https://farhanali.me/blogs/ Notes on WordPress engineering, performance, security, and running a small dev studio. en-us https://farhanali.me/how-custom-wordpress-development-saves-money-over-time/ https://farhanali.me/how-custom-wordpress-development-saves-money-over-time/ Why Custom WordPress Development Saves You Money in the Long Run On the surface, custom WordPress development can seem expensive. It’s easy to compare... Tue, 04 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Business Strategy Performance Optimization SEO WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/add-a-custom-gutenberg-block-in-10-minutes/ https://farhanali.me/add-a-custom-gutenberg-block-in-10-minutes/ Why Custom Gutenberg Blocks Matter Gutenberg changed how we build WordPress sites. Instead of shortcodes and bulky page builders, it gives developers a... Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Gutenberg Blocks Tutorials Web Design WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/why-google-core-web-vitals-arent-the-whole-story/ https://farhanali.me/why-google-core-web-vitals-arent-the-whole-story/ Understanding What Core Web Vitals Actually Measure Google’s Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics designed to capture key aspects of user experience:... Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Performance Optimization SEO User Experience WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/lazy-loading-vs-preloading-which-helps-more/ https://farhanali.me/lazy-loading-vs-preloading-which-helps-more/ How Browsers Load Your Website Before diving into lazy loading and preloading, it helps to understand what happens when someone visits your website.... Fri, 24 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Performance Optimization SEO Speed and SEO Web Speed WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/how-i-cut-my-wordpress-load-time-in-half/ https://farhanali.me/how-i-cut-my-wordpress-load-time-in-half/ Why Site Speed Deserves Attention The first time I tested my site with GTmetrix, it took nearly six seconds to load. It didn’t look slow to me, but... Thu, 23 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Performance Optimization Speed and SEO Web Hosting WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/dealing-with-scope-creep-like-a-pro/ https://farhanali.me/dealing-with-scope-creep-like-a-pro/ Why Scope Creep Happens (and Why It’s Not the Villain) Scope creep isn’t evil—it’s just learning. As we build, both you and your client discover what... Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Client Management Freelancing Project Management WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/how-i-price-wordpress-projects-without-guessing/ https://farhanali.me/how-i-price-wordpress-projects-without-guessing/ Introduction: The Myth of “Intuitive Pricing” When I first started freelancing, pricing a project felt like rolling dice. One client said, “That’s too... Sat, 18 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Business Strategy Client Management Freelancing WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/what-i-learned-after-50-upwork-contracts/ https://farhanali.me/what-i-learned-after-50-upwork-contracts/ Introduction: The Numbers Don’t Tell the Story When people see “50+ contracts” on my Upwork profile, they usually assume it means I’ve cracked the code... Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Business & Clients Freelancing Personal Growth Upwork Tips https://farhanali.me/my-workflow-for-securing-wordpress-plugins-before-launch/ https://farhanali.me/my-workflow-for-securing-wordpress-plugins-before-launch/ Introduction: The Calm Before Release Every plugin I build — free or commercial — goes through a quiet ritual before it sees the world. It’s tempting... Sat, 11 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Plugin Development Security WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/headless-wordpress-when-its-worth-it-and-when-its-not/ https://farhanali.me/headless-wordpress-when-its-worth-it-and-when-its-not/ Introduction: The Buzz Around “Headless” “Headless WordPress” has become one of those phrases developers toss around like a badge of modernity. It... Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Headless WordPress Modern Web Architecture Performance Scalability WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/how-i-debug-complex-wordpress-hooks/ https://farhanali.me/how-i-debug-complex-wordpress-hooks/ Introduction: The Hook Headache If you’ve worked with WordPress long enough, you’ve probably fallen into the “Why is this running twice? ” rabbit hole.... Thu, 09 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Debugging & Optimization Developer Workflow PHP & Backend Tips WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/wordpress-business-sales-machine/ https://farhanali.me/wordpress-business-sales-machine/ In today's competitive landscape, your business website isn't just an online brochure. It's a critical asset, a 24/7 sales representative, and your... Thu, 22 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT Business Digital Marketing E-commerce Website Growth WordPress Strategy https://farhanali.me/wordpress-roles-capabilities-a-practical-guide/ https://farhanali.me/wordpress-roles-capabilities-a-practical-guide/ WordPress provides a robust system for managing user permissions through roles and capabilities. Understanding how these work is essential for securing... Fri, 16 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT Core Concepts Security Technical Guides User Management WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/wordpress-child-themes-the-safe-way-to-customize/ https://farhanali.me/wordpress-child-themes-the-safe-way-to-customize/ Want to tweak the design or add functionality to your WordPress theme without risking your hard work during updates? Enter child themes – a powerful... Thu, 15 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT Core Concepts Technical Guides Theme Development Uncategorized WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/wp-custom-theme-core-files-structure/ https://farhanali.me/wp-custom-theme-core-files-structure/ Venturing into WordPress custom theme development can seem daunting, but it's also incredibly rewarding. It gives you ultimate control over your... Wed, 14 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT Core Concepts Technical Guides Theme Development WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/unraveling-the-wordpress-query-the-engine-behind-your-content/ https://farhanali.me/unraveling-the-wordpress-query-the-engine-behind-your-content/ Decoding the WordPress Query: The Engine Driving Your Content Every time a visitor lands on a page of your WordPress website, a silent but powerful... Tue, 13 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT Core Concepts Database Performance Technical Guides WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/delving-into-wordpress-post-types-beyond-posts-and-pages/ https://farhanali.me/delving-into-wordpress-post-types-beyond-posts-and-pages/ WordPress, at its core, is a powerful content management system. While its familiar "Posts" and "Pages" serve as the foundation for most websites, the... Fri, 09 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT Content Management Core Concepts Technical Guides WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/wordpress-taxonomy-api-beyond-categories/ https://farhanali.me/wordpress-taxonomy-api-beyond-categories/ While WordPress's built-in Categories and Tags provide a fundamental way to organize your content, the true power of content classification lies in the... Thu, 08 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT Content Management Core Concepts Technical Guides WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/wordpress-nonces-your-first-line-of-defense-against-csrf/ https://farhanali.me/wordpress-nonces-your-first-line-of-defense-against-csrf/ In the ever-present battle against web vulnerabilities, security should be a cornerstone of every WordPress development project. While robust firewalls... Wed, 07 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT Core Concepts Security Technical Guides WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/wp-rewrite-api/ https://farhanali.me/wp-rewrite-api/ In the quest for a well-optimized and user-friendly website, the structure of your URLs plays a pivotal role. WordPress, beyond its default URL... Tue, 06 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT Core Concepts SEO Technical Guides WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/wp-conditional-tags-dynamic-content-made-easy/ https://farhanali.me/wp-conditional-tags-dynamic-content-made-easy/ In the ever-evolving landscape of web development, creating dynamic and context-aware websites is paramount. WordPress, with its robust core... Mon, 05 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT Core Concepts Theme Development Tutorials WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/wordpress-object-cache-beyond-transients-for-speed/ https://farhanali.me/wordpress-object-cache-beyond-transients-for-speed/ You've likely explored the power of WordPress Transients to temporarily store data and boost your site's performance. But what about a more persistent... Fri, 02 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT Caching Performance Optimization Technical Guides WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/php-powering-wordpress-modern-features-security/ https://farhanali.me/php-powering-wordpress-modern-features-security/ WordPress, the world's leading content management system, is built upon the foundation of PHP. As PHP continues its evolution, introducing significant... Thu, 01 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT Performance Optimization PHP Programming Security Web Development WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/wordpress-core-accessibility/ https://farhanali.me/wordpress-core-accessibility/ In today's digital landscape, building websites that are usable by everyone, regardless of their abilities, is not just a matter of ethical practice –... Wed, 30 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT Compliance Inclusive Design Technical Guides Web Accessibility WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/the-evolving-wordpress-data-layer-exploring-the-rest-api-and-beyond/ https://farhanali.me/the-evolving-wordpress-data-layer-exploring-the-rest-api-and-beyond/ WordPress, initially renowned as a powerful content management system, has been steadily evolving into a versatile platform for building a wide range... Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT API Development Coding & Development Data Management Headless WordPress Technical Guides WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/optimizing-wordpress-block-themes-for-core-web-vitals-a-developers-guide/ https://farhanali.me/optimizing-wordpress-block-themes-for-core-web-vitals-a-developers-guide/ Optimizing WordPress Block Themes for Core Web Vitals: A Developer's Guide In the ever-evolving landscape of web development, user experience and... Mon, 28 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT Full Site Editing Performance Performance Optimization Technical Guides Theme Development Web Performance WordPress Basics WordPress Development WordPress Maintenance https://farhanali.me/building-custom-blocks-in-wordpress-extend-the-gutenberg-editor-like-a-pro/ https://farhanali.me/building-custom-blocks-in-wordpress-extend-the-gutenberg-editor-like-a-pro/ The Gutenberg block editor has revolutionized content creation in WordPress, empowering users with a modular and intuitive interface. But what if the... Fri, 25 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT Coding & Development Gutenberg Editor Plugin Development Technical Guides WordPress Development WordPress Gutenberg WordPress Tips https://farhanali.me/nativephp-goes-mobile-build-ios-and-android-apps-with-laravel/ https://farhanali.me/nativephp-goes-mobile-build-ios-and-android-apps-with-laravel/ Exciting news for Laravel developers! NativePHP, the framework that brought the power of PHP to desktop application development, has just launched its... Fri, 25 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT Laravel Mobile Development PHP Web Development https://farhanali.me/understanding-wordpress-cron-automating-tasks-like-a-pro/ https://farhanali.me/understanding-wordpress-cron-automating-tasks-like-a-pro/ Ever wondered how your WordPress site automatically publishes scheduled posts, performs routine maintenance, or sends out those timely email... Thu, 24 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT Plugin Development Technical Guides Theme Development WordPress Basics WordPress Development WordPress Maintenance https://farhanali.me/demystifying-the-wordpress-options-api-storing-and-retrieving-your-sites-settings/ https://farhanali.me/demystifying-the-wordpress-options-api-storing-and-retrieving-your-sites-settings/ Every WordPress website, from the simplest blog to the most intricate e-commerce platform, relies on the ability to store and retrieve configuration... Wed, 23 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT Coding Data Management Plugin Development Theme Development Web Development WordPress Basics WordPress Development WordPress Tips https://farhanali.me/mastering-wordpress-hooks-your-gateway-to-extensibility/ https://farhanali.me/mastering-wordpress-hooks-your-gateway-to-extensibility/ WordPress is renowned for its flexibility, and at the heart of this adaptability lies its powerful system of hooks. Think of hooks as strategic points... Tue, 22 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT Coding & Development Plugin Development Theme Development Web Development WordPress Basics WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/understanding-the-wordpress-loop-the-heartbeat-of-your-content/ https://farhanali.me/understanding-the-wordpress-loop-the-heartbeat-of-your-content/ Every WordPress website, from the simplest blog to the most complex e-commerce store, relies on a fundamental mechanism to display its content: The... Mon, 21 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT Coding WordPress Development WordPress Tips https://farhanali.me/wordpress-transients-your-websites-speedy-sidekick/ https://farhanali.me/wordpress-transients-your-websites-speedy-sidekick/ Ever feel like your WordPress site is taking its sweet time loading certain information? Maybe it's pulling data from an external API, running complex... Fri, 18 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT Coding Performance WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/10-hidden-wordpress-features-you-didnt-know-about/ https://farhanali.me/10-hidden-wordpress-features-you-didnt-know-about/ Introduction WordPress is a powerful platform that offers a myriad of features, many of which often go unnoticed. These hidden gems can significantly... Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT Productivity Site Management WordPress Tips https://farhanali.me/a-step-by-step-guide-to-setting-up-a-multilingual-wordpress-site/ https://farhanali.me/a-step-by-step-guide-to-setting-up-a-multilingual-wordpress-site/ Introduction Creating a multilingual WordPress site can help you reach a broader audience and improve user experience for non-English speakers. This... Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT Internationalization Site Management WordPress Tips https://farhanali.me/essential-wordpress-maintenance-tips-to-keep-your-site-running-smoothly/ https://farhanali.me/essential-wordpress-maintenance-tips-to-keep-your-site-running-smoothly/ Introduction Regular maintenance is crucial to keep your WordPress site running smoothly and securely. This blog covers essential WordPress maintenance... Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT Security Site Management WordPress Tips https://farhanali.me/how-to-create-a-custom-wordpress-theme-from-scratch/ https://farhanali.me/how-to-create-a-custom-wordpress-theme-from-scratch/ Creating a custom WordPress theme from scratch can seem daunting, but it offers unparalleled control over your site's design and functionality. Whether... Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT Coding Design WordPress Development https://farhanali.me/top-wordpress-shortcodes-to-enhance-your-site-functionality/ https://farhanali.me/top-wordpress-shortcodes-to-enhance-your-site-functionality/ Introduction WordPress shortcodes are a powerful way to add functionality to your site without writing complex code. In this blog, we'll explore the... Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT Plugins WordPress Tips https://farhanali.me/mastering-wordpress-seo-best-practices-for-2024/ https://farhanali.me/mastering-wordpress-seo-best-practices-for-2024/ Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for driving organic traffic to your WordPress site. In 2024, with search engine algorithms becoming more... Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT Content Strategy Digital Marketing SEO WordPress Tips https://farhanali.me/beginners-guide-to-wordpress-gutenberg-editor/ https://farhanali.me/beginners-guide-to-wordpress-gutenberg-editor/ Get started with the WordPress Gutenberg editor and learn how to create engaging content with ease. Thu, 11 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT WordPress Gutenberg https://farhanali.me/essential-wordpress-plugins-for-2024/ https://farhanali.me/essential-wordpress-plugins-for-2024/ Enhance your WordPress site with these must-have plugins for 2024. Thu, 11 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT Plugins https://farhanali.me/how-to-speed-up-your-wordpress-site-in-2024/ https://farhanali.me/how-to-speed-up-your-wordpress-site-in-2024/ Improve your WordPress site's performance with these speed optimization tips for 2024. Thu, 11 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT Performance https://farhanali.me/the-ultimate-guide-to-wordpress-security-in-2024/ https://farhanali.me/the-ultimate-guide-to-wordpress-security-in-2024/ Learn the most effective strategies to secure your WordPress site in 2024. From plugins to best practices, this guide has you covered. Wed, 10 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT Security https://farhanali.me/top-10-wordpress-themes-for-e-commerce-in-2024/ https://farhanali.me/top-10-wordpress-themes-for-e-commerce-in-2024/ Discover the best WordPress themes for creating a stunning and functional e-commerce website in 2024. Wed, 10 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT E-commerce