July 2022 was a crucial and bustling month for the WordPress ecosystem, marked by a flurry of significant acquisitions, continued enhancements to the Gutenberg editor, and ongoing vigilance against security threats. From strategic business moves to iterative software improvements, let’s explore the key developments that shaped WordPress during July 2022.
July 2022: Acquisitions Reshape the Landscape
July 2022 was particularly active on the acquisitions front, showcasing a strategic consolidation trend among key players in the WordPress space. These moves aim to expand market reach, integrate services, and enhance offerings.
- WPForms Acquires Pirate Forms (July 4, 2022): To strengthen its position as a leading form builder, WPForms (part of Awesome Motive) acquired Pirate Forms. This acquisition encouraged Pirate Forms users to migrate to WPForms, consolidating resources and offering a more robust solution for contact forms.
- The Events Calendar, StellarWP Acquires WP Conference Schedule by Equalize Digital (July 12, 2022): StellarWP, the parent company behind popular plugins like The Events Calendar, announced its acquisition of WP Conference Schedule from Equalize Digital. This strategic addition aimed to enhance event management capabilities, particularly for conferences and multi-track events, expanding StellarWP’s comprehensive suite of tools.
- Daan Tol Acquires WPLift.com (July 15, 2022): Daan Tol, known for his OMGF (Optimize My Google Fonts) plugin, acquired WPLift.com, a long-standing and respected WordPress news, insights, and tutorial blog. This acquisition marked a new chapter for WPLift, promising continued valuable content for the community under new ownership. (Note: While Daan Tol is associated with OMGF, the acquisition was by E2M Solutions, where Daan Tol is a key figure).
- SiteCare Acquires Maintainn from WebDev Studios (July 20, 2022): SiteCare, a prominent WordPress support and maintenance service, acquired Maintainn, the support and maintenance division of WebDev Studios. This consolidation expanded SiteCare’s service portfolio and allowed WebDev Studios to further focus on its enterprise-level development projects.
Core & Gutenberg: Iterative Progress in July 2022
July 2022 saw continuous refinement within WordPress core development and the Gutenberg block editor, focusing on improving the editing experience and preparing for future versions.
- WordPress 6.0.1 Maintenance Release (July 12, 2022): This critical update addressed 18 bugs in the block editor and 11 in core, reinforcing the platform’s stability and reliability. It was a crucial step in maintaining the health of WordPress 6.0.
- Gutenberg 13.5 Released (July 6, 2022): This update introduced notable enhancements, such as improvements to the Link Control UI, which allows users to insert new blocks in place of links within the Navigation block. It also brought significant changes to the Font Library, including security enhancements, in preparation for its integration into WordPress Core.
- Gutenberg 13.6 Released (July 20, 2022): Following a rapid release cycle, Gutenberg 13.6 focused on refining layout controls with clearer toggles, adding more keyboard shortcuts (like Strikethrough and Inline Code), and simplifying the post scheduler UI for better usability. These updates aimed to make the editing experience more intuitive for all users.
- Performance Team Updates: The WordPress Performance Team remained actively engaged in July 2022, continuing to work on initiatives designed to boost site speed and overall responsiveness, which are crucial for user experience and SEO.
Security Landscape in July 2022: Vigilance Remains Essential
July 2022 brought several security advisories to the forefront, highlighting the ongoing necessity for WordPress site administrators to stay vigilant and apply updates promptly.
Notable Plugin Vulnerabilities from July 2022:
- Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) < 5.12.3: A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability (CVE-2022-2616) was identified, allowing authenticated users to perform unauthorized actions. A fix was released in version 5.12.3.
- Easy Digital Downloads < 2.11.8: Several vulnerabilities, including a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaw, were addressed in versions before 2.11.8. Users were urged to update their e-commerce sites to protect their sites.
- Smush < 3.10.3: This popular image optimization plugin contained an authenticated Stored XSS vulnerability in versions before 3.10.3, allowing malicious script injection. A fix was released in July.
- Simple Custom CSS and JS < 3.4.1: An Authenticated Stored XSS vulnerability was found in versions up to 3.4.0, enabling contributors to inject scripts. The issue was patched in version 3.4.1.
Expert Warnings: Stay Updated!
The consistent flow of vulnerability disclosures throughout July 2022 underscored a critical message from security experts: regular plugin and theme updates, routine security audits, and the immediate application of patches are fundamental pillars for safeguarding WordPress websites against evolving threats.
Industry Trends & Insights from July 2022
- Performance-Driven Development: With WordPress 6.0.1 focusing on performance and the dedicated Performance Team’s ongoing work, July 2022 reinforced the platform’s commitment to speed and efficiency, crucial for user experience and search engine rankings.
- Gutenberg’s Steady March: The back-to-back Gutenberg releases in July 2022 (13.5 and 13.6) emphasized an iterative approach to improving the block editor. This continuous refinement aimed to make full-site editing more powerful and accessible.
- Strategic Consolidation: The series of acquisitions in July 2022 pointed to a broader trend of companies acquiring specialized plugins and services to create more comprehensive offerings, signaling a maturing market.
- User Experience Focus: Enhancements in Gutenberg, particularly around typography, layout controls, and distraction-free writing, highlighted a strong focus on improving the day-to-day experience for content creators and site builders.
July 2022‘s Top Contributors
Theme of the Month: Aino
Aino, a modern and flexible block theme, earned recognition in July 2022 for its rich set of patterns and firm adherence to full-site editing principles. Its continued development provided a robust foundation for users building sites purely with blocks, showcasing the power of contemporary theme design.
Plugin of the Month: Spectra
Spectra (formerly Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg) made significant strides in July 2022. This plugin consistently delivered new and enhanced blocks, patterns, and features that extended the capabilities of the core Gutenberg editor, providing users with more design freedom and pre-built components for efficient site-building.
Host of the Month: Flywheel
Flywheel continued to impress in July 2022 with its robust managed WordPress hosting services, particularly its focus on seamless workflows for agencies and designers. Their intuitive dashboard, collaboration tools, and commitment to optimizing performance for creative professionals made them a standout choice this month.
Agency of the Month: Seahawk Media
Seahawk Media continued to impress throughout July 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: Juliette Reinders Folmer (JRF)
Juliette Reinders Folmer, a leading figure in the WordPress development community and maintainer of the WordPress Coding Standards (WPCS) project, was notably active in July 2022. She released critical updates to WPCS focused on PHP 8.x compatibility and improved security validation while contributing to plugin vulnerability reviews across the ecosystem. Her consistent advocacy for secure, high-quality code and her open-source leadership provided meaningful guidance to developers and helped strengthen the overall security posture of WordPress.
Looking Ahead to August 2022
As July 2022 concluded, the WordPress community eagerly anticipated a dynamic August:
- The crucial WordPress 6.0.2 security and maintenance release was expected in late August.
- Continued advancements in Gutenberg, with 13.7 and 13.8, refining 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 July 2022, WordPress witnessed significant strategic acquisitions, demonstrating a maturing market. 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 August 2022.