April marked a significant juncture for us, punctuated by pivotal moments that underscored our commitment to excellence. Amidst the hustle and bustle, we found cause for celebration in numerous announcements, accolades, and triumphs. At WebDevStudios, your success is our mission, yet witnessing the fruits of our labor is equally gratifying.
Join us as we recount our recent accomplishments and commemorate our collective achievements. To our peers, fellow members of the WordPress community, and esteemed clients, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support throughout our journey. Without further ado, here’s a glimpse into our latest company news, brimming with excitement and promise.
WebDevStudios Celebrates 16 Years
Founded by pioneers of WordPress, WebDevStudios (WDS) is ecstatic about celebrating 16 years of building amazing websites for medium-sized and enterprise-level companies and organizations, such as NBA, Care.com, Monster, and Starbucks.
What started as a small business operating from a coffee table flourished into a one-stop-shop WordPress agency of nearly 40 people dedicated to making the web a better place. Please take a moment to learn more about WDS’ history.
This month marks our 16th anniversary at @webdevstudios! 🎉
I’m thankful for every single person that has had an impact on our company over the years. Without our team and our partners we wouldn’t be doing what we love day in and out for as long as we have. Thank you! 🙏
— Brad Williams (@williamsba) April 10, 2024
WordPress 6.5 Released
On April 2nd, WordPress 6.5, aka “Regina,” was released, boasting new and improved methods to fine-tune and enhance the site-building experience, allowing users to exert control in personalized ways. This release also features fresh approaches to managing site typography, increased availability of comprehensive revisions, and a series of updates to the Site Editor accompanied by notable performance enhancements, facilitating smoother and faster operations.
There’s more to WordPress 6.5 than what was just mentioned. Visit WordPress.org for a detailed list of all of Regina’s special features and improvements. Since this release, WordPress 6.5.2, a minor release, has been launched. Due to an issue with the initial package, WordPress 6.5.1 was not released.
WordPress 6.5.2 is a security and maintenance release with two bug fixes on Core, 12 bug fixes for the Block Editor, and one security fix. It is highly recommended that you update immediately if you haven’t already done so.
WordPress 6.5 Contributors
WordPress 6.5 wouldn’t be what it is without its contributors. That is the lovely nature of open-source technology.
Each WordPress release comprises numerous components with its own successes and obstacles. It requires a committed team of enthusiastic contributors to maintain momentum and ensure smooth progress. WordPress 6.5 owes its success to a diverse and cross-functional group of contributors, always eager to champion ideas, overcome obstacles, and address challenges. Among these contributors are our own CEO, Brad Williams, and Principal Engineer Sal Ferrarello.
Pretty cool to get props for contributing to WordPress 6.5! This stems from the plugin dependency work that spans over 12-years with MANY people involved. Glad to see it finally in WP Core! https://t.co/T3DAkD4Lnj
— Brad Williams (@williamsba) April 4, 2024
It took 700 contributors (150 of whom were first-time contributors) from at least 57 countries to make WordPress 6.5. Their collective efforts resulted in over 2,500 enhancements and fixes, guaranteeing a stable release for all users. This achievement underscores the strength and capability of the WordPress open-source community. Congratulations to Brad and Sal on their contributions to WordPress 6.5.
All WebDevStudios Plugins Are WordPress 6.5 Compatible
We are pleased to announce that all WDS plugins available at our online plugin shop, Pluginize, are compatible with WordPress 6.5. Pluginize posted the announcement on its blog on April 10th.
Some WDS plugins were updated with improvements in addition to compatibility. Furthermore, a couple of WDS-developed plugins require WordPress 6.5. Head over to the Pluginize blog for more details.
WordCamp Canada
Congratulations to WDS Account Manager Laura Byrne, who was announced as a featured speaker at WordCamp Canada, happening July 11-13, 2024. Her talk is titled “Turning a 10-Year WordPress Hobby Into a Successful New Career.” In it, Laura will address how she started a viral fan website, immersed herself in the WordPress community, and discovered a way to create a job out of doing something she loves. Tickets are on sale now.
Other upcoming WordCamps where you will find WebDevStudios in attendance are WordCamp Montclair (June 20th) and WordCamp US (September 17th-20th).
Behind the Scenes of the South College Website Redesign
The team at WebDevStudios recently launched the website redesign and rebuild of South College, a private for-profit college with its main campus in Knoxville, Tennessee. This project included a data migration and a full website redesign and rebuild.
The college aimed to enhance user experience, streamline content, and revitalize the layout for improved visual appeal and navigation. The primary objectives included boosting enrollment, optimizing site navigation, prioritizing mobile responsiveness, and ensuring seamless information retrieval for users. Simply put, the goal was to create a more intuitive and engaging web presence that fosters enrollment growth and user satisfaction.
After its launch, South College CMO Kathleen Stockholm made a guest appearance on the “Education Marketing Leader” podcast to discuss the strategy behind its success.
I am very proud of our team at @webdevstudios for the work we did on the redesign and re-platforming of the @SouthCollege website at https://t.co/aw7RBWtZjf https://t.co/gbev8QpEMZ
— LSW 🌷🌿 (@LisaSabinWilson) April 18, 2024
You can listen to the full episode below. Visit the South College website at South.edu. Learn more about using WordPress for education websites on this WDS Solutions page.
WDS Leadership Retreat
A WebDevStudios leadership team retreat is vital to our WordPress agency’s success, offering numerous benefits beyond the virtual boardroom. Firstly, it gives leaders a chance to step away from daily client projects. They can immerse themselves in an environment ideal for strategic planning and collaboration. This dedicated time away from distractions helps our leadership team gain new perspectives, brainstorm innovative ideas, and align on our company’s future vision.
On April 15-19, 2024, WDS hosted a leadership team retreat in Pennsylvania, where the future of our company was discussed, strategized, and planned. Pictured below, left to right, are: COO and Co-Founder Lisa Sabin-Wilson, Director of Engineering Mitch Canter, Delivery Manager Deborah Hudson, Account Manager Laura Byrne, Engineering Manager John Heimkes, Engineering Manager JC Palmes, CEO and Co-Founder Brad Williams, Director of Accounts Jen Miller, Delivery Manager Autry Reeves, and Director of Operations April Williams.
Spent the week with the @webdevstudios leadership team in central PA. It’s been difficult to meet the past few years, but nothing replaces in person strategic planning. We made some amazing progress and had a lot of fun doing it! pic.twitter.com/YiVO9pz5bM
— Brad Williams (@williamsba) April 19, 2024
Overall, the importance of a leadership team retreat cannot be overstated. It is a cornerstone for organizational growth, fostering innovation, collaboration, and personal development among leaders. This ultimately drives WebDevStudios toward greater success and the achievement of our strategic objectives.
WebDevStudios Is Hiring a Technical Strategist
Don’t you want to join a remote team that fosters growth, innovation, and collaboration? You’re in luck because now is your chance!
WDS is seeking a Technical Strategist to perform needs analyses and gather requirements and acceptance criteria for client projects. Your day-to-day will involve conducting research, critical thinking, strategic planning, and relationship-building to enrich every client engagement and contribute to our portfolio of exceptional work. Each opportunity presents a unique challenge and demands a consultative yet efficient approach.
As a Technical Strategist, you will collaborate with industry-leading designers and developers to serve a diverse clientele. You’ll tackle complex problems, devise innovative solutions, and play a pivotal role in achieving tangible results for our clients. Apply via our Careers page.