Podcasts are very clearly on the rise. A study done by Marketing Podcasts revealed that iTunes has over a quarter of a million podcasts on it, up from 200,000 in 2010. In fact, iTunes boasts of a billion subscriptions to various podcasts via its app. What’s more, roughly 30% of all Americans have listened to a podcast, and 15% have listened to at least one within the past month. So evidently, podcasts are fast becoming a preferred way to digest content — and the trend is no different in the WordPress industry. Not only are there many different podcast networks […]
10 Of The Best WooCommerce Extensions
WooCommerce, as you probably know, is easily the most popular free eCommerce plugin for WordPress. It’s accrued nearly 10 million downloads (currently it sits at 988K downloads) and it boasts a 4.5-star rating on WordPress.org, with 1000+ reviews. The plugin was officially launched on September 27, 2011, which makes it just about four years old, to the day! Now, although the basic WooCommerce plugin is totally free (no strings attached), you do have the option to extend its functionality using one of the 350+ extensions. In fact, if your goal for your e-store is to reach enterprise levels, then it’s […]
5 Plugins To Integrate Bitcoin Payments Into WordPress
Ah, bitcoin, the totally virtual, decentralized cryptocurrency that nobody really understands (though The Economist comes pretty close). Here’s the basic idea: bitcoin started off in 2009 when created by a mysterious person named Satoshi Nakamoto. This name, however, is just a pseudonym—many have tried to guess at the real identity of Mr. Satoshi but so far there’s been no confirmation. A bitcoin is created when a computer in the P2P coin network accomplishes a certain mathematical task—this process is called mining bitcoins. However, there’s a limit on the number of bitcoins that can ever be created. The system was designed […]
Where Do You See The Future of WordPress in 10-12 Years?
A few months ago, in May of this year, WordPress celebrated its twelfth birthday. To honor the special occasion, Torque did a piece looking back at some of the most significant milestones WordPress has experienced since that fateful day in 2003. When you sit back and think about it, WordPress really has made a ton of advancements in a relatively short amount of time. Over the years, we’ve seen architecture for plugins, themes, WYSIWYG editing, widgets, and so much more built into the CMS. All this reflection raises an important question: with 12 years gone past, where do you think the […]
3 Audio Player Plugins For WordPress
To find more great plugins, check out Torque’s free eBook, The Ultimate Guide to WordPress Plugins. Download it here. Audio player plugins: it’s one of those plugin niches that you never really think about until you actually need one. Take me, for instance. The concept audio player plugins had never crossed my mind (although considering the number of podcasts I listen to I probably have used at least one or two in the past) until I needed to embed some audio files on one of my websites. If you’re reading this post, then you’re probably looking to do the same. […]
Elegant Themes is Evolving: What This Means for the Premium WordPress Marketplace
Elegant Themes, the brainchild of CEO Nick Roach, has been a popular name in premium WordPress development for years. It’s long been known for its innovative and relatively inexpensive pricing structure (pay $69, get access to all 87 themes), combined with the quality of the themes it releases. It was only recently, however, that Elegant Themes started making a name for itself in the premium plugins space. Their latest releases—Bloom, which creates beautiful email opt-in forms, and Monarch, which ET touts as “the best social sharing plugin for WordPress”—have been smash hits, especially Bloom. It’s safe to assume that in the […]
One guide to rule them all: the best WordPress plugins for everything
Here at Torque, we do a lot of plugin comparisons and lists. We’ve compiled lists of the best plugins for countless functions — from graph creation, to mobile optimization, to backups, and everything in between. While those lists are definitely helpful pieces (I might be a little biased. Maybe.), we thought of something that would be insanely more helpful. A list of the best free WordPress plugins. . . for. . .well (almost) everything. That’s right: There’s a plugin here for just about every function you can think of (and even for some functions you can’t). And not just any ol’ plugin, but what I believe […]
5 Free Lightbox Plugins to Create Beautiful Popup Boxes
To find more great plugins, check out Torque’s free eBook, The Ultimate Guide to WordPress Plugins. Download it here. Lightboxes are one of the oldest and most popular functionalities of plugin-extended WordPress media management. Whether you’re a freelancer trying to make your portfolio more appealing to clients, or a restaurant owner trying to entice new customers with sumptuous pictures of your delicacies, your website can benefit from a lightbox plugin. Due to their popularity, there’s a seemingly never-ending list of lightbox plugins at the WordPress.org plugin repository (and even more premium ones outside of it). If you’ve been inundated with […]
7 Free Shortcode Plugins to Enhance Your Site’s Functionality
To find more great plugins, check out Torque’s free eBook, The Ultimate Guide to WordPress Plugins. Download it here. Shortcodes are one of the most beloved capabilities of WordPress. There are few things that have the ability to extend a WordPress site’s functionality like a good package of ‘em. Without shortcodes, most users would have to install an awful lot of plugins, each with a single function (e.g. one plugin for pricing tables, another for toggles, another for tabs, etc.). A full library of such plugins would undoubtedly slow down your website to a half-dead crawl; a simple package of […]
The Best WordPress Themes for Businesses and Professionals
Whether you’re a large business finally making the move to Internet-based marketing, or a lone professional looking to acquire more customers via a website, there’s a good chance you’ll choose WordPress to manage your site. The number one thing you need after you setup your hosting, domain, and WordPress installation is a theme. A world-class, incredibly good-looking, conversion-centered WordPress theme that will make your site’s visitors never want to leave. Although it’s always best to get a WordPress theme custom-developed for your specific needs and requirements, sometimes you simply don’t have the money for such a large investment. The next best […]
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