Such a reflection holds immense value as it encapsulates the culmination of efforts, the fruition of strategies, and the evolution of our brand. It serves as a compass, guiding us through the successes and challenges encountered and offering invaluable insights into our collective progress.

Beyond mere documentation, this reflective piece becomes a cornerstone—a testament to the dedication, innovation, and collaborative spirit that define our team. Crafting our WordPress agency’s year in review isn’t solely about showcasing our wins. It’s an acknowledgment of the lessons learned, the hurdles overcome, and the pivotal moments that have sculpted our path forward.

This year-in-review report expresses our gratitude to our dedicated team members, clients, and partners whose unwavering support has been instrumental in our shared accomplishments. Let this be a testament to our commitment to transparency, accountability, and continuous growth.

Client Wins

From boosting website performance to building custom solutions to deliver stellar user experiences, our team is passionate about helping our clients reach their goals. Because your success is our mission, here is an assortment of client wins achieved in 2023.

Significant Increase in Website Traffic

When The Toy Insider came to WebDevStudios (WDS) for a data migration and website redesign, we aimed to build a user-centric website that meets and exceeds expectations, encouraging users to return and share their positive experiences with others. Since the launch of this redesign, The Toy Insider has reported a 45% increase in website traffic.

Improvements in the User Experience

WebDevStudios has been working closely with Constant Contact on the development and user experience for the Constant Contact Marketing Blog. Some advanced enhancements have been customized search and filtering and navigating by industry that allows their visitors the ability to find exactly what they are looking for. It also wouldn’t be a Constant Contact blog without some target email newsletter integrations. We helped them with that, too!

You guys are rock stars! You have been helping us to figure this out and get the blog in a better place. Thank you! -Constant Contact

Embedded Developers

Working closely with the Wall Street Journal division of News Corp, we have dedicated developers who are embedded in their team to enhance and strengthen their internal engineering team. They lean on our experience with WordPress to provide direction, product enhancements, and consultation for them.

Thank you. Your team is punctual and dependable, participates in all of the meetings, and provides meaningful feedback and recommendations. The insight is valuable to our product and to our development team. WDS is a great asset to our team. -News Corp

Modern Design to Suit a Client’s Demographic

When the NBA approached WebDevStudios for an update to their G League website with the goals of increasing engagement and entertaining users, while updating an outdated design with a new look that was better suited for a modern league, we embraced the challenge!

We provided this revered sports brand with more than a traditional WordPress redesign; we provided a visually compelling and attractive design for a wide-ranging demographic from Boomers to Gen-Z and beyond. WDS accomplished this by diving deep into research of their user base, working directly with their team on user personas, and understanding the user journey and user flow of their website to create a stunning redesign that they can utilize and build on for years to come.

WebDevStudios Celebrates 15 Years of WordPress

Emerging from a simple website service run from a coffee table in New Jersey, WebDevStudios has grown into a formidable WordPress agency crafting incredible websites for renowned brands. Now, 15 years later, WDS proudly supports brands such as NBA, Care.com, and actress Felicia Day. Our design team created specialized logos to commemorate the event.

Additionally, WDS co-founders and WordPress pioneers Brad Williams, CEO, and Lisa Sabin-Wilson, COO, co-authored a blog post where they shared the story of WDS—how it began and where it’s going next.

“Fifteen years for any business is a long time. Our longevity and success are a true testament to the amazing WebDevStudios team members, past and present,” the WDS co-founders say. Read Brad’s and Lisa’s article to learn more about what WebDevStudios has accomplished in the last 15 years.

WordPress Celebrates 20 Years

Just as WDS hit our 15-year mark, WordPress turned 20. Hard to believe, isn’t it?

On May 27, 2023, WordPress officially turned 20, and across the globe, we all celebrated. In-person parties took place to honor the occasion. At WebDevStudios, we participated in Five for the Future on May 26th and released a special congratulatory video to mark WordPress’ 20th anniversary. Check it out below.

WP Search with Algolia Pro Was Released

When WebDevStudios took over and forked the Algolia search WordPress plugin to create WP Search with Algolia, it didn’t take long for it to grow in popularity. So, we knew folks would love to expand its power further. That’s why, in March of last year, we released WP Search with Algolia Pro.

“WebDevStudios understands the commitment required for plugin development,” says Brad, who is not only our CEO but also a co-author of the book “Professional WordPress Plugin Development, 2nd Edition.”

“Not only does our team adhere to the complexities and integrity behind best-practices coding standards, but they also remain dedicated to providing support and continuously testing our plugins,” Brad says, adding, “WDS ensures the stability of all our products. We’re especially excited to launch this premium version of WP Search with Algolia.”

WP Search with Algolia Pro is designed as an extension of WP Search with Algolia, offering even more search capabilities. See the comparison chart below for details.

You can download WP Search with Algolia free at the WordPress Plugin Repo. Purchase WP Search with Algolia Pro at our WordPress plugin shop Pluginize.

Custom Post Type UI Ranks in the Top 50 WordPress Plugins

According to WP-Rankings, and at the time of this publication, Custom Post Type UI (CPTUI) ranks number 48 of all WordPress plugins. With over 1,000,000 active installations and over 16 million downloads, the popularity of CPTUI just continues to grow!

wd_s Hybrid Theme Release

In September 2023, our WordPress agency team introduced wd_s (wdunderscores) version 4.0.0, marking a significant milestone in WordPress theme development. How’s that? Well, in this release, our WordPress starter theme was transformed into a powerful hybrid theme, equipped with the Site Editor and pre-styled core blocks via theme.json. Boom! Your creative possibilities have been enhanced. You’re welcome.

Engineering Manager JC Palmes announced this release on GitHub. Go there to read it and download the WordPress starter theme wd_s.

1,793 Hours Contributed to Five for the Future

We can’t emphasize enough just how important Five for the Future (5FTF) is to WebDevStudios. Launched in 2014, 5FTF drives sustained WordPress growth by encouraging ongoing community contributions. Participants dedicate 5% of their time and resources to the platform’s development, ensuring its evolution as a leading content management system.

Since its start, this initiative has gained traction, supported by entities like our WordPress agency, becoming a core principle that fosters a collaborative culture within the WordPress community. This commitment has notably enhanced WordPress’s innovation, security, and overall improvement, solidifying its standing as a dynamic, community-driven open-source project.

At WDS, the last Friday of every month is dedicated to 5FTF. In 2023, our WordPress agency contributed 1,793 to the initiative.

10 WordCamps

WordCamps are back in a big way. When WordCamp events had to go virtual during the pandemic lockdown, regular organizers, volunteers, speakers, and attendees missed the in-person interaction.

In 2022, in-person WordCamps returned, and the community is back to seeing old friends and making new ones. Last year, WebDevStudios team members organized, spoke at, volunteered for, and attended 10 WordCamps worldwide. Below is every single WordCamp where WDS had a presence, as well as the team member(s) who were there and what role they played.

• WordCamp San José, Costa Rica: Senior Frontend Engineer Alfredo Navas was a speaker
• WordCamp Manila: JC was a speaker.
• WordCamp Mumbai: Frontend Engineer Aslam Doctor attended this event.
• WordCamp Managua: Project Manager Leo Torres volunteered.
• WordCamp Vancouver: Frontend Engineer Jennifer Farhat volunteered.
• WordCamp US: Director of Operations April Williams, Account Manager Laura Byrne, Principal Engineer Sal Ferrarello, Senior Frontend Engineer Marty O’Connor, Brad, and Alfredo were all attendees.
• WordCamp Iloilo: JC was a lead organizer, and WebDevStudios was a sponsor.
• WordCamp Montclair: Laura was an organizer, and Sal was a speaker.
• WordCamp Phoenix: Brad attended along with Marketing Manager Laura Coronado, while Laura B. was a speaker. WebDevStudios was a sponsor.
• WordCamp Asia: JC was a global Lead Organizer, and Laura B. was a speaker. Lead Engineer Ashar Irfan was in attendance.

Attending WordCamp events offers invaluable opportunities for WordPress enthusiasts, developers, and businesses alike. These gatherings serve as hubs for learning, networking, and staying updated on the latest trends and advancements within the WordPress ecosystem.

By participating in workshops, engaging in discussions, and connecting with like-minded individuals and experts, attendees gain insights that fuel their growth, enhance their skills, and foster collaborations. Ultimately, WordCamp events catalyze personal and professional development within the vibrant WordPress community. If you haven’t attended one before, we encourage you to add doing so to your New Year’s resolutions.

29,081 Tacos Given

Imagine if those were real! No, at WebDevStudios, we use an employee reward system called HeyTaco!, which allows our team members to give each other a taco as a show of gratitude or a simple congratulations. These tacos can then be redeemed for gift cards, actual tacos, a day off, and more.

We make our remote work environment work for us by fostering a company culture of collaboration, mentorship, and partnership. HeyTaco! helps to support that by giving us a way to express our appreciation for our teammates.

More in 2024

As we bid farewell to a transformative year marked by growth, change, and collective synchronicity, we reflect on the strides made in sustaining and bolstering the realms of WordPress, open-source initiatives, and internet technology. Through strategic endeavors and mutual aid, our collaborative efforts have fueled progress and innovation, propelling these domains forward.

Thank you for your support by looking over our WordPress agency’s year in review. We eagerly anticipate what more 2024 has in store, we stand poised to embrace the unknown, anticipating new opportunities, challenges, and triumphs that lie ahead. Together, we remain committed to our clients, partners, and the WordPress community by nurturing these ecosystems, fostering growth, and shaping the future of technology with enthusiasm and dedication.

The post WebDevStudios 2023 Year In Review appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Here you go! By the numbers, this is what 2021 looked like at WebDevStudios (WDS), along with some proud highlights. We hope you enjoy this summary of our year.

1650 Hours Contributed to Five for the Future

The last Friday of every month is always dedicated to giving back to WordPress. WDS does this through Five for the Future (5FTF), a WordPress initiative designed to encourage WordPress companies like ours and individuals to donate 5% of company time to contributing to the WordPress core and community.

WDS 5FTF projects vary from plugin development, to the creation of WordCamp talks, to contributing to the WordPress core, and more. Below is a very small sample of just some of the ways WDS staff contributed to Five for the Future.

Busy day beefing up our #nextjs #wordpress starter. Thank you @webdevstudios for the time to give back to open-source! #5ftf https://t.co/3AcS5nK51H

— Greg Rickaby (@GregRickaby) January 29, 2021

Today is for #5FTF @webdevstudios@MrAsharIrfan and I are working on WP Search with Algolia, in preparation for an upcoming release.https://t.co/yv0h3Ta8dy

— Richard Ⓐber (@richaber) February 26, 2021

Thanks to #5ftf @webdevstudios I was able to update my Chillhop Radio app to 2.0.0! The app is a total overhaul to stream the live Youtube stream and includes a new icon!https://t.co/QzN774FWwn pic.twitter.com/GSOrdil0BE

— Aubrey Portwood (@aubreypwd) February 26, 2021

Enjoying another awesome #5ftf @webdevstudios. On a testing/pair-programming adventure with @salcode and @mikelikethebike and it has been a blast! pic.twitter.com/c1T0UfN8fj

— Marty O’Connor (@martinjdolan) February 26, 2021

#5FTF @webdevstudios and I’m preparing for the #WordPress PH mini-meetup tomorrow and working on my animated menu plugin. Join us if you can at (Mini-Meetup) Let’s talk about WordPress 5.7 https://t.co/zlmZUKVGk1

— JC Palmes (@jpalmes) March 26, 2021

Working on my custom WordPress theme at @webdevstudios and learning all the Gutenburg things for this #5FTF!

— Jennifer Cooley (@Jhynnifer) March 26, 2021

24 Project Launches

From small business to large enterprise-level clients, WDS launched 24 new projects in 2021. While each project was unique in its own right and holds a special place in our memories, a few projects worth mentioning include:

• Wall Street Journal
• News Corp
• Monster
• Care.com
• ActiveCampaign
• NBA
• Do the Woo

Note: look for upcoming client success stories to be published on our blog in 2022 detailing some of the client projects listed above.

87 Ongoing Active Clients

Now, it’s a big deal when a business trusts us to build their website, but when an ongoing relationship occurs beyond launch, well, that’s when we feel really special.

In 2021, WebDevStudios provided ongoing support and service level agreements (aka, SLAs) to 87 clients. These types of partnerships mean a lot to us because it allows our team to contribute to the success of our clients on a continuous basis.

190 Maintenance Subscribers

Updates are important, but busy website owners, CEOs, and other professionals don’t always have the time to keep up with all of them. That’s where Maintainn, the support and maintenance division of WDS, comes in to assist. Over the course of this year, the Maintainn team provided ongoing maintenance services to 190 clients.

9 New Hires

Okay, think about it. Twenty-four project launches, 87 ongoing active clients, and 190 maintenance subscribers… yeah, it takes a talented team to handle all that. To make it happen, we added nine new teammates to our crew. See their friendly faces below.

PS: WebDevStudios is hiring!

12 Lunch & Learns

Not only does WDS create a remote work culture that supports and provides access to continuing education, we also offer Lunch & Learn events. WDS Engineering Manager, Justin Foell, coordinates them all.

This year, he set a goal to work with the team to present 12 Lunch & Learns, and we did it! We covered both technical and off-the-wall topics that ranged from browser debugging tips to the history of pockets.

“Lunch & Learns are steadily becoming part of our culture,” remarks Justin. “Everyone at WDS is eager to keep learning and sharing. It’s also great practice for people looking to speak at a local WordCamp. Practicing your presentation skills in front of your peers is a great way to iron out the kinks before bringing it to a wider audience.”

13 WordPress Talks

Justin’s advice about using WDS Lunch & Learns as opportunities to practice presentation skills seems to be paying off as our team members gave 13 WordPress talks at WordCamps, WordFest Live, and other conferences.

Topics included full-site editing, accessibility, how to organize company-wide contribution to 5FTF and more. You can view WDS’ renowned speakers, most of whom presented multiple talks in 2021, below.

~32,820 Tacos Given

Did your eyes pop out of of your head reading that header? We don’t literally give out tacos at WebDevStudios, although we would if we could. We rely on the Hey Taco! Slack integration to provide our team with a reward system.

Essentially, we reward one another virtually, using the taco icon. These tacos, in turn, can be collected and redeemed for various rewards, such as gift cards or a day off from work.

We must really like each other, because in 2021, we have collectively given out approximately 32,820 tacos. (That number is an estimate because, at the time of publishing this blog post, the year had not been completed.)

Highlights

If all of this data has not been enough to give you an overview of what happened at WDS in 2021, here are some highlights and proud moments to round out our year in review.

WordPress 5.7 & 5.8 Contributors

Christina Workman is a noted contributor of WordPress 5.7, while both Michael Beckwith and Michael Joseph Panaga are noted as contributors of WordPress 5.8.

Custom Post Type UI Hit 1,000,000 Active Installations

WDS’ most popular WordPress plugin, Custom Post Type UI, hit a milestone in 2021 with over 1,000,000 active installations.

Ninth Edition of WordPress for Dummies Released

Not only is Lisa Sabin-Wilson the COO and Co-Founder of WebDevStudios, she is also is the subject matter authority on WordPress and is the For Dummies brand franchise author on all things WordPress. In 2021, Lisa published the 9th edition of WordPress For Dummies.

WDS Named WordPress VIP Gold Agency Partner

Twenty twenty-one was monumental for WDS in so many ways. One of which is it marks the year WebDevStudios was named a WordPress VIP Gold Agency Partner. This was an especially big honor because WDS was the first agency in several years to enter this significant partnership at the Gold level.

“This is exciting for our company because we have operated in the WordPress space for 13 years,” Lisa writes in the announcement article, adding, “In fact, over the years, we’ve worked on several projects on the VIP platform already; TIME, MSNBC and MSNBC Latino are projects we built and launched on VIP a decade ago—so I guess you could say we’ve been VIP from the beginning. Cementing our partnership now, in 2021, is kind of like coming home for us.”

WDS Next.js WordPress Starter Launched

WebDevStudios believes in the power of Headless WordPress, so much so, we developed our very own Headless WordPress Starter powered by Next.js. You can access the WDS Next.js WordPress Starter on GitHub.

Our First-Ever Headless WordPress Webinar

Our dedication to Headless WordPress expanded in 2021 with a Headless WordPress webinar presented online during the Halloween season. Aptly titled “The Legend of the Headless Website,” not only did the event feature easy-to-understand facts about going headless, our team showed up in costume. Watch the webinar below.

Looking Forward to the New Year

Whew! What a year in a review that was, but our energy and enthusiasm for making the web a better place are thriving.

Your success is our mission. How can WebDevStudios help you with your business and marketing goals in 2022? As you can see, we are a productive team of knowledgable experts ready to present solutions to any challenge. Contact us and let’s chat about partnering up on your next website project in the new year.

The post WebDevStudios 2021 Year in Review appeared first on WebDevStudios.

19 New Employees

Nineteen new employees in 2019, how perfect is that? Our 100% distributed force is now not only based in the US, but we also have team members in Canada, Philippines, and Costa Rica. One of our newest teammates is also WDS’ first-ever Employee Experience Coordinator, which, according to WDS Director of Operations, April Williams, was one of our hiring goals for 2019.

“Our Employee Experience Coordinator, Julie Sarnik, has come into the company with three primary goals, and she has already made huge improvements in just a few months,” says April. “First, she is assisting with the increasing HR duties of our growing company. Second, she is creating a better and more cohesive experience for WDS employees throughout their tenure here by being the point of contact for their performance, career growth, and their wellness and mental health initiatives. Third, Julie also improves our employee-related processes from hiring to exiting the company.”

Additionally, our engineering department went on a hiring frenzy. “There were two major hiring crunches, one in the spring and another this fall,” explains Greg Rickaby, Director of Engineering. “I conducted nearly 50 interviews and reviewed hundreds of applications. Not only did we bring on 15 engineers, we also added new disciplines, like UI and data engineers. Plus, to help me lead the department, I elevated Will Schmierer to Engineering Manager.”

Looking back at the year in review, Will agrees with Greg’s assessment of our recent engineering new hires, saying, “We’ve added a tremendous group of talented engineers to an already amazing group. The additions have been seamless, like we’ve all been working together for years.”

When asked about goals for next year, Greg says, “We’re looking forward to tackling new technical challenges with Gutenberg, Docker, and pushing the boundaries in the headless WordPress space in 2020.”

Over 150 Proposals Written, 18 New Clients Attained

After seeing the impressive solutions our team can build for our clients in two very specific industries, we altered our strategies to focus on these categories and increased our portfolio of clients.

“As I look back at our year in review, one of the things that stands out is we learned a lot about business development,” says Jodie Riccelli, Director of Business Development. “I had the pleasure of attending the Bureau of Digital Business Development Camp where I got the chance to meet many people in the industry. I also went to DrupalCon and spoke on web trends. We forged new relationships with Big Commerce, Gatsby, Hubspot and Fly Wheel, too.”

Increased the Size of PMO, Moved to New PM Software

“One of the biggest goals this year was to focus on client satisfaction and retention. We did this by extending our client relationships into partnerships by providing excellent client service, improving communications and ensuring quality work,” reports Cristina Holt, Director of Project Management.

Another goal that our project management department set for 2019 was to improve their internal tool set for project managers by making a big shift from Basecamp and Github over to Jira and Confluence. “This has improved task creation and planning, task management, risk management and overall transparency with our clients throughout the project,” Cristina says. “Plus it has made our project managers’ lives easier day to day.”

Additionally, we nearly doubled the size of PMO by adding two new project managers, Jessica Lujan and Christine Dixon. “Jessica is a stellar communicator, someone who connect with all levels in every way, while Christine always knows how to make tough decisions on challenging projects,” Cristina describes her new team members.

The Biggest Year for Maintainn

The WordPress support and maintenance division of our company, Maintainn, experienced its biggest year ever with the addition of small business website design services and hosting. Additionally, Maintainn maintained over 200 websites for 170 clients, launched five new small business websites, and rolled out two new hosting plans drawing interest from new and existing clients daily.

“Client success was our primary mission for 2019, and with every opportunity or despite any challenge, the team at Maintainn rose to the occasion,” states Jim Byrom, Director of Client Services. He goes on to say about our year in review, Maintainn increased its marketing efforts of the new and already-existing services, thus solidifying Maintainn’s position as a trusted WordPress partners.

“Knowing that an expansion of services could also bring an even larger client-base, another key to success this year was identifying gaps in operations and building redundancy wherever possible,” Jim explains. “Everyone at Maintainn understands their primary, secondary and sometimes even their tertiary roles, who they back up, and vice versa. This enables us to be a lean, yet highly efficient team. We are also very thankful to our counterparts on the new implementations side of the house and the collaboration we have with them on a daily basis.”

1,292 Hours for Five for the Future, 26 Team Members at WDS Camp

Since 2014, WDS has been contributing to the WordPress initiative known as Five for the Future. By the end of 2019, we expect to have contributed 1,292 hours by donating time to core and plugin development, WordCamps, and WordPress meetups. And now, there is an official Pledges landing page at WordPress.org where all organizations donating their time to Five for the Future are featured. Giving back is an important part of our values and something that will always be integrated into our company culture.

As a 100% distributed team, our annual company retreats play a big role in our endeavors to sustain a connected and cohesive team. This year’s retreat, known as WDS Camp, was held at Lake Lanier, Georgia.

5 WordCamps Organized, 11 WordCamp Talks Given

WDS can’t stop giving back to WordPress. That’s why our team has spoken at 11 WordCamps, organized five, and volunteered at two.

“WordCamp is one of the biggest reasons WordPress has the market share that it does,” expresses Justin Foell, Senior Backend Engineer. “It is an opportunity to share ideas, meet new people, and spread the love. The diverse WordPress community is fully the reason I’ve staked my name and employment on it. If you haven’t been to a WordCamp, you need to go. If you have been going and you feel like you’re getting diminishing returns, it’s time to step up and speak or volunteer. WordCamp gives back whatever you put into it, and more.”

Looking Back, Looking Forward

2019 has been one of our best years yet at WebDevStudios. One of our primary goals this year was analyzing our entire project processes and identifying areas for improvement. Keeping the focus on client success, it’s important that our tools and processes are optimized towards our client goals.

With the help from our team, we migrated our project management tool to Jira, an enterprise-grade solution. We revamped our discovery process and created a formal strategy department to help translate our client ideas and needs into action and deliver creative solutions that meet, or exceed, their goals. We on-boarded some amazing new clients and continued to grow and strengthen our partnership with existing clients.

As always, our team is the reason we’ve had such a successful year and we couldn’t have done it without each and every one of them. We are very excited for 2020 and continuing to create amazing WordPress powered web experiences for our incredible clients!

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