If you’re managing Joomla websites and using extensions by Akeeba, you may be familiar with the FOF and FEF plugins that typically accompany their software. Like all of the software on your site, updating Akeeba is an important step in keeping your website secure. Historically, these files have been classified Read more
Inspry is a digital consultancy based in Atlanta, Georgia (USA). They opened their doors in 2011 in the wake of the Great Recession with a mission to build tailored, technical web development solutions that help their clients succeed. Founded by Matt Schwartz following a year of freelancing, the company name Read more
It’s a scary and all-too common story: a WordPress plugin update has taken your website offline and you don’t have a recent backup to revert the changes. Now you’ve got to spend a bunch of time troubleshooting and fixing the problem on the live site before your clients start calling. Read more
Watchful includes a built-in backup monitoring system that keeps an eye on the age of your website backups. And when a backup passes its useful “shelf life”, stale backup notifications can be sent by email. Stale backup warnings are also placed in convenient places throughout the Watchful platform to help Read more
Automatic software updates can speed up website maintenance dramatically. So, managing automatic updates in bulk — enabling and disabling them across many websites at once — is a critical tool for any digital agency. For instance, you may discover that a WordPress plugin breaks your sites or installs a backdoor. Read more
Version 4 of Google Analytics launched recently. We’ve followed the progress carefully as traffic and other site data appear in the client reports at many web agencies. But for a host of reasons, updating to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) requires careful consideration even now, nearly 5 months after its initial Read more
After November 28, 2021, PHP 7 will only receive security fixes. And while PHP 8 barely registers in the current usage statistics of WordPress and Joomla, it will be the only actively-supported version after that date. So now is a great time to test your website with PHP 8, including Read more
Aside from all of the uncertainty and change brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 has been an eventful year for Watchful in terms of new features and improvements in the platform. This was especially true for some of Watchful’s core features such as updates, backups and reports. But we Read more
Managed website services have exploded across the hosting industry in the last decade. And while they are clearly suitable for many sites, managed WordPress hosting has a number of potential drawbacks that agencies should carefully consider. If managed WordPress hosting is not a good fit for you, or simply outside Read more
The official WordPress plugin repository is the first place folks visit when looking for free plugins. In contrast, a number of premium plugin marketplaces exist such as Elegant Marketplace. Elegant Marketplace offers plugins, themes and layouts. And if you are using Watchful to manage your WordPress websites, you can now Read more