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Is My Product Backlog Just a Laundry List?

What's on your list?

In simple terms, a product backlog is a list of everything that needs to be done in relation to the product. This is the key artifact that helps in translating the high-level product vision and serves as the foundation to initiate the development of the product.

The product backlog includes features to be built, enhancements, fixes, quality attributes, etc. in the form of user stories.

This is beneficial in comparison to the waterfall approach of creating multiple pages of requirement documents because it provides prioritization so that the team has a direction, has the necessary details required by the team, and it keeps evolving and responds to change.

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Java Concurrency: Thread Confinement

Hello, readers! In this blog, we are going to explore thread confinement, what it means, and how we achieve it. So, let’s dive straight into it.

Thread Confinement

Most concurrency problems occur only when we want to share a mutable variable, or mutable state, between threads. If a mutable state is shared between multiple threads, then all of them will be able to read and modify the value of the state, thus resulting in incorrect or unexpected behavior. One way to avoid this problem is to simply not share the data between the threads. This technique is known as thread confinement and is one of the simplest ways of achieving thread safety in our application.

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Tengine, Docker, and PHP Application Best Practices

From a DevOps point of view, the importance of a well-architected solution, with proper separation of responsibilities, is fundamental for the long-term success of any application. This case we are presenting today is a very simplified example made to showcase the concept and to be easily understood, but it sets the base to scale it on your own as you gain confidence on this topic. We will make use of Elastic Compute Service (ECS), Server Load Balancer (SLB) and Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), all very common Alibaba Cloud services that you should be familiar with.

Containers and Running Services

When using Docker, like in our case today, one should never run more than one function per container. Running more than one defeats the whole purpose of using containers, as adding them doesn't cost much in terms of resources. In my experience, as DevOps lead engineer, I saw too many projects made by others with supervisord managing multiple functions in a single container. This is considered an anti-pattern as makes it very hard to track, debug and scale them horizontally. Please notice that I'm using the word function, not process. The official Docker documentation has moved away from saying one "process" to instead recommending one "concern" or "function" per container.

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The 11 Top WordPress Landing Page Templates in 2019

Anyone can create a website. Just because you own or manage a website, it doesn’t automatically mean that you’re a natural born designer.

But the design and layout of your website will have a huge impact on its success.

In fact, 48% of people say that the design of a website is the top factor they use when it comes to determining how credible a business is. 38% of people will stop using websites with unattractive layouts.

So if you want to create unique and beautiful landing pages without having to design them from scratch, you’re going to want to use pre-designed templates. WordPress is the best place to find these.

That’s because WordPress is the most popular CMS platform in the world, and has been for the past seven years in a row.

It controls nearly 60% of the entire CMS market across the globe. With more than 500 new sites launching on WordPress each day, it’s also the fastest growing CMS worldwide. 34% of the whole internet is run via WordPress.

So if you were on the fence about using WordPress to manage your site, hopefully now you’re convinced.

For those of you who are already using WordPress, you’re ahead of the game. Now it’s time to design the best landing pages for your WordPress site.

With so many options to choose from, I’ve narrowed down the top 11 WordPress landing page templates to make the decision much easier for you.

1. Landkit

Landkit

Landkit is extremely easy to use, yet it’s designed for high performance. The hybrid composer page builder makes it possible for you to design your website without having to write any code.

It doesn’t use many server resources, which makes it perfect for websites with high volumes of traffic. You can use the Landkit template to functionally present information in a way that’s attractive to your website visitors.

Another reason why I recommend Landkit is because the landing page templates are so versatile. They can be used for pages related to things like:

  • Lead generation
  • Ebook downloads
  • Webinar registrations
  • Online services
  • Free trial page
  • Mobile app showcase
  • Contest details
  • Crowdfunding
  • New product launch
  • Coupons

The list goes on and on. Landkit makes it easy for you to change the colors to match your website color schemes. It’s also compatible with the WooCommerce plugin, for those of you who are using WordPress for your ecommerce site.

Landkit has more than 70 page elements for complete customization. You can choose from 12 header styles, and add use the built-in WordPress mega menu. This landing page theme can be purchased for $49.

2. Landing

Landing

The Landing template from Themify is another versatile option for you to consider. It comes with a drag and drop page builder, making it easier than ever before to customize all of the page elements to your liking.

Landing has more than 25 builder layouts for you to choose from, based on the type of page that you want to create.

There are options specifically created for products, portfolios, marketers, events, ebooks, weddings, agencies, restaurants, mobile apps, personal pages, and more.

I like this template because it has a responsive design on all devices, and it’s retina ready as well. Landing has cool header options such as:

  • Default header
  • Transparent with text
  • Transparent
  • Transparent with no logo
  • No header

These choices are ideal for those of you who want to draw more attention to background images and CTAs on your landing page. Another benefit of Landing is the fact that it has MailChimp integration, so you can use this landing page to collect email addresses.

The standard Landing WordPress template costs $59. Developers can buy it for $69.

3. BeOnePage Lite

BeOnePage Lite

BeOnePage Lite is meant to portray a futuristic and interactive design. This template can be customized to be colorful as well. It comes with a full-screen layout and slider that can be used to display things like images, videos, icons, and other graphics.

Another benefit of this template is that it can support several different media files. The parallax effect of BeOnePage Lite ensures that all scrolling will be very smooth on the user’s end.

It has a responsive design, with lots of customizable options for you to consider. BeOnePage Lite is a retina ready template that can be used as a landing page for virtually any website.

So if you’re looking for a modern WordPress template that’s free to install, BeOnePage Lite should be taken into consideration.

4. Foton

Foton

Foton was developed with software and mobile app promotion in mind. So for those of you who are creating a landing page to drive mobile app downloads or sell software, this template should be at the top of your list.

You can import this template into WordPress with just one click. To customize your page settings, you can take advantage of the drag and drop page builder, which is extremely easy for anyone to use.

No coding is required to use Foton. It has WooCommerce integration, slider revolution, and excellent support. It’s also fully responsive and easy to change color themes.

Foton comes with free plugins and is optimized for SEO purposes. It has shortcodes designed for portfolios as well, such as lists, projects, sliders, galleries, masonry, and hover layouts.

Transitions from page to page are very smooth. The font sets and icons are attractive and easy to change as well. Shortcodes for videos and call-to-actions are definitely ones that you’ll want to take advantage of.

The Foton WordPress landing page template is priced at $59.

5. Jevelin

Jevelin

Jevelin is another multi-purpose WordPress landing page template. Some of the top features of this theme include:

  • WooCommerce integration
  • Mobile ready
  • Contact Form 7
  • One click installation
  • SEO friendly
  • RTL optimized
  • 40+ customizable shortcodes

There is a great video installation guide, making it possible for anyone to install Jevelin, even if you don’t have experience adding landing page templates to your WordPress site. The fact that it has built-in capabilities with one of the best WordPress form plugins is another added bonus.

Jevelin has great reviews from website owners who are using this template on their sites.

The drag and drop builder paired with mega menus, custom widgets, social sharing functionality, and ecommerce support make it a popular option. This WordPress landing page template can be bought for just $59.

6. Launchkit

Launchkit

Launchkit is definitely a one size fits all landing page template, which I’m not saying in a negative way by any stretch. I like Launchkit because it can be used for virtually any landing page for any business type.

They offer versatile headers with all different types of media in mind. You can customize headers, CTAs, and forms in a way that positions them for high conversions.

Launchkit has simple colors, so your website always looks good, regardless of the screen size or type that it’s being viewed on.

Top features of Launchkit include:

  • Three header layouts
  • Seven footer layouts
  • Custom logos
  • One click data installer
  • Multilingual support
  • Gravity Forms
  • Contact Form 7

This template comes with more than 600 Google Fonts as well. With that in mind, you should check out my guide on the best Google Fonts that go together on your website.

For the reasonable price of $59, Launchkit is definitely one of the best landing page templates you can find for your WordPress site.

7. The Gem

Gem

If you’re looking for a multi-purpose landing page that is optimized for high performance, look no further than The Gem. This template offers a creative design that’s modern and suitable for all different types of websites.

There are more than 70 built-in concepts. So you can find a landing page that fits your needs.

  • Agencies
  • Business and finance
  • Ecommerce shops
  • Portfolios
  • Blogs
  • Mobile apps
  • Cryptocurrencies
  • Real estate
  • Restaurants
  • Gyms
  • Beauty salons
  • Law firms
  • Hotels
  • Nonprofit organizations

These are just some of the many options that showcase the versatility of this WordPress landing page template. It’s fully responsive and looks great on both desktop devices and mobile screens.

The Gem is compatible with WooCommerce, making it a top choice for those of you who have an ecommerce shop.

With the visual composer, you can easily change elements on your landing pages with the drag and drop builder. The template is compatible with plugins and also comes with premium sliders.

You can buy this landing page template for $59.

8. Kallyas

Kallyas

More than 35,000 websites are using Kallyas for landing page templates. They have more than 65 live demos, with new ones coming out each month.

I always like it when landing page templates offer lots of live demos because it makes it easier to give you inspiration for designing your own website. Top benefits of Kallyas include:

  • Fast loading times
  • Quick setup
  • Video tutorials
  • Written tutorials
  • Reliable customer support
  • Visual page builder
  • Free updates for life

The one-click installation makes it easy for you to start editing your website in minutes. They have demos for things like weddings, makeup artists, bloggers, kids websites, membership sites, news, medical, sports, and dozens more.

Kallyas has more than 100 pre-built elements into the template. This gives you seemingly unlimited options when it comes to customizing your landing pages. Kallyas is priced at $69.

9. Softbox

Softbox

Softbox is perfect for those of you who want a clean and professional design for landing pages on your website. It’s easy to choose your layout and customize the elements with some of their pre-built options.

It works on all major web browsers, screens, and devices. Softbox is retina ready and fully responsive. They have templates designed specifically for home pages, blogs, and interior landing pages as well.

In a word, Softbox can be described as simple. But when it comes to your website, simple designs have higher conversion rates.

Compared to some of the other WordPress landing pages on our list, Softbox is offered at a lower price point. This template can be yours for just $39.

10. Fusion

Fusion

The Fusion WordPress template is designed with mobile app landing pages and portfolio landing pages in mind. So if you’re looking to showcase one or both of these things on your website, you should take a closer look at this option.

It’s an ideal solution for agencies and developers. The pages can be set up so that creatives can showcase their products. This holds true for both firms or individuals as well.

The typography is super clean. All of the design elements and whitespace is managed perfectly with this template, so the eyes of your website visitors are always drawn to the right spot on the page.

Fusion has a simple shortcode builder and easy customization. Everything integrates seamlessly into WordPress for you to manage.

This template has more than 1,500 retina icons, a revolution slider, and the ability to create a gallery with captions. It comes with over 500 Google Fonts, Contact Form 7, and an Ajax loading gallery as well.

Fusion costs $49 to install.

11. Leadinjection

Leadinjection

Last, but certainly not least, on our list is Leadinjection. As the name implies, this template is designed especially for generating leads.

They have pre-built layouts for things like:

  • Online courses
  • Mobile apps
  • eBooks
  • Services
  • Medical websites
  • Insurance companies
  • Landscaping businesses
  • Diets and health
  • Cryptocurrencies

As you can see, these lead generation templates are extremely versatile and can fit the needs of nearly any website.

The template comes with a Lead Modal plugin, that’s basically a popup on your site that can be used to generate leads. This can be based on timing, exit intent, or other trigger options.

Leadinjection has all different types of opt-in forms for your landing pages as well. You can fully customize your CTA, and even add a click to call button for your mobile site. If this sounds like the landing page template that you want, it can be purchased for $39.

Conclusion

If you need help designing a landing page for your WordPress website, I’m confident that you can find what you’re looking for somewhere in these options that I’ve listed above.

I tried to include something for everyone on here. Some of these templates are made for multiple purposes, while others are made specifically for things like mobile apps, ecommerce, or lead generation.

Price is another factor that you can take into consideration when making this decision. While there are some free WordPress landing page templates, the rest tend to be priced between the $39 and $69 range.

So keep this list in mind when you’re on the search for the perfect WordPress landing page template.

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Changes in Cybersecurity (Part 1)

We're excited to announce Trend Reports by DZone beginning with Application Security! Everyone involved in building applications — from developers to CTOs — should think about security ramifications. This Trend Report will explore what developers feel are the most prominent threats, where corporate priorities lie, and how secure coding practices are being implemented. Keep an eye on your inbox and our homepage on July 22nd to learn more."

To understand the current and future state of the cybersecurity landscape, we spoke to, and received written responses from, 50 security professionals. We asked them, "How do you see the cybersecurity landscape changing?"

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Introduction to Kubernetes Security

Kubernetes is fundamentally a complex system with lots of different potential attack vectors aimed at data theft currency mining and other threats. Brice Fernandes started us off with a discussion on how to secure your operations to Kubernetes using GitOps best practices. Liz Rice then followed up on the current state of Kubernetes security-related features as well as best practices and other tips on how to secure your cluster.

GitOps Is an Operations Model for Kubernetes

According to Brice, Kubernetes clusters were traditionally accessed by developers directly, using the command line tool `kubectl`. There are of course many issues with having your development team directly accessing the cluster in this way. The biggest problem with this is that it is really hard to audit and track who did what, when.

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Navigating Data Marts, Lakes, Warehouses and Vaults

Throughout the past several years, everyone has been talking about big data. Businesses looking to be more data-driven have to incorporate a whole range of different infrastructures. However, it can be difficult to understand where your data lakes and warehouses meet, and why you might even need a data vault.

Quite simply, each of these concepts boils down to finding ways to ingest and manage your data in an effective way for today's data analytics driven decision-making. Below is a breakdown of the options, how they relate and what they are used for.

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25 Most Successful WordPress Businesses and Companies Today

WordPress is one of the best examples of how businesses can thrive in an open source ecosystem. With contributions made by thousands of ingenious developers and entrepreneurs worldwide, WordPress is growing fast by attracting thousands of new users every day.

As of today, WordPress powers more than 34% of all websites on the internet. Many companies make their entire revenue by providing WordPress related products and services. The WordPress business ecosystem generates several billion dollars each year.

Although WordPress itself is free, users need a variety of services to make a website including domain name, web hosting, premium WordPress themes, plugins, maintenance, and more. These are the services top WordPress companies are selling.

In this article, we will highlight some of the most successful WordPress businesses and companies today. Hopefully, this will inspire others to start their own WordPress focused businesses.

Most successful WordPress businesses and companies

1. Automattic

Automattic Most Successful WordPress Company

Founded by WordPress co-founder, Matt Mullenweg, Automattic is the company behind the popular blog hosting service WordPress.com (See the difference between WordPress.com vs self-hosted WordPress.org).

Automattic is also the parent company of several other popular WordPress products and services like WooCommerce, JetPack, Akismet, VaultPress, and Gravatar.

Here are some stats and facts about top Automattic products.

Automattic heavily contributes to open source WordPress.org, bbPress, and BuddyPress projects. In terms of influence, revenue, and the overall user base, Automattic is definitely among the top WordPress businesses and companies.

2. WP Engine

WP Engine - Most Successful Managed WordPress Hosting Company

WP Engine is the most popular managed WordPress hosting company in the market. It offers hassle-free, fast, and secure web hosting service for WordPress sites of all sizes.

Loved by developers, site owners, and venture capital firms, WP Engine is among the fastest growing companies in WordPress.

Here are some important stats and facts about WP Engine.

  • WP Engine is one of the first and most successful companies to offer managed WordPress hosting.
  • It powers more than 500,000 websites online today.
  • Last publicly announced annual revenue was over $132 million ARR.

Besides hosting services, WP Engine is also the parent company of popular WordPress design and theme company StudioPress (acquired in 2018), and Torque WordPress blog.

WP Engine hosting plans come with the popular Genesis design framework and 35+ premium themes worth $2000 by StudioPress for free.

3. Awesome Motive

Awesome Motive - Most Influential WordPress Business

Awesome Motive is the parent company of WPBeginner, the largest free WordPress resource site. WPBeginner features the most beginner-friendly tutorials and guides for WordPress.

Founded by Syed Balkhi, the company sells several WordPress related products like WPForms, MonsterInsights, SeedProd and the best-selling lead generation software OptinMonster.

Here are some important stats and facts about Awesome Motive and their products:

  • Over 9 million websites use their software and training videos for growth.
  • Their products WPForms and MonsterInsights are among the most popular WordPress plugins ever built (over 2 million active installs for each).
  • OptinMonster is the #1 most powerful lead generation software which is used by over 700,000 websites.

Besides, it runs IsitWP, a WordPress technology lookup tool and blog, and other free plugins like Insert Headers and Footers.

4. Yoast

Yoast - Most Successful WordPress SEO Company

Started by Joost de Valk, Yoast is the most successful WordPress SEO (Search Engine Optimization) business. It provides a full package of SEO products and services, helping millions of users with the optimization of their WordPress sites.

Yoast is the company behind the immensely popular WordPress SEO by Yoast plugin. In addition to their standard SEO plugin, they offer many related SEO plugins like Local SEO, Video SEO, News SEO, WooCommerce SEO, and other plugins like Yoast Comment Hacks, SlideShare for WordPress, etc.

Here are some important stats and facts about Yoast and their products.

  • Yoast SEO is undoubtedly the #1 WordPress SEO plugin with over 5 million active installations.
  • They help thousands of people learn SEO via Yoast Academy’s online SEO training.

Yoast also offers website SEO, conversion reviews, and auditing services. Their client lists include some of the world’s biggest brands.

5. Envato

Envato - Most Popular WordPress Theme and Plugin Marketplace

Envato runs the popular marketplace websites ThemeForest and CodeCanyon. These are probably the second most popular destination for WordPress themes and plugins.

Despite the license controversies in the past, Envato is one of the most influential WordPress businesses today.

Here’re some important stats and facts about Envato and their products.

  • Envato’s theme marketplace ThemeForest features more than 11,000 premium WordPress themes by third-party theme authors worldwide.
  • As of today, 7 of the themes on ThemeForest have been sold more than 100,000 times each. The top 3 best-selling themes Avada, X theme, and Enfold have 520,000, 200,000 and 180,000 sales respectively.
  • The plugin marketplace CodeCanyon includes over 6,000 premium WordPress plugins, of which two have been sold more than 300,000 times.

In addition to the premium themes and plugins, Envato offers a wide range of web design products, including logo maker, video maker, tutorials, stock photos, and more.

6. Elegant Themes

Elegant Themes - Top WordPress Theme Development Company

Elegant Themes is one of the most successful WordPress theme development companies in the world. They are the people behind the most popular WordPress theme Divi and the WordPress page builder plugin Divi Builder.

Moreover, it features Bloom email optin plugin, Monarch social sharing plugin, and several other plugins and themes.

Here’re some important stats and facts about Elegant Themes and their products.

  • Divi helps more than 500,000 happy customers worldwide to create their stunning websites.
  • According to stats from BuiltWith.com, Divi is the second most widely used WordPress theme after Genesis theme framework.

Apart from the themes and plugins, Elegant Themes also runs a popular WordPress blog where they publish helpful tutorials and guides.

7. Caseproof

Caseproof - Top WordPress Development Company

Caseproof is the parent company behind popular WordPress plugins MemberPress, Pretty Links, and Affiliate Royale.

MemberPress is the best WordPress membership plugin used by thousands of users to create a membership site in WordPress. Pretty Links helps to turn your ugly long affiliate links into short trackable links. And, Affiliate Royale plugin lets you create a complete affiliate program of your own.

Here are some important stats and facts about Caseproof and their products.

Caseproof, with its brilliant products, is the industry leader for membership and affiliate plugin companies.

Note: WPBeginner founder, Syed Balkhi, is an investor in CaseProof.

8. Modern Tribe

Modern Tribe WordPress Development Company

Modern Tribe is a WordPress design and development agency with a twist. They are a collaborative organization of all freelancers and experts. It is a company of 72 talented teammates in 5 countries and 45 cities.

The company offers a wide range of services, including WordPress expertise, strategy, user experience design, and more. They are also the creators of The Events Calendar plugin.

Here are some important stats and facts about Modern Tribe.

  • They work on more than 20 simultaneous projects on average. They have already built several hundred websites.
  • The Events Calendar plugin is the #1 event management plugin for WordPress (15 million downloads and counting).

They have designed websites and built software for fortune 500 companies, government institutions, as well as start-up companies. Their clients include Harvard, eBay, Mozilla, MTV, and more.

9. IncSub

IncSub - Successful WordPress Theme and Plugin Company

IncSub is the company behind WPMU DEV, CampusPress, and Edublogs. The WPMU DEV site offers managed WordPress hosting, support, site management, and plugins.

The CampusPress helps universities and other academic institutions build and manage websites in WordPress. And, Edublogs is the blog platform for individual teachers and students.

Here are some important stats and facts about IncSub and its products.

  • WPMU DEV has more than 750,000 active members.
  • Their product Smush Image Compression and Optimization is one of the best image compression plugins with more than a million active installs.
  • Edublogs powers more than 4 million education blogs by students and teachers worldwide.

IncSub is one of the most influential companies in WordPress speed optimization and leader in WordPress for education.

10. SkyVerge

SkyVerge - WooCommerce Extension Development Company

SkyeVerge is the company behind over 50 premium extensions for WooCommerce and the Jilt eCommerce email marketing tool.

They are the leading partner developer for WooCommerce.com. They have built 66 free and paid WooCommerce extensions including WooCommerce Memberships, WooCommerce Google Analytics Pro, and more.

Here are some important stats and facts about SkyVerge and their products.

  • The SkyVerge team has made over 400 WooCommerce core contributions.
  • Their free plugins on WordPress.org have more than 2 million downloads.

Their other product Jilt is an email marketing and automation tool for the popular eCommerce platforms WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, and Shopify.

11. Sandhills Development

Sandills Development - Successful WordPress eCommerce Business

Founded by Pippin Williamson, Sandhills Development is the company behind the immensely popular Easy Digital Downloads, AffiliateWP, and Restrict Content Pro plugins. The company was formerly known as Pippin’s Plugins.

In a short period, the company has developed a huge customer base and a strong following among the WordPress community.

Here are some vital stats and facts about Sandhills Development and its products.

  • Their plugin Easy Digital Downloads is the second most popular WordPress eCommerce plugin after WooCommerce.
  • Easy Digital Downloads has over 2 million downloads, over 100 extensions and themes, and more than 180 project contributors.

Their other plugins are also popular among WordPress users. Restrict Content Pro is one of the best membership plugins for WordPress. AffiliateWP lets you create a full-featured affiliate program (a good alternative to the Affiliate Royale plugin).

12. WordFence

WordFence - Most Popular WordPress Security Plugin Company

WordFence is the global leader in WordPress security. It is the most popular WordPress firewall and malware scanner plugin in the market.

Here are some important stats and facts about WordFence.

  • WordFence plugin protects over 3 million active WordPress websites.
  • It blocks more than 4 billion attacks and over 75,000 malicious IPs monthly in average.

It also provides WordPress site cleaning and audit services.

13. Human Made

Human Made - Popular WordPress Design Company

The UK based WordPress design and development agency, Human Made is an official WordPress.com VIP partner. They specialize in enterprise scale development for global brands like News UK, USA Today, TechCrunch, Sony, PayPal, Skype, Airbnb, and many more.

Here are some important stats and facts about Human Made.

  • Awarded as one of the top B2B companies and top WordPress developers 2018 by Clutch.
  • They also contribute to the open source WordPress community. They contributed to 12 WordPress.org teams, and 53 talks at open source events in 2018.

They also offer several free and paid WordPress plugins like WPRemote, BackupWordPress, WPThumb, and WordPress Menu Exporter.

14. Web Dev Studios

Web Dev Studios - Design Company for WordPress

Web Dev Studios is one of the leading WordPress design and development agencies. They have authored several books on WordPress and are actively involved in the WordPress community.

They have also contributed to several top-rated WordPress plugins like Custom Post Types UI, CMB2, Automatic Featured Images from Videos and many more.

Here are some important stats and facts about Web Dev Studios and their products.

  • Their plugin Custom Post Type UI is one of the top 100 free plugins on WordPress.org, with over 700,000 active installs.
  • Another plugin CMB2 is one of the most loved free plugins ever built (4.9 average rating).

Their clients include several big name brands like Microsoft, Viacom, Time, MSNBC, NBC, and WPEngine.

15. WP Media

WP Media - WordPress Optimization Service Provider Company

WP Media is the company behind the popular caching and speed optimization plugin WP Rocket. They are also the people behind Imagify, online image compression tool.

Here are some important stats and facts about WP Media and their products.

  • WP Rocket has more than 96,000 happy customers and used to optimize more than 700,000 WordPress websites.
  • Imagify has already optimized more than 700 million images and actively installed on more than 200,000 WordPress sites.

Also, they are the creators of WP Quick Install, which helps you install WordPress, themes, and plugins in an instant.

16. WPML

WPML Best WordPress Multilingual Plugin and Company

WPML is the #1 WordPress multilingual plugin, which lets you create multilingual website in WordPress.

Here are some important stats and facts about WPML.

  • WPML powers more than 600,000 multilingual websites on the internet.
  • WPML clients and websites are located in more than 100 countries and translate into the similar number of languages.

WPML is a product of a company named OnTheGoSystems. Apart from WPML, they run ICanLocalize, a translation service with professional human translators.

17. UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus - Best WordPress Backup Plugin Business

UpdraftPlus is the most trusted WordPress backup plugin in the market. It is used by world’s top organizations like Microsoft, NASA, NBA, P&G, Princeton University, and more.

Most popular WordPress blogs like WPBeginner, Torque, WMPU DEV, Elegant Themes recommend UpdraftPlus for creating WordPress backup.

Here are some important stats and facts about UpdraftPlus.

  • UpdraftPlus powers more than 2 million WordPress websites online.
  • It lets you store your backup in many remote storage locations like Dropbox, Google Drive, and more. It also has its own embedded storage location UpdraftVault.

They also offer UpdraftMigrator tool for simple WordPress migration and UpdraftCemtral for backing up multiple websites at one place quickly.

18. Imagely

Imagely - WordPress Product Company for Photographers

Imagely is the industry-leading provider of WordPress products and services for photographers. They have created many top-selling WordPress photography themes and plugins.

NextGEN Gallery is one of the most popular image gallery plugins for WordPress. The core plugin is free, but you need to buy its paid extensions to get its full features.

Here are some vital stats and facts about Imagely and their products.

  • NextGEN Gallery plugin is a widely used plugin, actively installed on 900,000 WordPress websites on the internet today.
  • They are also creators of most popular WordPress photography theme Photocrati, used on more than 18,000 websites.

Imagely also owns a renowned WordPress theme company Tesla Themes, which features more than 60 professional WordPress themes, used on more than 125,000 websites.

19. Elementor

Elementor

Elementor Ltd is the company behind the popular WordPress page builder, Elementor. Their drag and drop page builder is now powering over 2 million websites, and it is one of the fastest growing plugins in WordPress right now.

Elementor is also behind a popular theme shop called Pojo themes.

20. Themify

Themify - Successful WordPress theme and plugin Business

Themify is a premium WordPress theme and plugins shop. They are the people behind the powerful drag and drop page builder plugin Themify Builder.

Themify offers WordPress themes in different categories, catering to the needs of various industries.

Here are some important stats and facts about Themify and their products.

  • Themify features 48 themes, 12+ plugins, 25+ Builder addons, Photoshop files, and more.
  • Themify themes and plugins help more than 90,000 customers to make beautiful websites in WordPress.

Themify also offers a club membership where users can access all their products with a subscription program.

21. Beaver Builder

Beaver Builder plugin

Beaver Builder is the best drag and drop page builder plugin for WordPress. It lets you create stunning WordPress landing pages easily and quickly.

Beaver Builder includes 30+ professional templates for landing pages and content pages. It also includes Beaver Builder theme framework for its Pro plan users.

Here are some important stats and facts about Beaver Builder.

  • Beaver Builder page builder is used by over 1 million live WordPress websites.
  • The Beaver Builder theme powers over 175,000 WordPress websites.

Started in 2014, Beaver Builder is one of the fastest-growing WordPress products in the market.

22. 10up

10up - Web Design Firm

10up is a web design and consulting firm specializing in open source platforms like WordPress.

10up contributes hours of development back to the WordPress project by submitting patches and employing dedicated staff to work on the WordPress.org project.

Here are some important stats and facts about 10up.

  • 10up has developed 6 free plugins and contributed to over 20 free plugins on WordPress.org.
  • They also contributed to core jQuery project and sponsored jQuery Foundation by supporting their website.

10up is also one of the featured WordPress.com VIP partners. The company has an impressive list of clients with brands like TechCrunch and organizations like the World Economic Forum.

23. GoDaddy

GoDaddy WordPress Hosting Company

GoDaddy is the world’s largest domain name registrar with more than 78 million domain names under its management. It is also a provider of cheap shared hosting for WordPress.

In addition to the domain and hosting services, GoDaddy also runs popular WordPress products and services like ManageWP, and Sucuri.

Here are some important stats and facts about GoDaddy and their products.

  • ManageWP is the first and most successful WordPress website management service with 60,000 loyal customers (over 1 million websites managed).
  • Sucuri is the most powerful WordPress plugin for security and firewall which cleans more than 700 websites daily.

Sucuri is trusted by top WordPress companies like WPBeginner, Yoast, WP Engine, as well as the top organizations like Miami University, HarperCollins, and more.

24. Bluehost

Get started with Bluehost

Bluehost is one of the best WordPress hosting providers in the world. They are an official WordPress.org recommended hosting provider.

Bluehost is one of the subsidiary brands of Endurance International Group. The company is also the parent company of several brands like HostGator, Constant Contact, Domain.com, and many more.

Here are some important stats and facts about Bluehost and other Endurance company products.

Endurance also owns the MOJO Marketplace which features tons of commercial WordPress themes and plugins.

25. SiteGround

SiteGround - WordPress and WooCommerce Hosting Company

SiteGround is another WordPress hosting company officially recommended by WordPress.org. It offers fast and secure hosting plans for WordPress.

SiteGround also provides managed WooCommerce hosting service for WordPress based online stores. It includes hassle-free WooCommercce integration as well as migration.

Here are some important stats and facts about SiteGround.

  • SiteGround hosts more than 2 million websites on its powerful web hosting infrastructure.
  • WooCommerce hosting by SiteGround is recommended by WordPress experts like WPBeginner, and Yoast.

SiteGround offers speedy customer service, and it is top rated for customer satisfaction.

Wrapping Up

The WordPress ecosystem is evolving rapidly, and new companies are appearing regularly. Many of them will soon grow to become an influential WordPress business in their own niches.

There is plenty of room for new businesses to join the WordPress ecosystem, and hopefully, we will see many more new companies rise to the top soon.

We hope this article helped you to find out the most successful WordPress companies and businesses today. You may also want to take a look at our list of the top brands using WordPress.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 25 Most Successful WordPress Businesses and Companies Today appeared first on WPBeginner.

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3 Pitfalls Everyone Should Avoid With Hybrid Multicloud (Part 4)


The daily cloud hype is all around you, yet there are three pitfalls everyone should avoid.

From cloud, hybrid cloud, to hybrid multi-cloud, you're told this is the way to ensure a digital future for your business. These choices you've got to make don't preclude the daily work of enhancing your customer's experience and agile delivery of those applications.

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3 Pitfalls Everyone Should Avoid with Hybrid Multicloud (Part 3)

The daily cloud hype is all around you, yet there are three pitfalls everyone should avoid.

From cloud, to hybrid cloud, to hybrid multi-cloud, you’re told this is the way to ensure a digital future for your business. These choices you’ve got to make don’t preclude the daily work of enhancing your customer's experience and agile delivery of those applications.

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5 Inspirational Designs Trends to Follow for 2019

Graphic Design trends for 2019

5 Inspirational Designs Trends to Follow for 2019

 

Design is all about expressing yourself through your art and showing people the beauty in simple or incredibly intricate designs. While you should always stay true to yourself and be authentically you through your designs, it is also good to stay on top of the trend game. 

Today we’re going to go over 10 design trends that we stan this year. And hopefully, always. 

We’ve got 6 months left in 2019 so we better make our designs count. 

So let’s just get right into it, shall we? 

 

   1. GO BOLD

 You know the saying, go bold or go home. And it rings absolutely true in design. We have two different types of “bold” that we’re going to go over in this section: bold colors and bold text.

Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.behance.net/erikmusin

Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.behance.net/erikmusin

Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.behance.net/erikmusin

Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.behance.net/erikmusin

 

Here are some examples where minimalist background color meets bold product color. When photographing and editing a product, enhance its color by using a light, neutral color as the background. When you do this, the eye of your client will be drawn directly to your product. Make sure that the color you choose complements the product’s color and really enhances what you have to offer. This is definitely my favorite trend right now. Hats off to Erik Musen for hitting us with some sweet designs. 

 

The next bold section is all about text. You have a message to share and you need to grab the attention of your readers. Do this with the same concept as with the products. Beetroot did an awesome job of using big and bold fonts to grab your attention. There’s no missing what you have to say when you use this bold technique. 

Graphic Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.behance.net/beetrootdesign

 

    2. 3D Design

Really stand out, literally, with a 3D design. Incorporate real-looking elements into your graphic design to make your design truly unique and eye-catching. Take these designs for example. 

Graphic Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.behance.net/STATE7

Graphic Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.behance.net/gallery/71276031/Mulher-3D-Type

 

3D design is just about everywhere right now, and as you could see above, there’s no specific font that is the set-in-stone font to use. Try out any font you’d like! A font that is skinny, bold, a sans-serif, script, or any other type of font can be rendered in 3D. Use this technique in your next project and drop the link to your portfolio in the comments below so we can check it out! 

 

  3. Flat Design meets Realism

Another huge design trend right now is flat design combined with realism. Here are some prime examples of what I’m talking about. 

Graphic Design trends for 2019

source:https://dribbble.com/shots/5591883-Puma-sneaker-shop

Graphic Design trends for 2019

Source: https://dribbble.com/shots/4854300-Panda-UI

Graphic Design trends for 2019

Source: https://dribbble.com/shots/3951710-Adidas-Online-Store

Feeding off of the 3D trend, flat design + realism is truly impressive. Two complete opposites, yet the perfect combination that gives a vibe of futuristic design. You can expect to see this trend in the E-commerce world, but not only. Add elements that look like they are floating or fly to add an aesthetic that is overall abstract. Combine 3D objects with a flat design to achieve this amazing look. 

 

  4. Open composition

We’re taking a step back from mainstream, and a step forward in creativity. This trend exudes art. It’s chaotic, yet beautiful. For this look, the goal is to achieve a free-flowing final product. So say goodbye to a “perfect” framed finish. This trend is a combination of things: combine images with ideas. This is magic in real life. It gives people a sense that they’re just seeing a small piece of a bigger picture. The real magic of open-composition is that gives people the freedom to explore their creative side and see the deeper meaning of what the combined elements could mean. 

Graphic Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.behance.net/temicoker

Graphic Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.behance.net/temicoker

Graphic Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.behance.net/temicoker

Graphic Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.behance.net/temicoker

Graphic Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.behance.net/temicoker

And my all-time favorite designer for this technique is Temiloluwa Coker.  Check out his work on Behance. All the images above are all his.

 

  5. Electrified

I’m about to end this article with a bang. Maybe this trend is actually my favorite. 

Graphic Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.behance.net/cristianmg

Graphic Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.behance.net/cristianmg

Graphic Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.behance.net/gallery/66723565/FETE-DE-TROP-__-Eddy-de-Pretto

Graphic Design trends for 2019

Source: https://www.inspirationde.com/image/85051/

 

One of my favorite things about social media today is that we’re all pushing for authenticity and being real. There’s no excuse for designers. In this technique, designers are encouraged to let their inner-creator out by drawing, writing, doodling, splashing, and using unique brush strokes and color stains. Imperfections and mistakes are embraced in this trend because there’s absolutely no right or wrong in this style. And I think that’s why I love it so much.

 

Sadly, our time has come to an end…

 

But no worries, we’ll be back soon! 

Let us know in the comments below what your favorite design trend was in this article, and if you have any other favorite design trends we didn’t cover, mention those down below as well. 

Drop your portfolio down in the comments for us designers to support each other. 

Until next time, 

Be kind and stay positive.

Read More at 5 Inspirational Designs Trends to Follow for 2019

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Better Search UX Through Microcopy

Better Search UX Through Microcopy

Better Search UX Through Microcopy

Andrew Millen

It’s hard to overstate the importance of web search. Searching is as old as the Internet itself, and by some measures, even older. A well-designed search benefits both you and your users; it increases conversions, reduces bounce rates, and improves the user experience.

Search is especially important on large scale sites and e-commerce experiences, where the majority of revenue comes from search-driven sessions. Studies show that up to 50% of users go straight to the internal search bar of a website, and that 15% outright prefer using the search function to browsing the hierarchical menu. This means that for all the love and care that goes into determining the information architecture of a site, just as much has to go into designing the search experience.

Complicating the problem is the fact that users’ search skills are flimsy at best, and incompetent at worst. Getting good results from a search engine often requires multiple attempts and reformulations, which users rarely do. And as search technology improves over time, users are increasingly likely to accept the results of a search as the answer to their question, even if their query was flawed. Users who favor searches tend to move quickly, scanning the page for that familiar-looking rectangle, and bouncing quickly when they don’t find what they’re looking for.

Communicating with those users “at speed” is a tricky job that requires a specialized tool: microcopy. The name ‘microcopy’ belies its own importance. It may be small, but big successes often hinge on it. It’s a place where voice can shine through, where good impressions are made, and where utility and branding intersect. With that in mind, let’s dive into the many ways that microcopy and contextualization can vastly improve a search experience.

In accordance with Jakob’s Law, your first instinct when designing a search bar should be to put a rectangular box in the upper right or upper left corner. You should add a label or A11y-friendly placeholder text, and include a submit button that says “Search.”

Hiding the search bar behind a link, forgoing placeholder text, or opting for magnifying glass icon CTA instead of plain text are all valid design decisions in the right context. Just make sure you’re not abstracting the function of the search bar unnecessarily because searching already has a higher interaction cost than browsing.

Every barrier, however inconsequential you may find it as a designer, risks negatively affecting the UX and your bottom line. If there’s a risk your users may confuse the magnifying glass icon for a “zoom” button, you should mitigate that.

Placeholder Text

Placeholder text is a great place to enhance the experience. It can be informational, it can be a place for brand expression, and it can nudge wavering users in the right direction. Anytime I see a search bar that just says “Search,” I see a missed opportunity.

So what’s a better approach? It varies from site to site. First, familiarize yourself with your business goals, your brand, and your users’ existing habits. Then, consider how you can be the most helpful.

Nudge The User

A suggestive approach can reduce the user’s anxiety. Clue your users into the fact that they can search in multiple ways, especially if they may not be familiar with your full range of products or services. ASOS suggests searching for inspiration in addition to products and brands:

The search bar on the ASOS website
(Image source: ASOS) (Large preview)
Be Informative

Tell the user exactly what they’ll be getting when they hit submit. On Shutterstock, a site wholly devoted to the search of a massive photo archive, this placeholder text cleverly doubles as a tagline when paired with the logo:

The search bar on the Shutterstock website
(Image source: Shutterstock) (Large preview)
Reinforce The Brand

Home Depot’s search bar doesn’t lead the user, but instead presents a helpful, personal tone which I’m sure is in line with their brand voice guidelines. This is probably the best approach considering the size of their product catalog:

Home Depot’s search bar
(Image source: The Home Depot) (Large preview)

Using Search Logs To Your Advantage

If you’re not sure the best way to optimize your placeholder text, a good place to start is your search log database. Learning how to break down these results can be incredibly valuable when formulating helpful content design. You’ll be able to see first-hand the vocabulary people use to search your site, and more importantly, the gaps between what you offer and what your users are looking for.

During the search process, your copy should offer as much help along the way as possible without being overbearing. That includes everything from an obvious “Cancel” or “Clear” button to logging each user’s recent searches for surfacing later. When choosing the right microcopy to accompany these features, add a dash of brown sauce.

Autosuggestions

Users who use the search bar are doing so because they’re looking for something specific, which makes autosuggestions a valuable (and increasingly expected) tool. Specificity, in this case, may be as focused as “Women’s gray shoe size 9M” or as open-ended as “Sandwich shops near me.”

Autosuggestions also reduce the risk of returning bad results, alleviate the mental effort on the user, and present an opportunity to surface your most popular products.

Chewy
(Image source: Chewy) (Large preview)

Often these don’t require additional context or copy at all, but can just be listed below the search bar as the user types, as shown in the example above.

Showing related searches on the results page is another way to help guide users without getting in the way. A common pattern is providing a few clickable keywords related to the original query above the results. A little copy that states “Other users searched for” is a good way to incorporate social proof into the search experience.

Recent Searches

If your technology allows it, saving and resurfacing recent searches is another way to helpfully reduce the memory load on the user. Make sure you add context with copy, but it can be as straightforward as this:

The search bar on the Macy’s website
(Image source: Macy’s) (Large preview)

Handling Results

There are a two pieces of copy that I’d consider required when displaying search results:

  1. The query itself.
    If the search bar is highly visible, it can be displayed here. You can also create an H1 that states "Results for {{terms}}."
  2. The number of results.
    If the results are paginated, you might also include the number of pages.
The search bar on the REI Co-op website
(Image source: REI Co-op) (Large preview)

No Results

Whether through their own error not, users will inevitably encounter a “no results” page at some point. Luckily, there are ways to handle this gracefully; in fact, with the right approach, this dead end can actually be a great opportunity for content discovery.

First of all, don’t expect your users to refine their search if they get no results — at least not without a UI that encourages it. Users are reluctant to reformulate their query and have trouble when trying to. They’re more likely to engage with whatever information they’re presented with and take it from there, or abandon the task entirely. (When was the last time you clicked through to the second page of Google search results?)

That said, it’s easy to see how a little copywriting and contextualization can improve the experience. Nielsen Norman Group has a comprehensive guide on how to handle No Results SERPs, with the gist being:

  • Make it obvious there are no results.
    It’s easy to get cute and accidentally bury the lede. It’s also tempting to intentionally hide the “no results” messaging to obfuscate the error entirely. Either way, don’t trick the user.
  • Offer paths forward.
    Suggest ways to refine the search query (such as checking your spelling), and also provide links to popular content or products that have the highest likelihood of connecting with the user.
  • Strike the right tone.
    Use your brand voice, but don’t run the risk of exacerbating the situation with humor that might be ill-received by a frustrated user.

Also, bear in mind that empty SERPs may arise because a user mistakenly submitted without entering any query at all. You should have a content plan for this scenario as well rather than returning all items in the database, for example.

Wrapping Up

Writing a good search experience comes down to thoughtfulness. As designers, we’ve probably used and created hundreds of different web search experiences, so we breeze through the process. But when we consider every small step of the process (every microinteraction and every edge case), the minor changes we make can have a major impact on the experience. Next time you find yourself reaching for a visual solution to a search problem, consider using your words instead.

Further Reading on SmashingMag:

Smashing Editorial (dm, yk, il)
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5 Reasons You Need Composition Analysis, Especially for OSS

In this post, you will learn about software composition analysis (SCA). You will find out what software composition analysis is, why it is relevant, and five reasons you should use an SCA tool.

What Is Software Composition Analysis?

Software Composition Analysis (SCA) is an automated way to get visibility into all the components of an application. An SCA tool scans the source code of an application to provide an inventory of all its third-party, internal, and open source components, including libraries, operating systems, and frameworks.

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Create a BOOT.bin, Program an SD Card, and Boot a ZC706 Using Windows

This post shows you how to create a BOOT.bin with a Hello World bare-metal application and a bitstream created in [Run Hello World on a ZC702], how to program the BOOT.bin onto the SD Card using Windows (copy it to the SD card), and how to boot the ZC702 from the SD card and see output from the serial port.

Before You Get Started

Generate Bitstreams, Hello World Binaries, and Test Everything

This post assumes you've generated the bitstreams, Hello World binaries, and have tested everything as listed in [Run Hello World on a ZC702], but on the ZC706. All of the instructions are the same except for two things:

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The Importance of QA Testing for Software Development

Quality assurance testing (QA testing) refers to a company delivering the best possible product or service to the customer by making sure the right processes are in place during development. Companies need to test their software products and analyze them to make sure they meet the market standards and fulfill their established goals.

An easy way that companies can implement QA testing into their development is through QA outsourcing. It allows companies to focus on their strengths, such as development, while QA testing task can be completed by remote teams. This can help aid productivity.