So you change themes and the header image needs to be a different size. You upload the resized image, and then you realize something: In the new size, the layout of the graphic elements should be different.

After you set up your account with CloudFlare, add your WordPress site, download the WordPress plug-in for Cloudflare and fill in the blanks on the set-up screen, and switch your DNS over to Cloudflare, you may notice that CloudFlare recommends one additional step: Whitelisting CloudFlare IP addresses.

Today WordPress advances into its teenage years by turning 13 years old. Back in 2003, Matt Mullenweg created WordPress and it became a simple publishing tool to inspire the writer in everyone. Since then, we’ve seen WordPress evolve from its baby steps as a simple, open-source blogging platform to a full-fledged development tool for robust… Read More Happy 13th Birthday WordPress! — WP Engine

I’ve been really happy with the speed at which my self-hosted WordPress site runs on Digital Ocean. But when I saw the announcement on WP Tavern of a new one-click Simple Cache plug-in, I had to give it a try (“A New One-Click Install Caching Plugin for WordPress,” April 14, 2016). I guess it’s a sickness.

WordPress has many wonderful features, but out-of-the-box speed isn’t among them. Compared to a “normal” static HTML site, self-hosting WordPress on a typical inexpensive hosting site such as Bluehost, Namecheap, A2 Hosting, etc., sometimes can leave you wondering if your pages are ever going to load.

Now that WordPress 4.4 is out, the accompanying theme Twenty Sixteen is also available. I ran into two gotchas that I thought I’d share in case my experience might help others: Header image height and media upload caching.

It used to be easy to create a child theme in WordPress. With the introduction of WordPress 4.0, it’s become a bit more complicated.