SiteGround Blog: Our posts about WordPress

August 10, 2026August 11, 2026

WordPress 7.1 features and compatibility: what to test before updating

A promotional digital graphic for WordPress 7.1 set against a dark blue, cloudy night sky. On the left side, bold white text reads "7.1" next to a dark square icon displaying circular update arrows above the word "WordPress". On the right, an open laptop rests on a rugged stone cliff edge, displaying the WordPress administration dashboard on its screen.

WordPress 7.1 is the second major WordPress release of 2026, scheduled for August 19. It builds on version 7.0 with native responsive styling, a rebuilt client-side media processing, richer Notes, and two new blocks. WordPress 7.1 refines existing systems rather than laying new foundations, which makes it a lower-risk update than 7.0 for most sites.

Key takeaways:

WordPress 7.1 is scheduled for August 19, 2026. The date is marked “tentative,” so it could still move if a last-minute problem turns up.
The Classic block is staying. If you write posts using the older, simpler editor, nothing changes. A plan to hide it from the block inserter was reversed on July 7, 2026.
WordPress 7.1 adds easier responsive design controls. You can now style how your site looks on phones and tablets, and how buttons react when someone points at them, without touching any code.
Faster image uploads through WordPress 7.1 client-side media processing. Photos are prepared inside your visitor’s web browser instead of on your server, which lightens the load on your site.
A few talked-about WordPress 7.1 roadmap features did not make it. Real-time co-editing, a big behind-the-scenes code upgrade, and two smaller items were pushed to a later release.
Most sites can update with little to worry about. The only real risk is for sites with custom-built features or old plugins, and this guide shows you how to spot them.

When is WordPress 7.1 released, and is it safe to update yet?

WordPress 7.1 is scheduled for release on August 19, 2026, the final day of WordCamp US, WordPress’s big annual conference, held this year in Phoenix. Right now the release is in its last testing stage, called the Release Candidate phase, which started on August 5. At this stage, the features are locked, so nothing new will be added between now and release day.

The date is still marked tentative on the official release roadmap, and WordPress has moved a big release before: version 7.0 was pushed back from its original April date. So plan for August 19, but don’t build a product launch or a client deadline around it being set in stone.

Should you install the WordPress 7.1 update the moment it arrives? Not on your live site. The safe approach for any major WordPress update is always the same: make a copy of your site, apply the update to the copy, and check that everything still works before you touch the real thing. That copy is called a staging site, and we’ll cover how to make one later. First, take a full backup so you have a saved version to restore if something goes wrong. For a simple site, this is a five-minute check. For a site with lots of plugins or a custom design, it’s the difference between a calm update and a stressful one.

If your site is hosted on SiteGround, major WordPress releases install automatically 24 hours after they come out, and a full backup of your site is taken right before that happens. You can change the timing, delay it further, or skip a release from Site Tools > WordPress > Autoupdate.

Pro tip: Check your plugins before you even build a staging site. Every plugin in the official WordPress directory has a “Tested up to” line on its page, showing the newest WordPress version its developer has checked it against. Open the pages for your most important plugins. Any plugin that hasn’t been updated in over a year, or that only lists compatibility up to 7.0, is your first suspect if something breaks. You can also simply ask the AI Agent for WordPress to list your active plugins and review their WordPress 7.1 compatibility and update status for you.

What’s new in WordPress 7.1, and what is expanded from WordPress 7.0?

WordPress 7.1 is a polishing release rather than a reinvention. The two biggest items, responsive styling and client-side media processing, aren’t brand new: they started in WordPress 7.0 and are being expanded here. The things that are genuinely new in 7.1 are the interactive design controls, two new content blocks, a new way to add icons, and a behind-the-scenes change to how the editor loads. Here is what each one means for you.

Responsive styling in WordPress 7.1 without custom CSS

CSS is the code that controls how your site looks: fonts, colors, spacing, and how things rearrange on smaller screens. Traditionally, changing those details meant writing CSS or paying someone who could. WordPress 7.1 moves a lot of that into simple on-screen controls.

“Responsive” styling means controlling how your site looks on different screen sizes: a wide desktop monitor, a tablet, or a phone. WordPress 7.0 let you show or hide parts of a page depending on the screen. WordPress 7.1 goes further and lets you set different styles for each screen size, and for the first time it lets you style interactive states without code. An interactive state is simply how something looks when a visitor points at it, clicks into it, or presses it, such as a button changing color when you hover over it.

These interactive controls arrived for a limited set of blocks first rather than every block at once, so check the specific pieces of your design that depend on them. Site designers also get adjustable “breakpoints,” the screen widths where your layout switches from the desktop version to the tablet or phone version.

Here is where these controls appear: After you update, open any page in the editor and select a block, like a button or a heading. In the settings panel on the right, look for the small device icons: a desktop, a tablet, and a phone. Clicking those lets you set styles for each screen size, and the hover and click styles live in the same panel under that block’s styling options. If you’ve ever paid a developer to write “mobile CSS” for you, this is the feature that may save you that bill next time.

A screenshot of the WordPress block editor while editing a new article titled "Blog post." An open device preview dropdown menu near the top right highlights the "Tablet" viewport selection, listing additional choices for Desktop, Mobile, Responsive styles, Show template, and Preview in new tab. On the right, the post settings sidebar displays metadata including draft status, slug details, author information, template options, and a red "Move to trash" button.

How WordPress 7.1 client-side media processing works

When you upload a photo to WordPress, it normally gets resized and compressed on the server where your website lives. “Client-side” media processing moves that work into the web browser of the person uploading, so it happens on their own computer before the image is even sent to your site. The payoff is less strain on your server and support for more modern image formats. WordPress 7.0 introduced this for basic resizing; 7.1 makes it the main way images are handled.

It works on Chrome and other Chrome-based browsers, and browsers that can’t do it, like Firefox and Safari, fall back to the old server-side method automatically, with no loss of quality. Nothing breaks for those visitors. The only people who need to test this carefully are those running plugins that do something special with images on upload.

If image credits or copyright info matter to you, test one upload. Photos often carry hidden data called metadata: the photographer’s name, copyright, or where a shot was taken. Because image handling now happens in the browser, it’s worth uploading one test image after you update and checking that this hidden information is still attached the way you expect. Photographers, stock-image users, and anyone with licensing rules will care about this.

Notes, the media editor, and the new blocks

WordPress 7.1 adds two new blocks and improves a collaboration tool called Notes.

Notes are comments you can leave on a page while editing, handy when more than one person works on your content. In 7.1, you can tag a specific person with the @ symbol so they get pulled in, attach a note to an exact sentence rather than a whole section, run several separate discussion threads, and format your comments. There’s also a suggestion mode and emoji reactions. If you’re the only person who edits your site, you may never touch this. If you work with a team or a client, it’s the change you’ll feel most.

A screenshot of the WordPress block editor while editing an article titled "The Importance of Blog Posts." A phrase in the body text, "color palette," is highlighted, opening a feedback note box on the right where a user enters the comment "@dimitar.ganev@siteground.com why color palatte?" above an "Add note" button. Above the selected paragraph, the active block toolbar features an "AI STUDIO" button alongside standard text formatting tools.

The first new block is Playlist, which gives you an audio player with a visual sound-wave display. If you publish podcasts, music, or audio versions of your posts, it replaces a job that used to need a separate plugin.

The second is Tabs, which lets you organize content into clickable tabs, so you can put something like FAQs, specs, and reviews behind separate tabs on one page without any extra tools.

There’s also an improved image editor built right into the page editor. Clicking the Crop button on an image now opens a dedicated editing window over your page, replacing the older tool that worked inline. Inside it you can crop by dragging to any shape you like or snap to a preset such as square or widescreen, rotate in small steps with guides that help you straighten a crooked photo, flip the image, and edit its details, all in one place. Close the window, and you’re back on your page where you left off. The goal was to stop basic fixes from needing a separate photo app.

A screenshot of the WordPress "Edit media" modal overlay displaying image cropping and editing controls. In the main canvas, a blue image is surrounded by interactive blue cropping handles and a bottom rotation angle slider. The right sidebar includes controls under the "Crop" tab for "ROTATE," "FLIP," "ZOOM," and an "ASPECT RATIO" dropdown set to "Free," with "Cancel" and "Save" buttons in the bottom right corner.

WordPress 7.1 also gives your site’s branding a home of its own. A new Identity screen, at Appearance > Editor > Identity, brings your site title, tagline, logo, and favicon (the small icon in a browser tab) together in one place, with editing right there on the screen. These settings used to be scattered, so this is a small change that saves a lot of hunting.

What is not in WordPress 7.1

There is a lot of outdated coverage, so if you came across it, let’s reassure you first: WordPress 7.1 does not remove the Classic block. The Classic block is the older, simpler way of writing posts that works like a basic word processor, and many long-running sites still rely on it. What was actually proposed was narrower: hiding it from the block inserter so it would not appear when you add a new block, while every existing Classic block kept working. Even that was reversed on July 7, 2026. Nothing changes.

Here’s what else people are asking about that is not in this release:

Real-time co-editing didn’t make it. Having two people edit the same page at the same time, the way Google Docs works, is still not ready. It’s on the wish list but has open questions, and the team put its effort into the improved Notes instead.
A big code upgrade was delayed. WordPress’s editor is built on a piece of software called React. An upgrade to the newest version, React 19, was expected but got pushed back. It’s available only as an experimental option for developers to try, not switched on by default. Most site owners will never notice this either way.
A house style tool for AI did not make it into core. Guidelines lets you write your editorial rules once, things like tone, preferred wording, and words to avoid, so WordPress can remember them instead of you repeating them to an AI tool every time. It has been available as a Gutenberg plugin experiment since March, but the proposal to build it into WordPress itself was declined in July, five days before the first beta, because it needs more real-world use first. You can try it, but it is not part of 7.1.
Two smaller features were pulled: support for email addresses that use non-English characters, and a “Table of Contents” block. Both were moved to a later release.

What about the AI features?

Worth clearing this up, since 7.1 was widely billed as an AI release. The AI you can actually see and use arrived in WordPress 7.0: the AI Client, which gives plugins one standard way to talk to services like ChatGPT or Gemini, and the Connectors screen where you connect a provider and paste in your key. Our guide to how AI works in WordPress 7.0 covers what that means in practice.

What 7.1 works on sits underneath all that, in something called the Abilities API. Think of it as a catalog of what your site can do, written so that software can read it: create a post, update a product, change a setting. It has been building over the last few releases, and it matters because an AI tool connected to your site is guessing until it can look up what actually exists there.

The 7.1 changes make that catalog easier and safer to work with. Tools can search it rather than read the whole thing. Entries can be marked as open to outside tools or kept private. The catalog describes itself in a standard format, so software can understand it without custom code. And there are checkpoints that run whenever an entry is used, which is where permissions and logging get attached. None of that is a button you press, but it decides how safely AI tools can work on your site later.

Two more additions work the same way. The AI code library bundled inside WordPress can now stream responses as they are generated, rather than waiting for a whole answer, and create embeddings, which is the technology behind search that understands meaning rather than matching exact words. Both are there for plugin developers to build on, and nothing in the editor uses them yet.

There is one change you might actually see. The Connectors screen now accepts a username and application password as well as an API key, which is a more familiar way to connect a service and means one less provider key to look after. WordPress also closed a gap where browsers could offer to autofill your saved passwords into the API key field. Beyond that, the parts of 7.1 you will click are about design, media, and teamwork.

WordPress 7.1 compatibility: what to test before upgrading

Here’s a table showing every change, who it affects, and what, if anything, you should check:

WordPress 7.1 change	New or inherited	Who it affects	What to test	Status
Responsive and interactive styling (per screen size; hover and click states; no code)	Expanded from 7.0	Designers, theme authors, agencies	How the site looks on phone and tablet, and whether hover and click styles behave	Confirmed
Client-side media processing	Expanded from 7.0	Image-heavy sites, image plugins, hosts	Custom image sizes, format conversion, and any image-upload plugin	Confirmed
Editor now loads in a sealed frame (block themes)	New	Sites with custom-built blocks	Custom blocks (need Block API v3), editor styling, add-on panels	Confirmed
Built-in image editor (crop, rotate, edit info)	New	Content and editorial teams	Cropping, rotating, and editing image details in the editor	Confirmed
Better Notes (@mentions, notes on specific text, threads, formatting)	Imroved	Editorial and content teams	Mentions, threads, and comment permissions	Confirmed
Playlist and Tabs blocks	New	Anyone using plugins for these today	The audio player and the tabbed panels	Confirmed
Toolbar and color scheme that stay put across editors	Improved	All editor users	Toolbar and color scheme carrying into the Site Editor	Confirmed
New way to add custom icon sets	New	Theme and plugin developers	wp_register_icon_collection(), icon file safety checks	Confirmed
React 19 upgrade (editor’s underlying software)	Deferred	Developers only	Experimental option only. Don’t rely on it	Experimental only
Real-time co-editing	Not confirmed	Teams	Nothing. Don’t plan production use	Roadmap only
Hiding the Classic block from the inserter	Reversed	Classic-block users	Nothing. It stays in the inserter	Not happening
Table of Contents block; non-English email addresses	Deferred / pulled	n/a	Neither ships in 7.1	Not in 7.1

If you run a standard WordPress site (most people)

If your site runs on WordPress’s standard blocks and a regularly-updated theme (the design template that controls your site’s look), WordPress 7.1 is a low-risk update. The changes you’ll actually notice are the friendly ones: the better Notes, the new crop-and-rotate image tool, and the Tabs and Playlist blocks. Update a staging copy, run through your normal routine of writing and publishing a post, and check that any plugin you use for tabs or audio still plays nicely with the new built-in blocks.

If you design WordPress sites for others

If you build or heavily customize sites, test the new design controls against your existing work first. The adjustable breakpoints are a real improvement, but they can also change how your carefully-tuned mobile layouts appear. Open your main page templates and view them at desktop, tablet, and phone widths, confirm your buttons still look right when hovered or clicked, and compare the result against what you had before.

If your WordPress site has custom blocks or features

This is the section to forward to your developer if you have one, or to read slowly if you’ve had custom features built for your site. Two changes carry the main WordPress 7.1 compatibility risk of something breaking, and almost no other article mentions them.

The first is a change to how the editing screen loads. For modern “block” themes, the editor now loads inside a sealed frame, a bit like a window within a window (developers call this an “iframe”). Custom-built blocks made with an older set of building rules, known as Block API version 2, need updating to the newer version 3, or they may look broken after the update. This is the most common cause of an editor that suddenly looks wrong.

The second involves plugins that do something when you upload an image: resizing it a special way, adding a watermark, or creating custom sizes. Because image handling moved into the browser, the technical connection points those plugins rely on (developers call them “hooks”) may not fire the way they used to. Any plugin that touches image uploads needs a test upload after updating. This is the single most likely thing to trip up a customized site, and the easiest to miss, because it only shows up when someone actually uploads a file. One extra note for developers: the new Tabs block’s internal data store was removed during final clean-up, so don’t build anything against it yet.

Not sure whether the “block theme” changes even apply to you? Here’s a 10-second check. In your WordPress dashboard, open the “Appearance” menu. If you see an “Editor” option there (sometimes called the Site Editor), you’re using a block theme, and the editor-loading change applies to you. If you only see “Customize” and no “Editor,” you’re on a classic theme and can skip that particular worry entirely. This one check tells you whether half of this section is even relevant to your site.

How to test WordPress 7.1 safely

The golden rule before the WordPress 7.1 update: test on a staging site, never on your live one. A staging site is a private copy of your site where you can try updates, break things, and fix them, without any visitor ever seeing it.

On SiteGround, you can create a staging copy from your Site Tools dashboard, run the update there, and publish it to your live site only once you’re happy.

To get the pre-release version of WordPress 7.1 onto that copy, the simplest route is a free plugin called WordPress Beta Tester. Install it, choose the “Bleeding edge” option, and it will offer you the latest test build. If you just want a quick look at the new features without touching your own site at all, WordPress Playground runs a temporary, throwaway WordPress site right in your browser tab, with nothing to install and nothing you can break. Use Playground for a tour, and a real staging copy for a proper compatibility check before you update for real.

Conclusion

For most people, WordPress 7.1 is a safe and worthwhile update, and if you build or design WordPress sites, it’s a genuinely nice one: the new design controls take a real chunk of code out of everyday work. The only real caution is narrow. If your site has custom-built features, or plugins that handle images in a special way, test those on a staging copy before you update. For everyone else, a quick check that your site still works is enough.

The safe path is the one that has always worked: back up your site, test on a copy, then update for real. If managing all that yourself sounds like more than you signed up for, WordPress hosting with one-click staging and automatic updates that can roll back if anything goes wrong takes the pressure off update day, so you can try WordPress 7.1 properly and go live only when you’re ready.

Explore SiteGround’s hosting for WordPress

FAQs

When is WordPress 7.1 released?

WordPress 7.1 is scheduled for release on August 19, 2026, the final day of WordCamp US in Phoenix. The date is marked tentative on the official schedule, so it could shift if a release candidate uncovers a serious bug.

Should I update to WordPress 7.1 as soon as it is released?

You should not update your live site to WordPress 7.1 on release day. Test on a staging copy first, especially if you run custom-built blocks, a heavily customized theme, or plugins that process image uploads, and update the live site once that testing is clean. If your site is hosted on SiteGround, decide this before release day rather than after. By default, SiteGround’s WordPress Autoupdate tool installs major releases 24 hours after they come out, and it takes a full backup of your site immediately before the update runs. You can lengthen the delay, skip the release, or update sooner from Site Tools > WordPress > Autoupdate.

Will WordPress 7.1 break my plugins and themes?

WordPress 7.1 will not break most sites built on standard blocks and an up-to-date theme. The real risk is for custom-built blocks made with the older Block API version 2, which need updating to version 3, and for plugins that handle image uploads, because browser-based image processing changes when some of their connection points run.

Does WordPress 7.1 remove the Classic block?

No. WordPress 7.1 does not remove the Classic block, and removal was never proposed. A narrower plan to hide it from the block inserter was reversed on July 7, 2026, so the Classic block remains available and works as before.

Does WordPress 7.1 include real-time collaboration or React 19?

No, not as finished features. Real-time collaboration remains on the roadmap with open questions, and the React 19 upgrade was delayed, returning only as an experimental option for developers. The improved Notes received the collaboration work for this release.

How does WordPress 7.1 process images in the browser?

WordPress 7.1 client-side media processing prepares images inside the visitor’s web browser on Chrome-based browsers, handling compression, resizing, and format conversion before upload. Browsers without support fall back to the older server-based method automatically, so nothing breaks.

July 22, 2026July 23, 2026

5 WordPress pain points small businesses can solve faster with AI

A digital graphic highlighting AI automation for common WordPress challenges against a dark blue gradient backdrop. On the left, an open laptop displays a blurred WordPress administrative dashboard alongside five translucent pill-shaped tags connected by green dotted lines: "Design updates", "Performance", "Maintenance", "Content updates", and "Learning curve". On the right, a white floating chat card captures a user prompt, "Add alt text to all my product images..." alongside a WordPress AI status reading "Adding text..." above a small speed icon marked with a green checkmark badge.

If keeping your WordPress site running has ever felt like more work than it should be, you’re in good company. Our 2026 report on AI in WordPress for small businesses found that most small business owners running their own sites hit the same walls: design and site updates, performance optimization, technical maintenance, content updates, and the steep learning curve of how the platform actually works.

This guide walks through the WordPress pain points that cost small businesses the most time, and how you can easily address them with a new kind of AI solution: an AI Agent for WordPress that connects directly to your site and executes real changes.

What are the most common WordPress pain points?

The most common WordPress pain points for small businesses are recurring WordPress site management challenges: design and site updates, performance optimization, technical maintenance, content updates, and the platform’s learning curve. They consume time because owners often manage the site themselves while running the rest of the business and trying to, you know, live their lives.

In our new research, which included a survey of more than 7,000 small businesses, managing design and performance optimization came out on top (respondents could pick more than one pain point, so the shares below add up to more than 100%):

WordPress pain point	Share of small business owners
Managing design and site updates	33.5%
Performance optimization	33.1%
Technical maintenance	29.5%
Managing content updates	28%
Steep learning curve	20.5%

But here’s what most users don’t know: you can now handle all these pain points quite easily with the help of specialized AI for WordPress site management.

And we’re not talking about a chatbot that can tell you where to click in the dashboard or a plugin that can spit out a blog post. We’re talking about an AI Agent for WordPress that connects directly to your site and executes real changes: not just suggestions or generated text, but actual site management. It transforms tasks that typically take hours of manual WordPress admin work into minutes of simple chat with AI, freeing you to focus on growth and productivity.

Let’s see how you can manage the most common WordPress pain points with the help of SiteGround’s AI Agent for WordPress.

1. Managing design and site updates (33.5%)

Managing design and site updates tops the list as the biggest pain point for small business owners, and the reason is that almost nothing about it is as quick and easy as it sounds. Swapping a hero image, nudging the spacing between two sections, or changing how your menu behaves on a phone can send you deep into settings panels and half-matching tutorials, and it’s common to lose an afternoon (or a weekend) to a single change that never quite works.

And the moment your site grows past a page or two, you’re adding pages, arranging them into parent and child sections, and building the navigation menus that tie it all together so visitors can actually find their way around. Done by hand, that can be hours of repetitive clicking through the same screens, and one wrong setting can leave you with broken links or a website menu that makes no sense.

How AI can simplify WordPress design and site structure updates

This is where the AI Agent for WordPress earns its keep, because it handles the whole job in a chat, not just the fiddly bits:

Set up or switch a theme. Ask it to search the WordPress repository, install and activate the theme you pick, or update and remove old ones, so managing the look of your site becomes a sentence instead of a trip through the Appearance menu.
Sort out your images. Have it pull up your media library, upload the new photos you want live, and clear out the old or oversized files that clutter your site and slow it down.
Structure at scale. Ask it to draft and publish a new landing page, edit one that exists, or remove a page you’ve outgrown, and it can even take a full page structure and create the pages for you in one go.

A full site structure in 40 minutes instead of 8 hours? One early adopter of the AI Agent for WordPress needed a multi-level site with more than 20 pages and three navigation systems, which is close to 8 hours of work by hand. The AI Agent did it in 40 minutes. Download our 2026 report on AI in WordPress for small businesses to see how they did it, along with more real-world results.

2. WordPress performance optimization (33.1%)

Performance optimization is a close second WordPress pain point at 33.1%, and for most small business owners, the trouble starts before any fixing: you can’t easily tell whether your site is as fast as it should be. And if you do sense it’s slow, the causes are the kind of thing you’d need to be fairly technical to chase down: oversized images, a plugin loading on every page, or caching that was never set up. So it lands in the “I should look into that” pile, while a slow site can cost you visitors and search rankings.

How AI can help diagnose WordPress performance problems

You can just ask the AI Agent for WordPress something very simple like “Is my website running as fast as it should?” And because the Agent is directly connected to your site, it goes and checks, then tells you what it found.

But instead of just giving you a diagnostic report and making you do the work, it acts as your hands-on technical administrator. You can use simple natural language commands to execute performance-enhancing updates directly in the chat:

Clear your caches instantly: You can simply instruct the Agent to clear your site’s cache, and it will automatically flush it to ensure your pages load quickly.
Update outdated software: Old core files, plugins, and themes can drag down speed and pose security risks. You can command the Agent to check your site health and instantly update your WordPress core, themes, and plugins to their latest, most optimized versions.
Remove site bloat: Unused software takes up valuable server resources. You can ask the agent to list all installed plugins and themes, and then instruct it to permanently delete the inactive ones.
Clean up the media library: To save storage space, you can have the agent retrieve your media library files and instruct it to delete specific old or unused images.

By the way, you don’t need to give the Agent elaborate instructions or even know what cache is. After asking simply “Is my website running as fast as it should?”, the AI Agent recommends what to change in order of impact, and then it offers to make those changes for you:

A screenshot of the AI Agent by SiteGround chat interface presenting a performance evaluation titled "My assessment." The response notes that while the site foundation is good, several performance options are disabled, listing five optimization suggestions:

Enabling browser caching and GZIP compression

Enabling file-based caching

Enabling WebP/image optimization

Optimizing web fonts

Lazy-loading iframes/videos

Below the recommendations is a gray action button reading "do it," situated above a text input field with the placeholder "Ask me anything WordPress related and I'll help."

Tell the AI Agent to go ahead, and it first shows you a plan: the exact settings it intends to switch on, alongside a short note on what it’s choosing to leave alone for now and why, such as holding off on options that could depend on your hosting setup or break how certain themes behave. Then it asks whether you’re happy with that set before it applies anything.

A screenshot of the AI Agent by SiteGround interface outlining an optimization strategy titled "Plan." The screen displays two main sections:

Speed Optimizer settings — 9 updates: Bulleted list of planned actions, including enabling file-based caching, cache preheating, GZIP compression, browser caching, WebP image support, image resizing, media backup, web font optimization, and lazy loading for iframes and videos.

What I’ll avoid changing for now: Detailed list explaining why Memcached and query string removal for static resources are currently skipped to avoid hosting or compatibility issues.

At the bottom, a blue down-arrow scroll button hovers over the text above a prompt input bar reading "Ask me anything WordPress related and I'll help."

Give it the go-ahead, and it makes the changes, then reports back on what it did. So what started as a question you couldn’t answer, “is my site running as fast as it should?”, ends a few messages later with a faster site and a record of what changed, and you never had to open a settings panel.

A screenshot of the AI Agent by SiteGround interface displaying a confirmation message titled "Updated successfully:" listing ten applied performance optimizations:

File-based caching

Cache preheating

GZIP compression

Browser caching

WebP image support

Image resizing

Media backup before image optimization

Web font optimization

Lazy loading for iframes

Lazy loading for videos

Below the list, text notes "Your site should now be better optimized for performance" and explains that cache updates will be handled automatically by WordPress/SiteGround. At the bottom sits a prompt input bar with the placeholder "Ask me anything WordPress related and I'll help."

3. Technical maintenance (29.5%)

Technical maintenance is a pain point for 29.5% of small business owners, and since most of them aren’t developers, it’s a similar issue to performance optimization: you’re not sure what actually matters, and you’re nervous about doing it. WordPress flags some of it: for instance, there’s an update badge in your dashboard counting the plugins and core files that are behind. But a number on a menu doesn’t tell you whether an update is an urgent security fix or a trivial tweak, what might break if you run it, or what to do first.

It also doesn’t help that outdated core software (the base software that runs your site) and plugins are the most common way small WordPress sites get hacked, so the delay carries a real cost.

How AI can reduce recurring WordPress maintenance work

The AI Agent for WordPress works like a site administrator you can talk to, keeping the WordPress maintenance tasks that pile up under control. It does the essential upkeep without you opening a settings screen:

Run your updates. Ask it to update your WordPress core and language files along with your plugins and themes, so the security patches you keep putting off actually get applied.
Manage plugins and themes end to end. Have it install and activate something new, update what you already run, or list everything installed so you can audit it and permanently delete what you no longer need.
Change core settings without menu-hunting. Just tell it the setting you want changed, like your site title, timezone, or address, and it updates it, no digging through the Settings screens.
Tidy up who has access. Ask it to list your user accounts so you can spot the old freelancer or former employee who still has a login, then have it change roles or remove the accounts that shouldn’t be there.

Pro tip: See our guide to 25 WordPress AI Agent prompts you can copy and adapt for ready-made prompts covering technical maintenance and other jobs that are slow to do by hand.

4. Managing content updates (28%)

Even now, when anyone can generate a blog post in seconds with AI, content updates still weigh on 28% of small business owners. That’s because publishing a single post in WordPress means drafting it, then formatting it block by block, sorting it into the right categories, adding tags, writing the metadata, uploading images, and adding alt text so it’s accessible and searchable. Try to publish regularly, keep a content calendar moving, go back and refresh old posts so they don’t fall out of date, fix broken links, and update internal links as your site grows, and it becomes a permanent part-time job.

And if you run a WooCommerce store, every product needs its own description, images, and metadata, and then the real grind starts: changing prices across a seasonal sale, updating stock and availability, adding a discount to a whole category, refreshing dozens of descriptions when a line changes, and translating it all if you sell in more than one language. All of it is repetitive, easy to postpone, and slow to catch back up on.

How AI can speed up WordPress content updates

The agent is happy to work at any scale, from one post to a whole WooCommerce catalog, and it makes the change directly rather than just handing you text to paste. You describe what you want, and it does it across the site:

Write and publish posts and pages. Ask it to draft a new blog post, publish a landing page, edit copy that’s already live, or clear out old posts, and it can run the same change across many items when you need a batch done.
Organize and optimize for search. Tell it to sort content into categories and tags and write the SEO metadata (the title and short description search engines show), so a growing library stays structured and nothing goes out with the gaps that cost you traffic.
Handle your comments. Ask it to pull up recent comments and then approve the good ones, hold the questionable, or trash and mark spam, instead of moderating them one by one.
Help with your store. Have it create and update WooCommerce products, categories, and coupons, change prices across your catalog, and check or update orders, all from the same chat.

Because it’s connected to your site, it works from real data: when it writes a product description, it’s describing your actual product at your actual price, not guessing from a prompt.

Updating 200 product images in no time. Another early adopter of the AI Agent for WordPress had more than 200 product images that all needed alt text, titles, descriptions, and keywords. Done by hand, that is about 58 hours of work. The AI Agent did it in 4.5. Download our 2026 report on AI in WordPress for small businesses to see how, plus more real results.

5. The steep learning curve (20.5%)

The learning curve is a pain point for 20.5% of the small business owners we surveyed, and it comes down to one thing: WordPress is powerful because it can do almost anything, and that same flexibility can make it hard to use.

Themes, widgets, permalinks, taxonomies, blocks: none of it means much until you have some real experience. Even simple-sounding changes can send you looking for a setting that’s three menus deep, or into a page builder you have to learn first, and anything more ambitious often runs into code.

How conversational AI can reduce the WordPress learning curve

This is the pain a conversational agent like the AI Agent for WordPress was built for, because it lets you skip learning the dashboard altogether:

You ask in plain English. Instead of hunting for the right setting, you just describe what you want, and the Agent does it for you.
It’s built for non-technical people. It’s made specifically for small business owners, solo founders, freelancers, bloggers, and small teams, so you can get real work done without knowing WordPress internals.
Help stays where you work. The agent sits in a chat box in the bottom-right corner of your WordPress admin, on every screen, so you’re never hunting through menus or tabbing out to a tutorial.
There’s nothing to figure out to get going. Setup is completely frictionless, making it incredibly easy to connect your site and start chatting, whether you host with SiteGround or somewhere else.

This all makes the AI Agent for WordPress the most practical WordPress site management approach you can pick up, and the shortest path to making the platform less of a headache.

WordPress pain point	How the AI Agent for WordPress helps
Managing design and site updates (33.5%)	Ask it to find, install, or switch a theme, upload images, and build or edit whole pages applied straight to your live site.
Performance optimization (33.1%)	Instruct it to execute performance optimizations directly in the chat, such as clearing your caches, updating software, or permanently deleting the specific inactive plugins and old images weighing you down.
Technical maintenance (29.5%)	Have it list your installed core files, plugins, themes, and user accounts so you can easily audit them. Then, command it to instantly run updates or remove unused extensions and lingering logins.
Managing content updates (28%)	Ask it to draft, publish, or edit posts and pages, write SEO metadata, moderate comments, and manage WooCommerce products, prices, and orders.
Steep learning curve (20.5%)	Built for non-technical small business owners, with minimal setup, so you don’t need to know how WordPress works.

What AI can’t (and shouldn’t) do for you

As capable as it is, the AI Agent for WordPress is built to do the work, not to decide what the work should be. It can suggest a layout, draft your copy, and roll a change across the whole site, and it’s genuinely good at all of it. But the judgment calls stay with you: the final word on your brand, big structural decisions, and a human review of anything your customers will see. As it’s often the case with AI, the best way to use it is to treat its output as a strong first draft you approve.

That’s the thinking behind its Power Mode feature. To prevent a simple typo from accidentally breaking your site’s layout or permanently erasing data, the agent pauses before high-impact actions (like deleting plugins, changing core settings, making bulk content edits, or managing WooCommerce orders). It reminds you that the action is irreversible and waits for you to explicitly click “ENABLE” to authorize it before proceeding. For ultimate control, you can also toggle Power Mode on or off directly from the plugin’s settings page inside your WordPress dashboard.

Where to start: pick the pain point costing you the most

If any of these WordPress pain points sound familiar, whether it’s one nagging thing or the whole list, the easiest way to see what AI can do for you is to give it something real to handle. Think of the task you’ve been putting off, and just ask the AI Agent for WordPress. If maintenance is the drain, have it audit your plugins and users. If it’s content, point it at a backlog of product descriptions. If it’s design, ask it to refresh a page that’s been bothering you. In all cases, you’ll be just describing what you need instead of clicking through it yourself.

The AI Agent for WordPress comes with the Essential AI Studio plan, free for every SiteGround customer, and includes 20,000 free AI tokens a month.

TRY THE AI AGENT FOR WORDPRESS

FAQs

What are the most common WordPress pain points for small businesses?

The most common WordPress pain points for small businesses are managing design and site updates, performance, technical maintenance, content updates, and the learning curve. In SiteGround’s 2026 survey of more than 7,000 users, those five ranked highest among owners with live sites.

Why does WordPress take so much time to manage?

WordPress takes so much time to manage because most owners do it all themselves, and the platform tucks everyday tasks behind layers of menus and settings. About 67% of small business owners run their own site, so the small, recurring jobs stack up, and each one means another trip into the admin panel.

Can an AI agent help with WordPress design changes?

Yes. A site-connected AI agent can install or switch themes, manage images, and build or edit pages, applying the changes straight to your live site. Because it makes only the change you ask for, it does this without flattening your existing layout or formatting.

Can AI improve WordPress performance?

Yes. AI can clear your caches, tune your speed plugin, and remove unused plugins, themes, and oversized or orphaned images that slow a site down. On SiteGround-hosted sites it can also clear SiteGround CachePress. The best approach is to let it audit first, then approve what gets removed.

Which WordPress maintenance tasks can AI handle?

AI can handle WordPress maintenance tasks such as updating core, plugins, and themes, auditing and removing what you no longer use, changing core settings, and managing user accounts. Higher-risk changes, like removing users or deleting plugins, wait behind Power Mode for your approval, so routine upkeep gets done safely.

How does AI help with WordPress content updates?

It creates, edits, and publishes posts and pages, organizes categories and tags, moderates comments, and updates WooCommerce products, coupons, and orders, including bulk changes across many items at once, while leaving your existing formatting untouched.

Can beginners manage WordPress through an AI agent?

Yes. Beginners can manage routine WordPress tasks through an AI agent by describing the result in plain English through a chat box in your WordPress admin, and the agent carries it out, so you never have to learn where each setting lives. That’s how AI takes the WordPress learning curve off the table.

Which WordPress tasks still need a human?

The WordPress tasks that still need a human include creative strategy, brand decisions, and big structural choices, as well as reviewing anything customer-facing. The best way to work is to treat AI output as a first draft you approve, keeping human judgment on the high-impact calls.

June 12, 2026June 12, 2026

Critical UpdraftPlus Vulnerability Patched Across All SiteGround WordPress Hosted Sites

SiteGround security illustration showing code, plugin icons, and a shield under a magnifying glass.

If your website uses the UpdraftPlus backup plugin, here is the short version: a critical vulnerability was discovered in the plugin, and we have already updated it to the patched version on all affected sites we host. You are protected, and there is nothing you need to do.

Below is what happened, what we did, and what to keep an eye on.

Your site is already protected

On June 11, 2026, our engineering team force-updated the UpdraftPlus plugin across all hosted sites running a vulnerable version. Every affected installation was moved to version 1.26.5, which contains the official fix. More than 128 000 sites on our platform were running a vulnerable version, and all of them have been patched.

We tested the upgrade paths before rolling anything out and found no issues. We do not expect any site breakages as a result of this update.

What the vulnerability is

The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-10795, is an Unauthenticated Authentication Bypass affecting UpdraftPlus versions up to 1.26.4. In plain terms, it allowed attackers to gain administrator access to a WordPress site without knowing any username or password. From there, they could execute code on the site, which is about as serious as a plugin vulnerability gets.

The “unauthenticated” part is what makes this critical. Many vulnerabilities require an attacker to already have some level of access, like a subscriber or contributor account. This one required nothing at all. Any site running a vulnerable version was exposed to anyone who knew about the flaw.

What we did and when

As soon as the vulnerability was disclosed, it took our team less than an hour to proactively complete the update of the patched version of the plugin to all affected sites, acting immediately to close the exposure window before attackers could exploit it at scale, rather than waiting for site owners to update manually, or be affected in any way.

Here is what the response looked like:

We identified all hosted sites running UpdraftPlus versions 1.24.x, 1.25.x and 1.26.x.
We tested upgrades from 1.24.x to 1.26.x and other affected versions to 1.26.5 in advance to confirm the update would not cause problems.
We force-updated more than 128 000 affected installations to the patched version 1.26.5.
The whole process was complete in ~52 mins.

Will the update affect my website?

We do not expect it to. Plugin updates between these versions were tested before the rollout, and no issues came up.

That said, if you want extra peace of mind, here are two quick things you can check:

Confirm your backup schedule in UpdraftPlus is still configured the way you set it.
Verify that your most recent backup completed successfully.

Both take less than a minute from your WordPress dashboard.

Why we force updates for critical vulnerabilities

When a vulnerability is critical, trivially exploitable, and publicly disclosed, every hour of delay matters. Attackers begin scanning for vulnerable sites within hours of a disclosure like this one, and waiting for each site owner to update manually would leave thousands of sites exposed in the meantime.

In those situations, we patch first and notify right after. We believe a proactive update is always the better trade compared to leaving sites open to full takeover.

As a general rule, we also recommend keeping plugin auto-updates enabled wherever possible. It is the single most effective habit for staying ahead of vulnerabilities like this one.

May 21, 2025September 18, 2025

How Frikitek Manages and Scales 400+ WordPress Sites With SiteGround

A group of cheerful people from Frikitek, a web development agency, pose with colorful collages, celebrating their own team activity. The left side displays the Frikitek and SiteGround logos.

It all started with a passion for the web. Eleven years ago, when Marcos Ramajo founded Frikitek, he was simply “a geek” with technical skills and a drive to build better websites. Fast-forward to today, and the agency has blossomed into a team of 16 professionals. Fernan Díez, the current CTO and a key technical lead, joined the team a few years later to help scale the operation, managing over 400 WordPress sites for clients across Spain and beyond.

Throughout their growth journey, one challenge remained constant: delivering optimal website performance. However, as their client base grew, so did the complexity of their infrastructure and the pressure to keep every site fast, secure, and online.

“We would try absolutely everything to improve site performance. We’d optimize plugins, configure caching systems, tune every possible setting in the control panel. And sometimes, no matter what we did, we couldn’t hit the speed metrics we needed.” – Marcos, CEO at Frikitek

That’s when Frikitek had a game-changing realization: the foundation is more important than the finishing touches. No matter how much you optimize WordPress, you can’t overcome the drawbacks of unreliable hosting.

The Breaking Point

For years, Frikitek hopped between hosting providers, trying to find the right balance of performance, security, and support. Along the way, they gathered plenty of “battle scars” – servers that couldn’t isolate problems between sites, backups that failed when needed most, and the never-ending struggle against ever-evolving cyber threats.

“We started to lose that feeling of confidence. We could see that if a really important problem arose, we wouldn’t be covered. We’d detect things that weren’t working quite right behind the scenes, and we wanted to avoid that.” – Fernan, CTO at Frikitek

Fernan’s extensive 10-year technical hosting background gave him the expertise to address the complex challenges that many agency owners might overlook: infrastructure issues aren’t always visible until they become critical.

“When you’re on the same bank of servers and one site is attacked with a denial of service, or has unusual traffic spikes, you can’t explain to other clients why their sites are suffering too. You have no arguments. It’s simply unacceptable.” – Fernan, CTO at Frikitek

That was the tipping point. Frikitek realised that without strong isolation, flexible resources, and guaranteed support, even their best efforts wouldn’t be enough. Hosting couldn’t be the weak link anymore.

The SiteGround Solution

Frikitek’s search for a better foundation led them to SiteGround’s cloud hosting service.

“A large part of our infrastructure is now with SiteGround because it gives us peace of mind knowing they’ll be there for us. Their trajectory aligns with our needs, and they’ll lend a hand whenever necessary.” – Fernan, CTO at Frikitek

The agency standardized on a cloud server configuration that perfectly balanced performance and value:

4 CPU cores
8GB RAM
40-100GB SSD storage (depending on the client group and project size)

Frikitek ultimately chose SiteGround after evaluating providers based on five key needs:

Superior security infrastructure
Cloud scalability with true resource isolation
Time-saving tools like staging and automation capabilities
Responsive, native-language support (in Spanish)
Reliability and uptime guarantees

This setup, replicated across multiple cloud instances to isolate different client groups, gave Frikitek something they’d never had before: true scalability without migration headaches.

“Migration is like overtaking on the road – it’s the most dangerous maneuver you can face. With SiteGround’s Cloud plans, there is no maneuver. You scale automatically and already have the resources you need. Nobody notices the change.” – Fernan, CTO at Frikitek

Key Results

The impact of switching to SiteGround quickly became measurable:

1. Migration Efficiency That Changes Everything

Previously, migrating clients’ websites the traditional way took Frikitek’s team over an hour per site, totaling 200-250 hours annually. With our SiteGround Migrator Plugin, this time was slashed to just 5-6 minutes per site, saving Frikitek over 200 hours each year.

“With SiteGround Migrator, after a few clicks, you can move to other tasks while the system does all the work. The time could almost be said to be zero.” – Fernan, CTO at Frikitek

For a team of 16 managing hundreds of sites, reclaiming 200+ hours annually translates directly to improved client service and business growth.

2. Security That Sleeps Never

Cybersecurity threats with hackers developing increasingly sophisticated bots and discovering new attack surfaces. For Frikitek, this meant security could never be an afterthought.

“Nobody understands why their site can be hacked. To prevent that, you must always do proactive maintenance work, continuously eliminate vulnerabilities, and count on the best technologies.” – Marcos, CEO at Frikitek

To protect the 400+ websites they manage, Frikitek has built a layered defense strategy inspired by industrial maintenance models. They group their efforts into four types of ongoing care:

Preventive: Regular updates of WordPress core, plugins, and themes
Corrective: Fast restoration using automated backups when incidents occur
Predictive: Monitoring usage stats, traffic patterns, and IP access logs to detect threats early
Proactive: Pentesting and ongoing improvements in infrastructure to avoid future vulnerabilities

SiteGround’s integrated security features and tools – malware scanning, vulnerability monitoring, and automated backups – have become central to Frikitek’s defense strategy. The team now maintains three dedicated monitoring systems:

Uptime monitor
Security monitor
Site reputation monitor

This multilayered approach has transformed how they handle security incidents.

“We love detecting problems before the client finds them. And then telling the client we’ve already fixed it. For us, that’s putting on a medal. We had the information immediately, resolved it in record time because we have the tools and knowledge, and we inform the client what we’ve done. It’s a win-win.” – Marcos, CEO at Frikitek

3. Staging Environment

The one-click staging system allows Frikitek to test updates, new features, and compatibility issues before pushing changes to production:

“SiteGround has quite an interesting staging system, which with a couple of clicks allows us to have a copy of the website, work on it, test what we need to test, and then deploy it to production.”

4. White Label Client Access

Frikitek rarely grants clients direct access to hosting panels, they prefer to act as the expert layer. However, for clients who require it, SiteGround’s white-label functionality enables Frikitek to provide a branded experience:

“You can give that link to your client with a username and password. They enter the portal and don’t see our logo or branding – it simply appears as a panel you created for that client.“

Operational Excellence, One Update at a Time

Perhaps the most remarkable part of Frikitek’s story isn’t just about technology – it’s about people. The agency has built a culture where everyone, regardless of role, contributes to website maintenance and security.

“What we want is for people on the Frikitek team to be capable of working day-to-day with a website. Today, it’s not just about using a visual editor or installing WordPress. The service quality we can offer improves dramatically when we train our team in WordPress and server maintenance.” – Fernan, CTO at Frikitek

To make this scalable, Frikitek developed an “opportunity update” approach: whenever team members make minor website changes, whether it’s uploading an image, publishing a blog post, or making a small tweak, they also take a few minutes to update the WordPress core, plugin, and themes.

“We update hundreds of websites weekly simply through our day-to-day work. We’ve incorporated a 5-10 minute routine with each website intervention.” – Fernan, CTO at Frikitek

This mindset, combined with SiteGround’s stability and tools, has helped Frikitek:

Update hundreds of websites weekly without dedicated maintenance time
Add only 5-10 minutes to each site intervention
Significantly reduce security vulnerabilities from outdated components
Distribute knowledge across the agency, not just silo it with developers

The result? Better performance, fewer security vulnerabilities, and a team where knowledge flows “transversally” rather than being siloed with technical specialists.

Partners in Growth

Frikitek’s partnership with SiteGround remains central to their growth strategy. The agency continues to refine its processes, leveraging SiteGround’s tools to automate routine tasks and deliver consistent quality at scale.

“What will allow you to live more comfortably is making strategic decisions like migrating to SiteGround’s Cloud platform. You’re making an upgrade for your clients and providing better service.” – Marcos, CEO at Frikitek

For the “geek” who now leads a thriving digital agency, the journey has truly come full circle. What started with a passion for the web, and through partnership with SiteGround, has transformed Frikitek into a business that delivers on that passion for hundreds of clients every day.

“We believe that if we want to give a quality service to our clients, we have to work with providers who give us that quality. Within that quality, we look for competitive prices – but we’re aligned in the understanding that the biggest goal in this area is to minimize problems and solve them as quickly as possible.” – Fernan, CTO at Frikitek

September 12, 2023May 12, 2026

Improved SiteGround Email Marketing Tool, Now With Lead Generation Plugin for WordPress

Crafting a successful online presence is an on-going process. From curating engaging content to showcasing your standout products or services, you’ve done it all. But despite all your efforts to engage users on your website, do you still find visitors leaving without taking any action? It’s time to transform those missed opportunities into meaningful connections.

At SiteGround, we totally get the ups and downs of building an online presence. So, here’s some good news: we’ve just improved our SiteGround Email Marketing tool with the new Lead Generation Plugin for WordPress. We crafted an easy way to encourage visitors to engage, subscribe to your email list, and become part of your brand’s journey. Even if you’re new to email marketing, we’re here to sprinkle a bit of magic on your journey.

Build your email list and generate high-quality leads with SiteGround

Lead generation is about connecting with real people who genuinely vibe with what you offer. Your website? That’s where you can find high-quality leads. And, with SiteGround’s new lead generation plugin and email marketing tool, you can attract them with sign-up forms, nurture your leads and clients, and ultimately, increase conversions.

Easy plugin setup and integration

If you’re new to building an email list, don’t worry! Just download and activate our new lead generation plugin for WordPress. Easily connect the plugin with your SiteGround email marketing account, so anyone who signs up will automatically land in your contacts as a “Subscriber”.

Create a form in minutes

Easily create your sign-up form and greet your new subscribers with a “successful subscription” message. Plus, you can assign Groups for each form you make for precise audience segmentation. This ensures that the right message always reaches the right person.

Add a form on your site with ease

SiteGround makes it easy to embed a form on your website, allowing you to connect with users and grow your mailing list. Once you create your form, we’ll provide a handy shortcode for you to place wherever you like on your website. Alternatively, you can seamlessly integrate the form using WordPress Blocks within your WordPress editor – just search for our plugin and pop it in.

Built to match your brand

Whether you use Gutenberg or Elementor for your website, our forms seamlessly adapt to your website’s style, ensuring a consistent brand look. Plus, you can tweak fonts and colors to suit your taste perfectly within your WordPress editor.

More ways to engage

Our plugin seamlessly integrates a sign-up checkbox into your WooCommerce checkout and standard WordPress forms. This gives visitors various and convenient ways to hop onto your mailing list.

Why embed a form on your website?

Putting a form on your website is a smart move. Here’s why:

Build your email list

Collecting email addresses to build your mailing list is the starting point for any email marketing campaign. It allows you to nurture relationships, share updates, and promote special offers directly to those who have shown interest in your brand.

Engage your audience

Adding a form to your website creates an opportunity for visitors to connect with your brand. This establishes a direct line of communication and helps engage your audience, turning casual visitors into loyal customers.

Market your brand with easy email marketing

Build and grow your email list with our new lead generation plugin for WordPress and start sending the right message to the right audience with our intuitive SiteGround Email Marketing tool. Craft compelling campaigns to engage your audience and drive growth, creating a full brand experience.

Ready to boost your email marketing? If you’re a SiteGround client, simply log into your Client Area -> Marketplace -> Email marketing. Once you’ve added the service, you can easily find and download our lead generation plugin in the SiteGround Email Marketing Dashboard under Contacts -> Connect WP Site.

August 29, 2023September 18, 2025

WCUS 2023 In a Nutshell

As an organizer of WordCamp US 2023, I am overjoyed with how the event turned out. This was my first in-person WordCamp in nearly four years, and it did not disappoint. There were insightful sessions, plenty of fruitful networking opportunities, and community engagement that made this WordCamp a tremendous success. This was my first time helping to organize such a large-scale WordCamp, and the experience was rewarding.

Community Summit

The first two full days that I was in Washington DC were the Community Summit. There were dozens of discussions, brainstorming sessions, and planning for the future of WordPress. While I can’t speak to specifics of the event, raw notes for each session are available on the Make Summit site.

My personal highlight discussion was the session on DEIB and the WordPress community. While the conversation itself was convivial, the hard and harsh reality of the negative aspects of the community made it a stressful discussion to be a part of. Still, I’m hopeful from this and other sessions that we’ve identified areas where we can improve, and more importantly some methods that can help to get us there.

The WordPress community deserves the best and has the ability to do better all the time. This summit was proof of that!

Contributor Day

Part of WordCamp US 2023 that I had a lot of input and focus on was Contributor Day. A Contributor Day is part of a WordCamp where the WordPress community comes together to work on the project itself. Whether it is writing code for core and plugins and themes, translating things, making new educational content, or finding ways that the community can bring others in, there are a lot of ways to get involved.

One of the most important things for Contributor Day this year was to ensure that we were welcoming new contributors as best as possible. I have been to many contributor days, and most follow a similar format. The organizers share a brief overview of the different Make teams, groups split up and try to figure out how to get into the wifi and on Slack, they work on things throughout the day, then share at the end what they worked on.

This time, we decided to cut out the first and last portion, since teams provide updates at their own pace, and can also post them online. Instead, we had new contributors arrive an hour earlier than returning contributors to go through an onboarding session. We also gave color-coded bandanas to team leads and new contributor guides to make them easy to find. The new contributor guides were important to make sure that people felt comfortable walking up to someone and knowing that they could ask questions without bothering them.

“Contributor Day is one of the things that I was most looking forward to.”
~ david wolfpaw

Of everything about WordCamp US this year, Contributor Day is one of the things that I was most looking forward to. Not just because I helped to organize it, but because it would be one of the first times in years that so many people involved in WordPress were able to gather in person and work on the project in groups. Being able to collaborate remotely is great, but having those in person hours to really hash things out together is priceless.

“This has to have been one of the largest contributor days ever for a WordCamp. Around 500 people came together to work on writing code, creating documentation, doing translations, developing training, and doing things that make WordPress better all around.“
~ david wolfpaw

One of the downsides to being an organizer means that I didn’t get to be quite as involved as I’d like to be. Instead of sitting down with the Community team or one of the coding teams, I was constantly checking in to make sure that everyone had what they needed to succeed. It was a good problem to have, but it kept me away from having the same experience. Still, I am thankful that I was able to play my small role in ensuring a good day. While I couldn’t solve every problem that came up on Contributor Day, I still helped to put together a space where all of these contributors could do work, and where new contributors could learn and get involved. I’m proud of the work done this year, and I look forward to the recap so that we can learn what worked and what didn’t to refine again for next year.

If you have any interest in how to get involved in the WordPress community, check out make.wordpress.org to see the teams that you can get involved with, and how to contact each of them.

Conference Days

After the Community Summit and Contributor Day, I was already three days into WordCamp US before we even got to the actual main event. To say that I was running low on energy is an understatement! Even my daily morning iced espresso wasn’t enough on its own to keep me focused on the day.

What really kept me focused and active were the wonderful conversations that I had. This was with old friends who I hadn’t seen in person in nearly four years, as well as new friends who I got to learn about and bond with throughout the week. Nothing perks you up like an interesting conversation with an engaging partner.

I started my conference days by helping with registration. The first hour of day one is the most physically active, as everyone is arriving at the venue at the same time to check in. While there were booths setup to print badges, it still caused a queue to form, so I helped by handing out lanyards and pins in advance, and sharing information on when and where events were, as well as preparing attendees to go to the sponsor area and to get their attendee shirts.

Honestly, the meat of WordCamp US 2023 was the two conference days at the end. Over 30+ sessions there were speakers, new and old, sharing their experiences and knowledge with eager audiences. I sat in on sessions where I could, and as expected everything was well prepared and interesting. I came away with even more notes and ideas on projects to work on when the conference is over.

The Expo Hall

Sometimes people avoid the expo hall at events because sponsors and vendors can feel a bit spammy. The feeling is that they will do anything to sell you on their products, and that they don’t provide real value. At WordCamps this can’t be farther from the truth. These are companies that underpin the community, and their employees literally help make the community and code happen. I’ve always found people to be there because they want to be, not because their company made them attend.

“These are companies that underpin the community, and their employees literally help make the community and code happen.“
~ david wolfpaw

Part of my day was spent with my friends at SiteGround at their booth. I love folks walking up to me and asking me questions about hosting, considering that I use multiple hosts and don’t work for SiteGround. I can honestly answer about the pros and cons about various hosts, and the fact that I have been a consistent customer for a decade at this point. People really seem to want to know more about businesses in the sponsor area of WordCamps, and not just pass by for the free swag. That said, the swag was pretty nice! I already put a foil SiteGround unicorn sticker on my coffee cup, and the tote bag will be getting a lot of use.

If you ever find yourself at a WordCamp, don’t skip out on the sponsor hall!

“It’s where you’ll make great connections, meet new people, and find companies to work with.”
~ david wolfpaw

Most Valuable Lesson as an Organizer

Undoubtedly, the most valuable lesson I took away from being a small part of the WordCamp 2023 organizing team was the significance of meticulous planning and effective delegation. Coordinating a large event like this requires a well-structured timeline, clear communication, and a dedicated team. By delegating tasks to individuals with specific expertise, the team was able to ensure that each aspect of the event was well-executed and no detail was overlooked.

Additionally, I witnessed the importance of adaptability and contingency planning. Despite our best efforts, unforeseen challenges will always arise, and this WordCamp was no exception. Being prepared to pivot and find solutions on the spot helped us maintain a smooth experience for attendees and speakers alike.

The most important takeaway when it comes to adaptability is to listen in the moment to attendees, and to ensure that the full volunteer and organizing team are ready to report any issues that they see. We organized via Slack, and the proper person to solve a problem was ready to see and react as soon as an issue was spotted. Whether updating signage, changing a room for talks when the existing one didn’t work out properly, or helping attendees with individual needs, we were ready to respond.

Future Involvement

Would I help to organize WordCamp US or another WordCamp again in the future? Absolutely. This is far from my first event, but it was my first event as an organizer in four years.

I feel like I have a renewed sense of commitment to the WordPress community. Having to meet remotely only led to a bit of burnout.

“As someone who works almost exclusively online, the in-person events are a lifeline and reminder that none of us are in this alone.”
~ david wolfpaw

WordCamp US 2023 was one of my most memorable events yet, and I appreciate the support given to me by SiteGround and everyone else who made it an enjoyable and fruitful conference.

I hope to see you at WordCamp US 2024!

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August 21, 2023September 18, 2025

How to Get Ready for WordCamp USA 2023

WordCamp USA 2023 Insider Series SiteGround

Welcome to my series about life at a major WordCamp! My name is David Wolfpaw, and I am a SiteGround Ambassador, WordPress developer, and have been a WordCamp organizer since 2012. This year the SiteGround team and I decided to give you an insider perspective from the flagship WordCamp North America event, where I’ll be happily volunteering as an organizer.

WordCamps are annual gatherings of business owners, bloggers, developers, designers, and anyone else with an interest in WordPress. They take place all over the world, and are a core part of the WordPress community.

The flagship event for North America, WordCamp US, starts this week. I’ve been attending them for years, and I’m excited for my first WordCamp US where I will be volunteering as an event organizer. My intent with this series is to share my firsthand experience at the event, as well as some behind-the-scenes planning work, and tips to make the most of attending a WordCamp, or any other professional conference.

The most important things at a professional event like WordCamps are the following:

Networking and making connections for your business
Getting valuable information and ideas from speakers
Finding the fulfillment in your WordPress journey

Throughout the week I’ll be offering ideas and resources on how to achieve the above, and how better to start than with pre-event planning? Today we’ll discuss:

Finding sessions to attend
Connecting with speakers
Finding other attendees in your space
Ensuring that travel and tools are planned

Crafting a Session Schedule

The wide variety of sessions available at a flagship WordCamp like WordCamp US can be overwhelming. This year has over thirty sessions across two days in three rooms, and that’s toned down from years prior! With so many sessions, it can be hard to figure out what to prioritize.

When I look to the schedule I have a few criteria in mind. Sometimes I look to the speakers, looking for names that I know from social media and blogs. Sometimes I read through every session description, taking note of technologies and tools that I’ve been interested in learning, or just choosing based on an interesting title. There have been a lot of serendipitous session choices in the past, like a session on web publishing that I attended solely because I liked the speaker, and it turned into a conversation that led to a new client.

If you see multiple sessions that you want to attend at the same time, check to see if they will be recorded. Most WordCamps record their sessions to later post to WordPress.tv, making it easier to avoid the FOMO that comes from two great talks happening at once.

Connecting with Speakers

The conversations that you have at a WordCamp can easily be the most valuable part of attending the event in person. Content is great, but connections are better. Getting face-time with speakers can put you on their radar when it comes to work. As both an event speaker, and an attendee, I’ve found that it really breaks the ice to have something to talk about already, which can easily lead to further conversations. Most of my clients have come from word-of-mouth, including from speakers and attendees at WordCamps.

You don’t just have to wait until the event to reach out though! I don’t recommend blindly spamming all event speakers, but look through bios and talk descriptions and see if there are any individuals that you want to ensure that you connect with. Send them a short message, expressing your interest and excitement for their presentation, and your wish to say hi during the conference. Event speakers have already put themselves out there by applying to speak, and absolutely want to share with attendees.

Finally, make sure that you find out what communication methods the speakers that you’ve connected with in person prefer for followups after the event. Again, they came to share and they want to talk to attendees as well! Don’t be afraid to talk to them, and don’t be afraid to follow up later if they share contact information with you.

Networking with Attendees

Speakers aren’t the only people that you’ll want to connect with at WordCamp. You’ll also want to find like-minded attendees who you can build business relationships with.

It’s easy to assume that anyone else working in the same space as you is a direct competitor, but WordCamps are a great example of the opposite. I have met plenty of other WordPress maintenance providers who could be considered competitors to my company, FixUpFox. But I’ve met other agency owners who shared tips with me, passed along client contacts, and have become clients themselves.

We all have our own niches and specialties, and when the customer who just isn’t right for you comes along, but you know someone who might be a better fit, wouldn’t you want to pass them along? And you’ll be on the top of their mind when they have clients that fit your niche in return.

Preparing your Tools and Travel

WordCamp US has made part of my travel easier, by hosting in a convention center with a hotel, making it easy to get around the event. But prior to the event I needed to make sure that I had a flight to a nearby airport, a ride lined up for there and home, and I’ve checked the train schedules in advance to ensure that I can easily go from airport to hotel.

I’m also making sure to create a packing list, ensuring that I have everything that I need to stay connected and comfortable at the event. Take a bit of time to think about what you need while at a conference, from clothing to coffee, toiletries to technology. And while you’re at it, check out the SiteGround TikTok account for some quick tips and additional resources for preparing for WordCamps.

One more tip that I want to make sure to address is to listen to your body and focus on your health before, during, and after events. I unfortunately had to skip my last WordCamp because I got sick, and I didn’t want to spread that to any other attendees. I’ll be watching my health this week, including while I’m at the event.

Sometimes you just need some quiet time to yourself, and that’s ok! You’ll never be able to do everything at an event, but that’s ok. Knowing that there are limits to the number of sessions that you can attend and the number of people that you can talk to means you can prioritize what is most important to you at the moment.

Finally, take care of yourself post-event. It is easy to get caught up in the emotions of an event where you are surrounded with hundreds or thousands of like-minded attendees. Then you get back home, to your day job, where you have the daily grind of life to attend to. If you have the ability, take a day off after the event to rest and recharge. Even extroverts can get worn out from lots of social time.

More to Come

Follow along for the rest of the week while I share the journey to WordCamp US as an organizer and attendee. And if you are attending yourself, come say hi!

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May 23, 2023September 18, 2025

Celebrating 20 Years WordPress

This is a special time of the year for SiteGround and the vast WordPress community worldwide – WordPress, the platform that powers over 40% of all websites on the internet, is turning 20 on May 27, 2023! During almost all of its life, SiteGround has been actively involved with the WordPress project and its community, contributing, sponsoring, and providing expert WordPress hosting services to more than 2+ million WordPress sites. As we celebrate WordPress’ 20th birthday, we want to reflect on our shared journey, commemorate milestones, and express our unwavering commitment to empowering you – our valued customers and WordPress users.

A Shared Journey

From the moment SiteGround was founded in 2004 (just 1 year after WordPress emerged), we recognized WordPress amazing potential. Back then, it was a new, blogging platform that had the opportunity to change the web – and it did! It evolved into one of the most powerful open source content management systems used by millions of websites worldwide. In these almost two decades, we have worked closely with the WordPress community, sponsoring and participating in hundreds of WordCamps and WordPress Meetups worldwide. During all these years we have been contributing to the project, offering our expertise, and developing a powerful platform for WordPress users to create, innovate, and thrive.

Contributing to better WordPress

Ever since the beginning, WordPress development has relied heavily on the contributions of its users. There is tons of voluntary work involved in maintaining, improving and developing WordPress. SiteGround has dedicated many hours of work of different members of its team to address various needs of the project. Some of our team members have contributed code, others organized events and translated help articles, etc. We have also supported external contributors, all with the purpose of helping make WordPress better for everyone using it. As a company, we believe that contributing to the WordPress project is one of the ways to pay back to the community and the opportunities WordPress brought to us and our clients. You can check our company profile and current list of active contributors on wordpress.org website.

In addition to contributing to the WordPress core and project needs, we have developed two of the most popular free-for-all plugins – the SiteGround Security and SiteGround Optimizer plugins. The plugins provided us with the opportunity to share our hosting expertise beyond our own hosting platform and enabled millions of WordPress users to immensely improve their websites’ security and performance – two of the pillars of any successful website.

Bringing the WordPress community closer

One of the key pillars holding WordPress community together are the community events – the most common being the WordPress Meetups and the WordCamps where diverse WordPress members come together to get to know each other, exchange ideas and find ways of cooperating more efficiently. Ever since 2011, SiteGround has been one of the main sponsors of WordCamps and later on of Meetups, helping empower these live interactions. As of this month (June 2023) we are also a Global WordPress sponsor, thus supporting pretty much all WordPress events around the world.

Providing hosting expertise

Throughout this amazing journey, SiteGround has been proudly supporting WordPress users in creating and managing their digital presence with premium hosting services designed specifically for WordPress websites, custom tools and features, custom plugins and more. Our commitment to delivering a high quality service has been recognized on the official wordpress.org/hosting website, where we are one of the only three recommended hosting providers.

Together with WordPress, we’ve reached numerous milestones. From WordPress’ evolution as a simple blogging platform to a full-fledged content management system, to SiteGround’s development of a state-of-the-art hosting platform with powerful WordPress tools and features, our combined journey has been nothing short of spectacular.

We invite you to visit our dedicated page showing how SiteGround and WordPress paths have crossed over the past 20 years, helping us achieve numerous milestones.

> > VISIT PAGE

Our Continued Commitment

We are incredibly proud of our close relationship with WordPress and the immense value it has brought to our users. As a testament to this commitment, we continue to innovate and offer an extensive suite of WordPress-specific features and a premium hosting service. As WordPress continues to grow and innovate, so do we. Our goal remains to provide you with the best possible hosting environment for your WordPress website.

Thank you for being part of this incredible journey! Here’s to WordPress’ 20th Birthday, and here’s to another 20 years of innovation, growth, and shared success with SiteGround and WordPress!

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February 6, 2023May 12, 2026

Best Website Speed Optimization Tips and Tricks

Website speed optimization is crucial for creating a positive user experience. A positive user experience is marketing speak for happy users. Happy users visit your site and buy things. Unhappy users leave because they are tired of waiting for your website to load. Marketers call this “bounce rate” but really, it’s just unhappy users.

Why is site speed so important?

In the early days of the web, our mantra was “Content is King”. These days, if content truly is King, the Queen is speed. They go hand-in-hand. The best content or even product or service in the world won’t get noticed on a slow website.

User experience (Usability)

As we said above, a slow website can lead to a poor user experience. This can cause visitors to leave the site and potentially lead to a high bounce rate. A fast website, on the other hand, leads to a better user experience, which increases user engagement. When people don’t have to wait for the page they want to read to slowly load, they are more likely to stick around and read it. If that page is selling them your widgets, then they are more likely to buy them because they read your page.

Ranking Factor (Visibility)

Search engine algorithms have taken into account website speed for a few years now. All things being equal, if you have two websites that have equally good content on a given topic, the faster one will rank higher. Additionally, a faster website can lead to a better user experience, which can also have a positive impact on SEO.

All search engines have announced that they now use website speed as a ranking factor for their mobile search results as well. This means that a website that is not optimized for speed may rank lower in mobile search results than a faster website, which could lead to a decline in both traffic and revenue.

Website speed optimization is critical for your business if your users are primarily mobile.

Conversion (for E-commerce sites)

When a website is slow, users may become frustrated and abandon their shopping carts, leading to lost revenue for your business. A fast website, on the other hand, can provide a seamless shopping experience, which will increase conversions and ultimately drive more revenue.

Amazon is famous for computing the price of a second of load time. The slower their site loads, the less they sell and they know exactly how much. You may not be able to calculate your loss like that, but you will see that when you optimize your website’s speed, your sales will increase.

In summary, if you aren’t getting the page views you think you should be, maybe it’s time to look at optimizing your website speed. Optimizing your website for speed can lead to a better user experience, improved search engine rankings, and higher revenue. Here are our best website optimization tips and tricks:

How to check the performance of your website

There are many good tools on the web to help you compute your website’s speed so you can tell if your site is running fast or not.

SiteGround Optimizer Plugin and Google PageSpeed

One of the best tools for measuring website speed metrics out there is Google PageSpeed. There are several tools you can use to increase your site’s PageSpeed score, my favorite is the SiteGround Optimizer plugin. I have it installed on almost all of my WordPress sites and using it, my Google PageSpeed score is only a couple of clicks away. If you already have SiteGround Optimizer installed, then just click on the menu and select “Speed Test”. If you don’t yet have SiteGround Optimizer installed, it’s free and works even if you don’t host with SiteGround.

As a bonus, if your score isn’t as high as you want it, SiteGround Optimizer will help you increase your score. After implementing the suggestions, SiteGround Optimizer had for one of my graphic-heavy sites, this is my Google PageSpeed score.

Yeah, that’s not bad at all.

webpagetest.org

The other tool I’ve been using for the past 10+ years is webpagetest.org. Whereas Google PageSpeed boils everything down to three easy-to-understand numbers, if you want to dig into the details, you need a tool like webpagetest.org. It gives most website owners more information that is easily digested, but if you spend the time to learn what the numbers mean, they can give you some deep insights into why your website loads the way it does. webpagetest.org also lets you configure things like desktop vs. mobile, where you are testing from, etc.

6 Undisputable Website Optimization Tips

Now that we’ve discussed why website speed optimization is so important, let’s talk about six things you, as a non-technical site owner, can do to make sure you are running at optimal speed.

Achieve lightning-fast loading times by choosing the right host

Choosing the right web host is one of the most important factors in website speed optimization. It is also the first decision you need to make. Honestly, if your host is slow, none of the rest of these optimization tips are going to make much difference.

Choose a website theme that won’t weigh you down

If your site uses WordPress, the theme you choose for your WordPress website will have a significant impact on its speed. A well-designed and optimized theme can help improve website speed and performance, while a poorly designed theme can have the opposite effect.

All themes can stand to lose a little weight, even the best ones. So to help your site reach its maximum speed, make sure that you have SiteGround Optimizer installed and configured. As discussed above, it can really make a difference in your site’s overall speed.

When choosing a theme for your website, it’s important to consider things like code quality, graphic sizes, and support.

Code quality

A well-coded theme will be lightweight, use minimal resources, and be optimized for speed. It is important to choose a theme that is coded to the latest web standards, WordPress standards, and has been reviewed by other users.

Graphics Sizes

All themes will let you use your graphics, however, some work with plugins to optimize graphic size, while others do not. If you choose a theme for your website that does not automatically optimize the graphic sizes for speed, all is not lost, you can install the SiteGround Optimizer plugin. It will not only optimize all of your existing images, but will automatically optimize any new graphic as you upload it.

Support and updates

A theme that is regularly updated and supported by the developer can help ensure that your website stays optimized. As technologies change, you want to make sure your theme changes with them to ensure it is always the fastest that it can be.

If you have a WordPress website, hosted with SiteGround, you benefit from their in-house WordPress Autoupdate feature, which automatically backups and upgrades your site each time there is a new WordPress version, along with all of your plugins, if you wish so. That helps you avoid vulnerabilities related to the old application, and you’re up to date with the latest security fixes.

Choosing the right theme is just one part of website optimization. You’ll still need to do things like minify code, and use caching to help improve website speed.

The theme you choose for your WordPress website can have a significant impact on website optimization. By considering the factors mentioned above, you can choose a theme that is well-designed, optimized for speed, and will provide a better user experience for your visitors.

Trim down unnecessary plugins

In the past, I’ve written about removing unused or deactivated plugins. One of the main reasons to do this is speed. The less code there is, the faster your site will run. Even disabled plugins force WordPress to decide between them at each page load. If you delete them, WordPress doesn’t need to worry about them.

Once a year – or more frequently, if possible – you should do a complete audit of the plugins installed on your site. Deactivate and delete any that are not actively being used. If you need them again later, then reinstall them later.

Remove unnecessary redirects

Redirects will affect website speed optimization.

They add an additional step to the page load process, which can increase the amount of time it takes for a page to load. This will negatively impact the user experience and website speed.

Search engines follow redirects to find the final URL of a page. When search engines crawl your website, they follow each redirect, which can slow down the crawling process and affect your website’s SEO. Additionally, redirects can cause the search engines to see the redirecting page and the final page as two different pages, which can lead to duplicate content issues and affect the website’s SEO.

Redirects can be confusing for users and will lead to a poor user experience. If a user clicks on a link that redirects them to a different page than they expected, they may become frustrated and leave the website.

Redirects can be useful in certain situations, such as when a web page has moved or is no longer available, or when you want to redirect traffic from a non-preferred domain to a preferred domain. In these cases, it’s important to use the correct type of redirects and to minimize the number of redirects used to maintain website speed and SEO.

To avoid the negative impact of redirects on website optimization, it’s important to use them sparingly and to use the correct type of redirect. Additionally, implementing a proper redirect strategy and keeping track of the redirects that are in place can help to minimize the negative impact on website optimization.

Cache your way to faster load times

Caching can have a positive impact on website optimization by improving your website’s speed and performance. Caching is the process of storing a copy of a web page or its resources, such as images or scripts. When a user visits a website, their browser can load the cached version of the page, which can reduce the amount of time it takes for the page to load.

Caching can be implemented at different levels, such as browser caching and server-side caching. Each type of caching can have a positive impact on website optimization.

Browser caching

When a user visits a website, their browser stores a copy of the web page and its resources on their device. When the user visits the website again, their browser can load the cached version of the page, which will dramatically reduce the page’s load time.

If you’re using the SiteGround Optimizer plugin for WordPress, available for free download on any hosting platform, you can use the browser caching option it provides. This feature stores the static content of your website in the users’ browsers and cache longer. If you’re a SiteGround client, this option in the plugin will be enabled by default for you.

Server-side caching

Server-side caching can reduce the amount of time it takes for a page to load by storing a copy of the page on the server. When a user visits the website, the server can deliver the cached version instead of having to regenerate it each time. This will reduce page load time.

If you’re hosted with SiteGround, you already take advantage of their powerful caching technology – SuperCacher which includes three levels of server-side caching:

NGINX Direct Delivery
Caches static content like images, CSS files, JavaScript
Dynamic Cache
Dynamic cache caches your dynamic content and stores it in the server’s RAM
Memcached
An object caching mechanism designed to improve the connection between your application and its database

When all these three are in action, they improve your website performance up to 5 times!

Speed up your site with CDN

A good CDN, or Content Delivery Network, is a critical next step for optimizing your website’s speed. A CDN is a group of servers in different locations around the world that work together to deliver your website to users faster by delivering large files from servers near your users.

When a user visits your website, the CDN will direct them to the server that is closest to them. This can help reduce the distance between the user and the server, which will improve website speed.

CDNs also help to reduce the number of requests made to your server, which can help to improve website speed. This is because CDNs can store a copy of your website’s files, such as images and videos, and deliver them to users without having to request them from your server.

The less work your server has to do, the faster it will do the work only it can do.

Using a CDN will help to improve the website’s speed and that will create a better user experience for your visitors. It’s a great option to consider if you want to optimize your website and reach a global audience.

You can use a third-party CDN, which will take some time and extra knowledge to configure. Alternatively, you can ask your host to help you select one and then pay them to configure it. A better option is to use SiteGround’s native CDN. SiteGround has a one-click CDN that is already integrated and configured for your site. They offer the essential features free for all customers hosting websites on their platform. For those needing more, they offer a premium version for heavy international traffic websites.

How to Speed up Your WordPress Website Like a Pro – Video Tutorial

Conclusion

Entire books have been written on the topic of optimizing a website’s speed. In this article, we’ve taken a look at why it’s important, discussed some tools you can use to see how fast your site is now, and then six things you can do without the help of a programmer to speed things up.

It is important that before you start tinkering with your website to optimize it, you check its speed first. Then, do one thing at a time and after each change you make, re-test. This is the only way to tell for sure that you are making things better and not worse.

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January 27, 2023September 18, 2025

Client Survey Results 2022: Superb Website Speed and Security

The results from our traditional annual client survey are here! Looking back at 2022, we’ve been working hard to introduce new and improve existing tools and services that make your websites even faster and safer. But at the end of the day, what really matters is the impact of these improvements and the positive effect they brought for our users. Here is what you had to say and how you rated our efforts and your experience with our hosting services throughout the past year.

An Outstanding 98.8% Satisfaction with Site Security

Securing your websites has always been a top priority for us during the years. 2022 was not an exception and our efforts didn’t go unnoticed – our Website Security was rated high by an overwhelming 98.8% of all respondents! Here’s what we did to achieve that:

We improved our already great-performing Site Scanner with features improving early malware detection and introduced a new plan with proactive reaction tools in case of a website attack. During our #CyberSecurityMonth campaign last October, we went even further. We not only ran an intense email awareness campaign about website security, but we also introduced new security features, such as an on-demand IP and Geo traffic blocking tool. We also improved our AI-driven brute-force prevention system and its state-of-art self-learning mechanism, which now blocks over 95% more bad traffic before it even reaches our servers. Here’s a recap of all essential website security features for your website, in case you’ve missed it.

Last but not least, towards the end of 2022, we launched our new monthly security reports, included for free with all our plans. You can now sign up and receive directly in your inbox a personalized security overview of your website(s) every month, with highlights of what security measures we’ve applied and suggestions of what you can improve.

A Supreme 97.7% Satisfaction with Website Loading Speed

Website loading speed is important for your conversion rates, SEO rankings, and users’ experience. That’s why boosting website performance is of utmost importance to us and we’re constantly working on making your websites as fast as possible.

As early as February 2022, we introduced a newer version of our SiteGround Optimizer plugin for WordPress, making it available and free to all WordPress users, regardless of where they host their websites and included new advanced speed features, such as file-based caching. The plugin now has over 1 Million active installations and was voted Silver in the top 3 best WordPress optimization plugins in the annual WordPress community awards.

One of our biggest speed-boosting achievements in 2022 was the launch of our in-house built SiteGround CDN which not only makes websites load blazingly fast around the world, but it’s super simple to configure in a few clicks and included free in all our plans. We didn’t stop there and kept on growing our CDN and data center networks with a new location in Madrid and a few new locations in the USA.

Top Marks for Easy Website Migration and Setup

We’re happy to welcome those of you who have recently joined SiteGround as clients.

48.6% of our new clients say that the number one factor that led to the decision to get on board was a recommendation for SiteGround by someone they trust. 44.4% of you point out positive reviews about SiteGround were what influenced your decision to choose our hosting services, which is the greatest mark for the level of quality we provide, and the recognition and loyalty of our clients.

Your feedback about how easy our onboarding process is was also extremely valuable. A total of 78.3% of you, who created a new website with us, have noted that setting up a website on SiteGround was a hassle-free process. 76.9% of you, who switched over from another host, pointed out in the survey that transferring your websites to us was a seamless process.

Now it’s even easier to migrate and manage all elements of your website presence to SiteGround with our newly launched Email Migrator tool. It helps you transfer emails to SiteGround servers easily, securely, and automatically.

We’re looking forward to making your future experience with us even better and contributing to your websites’ success.

A Steady 98% Overall Satisfaction In the Last Few Years

We completed 2022 with an overall client satisfaction rating of 98.1% which solidifies our top-rank customer happiness rate in the last couple of years. The overall satisfaction rate is based on your reviews for the following services we provide:

The breakdown of the satisfaction rate of each aspect of our services is based on the evaluation of both long-term and new clients. The overall ratio of all respondents is 90.40% long-term clients and 9.6% clients who have joined in the past 12 months. The fact that the majority of respondents have been with us for a couple of years now, and continue to express their satisfaction with our services with top marks is the greatest recognition a company can have.

You Helped the Environment by Completing Our Client Survey

Just like everything else we do, we also tried to maximize the impact of our client survey this year. In return for completing it, we committed to donate funds for planting a SiteGround forest. Thanks to you, we’ve already planted more than 11,000 trees worldwide – in the USA, Spain, Portugal, France, Indonesia, Madagascar.

We’d like to thank you for your trust, for your feedback, and for helping the environment! Stay tuned for all the upcoming services improvements and new tools launches that will aim to make your websites even more secure, better-performing and successful in 2023.

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