Month: October 2023

Improve your website’s performance with twice the SSD storage and a ten times increase in bandwidth.

Increased bandwidth and solid-state drive storage capacity, along with unlimited visitor access! WPMU DEV’s managed hosting service for WordPress now offers all the resources necessary to expand your business to new levels of success.

Let’s keep this concise and to the point, as there is much to absorb.

We have implemented substantial updates to our highly acclaimed hosting services, and we are confident you will be pleased with the improvements.

  • Increased Bandwidth Limit
  • Increased Solid State Drive Storage Capacity (plus even more!)
  • Removed Visitors Limit

Let’s get right into it…

Increased Bandwidth Limit

We have increased the bandwidth on all hosting plans by a whopping 10X.

The Bronze plan’s previous bandwidth limit of 1TB has been increased to 10TB.

Do you have any sites hosted on our Silver, Gold or higher plans?

The old 2.5TB, 10TB and higher bandwidth limits have been automatically bumped too, so Silver is now 25TB, Gold is now 100TB, Platinum is now…well, you get the picture – everything is now 10X!

WPMU DEV Hosting Plans
Our hosting plans now offer 10 times more bandwidth.

Here’s another upgrade that’ll make you want to immediately jump on the bandwidth wagon…

Doubled SSD Storage Space (and then some!)

Every site hosted on WPMU DEV’s Managed WordPress hosting is created on a highly configured Virtual Private Server with dedicated resources and storage space.

We understand the importance of SSD storage to you, thus we have doubled or more the SSD storage capacity on the following selected plans:

  • Silver = 65GB (old=25GB)
  • Gold = 160GB (old=60GB)
  • Platinum = 320GB (old=155GB)
  • Titanium = 1,280GB (old=640GB)
  • Palladium = 1,600GB (old=640GB)

Great news…we have also increased the storage space on all existing sites currently hosted on the above-listed plans by 2x…at no additional cost!

Removed Visitors Limit

Farewell to our previous hosting packages that had limited bandwidth and restrictions on the number of visitors, and welcome the new plans that offer unlimited visitor access!

Old hosting pricing table - WPMU DEV
No more estimated visits…WPMU DEV hosted sites now handle unlimited visitors!

There’s Never Been a Better Time To Host With WPMU DEV

With increased bandwidth, at least double the SSD storage capacity on nearly all hosting packages, and no limit on website traffic, there has never been a better opportunity to switch to WPMU DEV hosting. These recent enhancements make it an even more attractive option.

Check out everything that our hosting plans include. Even better, become an Agency member and get access to everything we make available, including hosting from just $4/mth and $144 free annual credit for even bigger savings.

If you currently have WordPress sites hosted with another provider, reach out to us today to find out more about our complete hosting buyout, which includes complimentary professional site migration.

In today’s digital age, having a website is essential for businesses and individuals alike. However, simply having a website is not enough. It needs to perform well to attract and retain visitors, and ultimately drive conversions. One way to enhance your website’s performance is by investing in double SSD storage and a tenfold bandwidth increase.

SSD stands for solid-state drive, which is a type of storage device that uses flash memory to store data. Unlike traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), SSDs have no moving parts, which makes them faster, more reliable, and more energy-efficient. By doubling your website’s SSD storage, you can significantly improve its speed and responsiveness. This is because SSDs can read and write data much faster than HDDs, which means your website will load quicker and be able to handle more traffic without slowing down.

Another way to boost your website’s performance is by increasing its bandwidth. Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be transferred between your website and its visitors in a given amount of time. By increasing your website’s bandwidth tenfold, you can accommodate more visitors and handle larger amounts of data without experiencing any lag or downtime. This is especially important if your website has high-resolution images, videos, or other media that require a lot of bandwidth to load.

Investing in double SSD storage and a tenfold bandwidth increase can also improve your website’s search engine rankings. Search engines like Google take website speed and performance into account when ranking websites in search results. By enhancing your website’s performance, you can improve its visibility and attract more organic traffic.

In conclusion, if you want to enhance your website’s performance, consider investing in double SSD storage and a tenfold bandwidth increase. These upgrades can significantly improve your website’s speed, reliability, and overall user experience, which can lead to increased traffic, engagement, and conversions.

Read More

“Enhance Targeting of Visitors to Your Website with SmartCrawl’s Geolocation Redirects”

No one likes to be given the runaround…especially potential customers looking to buy from you! Learn how to use SmartCrawl‘s Location-Based Redirects to automatically send your site visitors to the right place based on their location.

If you run a simple site, you can easily direct visitors to different sections of your site using elements like navigation menus, breadcrumbs, keyword linking, and hyperlinks, to name a few.

But… what if you run global or multilingual sites where visitors need to be directed to pages based on their location or language?

Not a problem!

SmartCrawl Pro (our smart and powerful SEO plugin) comes with a powerful built-in URL redirection tool that lets you automatically redirect traffic from one URL to another. This is great if you have changed a page’s URL and wish to keep traffic flowing to the new page.

The plugin’s new Location-Based Redirects feature now extends the power of URL redirections by also letting you easily direct your website visitors to specific pages based on their location.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to use SmartCrawl’s new geolocation features:

  • Why Use Location-Based Redirects?
  • Instructions for Implementing Geographical Redirects
  • Smart Post and Page Selection for Redirects

Let’s jump right in…

Reasons for Utilizing Location-Based Redirects

Geolocation-based URL redirects can be a powerful tool for website owners to enhance user experience and improve their online business.

Before we look at how to set up location-based redirects on your site, let’s look at several practical examples of why you would want to use geolocation with URL redirections:

Multilingual Content

If you have different versions of your website set up for different languages, you can use geolocation to automatically redirect visitors to the appropriate language version of your site. For instance, you can redirect users from France to the French version of your site, while sending visitors from Spain to the Spanish version.

Geo-Specific Landing Pages

Geolocation can boost in-person visits to your business by guiding customers to the closest location of your store or office if you have several physical locations.

Content Localization

Do you run a news-based website? Use Geolocation to redirect users to local news or content relevant to their region and enhance engagement.

Load Balancing

Websites with multiple server locations can use geolocation to redirect users to the server nearest to them. This helps to reduce page load times and improve site performance.

Legal Compliance

Make sure you are following all local legal requirements and rules. For example, if someone from the European Union visits your website, you can send them to a page where they can agree to the GDPR guidelines.

Event Promotion

If you manage an event portal website, you can increase attendance at events by automatically redirecting users to pages about local events, seminars, or conferences happening in their region.

Targeted Ad Campaigns

Use geolocation redirects to show different advertisements based on the user’s location, ensuring that your ads are more relevant and effective.

The above are just some examples of how geolocation-based URL redirects can improve user experience, increase engagement, and drive business growth by delivering personalized, location-specific content and services.

Now that we have looked at why you should use location-based redirects, let’s look at how to set these up using SmartCrawl.

How To Set Up Location-Based Redirects

With SmartCrawl, you can now add Geolocation-based rules to URL redirects to ensure that your users see the most relevant content based on their locations.

Please note that this feature is exclusive to SmartCrawl Pro. If you are using the free version of SmartCrawl, consider upgrading to the Pro version by becoming a member.

To do this, go to SmartCrawl Pro’s Advanced Tools section and click on the URL Redirection tab.

SmartCrawl - Advanced Tools: URL Redirection
Set up location-based URL redirects in SmartCrawl’s Advanced Tools section.

Click on the Add Redirect button to access the Location Rules feature

SmartCrawl - Add Redirect
Set up location rules in the Add Redirect screen.

Note: To use SmartCrawl’s location-based redirection you will need access to Maxmind’s GeoLite2 Database. See our documentation section for step-by-step details on how to set up and configure a free Maxmind account.

Maxmind Geolite Signup Form
Sign up for a free Maxmind account to access the geolocation database.

After signing up for your account, enter your license key into SmartCrawl’s Location-based Rules settings to activate the feature.

SmartCrawl Location-based Rules settings
SmartCrawl Location-based Rules settings

Once the geolocation feature has been activated, SmartCrawl will automatically fetch the latest data from GeoLite2 each week.

With the license activated, you can now set up location rules by going to Advanced Tools > URL Redirection > Add Redirect > Location Rules and clicking on + Add Rule.

SmartCrawl Add Redirect Rules
Click on + Add Rule to set up location rules.

In the Location Rules screen, choose whether to set up From or Not From rules to either include or exclude locations and specify the URL to redirect visitors.

SmartCrawl Location Rules - Countries
SmartCrawl Location Rules – Countries

The From and Not From options allow you to set up very specific redirects.

Notes:

  • SmartCrawl currently allows you to set up location rules for countries only. Future plugin updates will include more granular options.
  • The feature follows a “top-to-bottom” order of processing rules, so rules at the top of the list are processed first before the next item below it, and so on.
SmartCrawl Location Rules - From/Not From options
SmartCrawl Location Rules – From/Not From options

The location-based redirects you set up will display in the URL Redirection table with a “globe” icon for easy identification. (Tip: Hover over the global icon to view the options you have set up.)

SmartCrawl URL Redirection list
Location-based redirects display with a globe icon.

To edit or delete your redirects, click on the gear icon next to the item.

Edit redirects.
Easily edit or delete your redirects.

Smart Post and Page Selection For Redirects

Another new and useful feature of SmartCrawl is smart post and page redirects.

Previous versions of the plugin included only a New URL field for adding destination URLs for redirection…

SmartCrawl pre-version 3.8 Add Redirect screen.
SmartCrawl’s Redirect tool prior to version 3.8.

From SmartCrawl version 3.8 onward, in addition to the new Location Rules tab described earlier, you will find that the Advanced redirection section (which includes labels and Regex options) has been moved to its own tab, and two additional Redirect To options have been added to the URL field: Post and Page.

SmartCrawl's post-version 3.8 Add Redirect screen.
SmartCrawl’s post-version 3.8 Add Redirect screen with smart Post and Page selection.

The Smart Post and Page selection tabs allow you to create redirections to existing posts or pages on your site more easily.

Simply start typing in a keyword and SmartCrawl will bring up a list of posts or pages from your site that you can select and redirect visitors to.

SmartCrawl Smart Post and Pages feature.
Start typing a keyword to see all the existing posts and pages you can redirect visitors to.

With this time-saving feature, you don’t have to search your site then copy and paste destination URLs…SmartCrawl’s smart engine will do the searching for you.

After selecting a post or page in the Redirect To field, select a Redirect Type from the drop-down menu, then click on the Apply Redirect button.

SmartCrawl - Smart Page redirect
Redirecting visitors is now faster and easier in SmartCrawl.

Coming Soon…New Features and Improvements

SmartCrawl is the only plugin you need to automate all of your WordPress SEO needs and it just keeps getting better.

Future versions of SmartCrawl’s URL Redirection tool will include new features and improvements like:

  • New redirections types (e.g. 307 Temporary Redirect, 410 Content Deleted, 451 Content Unavailable for Legal Reasons)
  • Automated notifications to create a redirection when a post is deleted or drafted
  • Bulk editing/deleting redirects.
SmartCrawl - Advanced Tools
Stop telling everyone where to go…send them there instead with SmartCrawl’s Location-Based Redirects!

WPMU DEV members get access to everything, including all of our Pro plugins. If you need help setting up URL redirections, check out SmartCrawl’s documentation or reach out to our 24/7 expert support team.

In today’s digital age, businesses are constantly looking for ways to improve their online presence and attract more visitors to their websites. One effective way to do this is by using location-based redirects, a feature offered by SmartCrawl, a popular SEO plugin for WordPress websites.

Location-based redirects allow website owners to target visitors based on their geographic location. This means that when a visitor from a specific region or country visits your website, they can be automatically redirected to a page that is tailored to their location. This can be incredibly useful for businesses that operate in multiple regions or countries, as it allows them to provide a more personalized experience for their visitors.

For example, if you have a website that sells products in both the United States and Canada, you can use location-based redirects to send visitors from the US to a page with prices in US dollars, and visitors from Canada to a page with prices in Canadian dollars. This not only improves the user experience but also increases the likelihood of a sale, as visitors are more likely to make a purchase when they see prices in their own currency.

SmartCrawl’s location-based redirects are easy to set up and can be customized to fit your specific needs. You can choose to redirect visitors based on their country, region, or even city. You can also set up multiple redirects for different locations, so you can target visitors from all over the world.

In addition to improving the user experience, location-based redirects can also help with SEO. By directing visitors to pages that are relevant to their location, you can improve your website’s search engine rankings for location-specific keywords. This can help you attract more organic traffic and increase your website’s visibility in search engine results pages.

Overall, SmartCrawl’s location-based redirects are a powerful tool for improving website visitor targeting. By providing a more personalized experience for visitors and improving your website’s SEO, you can attract more visitors and increase your chances of making a sale. If you’re looking to improve your website’s performance, consider using SmartCrawl’s location-based redirects.

Read More

“Manual on Establishing a Resale Enterprise for Agencies, Website Creators, and Independent Contractors”

WPMU DEV’s Reseller is an end-to-end platform to sell hosting, domains, templates, SEO, and more through your own white-label portal, on your own domain. Learn how to easily set up automated Reseller for your business in this step-by-step guide.

WPMU DEV Reseller
Reseller lets you white label and resell everything WPMU DEV!

Offering white label and reseller services such as web hosting and domains can be a profitable way to add extra and automated recurring income to your business if you specialize in web development, web design, or digital marketing.

WPMU DEV’s Reseller platform provides end-to-end automated white label deployment and billing for reselling services and is exclusive to Agency members.

Are you not a member of the WPMU DEV Agency? Find out more about our top-tier, priority access plan by clicking here.

This beginner’s guide will walk you through the steps of configuring Reseller within your Agency account using your main WordPress site management tool, The Hub.

Watch the video below for a quick overview and use the jump links for step-by-step instructions on setting up Reseller.

You will learn:

  • How To Get Started with Reseller
  • Establishing Your Reseller Account
    • Step 1) Set Up Client Billing and Invoicing
    • Step 2) Create Your Reseller Products
    • Step 3) Set Up Your White Label Client Portal
    • Step 4) Integrate Reseller with Your Site
  • Your Clients’ Onboarding Experience With Reseller

Getting Started with Reseller

For some time, it has been possible to resell and white label WPMU DEV hosting.

Reseller provides agencies and WordPress professionals with a complete suite of tools to generate recurring revenue without managing servers, dealing with downtime and other technical issues, or having to manually onboard customers.

Reseller also brings all the moving parts below seamlessly together to create an effortless and fully-automated reseller experience:

  • White label client billing, invoicing, and management
  • Reseller products, including hosting, domains (coming soon!), site templates, premium plugins, etc.
  • White label client portal
  • White label client reports
  • Client support with customizable branding (coming soon!)

Additionally, you can add your own products and services to the mix like SEO, PPC, and more, giving you unlimited flexibility.

Simply set up Reseller to suit your business model and brand it all as your own. WPMU DEV’s all-in-one platform will run, maintain, and support everything, leaving you free to grow your business and focus exclusively on your clients.

Setting Up Your Reseller Account

Ensure that you have established a Stripe account before beginning the Reseller setup process.

Stripe is the default payment processor for our integrated Clients & Billing client management tool and you will need this to invoice your clients and get paid.

Got your Stripe account? Great! Then log into The Hub and click on the Reseller tab in the top menu.

The Hub - Reseller tab
Begin the setup process by clicking on the Reseller tab in The Hub.

We recommend watching the “get started” video and following the checklist for the fastest and easiest way to set up Reseller.

The Hub - Reseller Wizard
Setting up Reseller is simple…just follow the checklist!

There are four main steps involved in setting up Reseller, so let’s go through these now:

First step: Establish a system for billing and invoicing clients.

The Hub’s Client Billing and Management portal is an incredibly easy-to-use, built-in billing management platform that lets you create and sell product and service packages to your clients, process payments, set up custom plans, recurring subscriptions, branded invoices, and invite clients directly from your Hub or Hub Client plugin installed on your own site.

A screen showing our clients and billing interface
Clients & Billing provides all the tools you need to easily manage your clients in one place.

The process of establishing Clients & Billing consists of two stages.

  1. Connect your Stripe account to Clients & Billing.
  2. Configure Clients & Billing to set up your business profile and preferences (e.g. billing currency) and add your own branding to everything, including your emails, invoices, etc.

Should you require assistance with this stage, click on the above links and follow our guides or consult the Clients & Billing documentation for further details.

Step 2) Create Your Reseller Products

Once you’ve decided what packages to offer (we give you a ton of different options for add-ons, services, and upgrades) and Client Billing has been set up and configured, the next step is to create and add the products and services you plan to resell to your clients.

Adding new products, creating plans that link to our hosting options, and determining their pricing is a straightforward process.

Click on the Reseller tab in The Hub’s main menu and you will see additional tabs inside this screen that allow you to create white label reseller hosting products, and domain reselling (coming very soon!).

The Hub: Reseller main screen
Configure your white label resell products and settings in the main Reseller panel.

In this section, you will also find a tab for global settings, as well as links for reporting problems and providing feedback, and the Reseller Setup Guide.

Reseller settings
Configure global settings for Reseller in The Hub.

Let’s go through an example and create a hosting reseller product using Reseller’s product setup wizard so you can see how easy this is.

Select the Hosting Reseller tab and choose the Add New Product option to open the initial screen of the Product Setup wizard.

The Hub - Hosting Reseller Tab
Set up your whitelabel hosting products in the Hosting Reseller section.

Product Setup

The product info you enter here (i.e. product name, image, description, and features list) will be added to the pricing table made visible to your clients, so it’s important to fill this in correctly.

Enter your product info and click ‘Next’ to continue.

Create Hosting Reseller Product wizard - Product Setup screen.
Enter the information about your new product that you want customers to see in the Product Setup screen.

Reseller Configurations

Next, configure your product by selecting the hosting plan you will resell as your own.

Create Hosting Reseller Product wizard - Reseller Configurations screen.
Configure your hosting product settings.

Note: With each product that you create, you can also specify additional customization options.

These include:

WordPress User Role

Select the user role you would like to assign to clients when this product is purchased.

Reseller lets you choose from various roles, including Super Admin (for managing Multisite site templates). This is useful if you don’t want users to have complete control of all WordPress functions on their newly purchased site.

So, if you want to restrict users from being able to install plugins and themes on their site, for example, you can associate a hosting plan with the role of Editor or a role with even less permissions (e.g. Author, Contributor, Subscriber).

Hosting Product - User Role
Associate user roles with each hosting product you create.

Client Role

You can choose to keep the default client role as set in The Hub > Reseller > Settings or change the client role after the product has been purchased.

Hosting Reseller - Client Role Settings
Configure the client role behavior for each of your hosting reseller products.

Note: Client Role is different from the WordPress User Role set above and affects access to features in The Hub.

Learn more about Client Roles.

Site Templates

Under the Site Templates setting, you have the option of allowing clients to choose a site template, forcing a selected template on new sites, or disabling templates.

Hosting Reseller - Site Templates
Enable or disable site templates for your hosting products.

If template-based options are selected, you can then choose to use your own client site template(s), and/or any of the pre-configured site templates from our library.

Website template library
A sample of the site templates you can offer your clients.

Reseller Tip: Site templates allow you to sell fully white-labeled websites to your clients. To do this, simply create custom templates from one or more white-labeled sites in your account (Hub > Site Templates > Create Template), then make only those templates available to your clients.

The Hub - Custom Template
Create white label sites with custom templates.

Learn more about site template options.

Auto Suspension

With Reseller, you’ll never lose sleep over unpaid client invoices!

Reseller lets you configure whether or not to automatically suspend sites if an invoice has not been paid after a specified number of days. You can also disable the option altogether, and specify whether or not to automatically unsuspend sites when pending invoices are paid.

Hosting Reseller - Auto Suspension
Reseller can automatically suspend sites with unpaid invoices.

Learn more about Auto Suspension.

Auto Deletion

As an additional feature of its powerful automation capabilities, Reseller gives you the option of automatically deleting sites with unpaid invoices.

Hosting Reseller - Auto Deletion
Reseller can automatically delete unpaid sites…or not! You decide.

You can choose to not auto delete sites, or delete them where invoices remain unpaid after a specific time period set by you.

Note that the number of days you specify to trigger auto deletion must be greater than the number of days you have set for auto suspension to take effect.

Hosting Reseller - Auto Deletion
If the client has not paid their invoice after a grace period, Reseller can automatically delete their site. No pay…bye bye!

Learn more about Auto Deletion.

Pricing

The last step is to set up your hosting product’s pricing.

The Pricing screen allows you to create different plans, set your subscription terms, and charge whatever amount you want on top of your wholesale purchase pricing.

Click the Continue button when done to create your product.

Create Hosting Reseller Product wizard - Pricing screen.
Set up pricing variations for your hosting product.

Your first hosting product is now done and the product details will display in your Hosting Reseller screen.

Hosting Reseller screen with product added.
Congratulations…your first hosting reseller product is ready!

After adding a product, you can perform additional functions such as viewing or editing it, add a pricing plan, duplicate it to easily create a new product variation, and even archive it if it’s no longer being used.

Hosting Reseller - Product Options
Click on the ellipsis to view additional options.

Rinse and repeat the above steps by clicking on the Add New Product button to continue adding all of the hosting products you plan to resell.

An example of some newly created hosting reseller products and plans
Add your products, create bundled plans, and set your pricing/subscription terms.

If you need help with this step, see our documentation.

Step 3) Set Up Your White Label Client Portal

This is where all the magic happens for your clients.

The client portal is your white labeled branded version of our Hub site management interface. It’s powered by The Hub Client plugin, which is needed for Reseller and included with the Agency membership, and runs on your own WordPress website on your own domain.

It’s your dedicated portal where clients will sign-in when they buy from you to manage their account details, pay you, and purchase services including hosting and more, directly from your site…all fully controlled and customized by you.

A screen showing a branded portal login
Create a branded portal where clients can log in and manage their sites.

Portal creation is instant as it’s a copy of your existing Hub interface, and there are numerous design, branding, and customization options.

Setting up a white-labeled client portal will enable your clients to not only manage their subscriptions and invoices, but also purchase reseller products directly from you and automatically create sites hosted with WPMU DEV.

Fully branded Client portal
Client’s view of your branded hub.

You have complete control over setting up your clients’ experience in the portal.

To set up a client portal with your own branding, simply install and activate The Hub Client plugin on your site, configure settings for branding, navigation, login, and signup, and add the products you created in the previous step.

For detailed instructions on installing and using the plugin refer to The Hub Client plugin documentation.

Step 4) Integrate Reseller With Your Site

The final step to complete the automation process is to activate and set up Reseller on your client portal with information about your products and services.

To do this, make sure you have installed The Hub Client plugin on your site, then go to “The Hub Client > Reseller” page and activate Hosting Reseller.

Hub Client - Activate Reseller
Activate Reseller in The Hub Client

Next, add/import the products you created in Step 2 into The Hub Client by clicking either on the Add Product or Import all products buttons.

Note: Editing products in The Hub will automatically update the information in your pricing tables for existing products, so you won’t need to reimport the product in The Hub Client.

Hub Client plugin - Add products
Add or import your resell products into The Hub Client.

Clicking on the Add Product button allows you to select a product and pricing variations, and configure visibility settings for its pricing table.

The Hub Client: Add Product
And a product and configure its pricing and visibility options.

Alternatively, you can import all products you have created in The Hub by clicking on the Import all products button…

Hub Client: Import products into Reseller
Import your products into Reseller.

After importing, a table will display information about each of your added products.

Note: If you have not added any products, you will see the option to add a product or import all products below the Hosting Products table. After adding a product, the Import all products button will be replaced with the Customize pricing table button.

Hub Client: Hosting Reseller Products Table
Hosting Products table

Click on the down arrow to view more details about each product (or click on the up arrow to hide this information).

Hub Client - Hosting Reseller table options
Click on the up/down arrows to expand or hide product information.

After adding your products, click on the Customize pricing table button to create and customize a pricing table with your Hosting Reseller products to match your site and brand.

Customize reseller products pricing table.
Customize your pricing table to match your own branding.

Note: An alternative option to using The Hub Client’s pricing table is to copy and add checkout links generated by Reseller to your existing setup where you’d like customers to purchase your products.

A screen showing the option for selecting a checkout link which can be easily added to your existing setup.
Don’t want to use the pricing table? No problem…add a checkout link to your site instead.

Once your billing, products, and portal are ready, you can easily embed your new products and pricing table on your site via shortcode or Gutenberg block where clients can access the information and purchase your products and services.

A preview of what your custom pricing plans will look like
Easily embed pricing plans on your site/portal or connect to your existing setup.

You’re now ready to resell WPMU DEV!

Your Clients’ Onboarding Experience With Reseller

Now that you know how to set up Reseller, let’s take a look at the ‘turn-key’ client onboarding experience:

A new user selects a hosting plan from your site…

An example of a live pricing table set up as a result of using our Reseller hosting
Your pricing table is live and ready for new clients to buy.

They’ll create a new account and log in to your portal…

A screen showing where the client will sign in to your portal
Secure and easy account sign-in for your new customers.

Then create a site, choose a template, set up site credentials, server location, and securely check out…

A look inside the client portal where they can create a new site
The site setup process for new clients is super simple.

Your clients can easily create a new site with or without templates, depending on how you have configured your product packages…

A preview of what it looks like when a user chooses a site template
Have clients choose one of your templates, or one of our 27 pre-configured options.

The client will be presented with your fully-branded payment screen as the last step of the process. Once payment is made, their site will then be automatically created.

A screen showing what the final checkout will look like for a client
Clients can securely purchase your hosting products via your own branded checkout.

After payment is successfully processed, Reseller will do its magic and create a brand new, fully configured site on an optimized hosting plan in just a few minutes.

Once the site is done, your clients will then have immediate access to their sites, via your client portal.

A screen showing the clients new site loading up
Your client’s site will be ready faster than you can spell instant gratification.

It’s all 100% automated, white-labeled under your own brand, and completely hands-off if you want it to be.

Welcome to your new WPMU DEV reseller business!

Want Ka-Ching? Then Reseller’s Your Thing!

As mentioned earlier, Reseller is only available with our Agency plan, which includes unlimited site licenses and tools, Pro plugin suite, free yearly hosting credit, and exclusive access to our lowest hosting prices. The plan also includes a full 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it completely risk-free today.

Become a WPMU DEV Reseller today and start automating your existing agency setup, or tap into a wealth of potential new revenue streams selling niche hosting services.

If you are already an Agency member, what are you waiting for? Jump in, take a look, and get started right now.

Also, watch this space, we have big plans to continue building additional ways (and improving) how our platform can help WordPress professionals drive recurring revenue without the hassle.

PS: Domain reseller automation is up next! Adding yet another source of income to your business, and value to your clients.

Starting a reseller business can be a lucrative opportunity for agencies, web developers, and freelancers looking to expand their offerings and increase their revenue streams. A reseller business allows you to sell products or services from another company as if they were your own, often at a discounted rate. This guide will provide you with the necessary steps to set up a successful reseller business.

Step 1: Choose the Right Product or Service
The first step in setting up a reseller business is to choose the right product or service to sell. Consider your target market and what they need. For example, if you are a web developer, you may want to resell hosting services or website templates. If you are an agency, you may want to resell marketing tools or software. Make sure the product or service you choose aligns with your existing offerings and adds value to your customers.

Step 2: Find a Reliable Supplier
Once you have chosen the product or service you want to resell, you need to find a reliable supplier. Look for a supplier that offers high-quality products or services, competitive pricing, and excellent customer support. You want to ensure that your customers will be satisfied with their purchase, so it’s important to choose a supplier that you can trust.

Step 3: Set Up Your Reseller Account
After finding a supplier, you will need to set up a reseller account with them. This typically involves filling out an application and providing information about your business. Some suppliers may require you to purchase a certain amount of product upfront, while others may offer a pay-as-you-go model. Make sure you understand the terms and conditions of the reseller agreement before signing up.

Step 4: Create a Pricing Strategy
Once you have your reseller account set up, you need to create a pricing strategy. You want to make sure you are making a profit while still offering competitive pricing to your customers. Consider the cost of the product or service, your overhead expenses, and the value you are providing to your customers when setting your prices.

Step 5: Market Your Reseller Business
Now that you have everything set up, it’s time to start marketing your reseller business. Use your existing channels, such as your website, social media, and email list, to promote your new offerings. Consider offering special promotions or discounts to entice customers to try out your new products or services.

Step 6: Provide Excellent Customer Service
Finally, make sure you provide excellent customer service to your reseller customers. This includes responding promptly to inquiries, addressing any issues that arise, and providing ongoing support. Happy customers are more likely to become repeat customers and refer others to your business.

In conclusion, setting up a reseller business can be a great way for agencies, web developers, and freelancers to expand their offerings and increase their revenue. By following these steps, you can set up a successful reseller business that provides value to your customers and helps grow your business.

Read More

“The latest feature in Hummingbird, known as Critical CSS, improves the speed of WordPress websites”

The highly anticipated Critical CSS feature from Hummingbird will lead to quicker page load times and improved performance for WordPress websites. Say goodbye to render-blocking resources, here’s why they are no longer an issue…

Hummingbird Optimization - Before and After Results
Improve your website’s speed and performance on Google’s PageSpeed by utilizing Hummingbird’s Critical CSS feature.

It is essential to recognize the impact of CSS on website performance and the significance of optimizing page loading speed through a technique called Critical CSS if you want to keep visitors on your website for more than a brief moment.

In this piece, we will be discussing the subsequent subjects:

  • What is Critical CSS and How Does it Improve Performance?
  • How To Optimize WordPress Using Hummingbird’s Critical CSS Feature
  • Hummingbird’s Critical CSS is Compatible with Everything WordPress

Let’s dive in…

What is Critical CSS and How Does it Improve Performance?

When users arrive on a website, all they can see initially is the content displayed on their screen before scrolling.

This region is known as “above the fold.”

Image explaining above and below the fold.
All site visitors see at first is the content above the fold.

Positive user experience can be measured by how quickly users perceive content to load on a web page. The faster a page loads (or is perceived by the user as loading quickly), the better the user experience. Conversely, the slower the page loads (or is perceived by the user to load slowly), the poorer the experience.

It is logical to prioritize the loading speed of the content that is visible to the visitor before they begin scrolling down, as this is the first thing they see upon arriving on a page.

Critical CSS (also known as Critical Path CSS or Critical CSS Rendering Path) is a technique that extracts the bare minimum CSS required to render content above-the-fold as quickly as possible to the user.

While the user viewing the above-the-fold content perceives the page to be loading quickly, the rest of the CSS can load, and user experience is not impacted.

Methods such as lazy loading images, postponing the execution of JavaScript, and prioritizing critical CSS are all strategies to enhance the order in which the browser processes the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to display them as pixels on the screen.

This sequence is referred to as the Critical Rendering Path (CRP) and includes the Document Object Model (DOM), CSS Object Model (CSSOM), render tree, and layout.

Optimizing the critical render path improves render performance.

Benefits of using Critical CSS.

Critical CSS can improve site performance through:

  • Faster initial rendering
  • Improved user experience
  • Better SEO performance
  • Reduced page weight
  • Simplified maintenance
  • Progressive enhancement
  • Positive impact on Core Web Vitals (especially First Contentful Paint and Speed Index)
  • Higher PageSpeed Insights scores

Note: The content displayed above-the-fold on page-load before scrolling will differ depending on the device and screen size being used to view web pages. For this reason, there is no universally defined pixel height of what can be considered above-the-fold content.

Implementing Critical CSS

So you’ve run your site through the PageSpeed Insights tool and the report recommends eliminating render-blocking resources.

Now what? How do you actually implement the recommendations?

You have the option to manually correct issues (which can be laborious, slow, and not advised), utilize web development tools (if you possess the necessary technical expertise), or employ a WordPress plugin such as Hummingbird to automatically detect, tackle, and fix any problems.

We recommend using the plugin method. It’s the quickest and smartest option to get the job done.

While Critical CSS refers mostly to above-the-fold CSS, Hummingbird can extract and inline all used CSS on the page, while delaying/removing the rest.

Hummingbird not only addresses issues with render-blocking and unused CSS for complete page optimization, but it also takes care of optimization above the fold by removing render-blocking resources through features such as Critical CSS (refer to the section below), Delaying JavaScript Execution for JavaScript assets, and other factors that impact Core Web Vitals outcomes on WordPress websites.

How To Optimize WordPress Using Hummingbird’s Critical CSS feature

Note: Critical CSS is a Pro feature, so make sure you have Hummingbird Pro installed on your site.

Here are the instructions for maximizing the advantages of Hummingbird’s latest critical CSS functionality.

First, start by running a performance test.

Hummingbird - Start Performance Test
Start optimizing your site with Hummingbird by running a performance test.

Ensure you record the initial findings so that you can contrast them with the outcomes after the changes.

Hummingbird performance test results
Note down Hummingbird’s performance test results before enabling critical CSS.

Next, navigate to Hummingbird > Asset Optimization > Extra Optimization and enable Critical CSS.

Hummingbird-Asset Optimization - Extra Optimization - Critical CSS
Activate the Critical CSS feature in the Asset Optimization section under the Extra Optimization tab.
Critical CSS Options
Hummingbird gives you options to control the implementation of Critical CSS on your site.

After enabling the feature, you’ll see different options for loading Critical CSS and for handling Unused CSS.

Loading Critical CSS

This section allows you to choose between Full-Page CSS Optimization (default) or Above-the-Fold CSS Optimization.

Critical CSS
Select one of the options from the drop-down menu.

We recommend choosing the default Full-Page CSS Optimization with Load on User Interaction option selected for most sites as this will provide the best results and address both issues of eliminating render-blocking resources and reducing unused CSS audits while maintaining the integrity of all the site’s visual elements.

Optimization of Full-Page CSS involves inlining all necessary CSS and postponing or eliminating the loading of the remaining CSS.

Choosing the Above-the-Fold CSS Optimization method is recommended for larger sites with loads of complex CSS if the default option does not give the desirable results. This method will inline all above-the-fold CSS and load the rest asynchronously.

Handling Unused CSS

Hummingbird gives you the option to load the unused CSS On User Interaction to fix any rendering issues or Remove Unused which trims unused CSS, keeping only what’s necessary and loading it inline.

Additionally, you can toggle the feature for specific post types.

Unusued CSS Post Types
Choose which types of posts you want to eliminate unnecessary CSS from.

While the post type toggles are available for both the Full-Page CSS Optimization and Above-the-Fold CSS Optimization methods, only the Full-Page CSS method handles unused CSS.

Critical CSS - Above The Fold Method option selected.
If Above-the-Fold CSS Optimization method is selected, the option to remove unused CSS does not display.

Both optimization methods also provide an advanced option to add custom CSS manually within the <head> section of the page(s).

Unused CSS - manual inclusions
Add critical custom CSS elements manually.

If you previously utilized the above-the-fold CSS feature in older versions of Hummingbird to input critical path CSS manually, the existing information will be automatically transferred to the Manual Inclusions box when you update the plugin to the most recent version and start using the new feature.

After configuring your options, click Save Changes. Hummingbird will start implementing Critical CSS automatically as per your settings.

Critical CSS Optimizing
Wait a few seconds for Critical CSS to optimize your site before continuing.

Once the completion message appears, go to your website and verify that all elements on the front end are being displayed correctly.

Critical CSS Generated message.
Wait until you see the “Critical CSS Generated” message before refreshing the page.

Refresh the page, let the cache build up again, and then run another performance test in Hummingbird so you can compare the before and after results.

Hummingbird performance test results
Compare Hummingbird’s performance test results before and after running Critical CSS.

Regenerate Critical CSS

Upon implementing Critical CSS on your website, a button labeled “Regenerate Critical CSS” will appear at the top of the Extra Optimization page.

Click on this button to purge the cache, clear all local or hosted assets, and automatically regenerate all required assets for your site or homepage.

Regenerate Critical CSS
Regenerate your site’s Critical CSS at any time with a simple click.

Hummingbird’s Critical CSS is Compatible with Everything WordPress

We have tested Hummingbird’s Critical CSS feature extensively and found it to be compatible with all WordPress versions and themes, page builders, fonts, WooCommerce, Learning Management Systems (LMS), etc.

It’s important to note, however, that installing poorly-coded themes or plugins containing CSS with invalid code or invalid strings on your site could cause issues and result in a Critical CSS error message.

Critical CSS error message.
Using poorly-coded themes or plugins can lead to Critical CSS errors.

In the event that you encounter errors while utilizing Critical CSS, attempt the following steps:

  1. Click on the “Regenerate Critical CSS”  button and see if this fixes the issue.
  2. If you get the same error again, we suggest changing the theme (use a staging site if your site is live), and run Critical CSS on the new theme. If there are no problems, then the issue is most likely the theme.
  3. We suggest checking your plugins for problems if you encounter difficulties following the installation of a new theme.
  4. If the error still persists after trying all of the above, note the error message, disable Critical CSS temporarily on your site, and contact our support team for assistance fixing the issue.

You can rest assured, however, as Hummingbird’s Critical CSS feature has been designed with the focus to preserve your site’s visual integrity while bumping performance. The feature handles errors well and and will rarely break a site, even in case of errors.

For additional information on using the Critical CSS feature, refer to the plugin documentation.

Activate all of Hummingbird’s optimization capabilities for optimal performance.

If getting maximum speed and performance out of your WordPress site(s) is critically important to you, using Hummingbird’s Critical CSS is definitely a feature you shouldn’t ignore.

Hummingbird report - passed audits.
Optimizes site performance and ace Google’s PageSpeed recommendations with Hummingbird’s Critical CSS feature.

To optimize performance and save resources, we suggest implementing Critical CSS alongside page caching and utilizing all the asset optimization capabilities offered by the plugin, such as CDN and Delay JavaScript Execution.

Hummingbird - Asset Optimization
For best results, enable all of Hummingbird’s asset optimization features.

In most cases, combining all of Hummingbird’s optimization features should help your site achieve PageSpeed scores of 90+ or bring it closer to a perfect 100 if your site is already performing well.

Hummingbird-100 Score PageInsights
Take advantage of all the optimization tools Hummingbird offers to achieve the ideal performance score!

As mentioned earlier, Critical CSS is a Hummingbird Pro feature and its available to all WPMU DEV members.

If you are currently using our free Hummingbird plugin, consider becoming a member for affordable and risk-free access to our all-in-one WordPress platform. It has everything you need to launch, run, and grow your web development business.

And if you are an Agency member, you can even white label and resell Hummingbird (plus hosting, domains, our entire suite of PRO plugins, and more) all under your own brand.

Owners of WordPress websites are constantly searching for methods to boost their site’s speed and efficiency. The Hummingbird Critical CSS feature is a recent addition aimed at aiding this by optimizing the delivery of essential CSS.

Essential CSS refers to the CSS needed to display the content at the top of a webpage. This content is what users see upon initially visiting a page, and it’s crucial that it loads swiftly for a positive user experience. The Hummingbird Critical CSS feature enhances WordPress site speeds by pinpointing the essential CSS for each page and embedding it directly into the HTML. This allows for immediate loading of the essential CSS, bypassing the need for an extra HTTP request.

The advantage here is a quicker load time for the top content, greatly affecting the site’s overall speed. Google has indicated that embedding critical CSS can cut down page load times by up to 50%, as it removes the necessity for the browser to download and process a separate CSS file before displaying the top content.

The Hummingbird Critical CSS feature is simple to activate with just a few clicks. Once activated, it will autonomously produce the essential CSS for each page and embed it into the HTML, freeing site owners from the burdensome and intricate task of doing it themselves.

Beyond enhancing site speed, the Hummingbird Critical CSS feature also aids in search engine optimization (SEO). Google has identified site speed as a factor in search rankings, with swifter sites likely to achieve higher rankings and attract more visitors.

In summary, the Hummingbird Critical CSS feature is an invaluable tool for any WordPress website. It not only improves site speed and user experience but also boosts SEO, all key elements for a thriving website. For WordPress site owners aiming to enhance their site’s performance, the Hummingbird Critical CSS feature is certainly worth considering.

Read More

WPMU DEV’s Performance in the G2 Summer Awards 2023: An Overview

How did WPMU DEV stack up against other top WordPress companies in the categories of Managed Hosting, Web Hosting, and WordPress Site Management for the Summer 2023 period?

Winners of 139 G2 Awards for Summer ’23!

Unsure of the significance of G2 awards? Take a look at this article: Why G2 Is a Major Deal for Web Developers.

Here are the results of the G2 Summer 2023 Awards, backed by authentic and verified feedback from G2 users.

Managed Hosting

Overall grid rankings (Summer 2023)

Managed Hosting overall grid rankings (Summer 2023)
Managed Hosting overall grid rankings (Summer 2023)

User satisfaction rankings (Summer 2023)

Managed Hosting user satisfaction rankings (Summer 2023)
Managed Hosting user satisfaction rankings (Summer 2023)

Summary

WPMU DEV, along with Kinsta, tops 3 of the 5 G2 user satisfaction categories shown above, including an amazing 99% for Quality of Support, which we’re pretty chuffed about.

View full report

Web Hosting

Rankings of the grid (Summer 2023)

Web Hosting overall grid rankings (Summer 2023)
Web Hosting overall grid rankings (Summer 2023)

Rankings of user satisfaction (Summer 2023)

Web Hosting user satisfaction rankings (Summer 2023)
Web Hosting user satisfaction rankings (Summer 2023)

Summary

WPMU DEV and Kinsta ranked highest for the various G2 user satisfaction categories shown above. Notably, WPMU DEV topped Quality of Support here with a 98% score.

View full report

WordPress Site Management

Overall grid rankings (Summer 2023)

WordPress Site Management overall grid rankings (Summer 2023)
WordPress Site Management overall grid rankings (Summer 2023)

User satisfaction rankings (Summer 2023)

WordPress Site Management user satisfaction rankings (Summer 2023)
Rankings of user satisfaction for managing WordPress sites (Summer 2023)

Summary

WPMU DEV is the clear winner in all of G2’s WordPress Site Management categories shown above. Not much more to say, other than to brush the non-existent dust off our shoulders.

View full report

Help Us Improve

We take our members’ feedback and suggestions seriously and we provide 24×7 expert support to deal with any issues you may experience.

If you are unhappy with any aspect of our services or have suggestions for improvement, please tell us. And if you are delighted, please leave a review.

Check out how our WordPress performance measures up against other industry leaders by visiting: How We Compare.

To see what new and exciting WPMU DEV developments are coming up next, check out our roadmap.

Not a WPMU DEV member yet? Then experience our award-winning services and become a member today…it’s 100% risk-free!

WPMU DEV, a leading provider of WordPress plugins and hosting solutions, has once again made a mark in the G2 Summer Awards 2023. The company has been recognized for its exceptional performance in various categories, solidifying its position as a top player in the WordPress ecosystem.

G2, a renowned software marketplace and review platform, conducts its awards program bi-annually to honor the best software companies and products based on user reviews and market presence. WPMU DEV’s performance in the G2 Summer Awards 2023 is a testament to the company’s commitment to delivering high-quality products and services to its customers.

In the G2 Summer Awards 2023, WPMU DEV received accolades in several categories, including “Best Support,” “Easiest to Use,” and “High Performer.” These awards highlight the company’s dedication to providing excellent customer service, user-friendly products, and high-performing solutions that meet the needs of WordPress users worldwide.

The “Best Support” award recognizes WPMU DEV’s responsive and knowledgeable support team, which is available 24/7 to assist customers with any issues or questions they may have. The company’s commitment to customer satisfaction is evident in the numerous positive reviews from users who have experienced prompt and effective support.

WPMU DEV’s plugins and hosting solutions are designed with ease of use in mind, making it no surprise that the company received the “Easiest to Use” award. The intuitive interfaces and straightforward functionality of WPMU DEV’s products allow users to manage their WordPress sites with ease, regardless of their technical expertise.

As a “High Performer,” WPMU DEV has demonstrated its ability to deliver top-notch performance in the competitive WordPress market. The company’s products are known for their reliability, speed, and security, ensuring that users can run their websites smoothly and efficiently.

One of the standout products that contributed to WPMU DEV’s success in the G2 Summer Awards 2023 is its flagship plugin, Hummingbird. Hummingbird is a performance optimization plugin that helps users speed up their WordPress sites by providing caching, minification, and performance monitoring features. The plugin has received rave reviews for its effectiveness in improving website load times and overall performance.

Another key factor in WPMU DEV’s impressive performance in the G2 Summer Awards 2023 is its managed WordPress hosting service. The hosting platform is optimized for speed and security, offering features such as automated backups, free SSL certificates, and a dedicated support team. Users have praised the hosting service for its reliability and ease of use.

In conclusion, WPMU DEV’s performance in the G2 Summer Awards 2023 is a reflection of the company’s dedication to excellence in the WordPress space. With a focus on customer support, ease of use, and high performance, WPMU DEV continues to set the standard for WordPress plugins and hosting solutions. As the company looks forward to future innovations and improvements, users can expect even more award-winning products and services from WPMU DEV.

Read More