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September was full of exciting WordPress developments, from new plugin features to major events like WordCamp US 2024. Whether you're a website owner, developer, or WordPress enthusiast, there's something for everyone here.
In this edition, we cover everything from AIOSEO's new Google keyword tracking feature to Automattic's plan to migrate millions of Tumblr blogs to WordPress. You'll also get insights into new plugin launches, security updates, and more.
Let’s dive into the details and explore how these updates might impact your WordPress experience.
WPBeginner Spotlight is our monthly series where we highlight the latest updates from the WordPress community.
If you have important WordPress news—such as a brand acquisition, merger, or major feature launch—and you'd like us to cover it in next month's issue, please feel free to reach out to us using our contact form.
All in One SEO brings keyword rank tracking to WordPress
All in One SEO has released a new keyword ranking tracking feature in its new update. It allows users to manage and track their keyword rankings from the WordPress admin area.
Users can import the keywords they want to track from Focus Keywords or upload a CSV file. They can also enter them manually.
This new tool allows users to group keywords and monitor the performance of entire clusters. It is part of the Search Statistics tool in All One SEO and integrates directly into the post/page editor.
Ben Rojas, President of AIOSEO, highlighted the impact of this new feature in the official announcement. He said:
“This powerful new addition to the Search Stats module makes it super easy to track your keyword performance – right in your WordPress dashboard. So you can create targeted SEO campaigns.”
The Keyword Rank Tracker is also displayed in the AIOSEO metabox below the post editor, allowing users to easily add and track rankings for “Focus Keyphrases” with one click.
Syed Balkhi, CEO of Awesome Motive, recently tweeted his excitement about the new feature, saying, “Now you can stop paying for expensive SaaS tools to track keyword rankings!”
Note: The keyword ranking feature is available in the paid version of All in One SEO.
Insights from WordCamp US 2024 in Portland, Oregon
WordCamp US 2024 in Portland, Oregon brought together over 1,500 WordPress enthusiasts, developers and contributors from around the world.
It included over 45 sessions, workshops and networking opportunities aimed at exploring the future of WordPress and open source web development.
To mark the occasion, WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg wrote an excellent article about ecosystem thinking and giving back, praising companies like Awesome Motive and the WPBeginner family of products for doing the right thing when it comes to open source contributions.
The new highlight this year was Showcase Day, which put innovative WordPress projects in the spotlight. Attendees saw how WordPress enables large-scale implementations for major brands such as Disney Experiences, The New York Post, CNN Brazil, Vox Media, and Amnesty International.
And as expected, AI-powered tools have been one of the most discussed topics in the WordPress ecosystem. From AI-powered content creation to intelligent plugin recommendations, AI is becoming a central part of the evolution of the WordPress platform.
In addition to the official sessions, numerous side events offered further opportunities for networking and community building.
MemberPress Courses introduces assignments, gradebooks and course dripping
MemberPress, a leading WordPress membership plugin, has released major updates to its Courses add-on. These updates added new features such as Assignments and Gradebooks, as well as Course Dripping.
The Assignments feature allows instructors to create assignments that students can submit directly from their course dashboards. These can include tests, essays, multimedia content, and more.
The same update also introduced the Gradebooks feature, which allows course creators to track student progress by recording grades on assignments or tests.
In another update they added Course Dripping.
Course creators are often concerned that users are not following the course plan as intended. The drip feature allows content to be released gradually, allowing students to complete the course at a controlled pace.
These changes provide online course and membership website creators with more powerful tools and further strengthen MemberPess’ position as a top WordPress LMS plugin.
Automattic migrates millions of Tumblr blogs to the WordPress backend
Automattic has announced plans to migrate millions of Tumblr blogs to the WordPress platform. Tumblr's backend will now run and be hosted on WordPress.com, while the frontend experience will remain unchanged.
Automattic justified the migration by saying: “We are not turning Tumblr into WordPress. That would defeat the purpose. We acquired Tumblr to capitalize on its differences and strengths, not to dilute it.”
This migration will improve Tumblr's performance, security, and scalability. By using WordPress.com as the backend, Automattic aims to unify its platforms and provide better content management.
AffiliateWP introduces multi-currency addon: seamless affiliate commissions in any currency
AffiliateWP has released its new Multi-Currency add-on that solves the challenges of calculating affiliate commissions for transactions in multiple currencies.
This add-on ensures accurate commission calculations for online stores that accept different currencies during the payment process, even if these transactions are not processed in the base currency of the affiliate program.
The Multi-currency addon automatically converts commission amounts based on the customer's transaction currency. This eliminates manual conversions and ensures that partners are paid fairly.
This is especially beneficial for global businesses as it simplifies the affiliate management process and ensures smooth, accurate payouts across borders.
Duplicator introduces redesigned user interface that simplifies backups and migrations
Duplicator, a popular WordPress plugin for backups and site migrations, has introduced a complete UI redesign.
The new look is intended to make it easier for Duplicator's over one million users to backup and migrate WordPress.
The new user interface features a more intuitive layout, improved navigation, and streamlined workflows that guide users through backup creation, storage, and site migration.
The redesign aims to simplify complex tasks so that both novice and experienced users can more easily manage their website data.
OptinMonster and Thrive Themes design new popups for Christmas offers
As businesses prepare for the upcoming holiday season, OptinMonster and Thrive Leads (by Thrive Themes) have launched new holiday sale popups to maximize lead generation and increase conversion rates.
These popups are tailored to high-traffic shopping events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas, and offer website owners customizable templates that match the festive theme.
OptinMonster, a leading conversion optimization software, has announced its new popups. These include slide-ins, popups, countdown timers, floating banners, and more.
You can see the OptinMonster templates in their announcement.
On the other hand, Thrive Leads has also added 24 new popup templates to its growing collection of beautiful designs.
New templates include Black Friday pop-ups, fall-themed templates, and back-to-school and end-of-summer themes.
You can find all Thrive Leads templates in the announcement.
More news
- WordPress 6.6.2, a maintenance update, has been released. It fixes 15 core issues and 11 block editor bugs, as well as design and site performance improvements.
- Smash Balloon has redesigned the Reviews Feed plugin, offering a cleaner design and improved customization options for displaying reviews from platforms like Google, Facebook, and Yelp.
- WordPress.com offers its premium plan to 1000 students for free.
- Wholesale Suite has introduced a new feature called Lifecycle Emails, which allows store owners to receive automatic updates on key metrics such as orders, sales and top customers directly via email.
- BuddyBoss has added polls to its platform, one of the most requested features that allows users to create and participate in polls within their community.
- WordPress.org has announced upcoming security changes for plugin and theme authors aimed at improving the security and reliability of the WordPress ecosystem.
- HeroicKB has added an integration with Formidable Forms, allowing users to create custom support forms directly in their knowledge base.
- The roadmap for WordPress 6.7 has been released, with an expected launch date of November 12, 2024. It outlines upcoming features and improvements.
- Advanced Coupons has introduced a new credit notes feature that allows WooCommerce store owners to add notes to their credit notes.
- PushEngage has added attributes to its dashboard that enable more precise and effective push notifications to better target and engage users.
- Wholesale Suite has processed over 1 million wholesale orders in the last 12 months, demonstrating its growth and popularity among WooCommerce store owners.
New plugins launched
- Gravatar Enhanced – A new plugin from Automattic that brings improved customization and functionality to WordPress user avatars.
- SnapSection – A plugin that allows you to easily add shareable links to specific headings and sections in your WordPress content.
- Find and Replace All – Allows you to easily find and replace multiple texts and images on your site.
And that concludes this edition of WPBeginner Spotlight.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on how we can make this column even better. If you have any news or updates you'd like us to feature next month, please share them with us.
We'll be back next month with more WordPress news and updates. Thanks for being a valued member of our community!
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Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
