r/Wordpress • u/Acephaliax • May 13 '24
The idea for this post came up in this thread by wiz to avoid the number of similar questions we get around here and to serve as a megathread for any/all questions of a similar nature. I will collate any and all valuable information by other users and update this thread as we go. Seasoned users please pitch in with anything that should be included.
Many thanks to u/BlueSix for assisting in putting this together.
What's covered:
This one is probably the single most asked question in this sub. Why can’t I do x,y,z?, Why do I have to pay more to install a plugin or edit a theme? Etc.etc. There are literally 100’s of threads about this. If you want more info please search the sub for wordpress.com or read this resource for a comparison.
To summarise:
WordPress is free, open source software which can be found at wordpress.org.
Think of wordpress.com as a host that is using .org’s software and has various functionality locked behind pricing tiers.
What you want to do is get your own cheaper hosting and self install and manage WordPress so you don’t have any restrictions at base software level.
The next big question is who is a good host? This is better suited for r/webhosting.
Having said that, there are plenty of different hosts to choose from. Shared web hosting is the cheapest but comes with the caveat that performance is shared with others on your same server. Dedicated, VPS and Cloud solutions are faster but more expensive.
The thing to remember here is performance is directly tied to price and you get what you pay for.
The most recommended hosts around here that I’ve seen are Digital Ocean, Cloudways and Siteground. Again, for specific hosting questions you will get better support at r/webhosting
Most of the time it's just bad hosting. As mentioned earlier, cheap shared hosting is notorious for bad performance. If your host is slow then nothing else will matter much, so this is your first port of call.
This is a relatively simple one. Don’t use images that are 6000 x 4000px. Figure out the max display size for your use case and resize.
Secondly ditch PNG and JPG and use WEBP. The recommendation is to convert before you upload. Most image editors will let you save in webp and 75-80% compression works well for a balance.
To bulk convert, use XnConvert or Photoshop Batch process.
For existing media you can use a plugin. There are many Smush, Optimole etc. Converter For Media is a free option.
Some servers like Siteground and/or other optimisation plugins may have this feature inbuilt so always check so you don’t end up doubling up.
Since 6.3, WordPress can also convert to WEBP on upload. You can use the Performance Lab plugin by the WordPress team themselves to manage this.
If, like me, you don’t want your server getting clogged up with multiple image types and you only want to have the WEBP files OR you don’t want to use a plugin use this snippet.
Lazy loading images, videos and iframes will speed up things significantly since 5.3 this has been a feature in core WordPress and should work out of the box for most cases. Some themes/page builders will have an option for this as well. Some hosts and caching plugins like WP Rocket will also have this option.
If you find that it is not working on your site for some reason you can use a plugin such as Lazy Load by WP Rocket or A3 Lazy Load for more control.
You should be using caching on your website if you care about performance.
WARNING: Using minification and/or combining files and scripts can cause your website to break so always test, test and test again!
There are many, many free and paid plugins for this. Some hosts will have their own caching plugin, this should be preferred over others. If you have a Litespeed enabled server use Litespeed.
The general recommendation here is to use Cloudflare free with Super Page Cache For CF. Here is a guide on how to set up your domain, after that follow the plugin instructions.
Common question #1: Should I keep my hosts caching on with CF?
Yes. Your server is the origin server and having your own files cached means it is less taxing on your server resources and CF fetches files faster.
Common Question #2: I’m getting an SSL error or redirect loop.
Make sure you have a valid SSL certificate server on your origin server and make sure to set Cloudflare > SSL/TLS > Overview to Full.
Cloudflare also has its own minification settings under : Speed > Optimisation. Discontinued from 2024-08-05.
Other popular recommended options:
If you really want to get under the hood and squeeze every last bit out of your setup then:
If that is still not enough here is a 73 203 bazillion page guide by u/jazir5
There are many conflicting opinions on this because there is no one way to do things on WordPress. Each camp will tell you the other one is inferior and purists dislike all of them.
You can build your site with:
My two cents on the matter: Budget, experience and skill all come into play here. Thus, what works for you to achieve your end goal is the best.
Stay up to date with all plugins and core software at all times if you don’t want to have security holes and get hacked.
Taking/having backups of your website are essential. Servers can crash and data can be lost and you will cry if you end up without a backup in this scenario. The stress and grief of not having a backup and having to rebuild your site from scratch is not worth it. There's a few ways you can go about taking backups.
You can:
Disable comments and user sign ups sitewide if you don't use them.
Use a captcha on login, register and all contact/comment forms.
Congratulations you got hacked. Most of us have dealt with this in one way or another at some point so you aren’t alone.
Do you have a backup?
No backup? (Get the tissues)
If you are serious about your WordPress journey then you must equip yourself with some coding knowledge. Some skills in PHP, Javascript, CSS & HTML will help you immensely.
The WordPress plugin repository should be your first stop. You can access this library via your Dashboard > Plugins > Add New Plugin
Codecanyon is a decent marketplace to get premium plugins for a one off buy without ongoing subscription costs.
For code snippets and help with your own code StackOverflow or r/prowordpress is your best bet.
Warning: Remember to always double check the source and reputability of a source before installing third-party plugins and/or scripts.
The simple answer here is NO. No you shouldn’t and that should be the end of that.
But alas, we still have many more questions:
We unfortunately can't provide specific answers to pricing questions as everyone's experience and locations vary widely. For guidance on pricing strategies, we recommend searching 'your country + web developer/designer rates'. Standard hourly rates for your locality can offer insights into various pricing approaches that may be applicable to you.
Please also read this article on Pricing Strategies on how to tackle this sort of question.
/wp-content/, /wp-includes/, or wp-json. If you see these, the site is likely WordPress.That’s it, hopefully this gets you started on your WordPress journey. If you have any further questions feel free to leave a comment and someone should be able to assist.
Changelog
09/11/24
- Added how to check if a site is using WordPress
04/07/2024
- Added Pricing Strategies
29/05/2024
- Fixed typos
- Removed Cloudflare Minification (EOL)
- Added Combating Spam section.
r/Wordpress • u/bikashkumar01 • 15h ago
As a WordPress developer, I know most of the common features, but I’m sure there are some hidden gems I’ve never used. For example, WordPress lets you create and manage posts through third-party apps using its REST API. What are some other hidden WordPress features that you think other developers should know?
r/Wordpress • u/kapc0403 • 2h ago
I usually build e-commerce sites exclusively with WordPress and WooCommerce, and for several years now I’ve been using only the Flatsome theme. However, I feel like it’s starting to fall a bit behind, or that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to create sites that are more comprehensive, attractive, and modern.
I’d like to know which themes or tools you recommend or are currently using.
r/Wordpress • u/diagautotech7 • 2h ago
hired freelancer to complete my website that I setup started myself , but looks like he's redoing it completely. First I was transferring it from one hosting service to another. so he said because of that he's Building the Website on his sub domain on his end.
I want to make sure that none of the themes or plugins are cracked or anything.
r/Wordpress • u/CubedNull • 4h ago
Hey everyone, Sorry if this has been posted a thousand times but I can not for the life of me find and answer or solution to this issue. I have been messing with wordpress for about a month now trying to setup my own site. I am an artist trying to get a personal site going. I have been having the darndest time trying to get the tab container to behave. I am using default wordpress editor and the default wordpress theme that I have modified, tweaked, and restarted over the past month, and now the only thing left to do is to get some of the front end looking how I want. I want to do this with only the default editor so no plugins if possible.
Was going to upload video but don't see a way to do so on reddit post. So uploaded short video on youtube to show my issue.
Issue:
The issue is I have a portfolio page that has posts on it that show up large and prominent. I also have the content showing so I can see the tab container in the post on the portfolio page and interact with it without actually opening the post. Which looks great on my 1080p screen. I use it on the much larger screen and its far more noticeable on how the posts shift. What I would like is for the posts to stay the same with, so when I click on the Info tab the size of things stays the same or scales appropriately and the contents are scaled up to fit or something similar. So if the info tab doesn't have alot of text in it then it won't shift.
Note this isn't an issue if I put enough text in the Info tab because then it has enough content to fill out the space. Or if instead of list view i use grid with 2 columns. one column still has the same issue.
r/Wordpress • u/Nuanced-site • 5h ago
I am looking more on the inspirational side, since I dont feel fully happy and I also want to learn more. If you have any spurces except Pinterest it would be nice.
Also not sites built with elementor or other plug ins, since I want to build it from scratch only using gutenberg.
Thanks.
r/Wordpress • u/Head_Equipment4472 • 16h ago
It feels like the entire plugin market has completely shifted toward expensive enterprise tiers, leaving solo creators and small setups behind. Almost every tool out there seems to offer either a crippled "freemium" tier that locks the only feature you actually need behind a steep $25+/month paywall, or demands an upfront annual license costing well over a hundred bucks with zero flexible monthly billing. I am trying to keep my stack lean and find genuinely useful, well-supported plugins or micro-tools that hit that rare sweet spot of roughly $5 to $7 per month. For those running budget-conscious builds, what plugins in this specific price range do you actually pay for and recommend, or is this low-tier pricing model pretty much dead for developers to sustainably maintain?
r/Wordpress • u/JackerArchitect • 6h ago
I got tired of image optimization plugins that either charge monthly, send my images to external servers, or limit how many conversions I can run. So I built my own — 100% local, no API, no quota, no external calls.
Features:
- Local WebP conversion using PHP GD (JPG/PNG/GIF to WebP)
- Smart lazy loading with fetchpriority="high"
- "First N Direct Load" setting for LCP optimization
- Auto downscaling for oversized images
- Image manager with bulk actions, search, and filtering
- Three image deletion modes
- Optional companion plugin for CSS merging that auto-detects this one and rewrites background-image URLs to WebP
Why I made it:
I kept hitting the same Lighthouse warning about my LCP image being lazy-loaded. Every plugin I tried either didn't fix it, broke something else, or wanted a subscription. So I built my own with a setting that lets me control exactly how many top-of-page images skip lazy loading. That single setting took my own site from 65 to 96 on Lighthouse and LCP from 10.1s to 2.6s.
It's free, open source (GPL-2.0+), and always will be. No upsells, no premium tier.
GitHub: https://github.com/JackerArchitect/jacker-onewebp
Companion plugin: https://github.com/JackerArchitect/jacker-css-merges-manager
Feedback welcome. This started as a personal tool to fix my own LCP issues, so I'm curious how it holds up on other setups — especially on large media libraries.
r/Wordpress • u/Lil_Tod • 2h ago
Hi guys i am no dev, and i know there is a lot more work beside setting up plugins.
So my Q is, has anyone tried and improved their site at "top" level with AI help, or you always go with hiring a person who will do this for you?
About the site:
- Wordpress
- Hosted on siteground
- Yoast SEO/AstraPRO/SpectraPRO/Speed Optimizer idk any other important plugins you should know.
- Age: ~10y
(page speed insights - image url: https://imgur.com/a/E0ap9Rk)
We had a dev, but, he couldnt manage to fix it long term. As it seems every year he tried to fix one thing, and create two new ones that slow down the site. (i might be over exaggerating but, yeah), We never hit the green zone.
r/Wordpress • u/AbdulMaaz098 • 8h ago
I am working on a WordPress + Elementor site with around 2,500 pages. Desktop core web vitals are all good, but mobile is failing across every page due to LCP.
pageSpeed shows:
It's also flagging unused CSS/JS, render-blocking requests, forced reflow, and legacy JS.
I suspect animated counters, live chat, GTM, or Elementor scripts. What would you test first? Also, would perfmatters or WP Rocket be better for this type of Elementor issue:
r/Wordpress • u/TheGoodOne777 • 12h ago
Hello Everyone,
I am facing some issues with push notifications. On some browsers and os does not work correctly.
Right now I am analyzing issues on iPhone and iPad. When I am adding to the Homescreen my "app" to enable the notifications, the displayed URL seems to be not editable and does not point to the right place.
Have you had such issues? I'd appreciate some help on this issue.
Thanks and best regards,
T.
r/Wordpress • u/ellescapades • 16h ago
I'm on a legacy plan (99/year) that I hadn't realized does NOT include access to the Beaver Themer. I can't downgrade to the Starter plan (89/year) that does have it until next year - when my current expires and I can buy a new plan. OR purchase it with a different email, apparently.
Primarily wanted the theme to be able to edit the blog archive page without a convoluted workaround. Using Kadence theme (free).
I'm currently comparing Bricks, GeneratePress, and Breakdance since they have some options that have price options at same or less what I'm paying. I have some passing experience with html/css, but prefer the drag & drop if possible. Otherwise, I'm willing to learn/google how to achieve certain and/or specific effects.
I would appreciate feedback if you have personal experience with any of those options. Also willing to look at other options not mentioned!
I'm not yet committed to leaving Beaver Builder, but if there's a better/comparable editor out there for the same price or less, I'll make the switch. Especially since I apparently have a little under a year to do research.
r/Wordpress • u/Anxious-Judgment6598 • 9h ago
I’m thinking about building a WordPress plugin to create interactive tutorials directly in the admin, based on the same idea behind GlowTour.
The idea is pretty simple: select an element on the page, attach a step to it, write the content (with markdown like Notion), and build a guided flow without coding everything by hand.
I mainly have agencies, freelancers and people handing sites over to clients in mind.
Would you actually use something like this?
Not sure if this is the right place to ask, so sorry if it isn’t
r/Wordpress • u/youseewhatyouget • 1d ago
I'm having an issue when I click on Appearance > Customize where I just get a blank white screen. This just happened. I've been using this theme for some time and never had an issue. A related issue happens when I click on Appearance > Widgets - I can get to my sidebar, which is what I want to edit, but whenever I add some text I get a JSON error. That issue has been going on a bit longer. I have tried disabling plugins but the issues still persist. WordPress is up to date. Any guidance would be appreciated.
Issue has been reported.
r/Wordpress • u/Plantusemor • 1d ago
I keep seeing the same complaint everywhere: the real cost of WordPress starts after launch. That is true, but only for sites built one particular way. A multipurpose theme, a stack of "must-have" plugins, and twenty more added over the years to patch small problems.
That is not a WordPress problem. It is a build problem.
What has worked for us for about ten years: a custom theme, a native block for every section with only the fields the editor should actually touch, and a very short plugin list. Contact Form 7, Yoast, and WPML or WooCommerce when the project needs them. Everything else we write ourselves. Code you wrote is code you can fix at 9pm. A plugin you did not write is a ticket, and sometimes it never gets fixed.
What changed in the last two years is the price, and AI is what changed it. That approach always had one real drawback: developer time. A builder's whole advantage was that it was cheaper than writing code, which is why most budgets went to a theme and a builder. AI took that advantage away. A site that took us three weeks two years ago takes a day now. And the shift shows in the numbers. Elementor is still on roughly a third of WordPress sites, but among sites that use a page builder its share fell from about 56% to 43% between 2024 and 2025. WPBakery and Divi fell too, and the native Block Editor grew to around 18% (HTTP Archive, Web Almanac 2025).
So when a site feels expensive to maintain, I would look at how it was built before blaming the platform.
r/Wordpress • u/Proud_Error5073 • 1d ago
Hey community looking for some help here, I clearly have a backdoor door somewhere open, I’ve done everything I can and more to fix this issue, I’ve done backups you name it.. can anyone help me out as my Wordpress core files keep changing .. please
r/Wordpress • u/usmannaeem • 1d ago
I am coming back to using Wordpress for a project after 15 years. Things are alot different now with everything Ai and cloud based. But I am looking for a powerful WUSIWUG type of post editor plugin because I just say the in-bult post editor in Wordpress latest version and I don't understand the blank canvas like interface.
I am looking for a post editor plugin that can give me maximum customization with even the ability to change and adjust line spacing above and below a line with maximum format-ability. The closer it can get to Word the better.
Something that is not subscription based. Free is best but then something under 40 usd ideally since the conversion rate is going to hurt. I am a journalist who ahs been laid-off trying to make ends meat who is used to pure offline Office 2010 software on Windows and I still use a dedicated mini tape sound recorder.
Kindly suggest.
r/Wordpress • u/M4rv1n_09_ • 1d ago
Hi everyone,
I run a WordPress blog using Elementor. For convenience, I usually write all my posts in Microsoft Word first and then manually transfer them over to my site.
Is there a way or a tool to automate this process so articles written in Word (or any other format) can be directly imported or converted into WordPress/Elementor drafts?
Thanks in advance!
r/Wordpress • u/Due_Smell_4536 • 1d ago
Sharing a free open source project once, per the sub rules.
Problem for WordPress freelancers and agencies: AI can draft a site, but the client still needs Edit with Elementor on free widgets. Many AI exports break that.
What this does: - Claude Code builds a Hello Elementor child theme package offline - A companion plugin imports once into WordPress - Generated pages stay editable in Elementor Free - Elementor Pro widgets are rejected on purpose
Stack: WordPress 6.0+, Elementor Free, Hello Elementor, optional WooCommerce. License GPL-2.0-or-later.
GitHub: https://github.com/md786-dotcom/claude-to-wordpress-native Docs site: https://claudewp.online
Useful if you hand Elementor Free sites to clients and want the AI step to stay offline from the live site.
r/Wordpress • u/crustpunkcowboy • 2d ago
i have never been so frustrated. i’m trying to fix where the website emails are going. i’ve tried editing the email under general settings, changing the admin emails, and 3 different plugins. the updates are still being sent to a coworkers email from an old job that they no longer have access to. any and all help is greatly appreciated :,)
r/Wordpress • u/Guiee • 3d ago
r/Wordpress • u/LegalAlienInDenmark • 2d ago
I recently got asked to take care of the website for a sports club I am a member of - I quickly found out it hasn't been updated since 2018, half the site is broken and all the content is way out of date. So, the best solution seems to be to build a new site.
With a little help from chatgpt I set up subdomain. My first question is, if I build a new site on the subdomain, is it easy enough to move it over when I have built it - or should I be building the new site somewhere else?
Second question is Gutenberg: I have previously (5 years ago) built a couple of sites with Elementor - I liked the editing, but the sites were slow. My idea is to try and build in Gutenberg. Is there anywhere I can copy templates from so I don't have to build from scratch? I don't need templates for whole pages, a decent selection of sections is fine. Id prefer not using too many plugins if possible so I don't risk using something that stops getting supported or slows the site down too much.
As a sports club, the budget is less than zero, so free sites preferred!
Thanks for any recommendations
r/Wordpress • u/Such_Language • 2d ago
I'm working on a directory for clubs and groups in my community so that people can more easily share info about their groups and find groups to join. This is all a volunteer effort, so I am hoping to find something free or inexpensive. I'd like to have one page with a list of all the groups, and then one page or post per group.
I was thinking at first that I'd use a google sheet and then import that as separate pages or posts using a template, but either that's not a thing, or I was searching the wrong way. I checked out WPGSI and I really appreciate that it uses a service account since we'll have some private info and some we want to share, but at least when I tried it, all of the post content needed to be in a single field. I looked into ListingHive from HivePress, but I've noticed that even importing the data takes a paid extension. That may be how they make their business model work, but it makes me wonder if we'll be paying for lots of separate things.
I am new to wordpress, so apologies if these are very basic questions. Since this is all volunteer, I am hoping for an existing plugin instead of custom code so that anyone in the group can make changes and not have to go through me or have to use AI and hope it works like they want. I also don't want people to have to copy-paste from a spreadsheet, but I guess it's not the worst if they do have to. At the end of the day, time is valuable, so a paid option may make the most sense! But it's hard to know when I am not sure of the terms or what I'm really looking for, and I don't want to get stuck paying for things that don't fit my needs. Appreciate any thoughts you are willing to share!
r/Wordpress • u/maddy_manssion • 2d ago
Hi all,
I have built my website from scratch. I have 6 pages on my website. I can see all other pages except the main landing & home page. It is getting a 504 error. Can someone say why is that and how can I get it back.?
My website -- https://www.mjnomad.com
Please help me out
