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WordPress 6.0 Due Out Today

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6.0 is due to launch on May 24, 2022. Here are some of the main changes for WordPress website owners and managers:

  • The ability to select text across multiple Gutenberg blocks.
  • Select and drag multiple same-level blocks in in List view.
  • New block transformations – make changes to block layouts on the fly while editing – and styles are now maintained when you transform a block.
  • You can now use the Featured Image in the Cover block.
  • New Stack block for vertical grouping (reponsive).
  • New block for Author Bio.

Read (a lot) more about it here.

Excluding WooCommerce Pages from Caching

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If you run a WooCommerce shop and you’re using a caching plugin on your website – or your host is providing one as a service, like Varnish – make sure caching is disabled for key WooCommerce pages and cookies.

What is Caching?

Caching is ‘saving’ website information and content in the user’s browser on their first visit and displaying that saved page in the future rather than having to pull it from the server. It allows for faster page loading than if the page had to be ‘rebuilt’ from scratch each time the user views it.

But caching has its drawbacks, as you probably know from being told to ‘clear your cache’ to try to fix any website issue. Caching impacts on WooCommerce can include:

  • Users seeing old versions of the checkout page when they try to finish an order
  • Users seeing other users’ carts or finding strange items in their carts
  • Users seeing other users’ account info
  • Issues with WooCommerce checkout pages never loading

WooCommerce logoThese problems can cause your customers to trust your site less as well as privacy issues. But it can be fixed easily by excluding dynamic pages from the cache. Note: some caching plugins automatically exclude cart and checkout pages for certain ecommerce plugins. Check your plugin’s documentation.

How to Disable Caching for WooCommerce in WP Rocket

WP Rocket is a popular commercial caching plugin for WordPress. It does automatically exclude the Cart, Checkout and Account pages automatically, but there are a few more things you need to do.

1. Go to the WP Rocket settings, Advanced Rules.

2. In the Never Cache Cookies section, add the following lines:

woocommerce_cart_hash
woocommerce_items_in_cart
wp_woocommerce_session_
woocommerce_recently_viewed
store_notice[noticeid]

3. Save the changes.

Cookies help track products in carts and power the ‘recently viewed’ widget – they need to stay dynamic as they change a lot.

This process should be simliar for different caching plugins.

How to Disable Caching for WooCommerce in Varnish

Varnish is a server-side tool that speeds up website loading as well as providing security protection. Part of its job is to temporarily store the content of your web pages (a cache), which will be served up when a user requests them rather than making a call on your host server (just like the plugin-based caches).

If you have access to the server settings, you can add the following WooCommerce exclusions to Varnish.

Pages/URLs:

\?add-to-cart=
\^/(cart|my-account/*|checkout|wc-api/*|addons|logout|lost-password|product/*|wp-admin|wp-login)
\/checkout/
\/my-account/

Cookies:

woocommerce_cart_hash
woocommerce_items_in_cart
wp_woocommerce_session_
woocommerce_recently_viewed
store_notice[notice id]

The Latest US Privacy Law News

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On April 28th, the Connecticut legislature passed its new Connecticut Data Privacy Act, which is now going before the governor. It’s based on the Colorado Privacy Act which became law in July 2021. Here are some key features of the Connecticut Act:

  • Consumer approval is required for managing sensitive data
  • Controllers have to allow consumers to later withdraw consent
  • Opt-out regulations are very strict
  • Childrens’ data privacy rights match California’s.

If passed, Connecticut will become the fifth state having passed broad consumer data privacy bills. The others are Colorado, California, Virginia and Utah. More on the new Act here.

Eleven other US states currently have privacy bills in progress:

  • Alaska
  • Louisiana
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont

The importance of having a comprehensive, up-to-date privacy policy on US-based websites is at an all-time high. That’s why WP Minder offers our dynamic privacy policy/cookie policy tool for our Care Plan clients. Contact us for more information.

The Risky Business of Displaying Only the Best Reviews on Your Website

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Did you hear about the case the FTC (US Federal Trade Commission) brought against an online fashion shop called Fashion Nova in January 2022? It was the first case of its kind, alleging that the retailer was deceiving customers by only showing positive reviews on their site.

Fashion Nova settled the case for $4.2 million.

Learn more about what happened and why you should reconsider showing only those 5-star reviews on your website…

Using Backup Plugin UpdraftPlus? Upgrade It Now

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UpdraftPlus logoIf your WordPress website uses the popular UpdraftPlus backup plugin, you’ll want to read this…

UpdraftPlus is installed on over 3 million WordPress websites and is relied upon for securely backing up WordPress site files and databases, which contain sensitive user data.

UpdraftPlus was found by a security researcher at WordPress parent company Automattic to have a ‘severe vulnerability’ that allowed hackers to download usernames and passwords.

Here is the announcement from UpdraftPlus from Feb. 17. They were on top of things, working to release the fixed version about a day after the problem was found and being transparent about reporting it.

WordPress took the unusual step of forcing auto-updates on installations that were still using the older versions of this plugin, but you do need to check your site anyway to make sure. Upgrade immediately if you find one of the older versions.

If you’re still using the following you’ll need to upgrade right away:

Six Things I Like Best About MailerLite

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I’d been a long-time Mailchimp user, but I switched to MailerLite earlier this year and am very happy with that decision.

As I was trying to get more knowledgeable about automation and drip campaigns, I found Mailchimp to be more and more difficult to use. The interface was not as intuitive. There was confusing terminology (“Customer Journey Builder”) that threw me off. Support was less… well… supportive than it used to be, taking a lot longer to respond. And I was going to have to increase my monthly plan fee to access some of the features I now needed.

I was told about MailerLite in a group and signed up for their free trial. I was impressed right away with the simple, efficient user interface. And after the trial I signed up with no regrets.

Here are the six things I like best about MailerLite.

Great support. They have chat support that often answers right away, often even on weekends. Otherwise, they get back to you in email, and I’ve never had to wait more than a couple of hours.

Reasonable pricing. For 1,000 customers or less, their Premium plan is only $10 per month and includes all features.

Clean User Interface. MailerLite has a simple, straightforward user interface without a huge number of options or clutter. It’s a perfect fit for what WP Minder needs from an email newsletter provider, and is just all-around easy to use. Terminology is also as expected (such as “Automation” – it’s obvious what that menu link is for).

MailerLite's dashboard
MailerLite’s dashboard

Easy automation tools. As someone new to drip campaigns, I found MailerLite’s Automation section to be very intuitive.

You build your automation step by step in a flowchart-style interface. It made so much sense the first time I used it. You can include email content, delays, ecommerce purchases (if connected to your website’s ecommerce platform), and actions (like adding someone to a group) in the flow. Very cool.

MailerLite's easy automation workflow
MailerLite’s easy automation workflow

Simple WooCommerce integration. Connecting MailerLite and WooCommerce was very easy, and it opens up new default subscriber segments like “Repeat Customers,” “High-spending Customers” and “Subscribers with Zero Purchases.” These segments and custom fields can be used in automation tools and emails campaigns, too.

The drag and drop email builder is really good. The one in MailerLite works intuitively and includes many different types of content sections. I was never able to get the RSS feeds in Mailchimp’s builder to work correctly or look right, but in MailerLite they come in with no adjustment needed.

Drag-and-drop builder
Drag-and-drop builder

 

What provider do you use for email newsletters and/or drip campaigns? Share in the comments below if you have something you like.

The links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and make a purchase, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own. I only share affiliate links to high-quality, useful products or services that I’ve used for myself or for my clients.