2024 is formally within the rearview mirror, and what a yr it’s been!
From revolutionizing internet hosting with our Excessive-Frequency plans to launching game-changing options like Area Reseller and Webmail, we’ve been working tirelessly to make your WordPress expertise smoother than ever.
Seize a cup of espresso (or no matter fuels your hustle), and be part of us for a journey by way of a yr full of improvements, enhancements, and thrilling developments which have made WPMU DEV even higher for you!
Preserve studying, or soar forward with these hyperlinks:
- Govt Abstract from Our Founder, James Farmer
What Modified in The Hub & Hub Shopper in 2024
What’s Coming in 2025: The Hub’s Subsequent Chapter
What Modified for our Premium Internet hosting in 2024
What’s Coming in 2025: Premium Internet hosting Will get Even Extra… Premium?
What Modified for our Plugins in 2024
Forminator: Types That Really Look Good (Lastly)
What’s Coming in 2025 for Forminator
Smush: Pace Meets Fashion — 2024 Version
What’s Coming in 2025 for Smush
Hummingbird: Efficiency That Packs a Punch
What’s Coming in 2025 for Hummingbird
Defender: Safety that By no means Sleeps
What’s Coming in 2025 for Defender
Hyperlink Checker: Breaking Up with Damaged Hyperlinks
What’s Coming in 2025 for Hyperlink Checker
Snapshot: Backups That Really Have Your Again
What’s Coming in 2025 for Snapshot
- And that’s a wrap, of us!
Govt Abstract from Our Founder, James Farmer
“2024 has been a transformative yr for WPMU DEV, marked by daring improvements and strategic expansions which have redefined what’s doable in WordPress administration and internet hosting.
Our introduction of Excessive-Frequency Internet hosting plans, powered by blazing-fast 3GHz+ Intel Xeon processors, has set a brand new business normal for efficiency. We’ve expanded our international footprint with 12 new internet hosting areas, guaranteeing lightning-fast speeds for customers worldwide.
The launch of our Area Reseller program and Webmail service marks our dedication to being your full WordPress resolution. These additions, mixed with our new Knowledgeable Providers, display our evolution from a plugin supplier to a complete internet companies platform.
The Hub continues to be the cornerstone of our ecosystem, now enhanced with options like Tickets for improved shopper communication and our modern Damaged Backlinks Checker. Our plugins have seen important updates too, from Forminator’s new PDF capabilities to Defender’s enhanced malware detection.
Looking forward to 2025, we’re not slowing down. We’re already engaged on thrilling options just like the Bot Pool for improved efficiency, superior static cache options, and expanded monitoring capabilities for third-party websites.
Thanks for being a part of our journey. Your suggestions and belief proceed to drive our innovation, and we’re excited in regards to the highway forward.”
Wish to hear extra from James? Take a look at this Submit Standing interview from the Product Founder Collection: WordPress within the Lengthy View with James Farmer.
All proper, off to discover the person services and products. Beginning with…
What Modified in The Hub & Hub Shopper in 2024
If you happen to discover managing a number of WordPress websites a complete nightmare, 2024 was the yr The Hub stated “maintain my beer” and remodeled into an much more highly effective command middle to make your company life even simpler.
Internet hosting Reseller Program: For that Additional Moolah
We kicked off the yr with a large replace — the Internet hosting Reseller Program. It’s the aspect hustle of desires for all these company house owners who need to promote domains and make additional money whereas lounging on the seashore (as a result of why not?).
We even gave away 1,000,000 {dollars} to kick issues off. (No, severely. One million {dollars}. Who’re we? Oprah?).
Take a look at the Area Reseller Program — and begin making it rain domains!
Webmail: It’s Like E-mail, However Cooler (No, Critically)
Increase your hand in case you’ve ever needed to electronic mail a shopper out of your private electronic mail handle (no judgment, however, yikes). With Webmail, you and your purchasers can ship emails like a real skilled — proper out of your WPMU DEV dashboard.
It integrates seamlessly with our platform as a result of, let’s face it, in case you’re not operating your internet hosting and emails from one place, are you even actually internet hosting?
Plus, we additionally elevated the cupboard space as much as 50GB!
Get to know Webmail — electronic mail by no means appeared this good.
Knowledgeable Providers: As a result of Typically You Simply Want A Dev
It’s 2 AM. Your shopper’s web site simply went down. What do you do? Panic? No. You name in an skilled… however there’s no want so that you can rent an costly freelancer or deliver one in-house.
We launched Knowledgeable Providers — a premium suite of companies to make your life as straightforward as ordering takeout on a Friday evening (and virtually as low cost too!), together with:
- On-Demand Improvement: For that customized function you wanted yesterday.
- Proactive Monitoring: So you’ll be able to sleep whereas we do the heavy lifting, monitoring and implementing fast fixes 24/7 in your hosted websites.
- Pace Optimization: To turbocharge your web site and ramp up your PageSpeed scores to 90+ on desktop and 75+ on cell.
- Malware Removing: Nobody desires to cope with hackers at midnight.
It’s like having a superhero squad on name all yr spherical (with out the spandex).
Don’t await a disaster — try Knowledgeable Providers.
Annual Internet hosting Plans: Candy Offers and Free Stuff? Sure, Please!
Who doesn’t love a superb deal? In 2024, we launched Annual Internet hosting Plans (excluding Quantum) that include not solely superior charges but in addition a free .com area and Webmail.
Prepared to save lots of and get free goodies? Snag your Annual Internet hosting Plan right here.
Shopper Tickets for Companies: Critically, Who Has Time to Juggle Emails, WhatsApp, SMS, and many others?
We all know you’ve been there — juggling a number of shopper requests like a performer on stilts.
Enter Shopper Tickets, our white-labeled ticketing system that helps you handle shopper inquiries like an precise professional (as a substitute of that over-caffeinated individual on their third double-shot latte).
Gone are the times of misplaced emails and forgotten requests. Now, you’ll have every part neatly organized, even whilst you’re pretending to be “busy” along with your different duties.
Get the lowdown on Shopper Tickets right here.
Damaged Backlinks Checker: Fixing the search engine marketing You Didn’t Know You Wanted
Nothing kills your search engine marketing recreation like damaged backlinks. Fortunately, we launched the Damaged Backlinks Checker to save lots of you from that search engine marketing nightmare.
It scans your web site for useless hyperlinks and allows you to repair them earlier than Google begins docking your web site’s fame. It’s like having a private search engine marketing bodyguard for each web site.
Repair Your Damaged Backlinks — and maintain your search engine marketing within the inexperienced.
Hub Pace Enhancements
Vital enhancements have been made to The Hub so your web site lists load a lot sooner than earlier than.
Right here’s an instance of the typical variety of seconds wanted to load your websites, earlier than and after 2 rounds of efficiency enhancements:
What’s Coming in 2025: The Hub’s Subsequent Chapter
We’re kicking off 2025 with some severe upgrades to The Hub that’ll make managing your WordPress empire even smoother. Right here’s what’s cooking:
Proactive Monitoring for ALL Websites
Ever wished you possibly can maintain tabs in your third-party hosted websites similar to our hosted ones? Properly, that’s precisely what we’re rolling out.
Our 24/7 monitoring service is increasing past WPMU DEV-hosted websites, so you’ll be able to catch and repair points earlier than your purchasers even discover them.
Purchasers & Billing Will get a Energy-Up
We’re supercharging the shopper administration expertise with options you’ve been asking for:
- Versatile coupon creation in your companies
- Schedule invoices for higher fee planning
- Help for a number of purchasers per web site (good for these complicated initiatives)
Hub Expertise Enhancements
The Hub itself is getting some love too. We’re engaged on:
- Centralized white-labeling controls for a extra constant model expertise
- Streamlined WP Customers Administration with Multi-user SSO
- A very redesigned Stories 2.0 system for higher insights
- E-mail-based Tickets so your purchasers can create tickets and reply to them with out even logging into The Hub
- White labeled assist by way of Tickets
- ccTLD Domains
- Hub Folders for higher group of your websites
- Notes throughout varied elements of The Hub so you’ll be able to add notes to websites, domains, webmail, and many others.
- Much more efficiency enhancements, specializing in particular person service pages
Plus, we’re placing the pedal to the steel on general Hub efficiency enhancements—as a result of no person likes ready round for pages to load.
Subsequent up, the loopy adjustments we made to internet hosting…
What Modified for our Premium Internet hosting in 2024
2024 noticed the launch of our Excessive-Frequency internet hosting plans for even higher efficiency than our supercharged common plans. which makes common internet hosting really feel soooo sloooooooowwwww. Right here’s a fast overview on the next-generation know-how behind our HF plans.
Excessive-Frequency Internet hosting: The Subsequent Technology (Gen Beta?)
Blazing-Quick 3GHz+ Intel Xeon CPUs
- Goal-built for high-performance websites
- Considerably outperforms normal 2GHz CPUs
Subsequent-Stage Storage
- NVMe SSD storage for max throughput
- Completely matched to the elevated CPU energy
- Dramatically sooner than conventional SSD storage
Unbeatable Worth
- Business-leading pricing for the efficiency
- Wonderful margins for resellers
- Prime-tier options at aggressive charges
Improve to a excessive frequency internet hosting plan in the present day.
Going World: 12 New Areas
However we didn’t cease there—we went international with 12 new areas, guaranteeing your websites are lightning-fast wherever your purchasers name dwelling (for each HF and common internet hosting plans). We added new information facilities in:
- Asia Pacific: Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Osaka, Melbourne
- Europe: Madrid, Manchester, Stockholm, Warsaw
- Center East & Africa: Tel Aviv, Johannesburg
- Americas: Mexico Metropolis, Santiago
Plus Some Neat Upgrades for the Tech-Savvy Crowd
- Customized SFTP/SSH paths — now you can specify precisely the place you need your SFTP/SSH entry
- XML-RPC blocking for enhanced safety
- PHP 8.3 assist to maintain your websites on the innovative
- Fail2ban integration with Antibot for higher safety
What’s Coming in 2025: Premium Internet hosting Will get Even Extra… Premium?
Our growth workforce is kicking off 2025 with some severe server-side enhancements.
Redirect Administration
Redirect Administration is touchdown first—a strong system that handles site visitors stream on the server degree. This implies cleaner redirects, higher search engine marketing, and a correct system to forestall these pesky 404 errors that may damage your search rankings.
The Auto Bot Pool
The Bot Pool is our reply to dealing with automated site visitors intelligently. By directing bots to a separate PHP pool, your server sources keep targeted on actual guests, main to raised Core Net Vitals scores and smoother consumer expertise.
Lightning Quick Caching
We’re taking static caching to the subsequent degree with two new options:
- Lightning Mode transforms your total web site by caching all GET requests (besides wp-admin and logged-in customers), dropping question strings, and setting prolonged cache lifetimes. Excellent for firm blogs and static websites that want blazing pace.
- Lightning Pages brings that very same energy to particular high-traffic pages like your homepage or touchdown pages, supplying you with exact management over what will get the turbo therapy.
And since we by no means cease bettering, we’re including PHP 8.4 assist and a few severe SSL enhancements… as a result of safety ought to by no means be an afterthought.
Subsequent up, our plugins!
What Modified for our Plugins in 2024
Our plugins obtained some severe positive aspects in 2024 (and so they didn’t even want a gymnasium membership).
From Forminator flexing its muscle tissue with new fee choices and cloud templates, to Smush getting even smarter about WebP optimization, every plugin in our arsenal acquired significant upgrades that make your WordPress life simpler.
Let’s dive into what every of those powerhouses dropped at the desk this yr.
Forminator: Types That Really Look Good (Lastly)
Gone are the times of boring, fundamental types. This yr Forminator embraced its inventive aspect with options that make form-building really enjoyable (sure, actually).
Cost Energy-Up
Increase your conversions with our shiny new Stripe Dynamic Cost Technique. Now your types deal with funds as easily as butter. Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, Klarna—if it’s a fee technique your prospects love, we’ve in all probability added it.
Recent Fields & Options
We didn’t cease at funds. The brand new Score area lets your customers share their ideas with model, whereas the Vary slider provides some sliding satisfaction to supply extra nuanced information capabilities.
Plus, our new Primary Fashion mode performs good along with your theme—as a result of no person likes a type that clashes with their design.
Lastly, if it’s essential whip up a type quick, our new Preset and Cloud Kind Templates have your again. And in case you’re into electronic mail advertising (who isn’t?), our MailerLite integration makes rising your checklist a breeze.
PDF Energy
Creating skilled receipts simply obtained simpler with our new PDF template system. Generate limitless PDFs out of your types and submissions—good for making your corporation look polished {and professional}.
What’s Coming in 2025 for Forminator
Subsequent yr’s going to be even higher:
- A modern new Product Area that makes promoting stuff easy
- Skilled PDF Quote templates
- Extra ready-to-roll templates (ranging from scratch is so 2024)
- New integrations beginning with Fixed Contact—as a result of your advertising instruments ought to play good collectively
Begin creating highly effective types in the present day.
Smush: Pace Meets Fashion — 2024 Version
2024 was all about making picture optimization easy. Our dev workforce took Smush’s already highly effective compression instruments and cranked them as much as eleven with some severely good updates.
WebP With out the Headache
The brand new Direct WebP technique is a game-changer. One click on and also you’re serving WebP photos to your guests — no server configuration or CDN required. It’s the type of easy we love, and your web site pace will thanks for it.
Bulk Smush Will get Buff
We fully rebuilt our Picture Optimization Engine from the bottom up. For you which means a leaner, meaner Smush that makes use of much less reminiscence whereas crushing extra photos. Your server sources can breathe straightforward whereas your photos get smaller.
What’s Coming in 2025 for Smush
We’ve obtained a TON of upgrades deliberate for Smush:
- AVIF assist is touchdown — assume WebP’s cooler cousin with even higher compression
- Good LCP Picture optimization to spice up these Core Net Vitals scores
- Video lazy loading with facades as a result of why ought to photos have all of the enjoyable?
- Automated lacking picture dimension era to fill these pesky gaps
- A recent UI that makes optimization really feel like a breeze
- Supercharged PNG compression for even smaller file sizes
- Higher stats to indicate off your optimization wins
Begin Smushing your photos right here.
Hummingbird: Efficiency That Packs a Punch
This yr Hummingbird obtained severe about maintaining your websites blazing quick with updates that matter. We ditched the previous metrics and embraced the way forward for efficiency measurement — staying present isn’t simply good, it’s obligatory.
Pace Necessities
Efficiency testing obtained a serious refresh. We’ve added INP (Interplay to Subsequent Paint) whereas saying goodbye to FID and TTI. It’s not nearly maintaining with Google — it’s about supplying you with the metrics that really matter in your web site’s success.
Cellular Magic
Cellular optimization leveled up with separate cache preloading, mobile-specific Crucial CSS, and smarter viewport meta dealing with, in addition to font optimization. We additionally boosted Crucial CSS throughout the board with delay-until-interaction for above-the-fold content material. The consequence? Main positive aspects for cell customers.
Good Controls
Acquired particular efficiency wants? Our new granular controls for Delay JS and Crucial CSS allow you to fine-tune precisely what will get optimized. Goal particular recordsdata, put up varieties, put up URLS, plugins, themes and key phrases.
Plus, we optimized the Autoloader to chop down database queries — as a result of each millisecond counts.
What’s Coming in 2025 for Hummingbird
Hummingbird is ready to take flight in 2025:
- Asset optimization is getting a serious overhaul for sooner, smarter, safer enhancements
- Zero cache downtime to maintain your hit charges excessive
- Font subsetting for lightning-fast textual content loading
- Speculative hyperlink preloading for immediate web site navigation
- World Protected mode to preview optimizations earlier than they go dwell
Expertise Hummingbird’s efficiency for your self right here.
Defender: Safety that By no means Sleeps
Safety isn’t nearly blocking dangerous guys — it’s about being good with how we shield your websites. This yr, Defender stepped up its recreation with some severe safety muscle.
Malware Detection 2.0
Our scanning engine obtained a serious improve. Now Defender dives deep into your web site’s root listing, catching nasty code that different scanners would possibly miss. We’ve additionally fine-tuned our malware detection guidelines to remain forward of evolving threats.
Good IP Safety
Say goodbye to IP detection guesswork. Defender’s Good IP Detection is your final safety gatekeeper, utilizing probably the most safe and dependable technique to establish customers’ IP addresses. It’s designed to dam dangerous actors whereas guaranteeing actual customers and admins sail by way of with out a hitch. Suitable with most websites and a professional at stopping spoofing — as a result of your web site deserves nothing much less.
Self-Service Safety
And in case you do handle to get locked out, we added the tremendous handy “Unlock Me” function. Admins can now confirm their id by way of electronic mail and get again to work with out ready for assist. No extra locking the door and leaving the keys inside!
What’s Coming in 2025 for Defender
Prepare for some HUGE upgrades for Defender together with:
- AntiBot World Firewall — tapping into safety intelligence from 500,000+ websites to dam malicious IPs robotically
- Superior Malware Scanner that goes past core recordsdata and checks JavaScript recordsdata and database tables (as a result of everyone knows malware loves to cover in surprising locations)
- Consumer Session Administration to guard in opposition to stolen session cookies and maintain shopping classes safe
Cowl your websites with final protection in opposition to any assault.
Hyperlink Checker: Breaking Up with Damaged Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks are the highways of your web site, and this yr we made positive they’re smoother than ever. Our workforce rolled out some good updates that make discovering and fixing damaged hyperlinks really feel much less like a chore and extra like a superpower.
Cloud Connection Made Easy
No extra Dashboard plugin required — join straight to BLC Cloud from The Hub. It’s like taking the scenic route and discovering a shortcut you by no means knew existed.
Question Parameter Scanning
These tough URLs with question parameters? Yeah, we scan these now. BLC Cloud leaves no URL unturned, ensuring each nook of your web site stays related.
Backlink Magic
Introducing our “Damaged Backlink Checker”! Now yow will discover and repair useless backlinks that may be hurting your search engine marketing juice. As a result of good search engine marketing isn’t nearly what’s in your web site — it’s about who’s linking to you too.
Cleaner Stories
We heard you about these ignored hyperlinks cluttering up your studies. Now you’ll be able to disguise them and give attention to the hyperlinks that really want your consideration.
What’s Coming in 2025 for Hyperlink Checker
We’ve obtained a pair little (however highly effective) tweaks arising:
- Bulk actions to edit, unlink, and ignore damaged hyperlinks in a single go
- Superior URL exclusions for extra exact hyperlink monitoring
- Fewer false positives for much more dependable outcomes
Test your hyperlinks now with one click on.
Snapshot: Backups That Really Have Your Again
No one will get enthusiastic about backups till they want one. That’s why we made Snapshot smarter about the way it protects your web site information, with options that work earlier than you understand you want them.
Pre-Backup Intelligence
The brand new Preflight Test is like having a co-pilot in your backups. It scans your server sources, giant recordsdata, and database tables earlier than takeoff, ensuring your backup journey goes easily.
Selective Restore Energy
Typically you simply want to revive one piece of the puzzle. Now you’ll be able to obtain and restore your database or recordsdata individually — no want to revive every part while you solely want a portion.
For multisite customers, we’ve added the power to revive particular person subsites from a full backup.
Cloud Storage Choices
Azure joined our backup vacation spot household this yr. Extra choices imply extra methods to maintain your backups secure and sound.
What’s Coming in 2025 for Snapshot
We’re increasing our cloud storage horizons with iDrive and Cloudflare R2 as new S3-compatible locations — as a result of your backups deserve choices.
By no means get caught out once more — maintain your backups automated!
And that’s a wrap, of us!
Phew. We made it by way of one other wild experience of a yr.
Thanks for being a part of the WPMU DEV household and for all of your superb suggestions, bug studies (we see you!), and love for our platform. We will’t wait to make 2025 even higher, sooner, and just a bit bit wilder.
Right here’s to 2025 from WPMU DEV — the place internet hosting is rarely boring, and shopper tickets get sorted sooner than your New 12 months’s resolutions!
Tell us within the feedback what upgrades you’re most enthusiastic about!
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