WordPress allows programmatic access to its metadata. This means that 3rd party software can connect to it using APIs and not directly through the web interface. It’s useful, because it allows all kinds of cool functionality. For example, Jetpack uses either XMLRPC or REST APIs to obtain all kinds of information about your installation and […]
Why DropMySite With NameHero is So Good
I’ve been a big advocate of using 3rd party backup services in the past. And out of all of the services that I’ve reviewed, I’ve found that DropMySite is my favorite. So it’s pretty amazing that NameHero offers integration with DropMySite, and has special deals that are unavailable through their regular website. In this article, […]
Is it a Good Idea to Modify WordPress Plugins?
WordPress is infinitely customizable. All the code is open sourced, and you can just open up an FTP program and change anything you like – from themes, plugins, to even the core files. That doesn’t mean you should, however! Particularly, the core files are something that you should absolutely leave alone. If you want to […]
Cloudflare’s APO Is Good – But Not Good Enough
Yesterday, Cloudflare announced that they were integrating full page caching into their WordPress plugin – a functionality they term as “APO”. Automatic Platform Optimization is a concept that Cloudflare wants to explore as an avenue for monetization as it costs $5/m for free users, and is automatically included for all pain plans. The announcement is […]
Two Layers of Caching is Optimal – No More No Less
I’ve tried a lot of different caching configurations on my site over the years. 3rd party plugins, server-based caching, Cloudflare caching – and I soon hope to try LiteSpeed’s new QUIC.cloud. I’ve experimented with different configurations, combining multiple techniques, and I’ve finally settled on my preferred setup – two layers of caching. One at the […]
Using JSON In WordPress – Best Practice
With search engines trying harder to understand the context of your website, it’s essential that you become familiar with JSON and how to effectively use it in WordPress in a scalable manner. In the past, we needed to use 3rd party plugins or rely on the generosity of themes to allow us to add JSON […]
Subdomains vs Subfolders – Which to Choose?
For a lot of people, their websites evolve over time. You might start with a simple blog, then decide to add a section for your profession, then perhaps branch out into different services. Perhaps even language translations! Each time this happens, you need to make a structural choice about your new section. Is it going […]
WordPress Structural Decisions To Make For Your Site
If you’ve chosen to host on WordPress, then most of the framework decisions are already made for you. You don’t need to choose the development language, the security framework, and many other things that you would normally have to choose in order to start a site from scratch. But for optimal performance there are still […]
How to Show Different Content for Mobile and Desktop
Every website is different. So when you hear a general rule about web design, always understand that there are going to be exceptions. This includes advice that I give myself! For example, I’ve often talked about responsive design on the NameHero blog, and the importance of having a site that gracefully adapts to small screens […]
Are You Chasing The New Shiny Object In SEO?
As I write this, half my SEO news feeds are filled with how to optimize articles for “Google Web Stories”. Everyone wants to know how they can create stories, and how they can use them to increase their SEO rankings. We see this pattern each time Google issues a new shiny object in SEO, and […]