June 2022 was a monumental period for the WordPress ecosystem, marked by an unprecedented flurry of significant acquisitions that reshaped market dynamics. Alongside these business moves, the Gutenberg editor continued its steady evolution, and critical security updates rolled out, reinforcing the platform’s stability. Let’s delve into the key developments that defined WordPress during June 2022.
June 2022: Acquisitions Redefine the Landscape
June 2022 witnessed an exceptional acquisition activity, signaling a strategic consolidation and expansion among prominent players in the WordPress and adjacent tech sectors.
- WP Engine Acquires Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), WP Migrate, WP Offload Media, WP Offload SES, Better Search Replace (June 2, 2022): In a massive move, WP Engine acquired an entire suite of popular plugins from Delicious Brains. This strategic acquisition brought ACF, a cornerstone for custom data in WordPress, along with essential developer tools like WP Migrate, WP Offload Media, WP Offload SES, and Better Search Replace, under the WP Engine umbrella. This significantly enhanced WP Engine’s developer-focused offerings.
- Elementor Acquires Strattic (June 8, 2022): Elementor, the leading visual website builder, acquired Strattic, a pioneer in headless and static WordPress hosting. This acquisition signaled Elementor’s deepening commitment to delivering high-performance, secure, and scalable solutions, leveraging static site technology for its vast user base.
- Arryved Acquires Craftpeak (June 9, 2022): Arryved, a point-of-sale (POS) provider, acquired Craftpeak, a company specializing in e-commerce and web development for the craft beverage industry, often built on WordPress. This merger aimed to provide a more integrated, omni-channel platform for hospitality businesses.
- Awesome Motive Acquires WP Charitable (June 22, 2022): Awesome Motive, the powerhouse behind WPForms, OptinMonster, and MonsterInsights, expanded its portfolio by acquiring WP Charitable. This acquisition added a robust fundraising and donation plugin to their suite, further solidifying their presence in the non-profit and membership site sectors.
- team.blue Acquires Raidboxes (June 28, 2022): European digital services group team.blue acquired Raidboxes, a prominent managed WordPress hosting provider based in Germany. This move strengthened team.blue’s position in the European managed hosting market, bringing Raidboxes’ specialized expertise into their larger portfolio.
Core & Gutenberg: Refinement in June 2022
June 2022 saw continuous refinement within WordPress core development and the Gutenberg block editor, focusing on enhancing user experience and developer capabilities.
- WordPress 6.0.1 Preparations: Following the major WordPress 6.0 release in May, June 2022 was dedicated to identifying and preparing fixes for WordPress 6.0.1. This maintenance release, which would ship in July, aimed to address bugs and improve stability.
- Gutenberg 13.3 Released (June 8, 2022): This update brought subtle but impactful improvements, including refined writing flow, better block drag-and-drop interactions, and more consistent styling controls. It continued to streamline the content creation process within the block editor.
- Gutenberg 13.4 Released (June 22, 2022): Ending the month strong, Gutenberg 13.4 focused on enhancing specific block functionalities, adding new design tools for elements like buttons and videos, and refining the overall user interface for a smoother building experience.
- Full-Site Editing (FSE) Outreach Continues: The FSE Outreach Program remained highly active in June 2022. Through dedicated testing calls and feedback loops, the program played a vital role in refining the Site Editor and solidifying the future of block-based theme development.
Security Landscape in June 2022: Vigilance is Paramount
June 2022 brought a steady stream of security advisories, underscoring the critical need for WordPress site administrators to remain vigilant and prioritize updates. Several high-severity plugin vulnerabilities required immediate attention.
Notable Plugin Vulnerabilities from June 2022:
- Ninja Forms < 3.6.11: A critical unauthenticated PHP Object Injection vulnerability was reported, potentially allowing unauthenticated attackers to call static methods.
- LearnPress < 4.1.6: This popular LMS plugin had a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability (CVE-2022-0377) discovered, patched in version 4.1.6.
- Fluent Forms < 4.3.13: Vulnerabilities leading to CSV injection (CVE-2022-3463) were identified in versions before 4.3.13, potentially allowing malicious data execution on export.
- All in One SEO (AIOSEO) < 4.2.3.1: A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability (CVE-2022-38093) was found, allowing authenticated users to perform unauthorized actions. A fix was released in version 4.2.3.1.
- PowerPack Addons for Elementor < 2.3.2: Several widgets in this addon pack were vulnerable to stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) by lower-privileged users. Users were advised to update to version 2.3.2 or higher.
Expert Warnings: Update or Risk Exposure!
The consistent flow of vulnerability disclosures throughout June 2022 reinforced the expert consensus: regular plugin and theme updates, consistent security auditing, and the immediate application of patches are fundamental pillars for safeguarding WordPress websites against evolving threats.
Industry Trends & Insights from June 2022
- Acquisition Frenzy: The unprecedented number of acquisitions in June 2022 highlighted a maturing and consolidating market, with larger entities seeking to integrate specialized services and expand their market share within the WordPress ecosystem.
- Continued Page Builder Dominance: Despite core Gutenberg improvements, the acquisitions involving Elementor and the ongoing relevance of form builders underscored the continued strong presence of popular page builder and addon plugins in shaping user workflows.
- Heightened Security Awareness: The volume of disclosed vulnerabilities in June 2022 further emphasized the need for active security monitoring, managed hosting solutions, and proactive site owner education on best practices.
- Focus on Developer Experience: WP Engine’s acquisition of the Delicious Brains suite signaled a clear industry trend toward providing more comprehensive and integrated tools to streamline the developer workflow within WordPress.
June 2022‘s Top Contributors
The theme of the Month: Blockfrost
Blockfrost, a full-site editing theme, gained traction in June 2022 for its minimalistic yet highly flexible approach to block-based design. Its commitment to leveraging core Gutenberg features and offering a clean canvas for site builders made it a standout choice for those embracing FSE.
Plugin of the Month: Duplicator Pro
Duplicator Pro earned recognition in June 2022 for its reliable WordPress migrations and backup performance. As sites grow more complex, Duplicator Pro’s consistent stability and efficiency make it an invaluable tool for developers and site owners managing their WordPress environments.
Host of the Month: HostArmada
HostArmada stood out in June 2022 for its performance-driven WordPress hosting solutions and focus on developer-friendly tools. Known for using cloud SSD storage, advanced caching, and built-in security layers, HostArmada offered seamless support for WordPress users, from startups to scaling enterprises. Their attention to speed, uptime, and customer service during a month of continued WordPress ecosystem growth earned them top hosting recognition.
Agency of the Month: Seahawk Media
Seahawk Media continued to impress throughout June 2022, providing targeted WordPress support and educational outreach. They were instrumental in producing hands-on guides for block editing, essential plugin security hardening, and eCommerce optimization, actively helping clients and the broader community navigate the evolving WordPress landscape.
Founder of the Month: Thomas Usborne (GeneratePress)
Thomas Usborne, the creator of the widely respected GeneratePress theme, deserves Founder of the Month honors for June 2022. With ongoing updates and enhancements focused on performance, accessibility, and full compatibility with the block editor, Thomas led one of the WordPress ecosystem’s most lightweight and developer-friendly themes. His dedication to clean code and user flexibility has made GeneratePress a go-to theme for professionals worldwide.
Looking Ahead to July 2022
As June 2022 concluded, the WordPress community eagerly anticipated a dynamic July:
- WordPress 6.0.1 is a crucial maintenance update to address initial bugs.
- Continued advancements in Gutenberg, with releases like 13.5 and 13.6, refined the editing experience further.
- Ongoing Full-Site Editing (FSE) testing rounds to gather more valuable feedback for future improvements.
- Security teams were expected to remain highly vigilant, spotlighting emergent flaws and necessitating rapid patches across the ecosystem.
Summary: In June 2022, WordPress witnessed monumental strategic acquisitions, signaling significant market shifts. Gutenberg saw continuous refinement, the core received vital maintenance, and the community united to tackle security challenges. The ecosystem’s trajectory pointed toward innovative block-first development and fortified defenses heading into July 2022.