What are the most exciting features that will be revealed in WordPress 4.9?

WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system. Estimated to be used by over 60 million websites globally, WordPress is a product that is heavily depended upon by millions of businesses as it hosts their brand and services. It is known for its robust functionality and diverse features that allow creation and hosting of innovative services via the internet. 

Its latest iteration WordPress 4.9, which was launched on 14th November 2017 has opened to rave reviews! It is expected to host a bunch of features that further increase the ease of developing WordPress websites.

 Here are the 6 promising features that have been integrated:

Draft, Preview & Schedule the Changes:  The updated version allows developers to add all their changes and save them as a draft that can be retrieved at any time and worked upon. Also, changes need not be published live. They can be scheduled to go live at a time of choosing. This is highly beneficial.

Improved Gallery Widget: The improved gallery widget makes it easy for users to add images beside the texts in a simple and hassle-free manner. The widget also has editing features that allow users to edit the image and add hues and filters to it before saving them.

Effortless Media Integration: Unlike the previous editions where media integration required users to be partly familiar with HTML or CSS, the latest version has turned media integration into an intuitive functionality that asks for no pre-requisites from users. This makes Media integration highly effortless.

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Better Environment for Menu Creation: The latest menu creation facility is one of the best WordPress features as the previous ones were quite tough for uninitiated users to build on. The latest feature is highly intuitive and is based on a GUI.

Improved Code Editing Features: This is one area where the latest version excels phenomenally. Thanks to the integration of CodeMirror, code editing has become an easy process and will become increasingly accessible to novices.

Easier Theme Customization: The new version allows websites to customize the themes easily and compare them in different tabs. This helps find the most appealing theme quickly.

Interested in revamping your website? Get in touch with Openwave, a critically acclaimed WordPress Website development company in Malaysia. Our WordPress web development team is one of the best in the industry and is highly experienced. Get in touch with us for a quote.

Best PayPal-Compatible WordPress Plugins to Make the Payment Process Easy

According to the latest data, over 46% of all shopping cart abandonments happen during the payment stage. That’s a troublingly large amount. Why do customers abandon carts? There are many reasons for it, including surprise shipping charges, a non-mobile-friendly process and – most importantly – a complex process that makes it too difficult for shoppers to purchase. 

If you run a WordPress website and PayPal is your payment getaway, you can make the payment process effortless with the help of these following plugins:

Use WooCommerce to create a great e-store
 
WooCommerce is shopping cart software that will turn your regular website into a full-fledged online site. It is free to use and offers all the features found on sites like Amazon.com and lets you sell multiple physical and digital products. Most importantly, it works very well with PayPal. 

Accept donations with PayPal Donations
 
Don’t sell anything but still want to make money from your site? You can ask visitors for donations through the PayPal Donations plugin. If you create useful content regularly or are planning to launch a noteworthy endeavour, this plugin can secure a lot of support for you. 

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Put customers’ fears to rest with PayPal Responder
 
The PayPal Responder service allows you to generate and automatically send an email to customers after they have purchased from you. Buying anything online is risky. With this plugin, you acknowledge the purchase and thank them for their support. You can also send a link that lets them track an incoming courier. 

Accept subscription payments with Paid Memberships Pro 
 
Do you sell videos, a magazine, or news? With the Paid Memberships Pro, you can collect money from customers or members monthly on a subscription basis. It features support for multiple tiers or groups – like bronze, silver, and gold. With this, you can collect varying amounts of money from subscribers based on the content you’re providing them with.
 
Another way to streamline the whole thing is to make sure your web pages load fast and are optimized for mobile devices. You can hire a web development team to do it all for you at an affordable price.

Important Information to Keep in Mind While Building a Custom Website

WordPress is used by many of the top Fortune 500 companies in the world, like Sony, Public Storage Canada, and Logitech. It is the most popular content management system (CMS) in the world and a perfect platform for a business website, as it lets you build dynamic websites that look great and don’t require a lot of monthly upkeep.

If you're planning on building your first WordPress website, here are some crucial pointers that will help you create an excellent one:

Choose quality themes

There are thousands of free WordPress themes you can choose from for your website, some more suited for business than others. Choose a high-quality theme that looks cheerful and has advanced features.

Pick a managed host server

Always pick a host server that provides regular updates and also can keep a backup copy of your website ready. Otherwise, you will have to update your site manually.

Plugins matter

Plugins on WordPress is software that helps you add useful functions to your site. Using too many plugins, though, can slow your site down. Only pick the ones you need.

Optimise your site layout

Every website must be easy to use. Your business information and contact details should always be clearly visible to visitors. Also, they must be able to get around your site with a minimum number of clicks.

Make it mobile-friendly

Your new website will get a large amount of traffic from mobile devices. Pick a responsive theme, so that your site displays correctly on small-screen devices.

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High security is needed

WordPress websites are secure by default, but if you want to monetize your site and store customer information, you need to make it even more secure. You can use plugins or hire developers to help you with that.

Search engine optimization

Finally, you need to optimise your site so that it features high on search engine rankings and more people visit it. You can use SEO plugins, like the Yoast plugin, for that.  

WordPress websites are easy to build. However, quality ones are much more challenging. If you want a high-performance business Wordpress website development built for you, Openwave can make you one.

Quick Steps to Making a New Landing Page on WordPress

Landing pages are a very important part of every business oriented website. It’s where you are supposed to grab your visitors’ attention with attractive, engaging content and get them to interact with your website in some way – like click on a link, buy a product, or subscribe to a newsletter. 

If you own a WordPress website or are planning to build one, it won’t take you very long to make a landing page from scratch. Here are some easy ways to accomplish just that:
 
Use plug-ins to speed things up

The fastest way to make a landing page is to use a plug-in for it. There are several great plug-ins that you can use, including OptimizePress, LeadPages, and Beaver Builder. However, most plug-ins cost money to use, and some of the free ones don’t have a lot of features to offer. WordPress Landing Pages appears to be the only one that is free and fully functional. 

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Drag and drop themes work too 

WordPress has plenty of free themes that have a pre-built landing page design. Some of them include great features out-of-the-box like scrolling, boxes for featured content, and sliders. However, the main problem with using a pre-built theme is the lack of customization options. 

Build a custom page template 

WordPress is a fully-customizable, open source CMS platform. Its open source nature means that it will allow you to create a custom page template from scratch. You can also use an existing template and modify it to remove all the features you don’t need. Landing pages need to be simple to be effective. Also, landing pages have to be mobile-friendly these days, so they have to be optimized for small screens and large screens at the same time. 

Get developers to build you one 

Finally, the easiest way to build a landing page is to get an expert developer to do it for you. Many people avoid hiring developers because of prohibitive costs. However, your landing page is a one-time investment that can make or break your business. You may be able to recover your investment in the long run if you hire an expert from Openwave to do it for you.

Easy Steps to Building your First WordPress Website

Are you planning on building a new WordPress website and can’t wait to get started? Building a website on WordPress is very easy, especially if you have a clear idea about what you’re planning to do with your website. 

Here is our simple guide to building a stunning WordPress website in some easy-to-follow steps:

Come up with core aspects of your website

Your website must have basic building blocks that must work together to create a fully functional, informative and engaging website. These building blocks will vary, but most websites will need a homepage, a marketing page, a customer testimonials page, a payment getaway, information about products and services, a contact page as well as links to social media sites. Once you know what your website will include, it’s very easy to make those pages.
 
Tell a compelling story to your visitors

You have to tell a compelling story about yourself or your business to get visitors engaged and to stand out from the other billion websites on the internet. A compelling story helps you stick in the visitor’s mind. 

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Use images and videos

Are you planning on selling products or services? A picture is worth a thousand words, so the saying goes. Use high-definition images wherever possible, and make videos that enhance user experience.
 
Provide visitors with useful plug-ins and other services

WordPress gives you access to a large number of free plug-ins that can provide visitors with a host of useful services. Don’t forget to take advantage of them. 

Monetize your website

If you’re planning on making money through your website, make sure you link up with trusted payment getaways and keep everything above board to make your website trustworthy. 

Provide concise contact information

Your contact information has to be clearly visible on your website, to solve customer problems and answer business queries.
 
Testimonials and social media matter 

Clearly visible testimonials will help visitors understand your products and services better and help them build trust with your business. 

Creating a website using WordPress isn’t too hard because you have access to a lot of free support and online resources that can guide you every step of the way. You can also hire wordpress developers short-term to help you with it at an affordable rate in Malaysia.

Top Reasons to Use WordPress for your Business Website

Your website is the virtual face of your business. It is where customers will go to, to learn about your business as well as to take a look at your products and services. An informative, engaging and attractive website will help you make a better impression on visitors and potentially improve your conversion rate.
 
If you’re planning to build a new business website, you can choose one of the many free CMS tools out there for it like WordPress or Drupal. WordPress is, at the moment, the most popular CMS in the market and is the perfect choice for any fledgling business. Here are some irrefutable reasons why WordPress is the best bet for your business:
 
WordPress is an open source

WordPress is a fully open source platform, meaning you don’t have to pay to use it. A large number of developers offer free themes and plugins for WordPress, which you can use to spruce up your website and give it added functionality without having to pay for custom features. You also get access to a variety of updates for free, which keeps your website secure. WordPress has been around for a very long time, now, and is almost bug-free. 
 
WordPress gives you an SEO boost

WordPress is very SEO friendly. Not only is the code streamlined, but you also get access to plugins that help you organize your content in a way to make it easy for search engines to index. Some of the biggest names on the internet use WordPress for the websites, like Mashable and the New York Times. 

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Every competent developer knows WordPress

You will need to update your website every once in a while. If you ever need professional help, you will always be able to hire a WordPress developer at a reasonable price. With lesser known CMSs, you may have to pay extra for a specialist. 
 
Your WordPress website doubles as a blog

Every website should have a blog – it makes for a great marketing tool. WordPress has a built-in blog feature, so you don’t have to work harder to set up a separate blog on another domain.
Setting up a business website using WordPress is very easy, and there are several freely available tools you can use to speed up the process. 

WordPress also has a gigantic, helpful community that you can turn to for help. Alternatively, you can also get a professional developer from Openwave to build a custom website for you. 

Challenges Faced while Running a WordPress Web Design Business

Have you ever wondered what it’s like running a WordPress web design business? It’s certainly no walk in the park- we can tell you that much. However, it is very good for character building, and you learn a lot about yourself and the world while running a business of your own, especially in the ever-changing and highly creative world of web designing.

You Learn What Money Management Really Means

You learn the true meaning of the term ‘return on investment’ while running your own business. There are days when you make a lot of money. Instead of using that money, you learn to use it to grow your business or save it for a rainy day. Money takes on a value it’s never had before you started your own business.
 
Running a Business Changes You

Running a business requires you to put in the long hours, as it’s something close to your heart and truly matters to you. You don’t mind working so much and you learn to grow and improve your personal skills to help your business grow as well.
 
 

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You Learn to Take Pleasure in the Small Things

Even if it’s something you enjoy doing, running your own business tends to take its toll, being highly creative work. You turn to hobbies to recharge your batteries and learn to take pleasure in the small things in life.
 
You Make Great Friends

You will also make great friends in the WordPress web designing business. Surface appearances aside, web designing isn’t a very competitive industry. Web designers often like to collaborate with each other on projects. There are also some great communities on the internet (and in real life) that are happy to mentor you and share their personal experiences with the job. 
 
Openwave has been active in the IT business since 1997. We started from scratch and are today a highly respected name in the industry. If you need a Wordpress website built for your business, you can trust us to help – we know how hard it is to run your own business, in this hypercompetitive world.

4 Reasons Why Wordpress Is The Best For Small Businesses

Wordpress automatically translates into easy for many. It is one of those platforms that require you to know absolutely no coding knowledge for you to be able to operate it. But there is also the oft heard complaint of Wordpress being a little feature less for website that requires advanced functionality. But that’s far from the truth as Wordpress combines simplicity with versatile features and exciting third party plugins. This article looks at why Wordpress is beneficial for small businesses that operate on limited budgets.

1. Easy to manage content

Now, if you’re a business owner you know very well that putting together a website is hardly a task easily done. Seasoned businessmen would tell you that it is akin to putting together many pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. This being the case with most web development platforms, Wordpress comes as a platform that makes managing content seem thoroughly simple. No practice needed whether it is making changes to the text or to the images and graphics.

2. Thousands of plugins

Few other content management systems give you the option of playing around with as many plugins as Wordpress. This is because Wordpress is Open Source and developers are creating new plugins all the time for you to use. This means small businesses that function on tight strings don't have to build tools to implement these functionalities from the scratch. Even seemingly complex plugins such as ones for your ecommerce website are made available at Wordpress.

3. Google-friendly

As Wordpress frames content so neatly and in a simple format, Google takes out Wordpress easily for its search results, which essentially means that you have a better chance of ranking high when people search for your products and services. And when we speak of plugins, it is essential to mention the SEO plugins of Wordpress that allow you to easily manage your meta tags and keywords.

4. Mobile-friendly

Finally, we come to the elephant in the room. Being mobile friendly has been one of the chief reasons why Wordpress has been sought after by so many users around the world Wordpress has many pre designed themes that are mobile-friendly and come readily to your aid. These mobile-friendly themes do the job of automatically taking your media and shrinking it to a responsive format.

Have you got the right WordPress Developers to build your website for your business? Take a break while Openwave does the job for you.