We’ re back with the September 2025 edition of WPBeginner Spotlight: our monthly roundup of WordPress news, plugin updates, and community highlights. This issue is packed with major product releases, new AI tools, and insights from WordCamp US 2025 in Portland. Among the most significant updates are stronger privacy…
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How I Accept Bacs Direct Debit Payments in WordPress
Running an online business means every abandoned cart hurts. My friend learned this the hard way when his anime subscription service started getting interest from UK customers who kept leaving without buying. 😟 The culprit? He wasn’ t offering Bacs Direct Debit, which is a payment method that many UK…
How to Connect Amazon FBA (MCF) to WooCommerce
Many WooCommerce store owners face the same challenge. They love running their own online stores but find it hard to match the fast, reliable shipping that Amazon customers now expect. That’s where Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) comes in. It allows you to use Amazon’s fulfillment centers to ship…
How I Send WooCommerce Order Notifications Straight to WhatsApp
Once, I missed sending a WooCommerce order notification and only found out because my customer reached out, upset. Relying on email alone often doesn’t cut it. Messages can get lost in spam, delayed, or ignored if shoppers don’t check their inboxes. Switching to WhatsApp made a big difference…
How to Accept International Donations in WordPress
After building websites for several local nonprofits, I noticed a common, costly problem. These groups were doing incredible work, but their simple donation forms only worked for local supporters. This was turning away passionate donors from other countries. Unfortunately, this small oversight can result in organizations missing thousands…
I Created a Donor Portal in WordPress in Just 15 Minutes (No Coding)
If you’ve ever spent time resending donation receipts, updating donor information, or fixing issues with recurring gifts, then you know how quickly these tasks can pile up for a nonprofit. Plus, it can be frustrating for your supporters who have to wait for updates or paperwork. A donor…
How to Get Your WordPress Content Cited by AI Tools (My Expert Tips)
For a long time, I believed that ranking #1 on Google was the ultimate goal. But then came AI Search. Now, getting my articles cited directly in AI overviews and chat responses has become a top priority. This is because AI is the new front page of the…
I Tried Vibe Coding Websites on 4 Platforms (Here Are the Results)
I kept seeing people talk about “vibe coding websites”. Vibe coding is a fast, messy, and fun way to quickly make websites based on feeling instead of specs. So, I tried it across four platforms to see what actually works in real life. I built the same simple…
From Cleaning Hacked Sites to Melapress: How Robert Abela Built Security Plugins Trusted by Thousands of Users
From cleaning hacked WordPress sites to running a 7-person security plugin company, Robert Abela never planned to become an entrepreneur. But when he discovered a critical gap in WordPress security logging, everything changed. That led him to build WP Activity Log, which grew from a hobby project into…
I Tried 10+ Best AI Social Media Post Generators for WordPress
When I first started blogging, promoting my content on social media was a major time drain. I’d spend hours writing captions and tweaking hashtags to make everything look perfect. Meanwhile, my actual blog content (the thing I really wanted to focus on) kept getting pushed aside. Thankfully, AI…
My Ultimate Guide to Conversion Rate Optimization in WordPress
You might have plenty of traffic coming to your WordPress site, but is it actually converting? I often talk to business owners who face the same challenge: visitors keep arriving, but sales and sign-ups aren’t growing. I’ve run into that challenge myself and quickly learned that traffic is…
I Tested 20 Fastest WordPress Themes and Found the Top 8
Here’ s the ugly truth: a slow theme can kill your WordPress website before it even has a chance to grow. I found that out the hard way after choosing themes based on looks instead of speed. My sites were crawling, visitors were bouncing, and my hard work was…
BuddyBoss vs. Circle vs. Mighty Networks: My Top Pick
Choosing a platform for your online community is a big decision. Pick the wrong one and you could face a painful migration right when things start to grow. I’ve seen many creators struggle with this exact problem, and it’s one reason I decided to test the leading platforms…
How I Block WordPress Form Entries From Certain Countries
When someone fills out a form on your website, it should be a chance to connect with a real customer. But if your business only works in certain regions, opening your forms to the whole world often means sorting through spam and messages from people you can’t actually…
WPBeginner Spotlight 15: WordPress Admin UI Preview, New Payment Options, and Smarter Site Tools
August has been full of exciting updates in the WordPress ecosystem. From new features in major plugins to early previews of the redesigned admin interface, WordPress site owners have plenty to look forward to. This month’s highlights cover tools for creating professional forms, accepting modern payments, managing events, …
How I Save Time Scheduling LinkedIn Posts in WordPress
If you’ve ever tried sharing your blog posts on LinkedIn manually, then you know how time-consuming it can be. Switching between platforms, pasting content, and trying to keep a regular schedule takes more effort than it should. I’ve been looking for ways to share more consistently on LinkedIn, …
How I Auto Delete WordPress Form Entries (& Stay GDPR-Compliant)
Have you checked your old WordPress form submissions lately? 🤔 Forms are one of the best ways to connect with visitors. You might use them for questions, orders, surveys, or even donations. But once those entries are answered or processed, what happens to them? If you’re not managing…
I Tested 7 AI Tools for Content Marketing: Here’s What I Found
I have been using AI tools since ChatGPT first launched. And like many content marketers, I wanted to improve my skills for the AI era. This means I frequently test a wide range of AI tools as part of my actual content marketing workflow. This regular testing has…
How to Add WordPress Search to Blog Archives Page (The Easy Way)
I’ve been running WordPress blogs for years, and one thing that always frustrated me was seeing my visitors get stuck on archive pages. They’d land on a category or date archive, scroll for a bit, and then leave without finding what they needed. I realized the real issue…
I Tested the 8 Best Upsell and Cross-Sell Plugins for WooCommerce
The phrase “ Would you like fries with that?” is more than just a famous question. It’s a clever sales move that has added billions to a single company’s revenue. And that same idea can help grow your own WooCommerce store, too. It’s all about making simple, helpful suggestions…
