block (+) icon or typing / in the quote block line.

For example, you can use this improvement to add a heading block before writing the text below or to incorporate an image in the quote block.

Multiple blocks inside the quote block allow you to easily rearrange the inner content. Use the block moving tools in the block toolbar to move a block up or down.

The list block now treats the items as individual blocks, resulting in a nested block structure. This allows for a more streamlined workflow as you can rearrange or remove list items more easily.

The improved list block uses a nested structure and treats the list items as individual blocks. The advantage is that you can rearrange or remove list items easily. The nested structure can also be seen from the block list view for easier bulk actions.

Featured Image in Cover Block Placeholder

The previous major WordPress release introduced featured image support to the cover block. However, users had to add an image and then replace it with the featured image using a button on the toolbar, resulting in an awkward workflow.

WordPress 6.1 comes with the option to use the featured image when you add a cover block. This way, you can set up the cover block easier and faster.

Design Tools Consistency

Starting with WordPress 6.1, we’ll see improvements in design tools consistency for more customization using the block editor without custom CSS. This will allow users to find certain tools for a specific block easier.

In 6.1, over 50 blocks have typography and color tools, over 40 have dimension tools, and 30 have all three. You can find a complete list of the design tools available for each block in the WordPress 6.1 Dev Notes.

Dimensions Settings Presets

WordPress 6.1 adds a slider with seven presets for dimensions settings, such as block spacing and margin. This allows users to set a value quickly and apply the same value for other blocks easily.

That said, there’s still a button to switch back to the old custom pixel field if you want to include custom values.

Updated Preview Button

The block editor’s Preview button is now labeled View, but it still functions similarly. It lets you choose between the editor’s desktop, tablet, and mobile views and open the preview in a new tab.

The only significant difference is the new View site option in the site editor, which will open your site in a new tab. In the previous WordPress version, you had to manually type your URL in a new tab or go back to the dashboard to visit your site.

Template Parts in Block Inserter

Template parts are now available in the block inserter. This makes it easier to create or customize new templates as you can insert them in a few clicks.

Moreover, with the existing options to create template parts from existing blocks, this feature can open more possibilities to utilize custom template elements.

New Preference Option

A new Always open list view option is available in the block editor preferences. To access it, click the Options button at the top-right corner of the editor and select Preferences.

By enabling this option, the list view will be opened by default when you open the block editor.

Updated Editor Details

New metrics have been added to the editor Details menu. Now you can see the Time to read information along with the word and character counts. This way, you can better estimate how long the content you’re writing will be and the time it will take to read it.

Post Summary Update

The Status & visibility section of the post editor is now called Summary. The post’s permalink and template settings are now within this section.

Theme Improvements

WordPress 6.1 brings a lot of enhancements to theme customization, including the improved global styles panel and custom starter patterns. Let’s overview all the theme improvements in the latest version.

Improved Global Styles

There are some new additions to the global styles interface.

The first one is the headings element that you can configure in the typography and color sections. In the previous version, headings followed the global text style, but in WordPress 6.1, you can make headings use different typography and colors throughout the website. This improves the workflow, as you no longer need to customize the heading blocks individually.

The Buttons element is now also available in the typography and color. Similar to the headings element, you can now set different typography and colors for the button’s text and background.

The next are the layout global styles. In the previous version, you could only change padding settings. WordPress 6.1 significantly improved on this by adding content area width and block spacing controls. The padding and block spacing controls also feature a slider with presets to simplify customization.

Starter Patterns for All Post Types

Theme authors and users can set up starter patterns for all post types to provide pattern options when creating a new post. 

This requires adding the patterns’ PHP files into the theme’s patterns folder. Such files contain code snippets that specify the pattern’s title and post type, followed by the pattern’s code.

Note that the new Twenty Twenty-Three theme already has the patterns folder by default. You may have to create the folder if you use another block theme.

For example, we can add a travel blog pattern from the WordPress pattern directory. First, we must create a PHP file called blog.php with the following code:

You can change the title and categories to your liking. The next step involves copying and pasting the pattern from the pattern directory into the file using the Copy Pattern button.

Paste the pattern on the blog.php file. Once done, the PHP file will look like this:

Save the file and open your WordPress admin panel. To confirm that the pattern has been registered, navigate to Posts -> Add New to create a new post. You should see a pop-up with a selection of the registered patterns.

You can add as many starter patterns as you want. To add more, create another PHP file for the pattern and repeat the steps. 

Fluid Typography

WordPress 6.1 introduces fluid typography support via the theme.json file. It enhances responsiveness as the text size will automatically adjust based on the user’s viewport.

To change the fluid typography settings in the theme.json file, include the fluid parameter in the settings.typography.fluid section. If you’re using an older block theme, it may have fluid typography disabled by default, but you can add the fluid parameter and set its value to true.

You can also disable fluid typography simply by setting the fluid value to false.

You can configure the size for fluid typography in the settings.typography.fontSizes section of the file. Here, you can set the minimum and maximum values for each font size and disable fluid typography for specific font sizes. 

For example, you can set the fluid typography size for the Normal font size by setting the fluid parameter value to true and specifying the minimum and maximum values. Then, disable fluid typography for the Large font size by setting a false value for the fluid parameter.

You can configure the text size for fluid typography in the settings.typography.fontSizes section.

Block-Based Template Part Support for Classic Themes

WordPress 6.1 also introduces the block-based template part support feature that expands classic theme usability with the block editor.

Enabling this feature takes two steps. First, you must add template part support by adding the following function to the theme’s functions.php file:

You’ll see the Template Parts option in the dashboard’s Appearance menu.

However, you’ll find no template parts options in the editor – you’ll have to add them manually by creating an HTML file in the parts folder within the theme’s root directory.

For example, we’ll add a footer template part to the Twenty Twenty-One theme. Start by creating an HTML file with the path of /public_html/wp-content/themes/twentytwentyone/parts/footer.html.

Paste the the following code snippet into the file:

Go back to the WordPress dashboard and navigate to Appearance -> Template Parts. You should see the footer template part is now available, and you can start editing it using the block editor.

You can add more HTML files in the parts folder to register more block-based template parts for the theme.

Block Theme Filters

Following the update to the WordPress theme repository, which features a new Block Themes filter, the WordPress dashboard has received a similar update.

When you navigate to Appearance -> Themes -> Add New, you can see the Block Themes filter.

How to Update to WordPress 6.1

Updating to WordPress 6.1 should only take a few minutes, and there are a few ways to do it easily. We recommend creating a backup and testing the new version in a staging environment before proceeding with the update on your main site.

This way, you’ll be sure that the new version works perfectly with your website’s content, themes, and plugins. 

Once you’re ready to proceed, choose one of the following ways to update WordPress:

• WordPress dashboard – go to the update page by navigating to Dashboard -> Updates or clicking the Please update now button on the top banner. Once you’re in the update page, click Update to version 6.1.
• Manual update – download the WordPress 6.1 files from WordPress.org. Extract the .zip file and delete the wp-content folder and wp-config-sample.php file. Then, use an FTP client or a file manager to overwrite the WordPress core files and folders, excluding the wp-content folder and wp-config-sample.php file.
• WordPress command-line interface (WP-CLI) – use SSH to access your website’s public_html root directory and run the wp core update command to perform the update.

Conclusion

WordPress 6.1 adds more enhancements to the block editor to simplify the workflow and introduce additional customization, such as an improved global styles panel and block locking features. The new version also comes with a new default theme and more options available in the theme.json file.

Update your site to WordPress 6.1 if you haven’t done so already. This way, you’ll benefit from the new features and protect yourself from potential vulnerabilities. Remember to back up your site and use a staging environment to test the latest version beforehand.

The post WordPress 6.1: What’s New in the New Major Release? appeared first on Cloudys®.

Often beginners don’t install updates because they are afraid of breaking their site. Updating your WordPress site in the correct order will help you prevent common errors and troubleshoot more easily.

In this article, we’ll show you the proper order for updating WordPress core, plugins, and themes.

Why Keep WordPress Up to Date?

It’s important to always use the latest version of WordPress. This will make sure your website has the latest security patches, newest features, and the best speed and performance.

Unfortunately, on rare occasions, updating WordPress or a plugin can break your website. This can happen if there’s a bug in the code or if the update introduces some kind of conflict with a theme or plugin.

That’s why we always recommend that you create a complete WordPress backup before performing any updates.

It’s also helpful to use the proper WordPress update order. You may be wondering whether it’s best to update WordPress core or your plugins first.

We recommend updating WordPress in this order:

1. First, update WordPress core.
2. Then update your plugins.
3. Finally, update your theme last.

Let’s take a look at the best order to update your WordPress website.

Before You Start, Make a Complete WordPress Backup

Before you update anything, it’s important to perform a full backup of your WordPress website. You should store the backup on your computer or in cloud storage, not just on your hosting server.

That’s because there is always some risk that an update may break your site, no matter how careful you are or which order you perform the updates.

A complete WordPress backup includes everything:

• Your WordPress database.
• All your images and media uploads.
• Your WordPress plugins and themes.
• Core WordPress files.

UpdraftPlus is one of the best WordPress backup plugin and is used by more than 3 million websites. You can use it to create a complete backup of your WordPress site and store it on the cloud or download it to your computer.

First, Update WordPress Core

If a new version of WordPress core is available, then you should update that first. This follows the update order as it is listed on the Dashboard » Updates page and helps minimize the risk to your site.

Because plugin and theme updates are tested to work with the latest WordPress version, you are less likely to have conflicts by updating your plugins and themes after the latest version of WordPress is installed.

The simplest way to update WordPress core is to navigate to the Dashboard » Updates page and then click the ‘Update Now’ button.

When you press ‘Update Now,’ WordPress will automatically put your site in maintenance mode, then fetch the latest version of the software and install it for you. You will see the update progress on your screen.

Advanced users can also update WordPress manually by downloading the latest version from the WordPress download page, and then logging into their WordPress hosting account and using FTP to upload the new WordPress files.

Troubleshooting a WordPress Core Update

Before you move on to update your plugins, you should first make sure that there are no problems with your website now that it is running the latest version of WordPress.

Simply visit your website in a new browser window to see if anything isn’t working or looks out of place. You should also review the settings in your WordPress admin area.

After That, Update Your Plugins

Once you have upgraded WordPress on your website, then you can update your plugins.

An easy way to do that is to scroll further down the Dashboard » Updates page to the ‘Plugins’ section.

Simply select the specific plugins you wish to update and click the ‘Update Plugins’ button. You can select all of the plugins listed by checking the ‘Select All’ box at the top of the list.

You may also notice a red number beside Plugins in the admin dashboard. Clicking inside will show you a yellow notice under each plugin that needs to be updated.

Then, all you have to do is click the ‘Update now’ link under any plugin you want to update without having to leave the page.

Troubleshooting a Plugin Update

As you did after updating WordPress core, you should visit your website in a new browser window to see if you encounter any error messages or other problems.

You may sometimes discover that one of your plugins is not compatible with the latest WordPress version.

If the plugin is from the WordPress Plugin Directory, then you can contact the developer using the site’s support forum. Otherwise, check the official website for support information.

If no further development is planned, then you will need to look for a different plugin that performs the same task.

Finally, Update Your Theme

After you have updated WordPress core and your plugins, and you have checked that your website is working, you can update your theme, if an update is available.

However, when you update a theme, you will overwrite the existing theme files with new ones and lose any changes you made.

Once you are ready to update your theme, you can simply scroll to the ‘Themes’ section at the bottom of the Dashboard » Updates page.

Once there, you can select the themes you want to update, then click the ‘Update Themes’ button. The ‘Select All’ checkbox will automatically select all available theme updates.

Alternatively, you can navigate to Appearance » Themes in your admin area. If any updates are available, you will notice a red number next to ‘Themes’ in the admin sidebar.

Simply click the ‘Update now’ link above any theme you wish to update.

Troubleshooting Your Theme Update

Troubleshooting a theme update is similar to troubleshooting a plugin update. You should start by visiting your website in a new browser window to see if there are error messages or other problems.

If there are, check the error to find a solution, or reach out to the developer for help.

If the theme is from the WordPress Theme Directory, then you can contact the developer using the support forum for that theme. Otherwise, check the official website for support information.

What Is the Proper WordPress Update Order?

In conclusion, let’s summarize the proper order to update your WordPress website:

• First, you should back up your website.
• Then, update the core WordPress files.
• Next, update your plugins.
• Finally, update your theme.

Always make sure your website is working properly before moving on to the next step.

Of course, if there is no update for WordPress core, then you can update your plugins or theme whenever new versions become available.

The post Should I Update WordPress or Plugins First? appeared first on Cloudys®.

Sites running on PHP-based platforms, like WordPress, Joomla, and Magento CMSs, various eCommerce and forum applications, are vulnerable to web attacks. With only a few lines of code, hackers can inject malware, deface your site, or escalate privileges to gain complete access to entire servers.

Imunify360 uses machine learning technology and extensive, signature-based algorithms to identify patterns of abnormal behavior in near real-time to quickly prevent new attacks.

Imunify 360 benefits

Imunify360 constantly collects and processes a massive amount of information about new attacks from servers all over the world. It analyzes the web traffic that hits your servers, understands all security threats, and uses powerful AI technology to dynamically update its rules and prevent malicious attacks that could cause harm.

Protects your server and all sites running on it against threats, such as known and unknown malware, and distributed brute force attacks, the most common kind of web server attack.
Analyzes insights from the global network to ban attacks before they even attack you
Includes additional features such as Reputation Management and an advanced Captcha system for vetting website visitors also a responsive system with a high frequency of scanning that does not degrade the performance of your system.

All Web Hosting Plans and WordPress Hosting Plans include Imunify360 Protection

Keep your WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and other PHP-based websites secure and malware-free automatically using CloudyHost hosting plans.

The post What is Imunify360? appeared first on Cloudys®.

SSL allows sensitive information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and login credentials to be transmitted securely.

How Do I Know a Website is Secure with SSL?
A website is secured with SSL when a padlock is displayed or the address bar shows the URL as HTTPS instead of HTTP.

Here is an example of a website secured with SSL VS a website that is insecure.

HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure) appears in the URL when a website is secured by an SSL certificate.

Why SSL Certificate is so important?

SSL Encrypts Sensitive Information

When an SSL certificate is used, the information becomes unreadable to everyone except for the server you are sending the information to. This protects it from hackers and identity thieves.

SSL Provides Trust

Your website will be displayed with a security padlock in the address bar of the browser. This will indicate that the connection is secure and will show your website’s visitors that you take their privacy seriously. If your website doesn’t have a certificate, some browsers may label it as “unsafe”

SEO advantages

Google gives websites with SSL certificate a slight rankings boost. SSL will give you an advantage over your competitors who don’t have certificates yet.

How to obtain an SSL Certificate?

All CloudyHost Web Hosting packages come with an SSL certificate included.

What is Let’s Encrypt?

Let’s Encrypt provide two types of certificates. The standard single-domain SSL and the Wildcard SSL, which cover not only a single domain, but all of its subdomains too. Both types of SSL certificates are issued for a period of 90 days, and on CloudyHost servers when installed via our tools they have renewed automatically.

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