Free Goods Of The Week – Apr. 08
April 8, 2025
Valuable Tips | Interesting Articles This Week
Give or take. It’s hard to get the exact count through the sands of time. But it’s at least 10,000 blog posts as of today. That’s 25 years, once or twice a day. Back of the envelope, that’s about 2 billion blog post views. I’ve written and edited every post myself, hence the typos. 3,000,000 words so far. I’m certain I couldn’t have done it all at once, and that I probably would have hesitated to
16 Best Course Creation Software and Tools (Expert Picks for 2025)
When I helped create WPBeginner’s online video course portal, the team and I spent countless hours trying to find the perfect software and tools to do the job easily . Along the way, I learned that having the right course creation software can make or break your success. But here’s the thing – choosing the perfect fit for your online course isn’t easy. The market is flooded with options, each
Meet the Founder Who Raised $6.3M to Literally Make It Rain
While billionaires hoard water rights and investors play Monopoly with farmland, one 20-something founder is trying something completely different: creating water from thin air. Meet Augustus Doricko, the CEO of Rainmaker — a Southern California startup using drone-based cloud seeding to artificially increase rainfall over drought-stricken farmland. If it sounds like science fiction,
WordPress 6.8 Release Candidate 3
The third release candidate (“RC3”) for WordPress 6.8 is ready for download and testing! This version of the WordPress software is under development . Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it’s recommended that you evaluate RC3 on a test server and site. Reaching this phase of the release cycle is an important milestone.
Who Uses Reddit Anyway? A Deep Dive Into Reddit Users and What They Think of Marketing
The internet is full of opinions. But if you want to know what people really think — about products, brands, trends, or industries — Reddit is where you’ll find the unfiltered truth. Since 2005, Reddit has been the place for honest, no-holds-barred recommendations — whether brands like it or not. As one of the most visited sites in the world, it holds thousands of communities —
Get Accurate AI Headshots: How to Create Your Flux LoRA
Tired of using outdated or irrelevant headshots? Wondering how to create a mix of professional-quality headshots without hiring a photographer? In this article, you’ll discover how to generate realistic AI headshots that look like you for use in marketing, social media, and business applications. Why Marketers and Entrepreneurs Should Care About AI Headshots AI-generated headshots […]
New Subscription Options for Expert Services: Always-On Protection and Performance
We’re excited to announce a significant upgrade to our Expert Services offerings! Our popular Malware Removal and Site Speed Optimization services are now available as ongoing subscriptions, giving you consistent protection and performance without the hassle of repeated one-time purchases. Here’s the details: Malware Removal: Continuous Protection for Dynamic Sites If you’re managing dynamic or
Reddit’s Growth Advisor on Finding Your Vertical-Specific SEO Strategy
Once upon a time, SEO was just SEO. (Cue Mr. Incredible meme.) Whether you were a billion-dollar national brand or a teen with a Spice Girls Tumblr, you played the same game: Trying to get your page in those ten blue links. Now, two marketers might not even be playing the SEO game on the same field, let alone with the same rules. So how do they hope to win? If you’re in SEO, today’s master needs
AI with Agency: How Autonomous Agents Solve Business Problems & Improve Customer Experience
When you hear the word agent, what do you think of? A real estate agent, an insurance agent, or even an FBI agent? Far beyond an assistant following rote instructions, an agent has the power and ability to make things happen on your behalf. Wouldn’t it be great if we had technology that could carry out independent tasks and take work off your plate? Autonomous agents are rapidly becoming
Earlier this year, HubSpot went viral — and not exactly in a good way. A few companies posted data suggesting that we had lost 80% of our blog traffic. Overnight, the news was all over X and LinkedIn. As marketers ourselves, we know better than anyone that hot takes drive clicks. But, what actually happened to our traffic? Have we really reached the end of SEO as we know it? And is this really
Meta houses three huge social media platforms, each offering their own benefits and drawbacks. When we surveyed marketers in 2025, we wanted to find out which one is best for social metrics – like audience growth and site traffic – and where they’re re-investing. We’ll dive into that along with key differences among various segments, like B2B vs. B2C brands, company sizes, and industry. Facebook,
Is Google Marking Your Site as “Not Secure”? (& How to Fix It)
I know how frustrating it can be when you visit your website and see a big “Not Secure” warning in the browser. It feels like something’s broken—and worse, your visitors can see it too. ? That little message can scare people off before they’ve even had a chance to look around. They might leave without reading a word, filling out a form, or making a purchase. Google shows this warning when your s
We live in a science fiction universe. A $20 dose of penicillin was priceless a century ago. The five cents (a nickel!) we spend to light our home might have been the sort of thing we needed to trade an hour of labor for a few generations ago. The ability to press a button and talk to anyone, by video, anywhere on the planet–it wasn’t even discussed until recently, and now it’s essentially free.
You might be fortunate enough to have a hobby. Something you are focused on and passionate about. You might read the journals, develop your skills, collect, connect with others in the field, and commit to getting better at it… Time spent on a hobby feels like time well spent. Obstacles and setbacks aren’t a tragedy, they’re simply part of journey, the things that make it interesting.
When someone makes an obvious mistake, it’s tempting to label them with a term that’s dismissive or even hurtful. A label is permanent, a noun, a way to sort and divide. But of course, others can say precisely the same thing about us when we were uninformed, selfish or in a hurry. If it’s permanent, then it’s all of us. Perhaps instead of, “you are a mistake,” it might be more accurate to say, “
Best Way to Flag a Google Review for Removal
Bad reviews can hurt any business. But for WordPress developers, theme shops, and design agencies, a single negative review can scare off potential clients before you even get a chance to show your work. If the review is unfair, fake, or violates Google’s rules, there’s a way to fight back. Here’s how to flag a […] Read More… The post appeared first on Learn WordPress with WPLift .
Automattic Lays Off 281 People Across 90 Countries: The Web Reacts
On Tuesday, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg sent ripples throughout the WordPress community with a blog post announcing the layoff of 281 employees – representing 16% of Automattic’s workforce.
Over the last year, I’ve seen AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT transform from cool tech novelties into total game-changers. These technologies are no longer nice-to-haves — they’re critical for any organization looking to stay competitive. Of course, implementing new AI-powered tools is often easier said than done. In this article, I’ll share some common roadblocks, including a few I’ve encounter
How to Make a Car Rental Website with WordPress (Step by Step)
Running a car rental business without a proper website is like trying to drive with the parking brake on – you’re just making things harder for yourself. I learned this firsthand when helping a friend create a website for his rental company. Whether you’re starting fresh or upgrading an existing rental business, creating a professional website doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.
We can agree about schismogenesis
Anthropologist Gregory Bateson highlighted that often, culture is based on oppositional behavior. And it can spiral. They say “up” and the easy thing is to say “down.” Literally, “the creation of division.” Your competitor launches a product and you work to undermine it with a different approach. Find small gaps and amplify them. Schismogenesis is based on perceptions of scarcity, and is amplified.
How to Bypass WordPress Login (7 Expert Tips)
“Help! I’m locked out of WordPress!” This is one of the most common emergency requests I get from my friends who are WordPress beginners. And I get it – being unable to access your WordPress dashboard can feel like being locked out of your own house. Fortunately, I’ve learned that there’s always a way back in. Whether it’s through FTP, password reset emails, or resetting the password via the data
Social Proof Backfire: The Marketing Mistake Costing You Conversions
Welcome to Creator Columns , where we bring expert HubSpot Creator voices to the Blogs that inspire and help you grow better. In the early 2000s, communications professor Bob Hornik wanted to see if anti-drug ads worked . At the time, most ads used shock and fear tactics to persuade kids. Bob gathered data on thousands of teenagers. He tracked their exposure to anti-drug ads and their marijuana
How to Create a Short-Form Video Series
Are you looking for a breakthrough content strategy? Wondering if a short-form video series could transform your marketing results? In this article, you’ll learn how to develop a consistent short-form video series to rapidly grow your audience and create multiple revenue streams. Why Short Form Video Series Matter for Marketers Creating a consistent short form […]
When there’s a complex situation that feels foreboding, you might need a manual, a coach and even a system to move forward. Or, it’s possible you simply need someone to tell you, “you’ll figure it out.”
“Have You Tried Turning It Off and On Again?”
Read to the end to see a very chill dude absolutely shredding it on the slopes. In today’s edition: Post Status launches WP Speakers Virtual Stage Series, for rejected WordCamp speakers and anyone else with something to say about WordPress. A cybercriminal network has been working 9-5 since 2016 to infect over 20,000 WordPress websites with malware in the so-called “DollyWay World Domination”
Kinsta vs SiteGround: Your Preferred Hosting Provider in 2025
In the ever-changing world of web hosting, choosing the most reliable for your WordPress website is necessary for performance, security, and overall success. However, with many options available, it becomes difficult to choose the right ones. In this blog, we will compare Kinsta vs SiteGround, two of the best WordPress hosting providers worldwide. Kinsta is […]
How to Add Trust Badges to Checkout Pages in WordPress (& Boost Sales)
Looking to boost your online store’s conversion rates? You’re not alone. When we first started selling products online, we noticed that many visitors would abandon their carts right at checkout. The reason? They weren’t sure if they could trust our website with their payment information. That’s when we discovered the power of trust badges. After adding them to our checkout pages, we saw an
What is User-generated Content (UGC)? Essentials for a Soaring Strategy
My personal social media is full of four main things: family, friends, food, and UGC. And as I type this, I hear the former saying, “Uh, what is UGC?” For over a decade, I’ve been creating social media content for brands, usually in exchange for complimentary products, ranging from skincare and makeup to spicy snacks and even water pitchers. This is an example of UGC or user-generated content ,
That might be the wrong question
“Will it work?” Along the way, we’ve been pushed to load our decisions with a need for certainty. It’s easier, it seems, to not try than it is to fail. But the question, “is it worth trying?” unlocks possibility. A surgeon in the middle of an operation should probably not experiment with an
Interesting Articles This Week
