WP Minder
Yesterday WordPress 4.7.5 was released – it’s a security release that fixes 6 important security problems. WP Minder clients are already updated, but if you haven’t already done so, it’s recommended to update right away.
For more information on the specifics, view the article from WP Tavern.
WooCommerce came out with a major new release earlier this month – and that almost always means problems and conflicts are in your future!
I’ve been upgrading WP Minder clients all week with not too many issues, mostly template updates and adding support for the new gallery functionality. If you’re tackling this process on your own, though, you might find this guide to updating to WooCommerce 3.0 useful.
Please make sure you have a fresh backup ready to go before you do this – it is likely to cause problems with your site. If you have access to a staging area, make a copy of your site and test the update there first. If your host doesn’t offer staging, you can try this plugin (read the fine print first). Or, get a copy of WP Rollback installed before you upgrade.
This week’s WordPress and web marketing links.
(Yep, I changed this series’ name because a friend pointed out that this weekly post shows up in social media on other days than Fridays).
I’ve seen WordPress sites with just a couple of plugins run like a drunk turtle on a low-quality hosting environment. I’ve also seen sites with 40 plugins fly like the wind on a great managed host. So how many plugins are too many? The answer varies. While it’s true that having more plugins can put you at greater risk of hacking, conflicts, and slower performance, keeping your site updated and using high-quality plugins and good hosting can make your site safer and faster than one with fewer plugins that’s chronically out of date on a poor-quality host. I’d recommend using only the plugins you really need, removing anything that’s not activated, and keeping it all up to date. If you’re not sure you need something, don’t use it.
For the DIY types: if you like getting your hands dirty, here’s a big list of 44 WordPress tutorials for everything from speeding up your site to moving to HTTPS and how to use the command line. If you’re interested in getting into the backend development of WordPress this is a good reference.
Finally – do you like money? If you do, here’s a nice post on monetizing your WordPress site. From ad management to notification bars, this is a good overview of ways to enhance conversions on your site.
This week’s WordPress and web marketing links.
This is always a timely topic: how to fix 10 common WordPress errors and problems, including the dreaded White Screen of Death. The first thing is to make sure you always have a fresh site and database backup stored somewhere other than your hosting account…
Page speed really does matter – the target these days is 2 seconds or less. Learn how to speed up your WordPress site with this guide. (WP Minder also offers Performance Tuneups if you’d rather not become an expert in this area yourself).
If you’re struggling with improving your site’s search engine presence, here’s a good article about 9 obvious things you probably didn’t know about WordPress and SEO. These include useful info about the popularity of long-form content (long posts), writing better headlines and intros, and how to keep users engaged while reading your content.
Finally… if you’re using the popular security plugin iThemes Security Pro and are a bit overwhelmed by all the setting choices, here’s a checklist to help you out. Yes, there are 35 items in the checklist, but think how much of a pro you’ll be at using this plugin when you finish!
Sucuri just released a security advisory about the popular WordPress plugin Jetpack, now in use on over 1 million sites. The security problem is only with the Shortcode Embeds module, so if this isn’t actively running on your site you’re not at risk for this issue (but you should update anyway!).
Here’s information from Jetpack developers about the problem.
The XSS (cross-site scripting) vulnerability “could allow an attacker to hijack administrator accounts, inject SEO spam to an affected page, and redirect visitors to malicious websites,” says Sucuri.
If you’re a WP Minder client, you’ve already been updated so no need to worry.
One of my go-to plugins, Google Analytics by Yoast, was purchased by Syed Balkhi, the founder of tutorial site WPBeginner. Today they rolled out their first new update, but the impression made was probably not what they were expecting.
Sounds like some users were afraid they’d been hacked when they saw the new big green monster logo high up in the WordPress menu… it really doesn’t provide the most reassuring appearance at first glance. The word ‘monster’ and lack of any wording related to analytics doesn’t help either. It also looks like everyone using it will have to reauthenticate with Google Analytics, too.
Not sure yet whether I’ll stick with the plugin. I highly respect Syed Balkhi and have learned a lot from his posts and tutorials, so maybe this is a good thing for the plugin’s future. But it’s not exactly the rollout I would have recommended.
Followup: the new owners of the plugin worked quickly to address user concerns, thanks guys! The changes include:
