Since this is a long article, you can easily skip to the section you\u2019re most interested in:<\/p>\n
- \n
- My Personal Updates<\/a><\/li>\n
- WPBeginner Updates<\/a><\/li>\n
- WPBeginner 17th Birthday Giveaway<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
![\"17th-birthday-giveway-wpbeginner\"](\"https:\/\/www.wpbeginner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/17th-birthday-giveaway.png\")
<\/figure>\nMy Personal Updates<\/h4>\n
If you\u2019re new here, you might not know that I have been using WordPress since I was 16 years old, and I started WPBeginner in 2009 when I was in college at age 19.<\/p>\n
Ever since then, WordPress community has played a huge role both in my life as well as my family\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
My son, Solomon is now 9 years old, and our baby girl, Aliyah, was born 6 months ago. Parenting is one of the wonderful gifts of life. We recently restarted our travels and took a trip to Mexico as well as Italy. I\u2019ll be sharing more about these trips later in the year when I do my annual year end reviews.<\/p>\n
If you didn\u2019t get a chance to\u00a0read my 2025 recap<\/a>, I highly recommend checking it because I shared lessons learned from last year.<\/p>\n
![\"Balkhi](\"https:\/\/www.wpbeginner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/balkhi-family-2025-1024x869.png\")
<\/figure>\nWPBeginner Updates<\/h4>\n
This year, Google\u2019s algorithm updates and the rapidly changing A.I. landscape continued to impact our traffic.<\/p>\n
The good news is that we\u2019re fortunate to have an incredible community of readers and subscribers, and that\u2019s what matters MOST. <\/p>\n
Since starting WPBeginner, my focus has always been on creating helpful tutorials and resources for WordPress beginners, and that will never change. We\u2019re already adapting how we create and share content for this new era, and we\u2019re excited about what\u2019s ahead.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m truly grateful for everything we\u2019ve accomplished together this year.<\/p>\n
As always, none of this would be possible without your continued support and trust. THANK YOU for being part of our journey!<\/p>\n
Here are some of the big updates that happened on WPBeginner in the last 12 months:<\/p>\n
<\/strong>1. New Product Launches<\/strong><\/p>\n
This past year, our team put their energy into building. Here are the new products we launched to help you get more done on WordPress:<\/p>\n
- \n
- We launched WPVibe<\/strong><\/a>, a WordPress MCP server that lets your favorite AI tool, like Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor, manage your WordPress site directly. Our announcement video went viral on X<\/a> and got over 440k views.<\/li>\n
- We released ActiveLayer<\/strong><\/a>, an AI-powered spam protection tool that stops form, comment, and registration spam server-side in milliseconds without CAPTCHAs or puzzles. Here\u2019s the full background story<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- We launched Universally<\/strong><\/a>, an AI website translation tool that automatically translates your site into 110+ languages in minutes without hiring professional translators. Here\u2019s the full background story<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- My team at Uncanny Automator released Uncanny Agent<\/strong><\/a>, the first true AI assistant built natively for WordPress. You can ask any questions about your site or tell it what you need done\u2026and it takes care of it for you. Here\u2019s the full background story<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- We launched WPChat<\/strong><\/a>, a live-chat widget that lets you convert your visitors into paying customers by connecting them on WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Telegram. Here\u2019s the full background story<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- MemberPress<\/a>, one of my Growth Fund brands, launched the MemberPress AppKit addon<\/strong><\/a>. It transforms your membership site into a fully branded iOS and Android app. Here\u2019s the full background story<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- My team at WPForms released the Quiz Addon<\/strong><\/a>. It lets you build interactive quizzes and graded assessments right inside the form builder you\u2019re already familiar with. Here\u2019s the full background story<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- My team at Duplicator released WP Media Cleanup<\/strong><\/a>, which enables you to reclaim disk space by identifying unused media files and removing them quickly and easily. Here\u2019s the full background story<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- We released WPFilters<\/strong><\/a>, which helps you easily add Amazon-style search filters to your site and make your content easily discoverable. Here\u2019s the full background story<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
I\u2019m really proud of what our team has built this year, and it\u2019s amazing to see the impact these products are making across the WordPress ecosystem and the larger open web.<\/p>\n
Want me to invest in your business? Learn more about the\u00a0WPBeginner Growth Fund<\/a>.<\/p>\n
2. WPBeginner Workshop: Free Live Training<\/strong><\/p>\n
Our WPBeginner Workshop is going strong, and this year, we hosted workshops every month covering WordPress fundamentals, AI tips, privacy compliance, and much more.<\/p>\n
Every workshop is led by our own team at WPBeginner, sharing the real-world lessons we learn every day. At the end of each session, we also hold a live Q&A where attendees get their WordPress questions answered in real time.<\/p>\n
Best of all, it\u2019s totally free to attend!<\/p>\n
All you need to do is\u00a0join our newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up to date.<\/p>\n
3. Broader Company Updates<\/strong><\/p>\n
WPBeginner is funded 100% through the support of our readers like you. <\/p>\n
My various companies develop premium WordPress plugins to help you grow your website. These plugins are built with the same beginner-friendly approach you know and love from WPBeginner, and a large number of our product & feature ideas come from your feedback & suggestions.<\/p>\n
When you buy a license for any of my premium plugins, you\u2019re not only helping make your website better, but you\u2019re also helping support WPBeginner and our mission.<\/p>\n
My company, Awesome Motive<\/a>, has over 300+ team members across the world, and all of us are committed to help you build a better website!<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a list of our plugins that you should check out. Collectively, they\u2019re being used on over 30 million websites<\/strong>. Your support means a lot to us whether you use the free version or purchase a premium license \u2013 we are here to serve.<\/p>\n
- \n
- OptinMonster<\/a><\/strong>: Powerful conversion optimization software that helps convert abandoning visitors into subscribers & customers. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- WPForms<\/a><\/strong>: Drag & drop + AI form builder for WordPress. Create any type form with ease. Trusted by 5 million+ sites. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- Duplicator<\/a><\/strong>: Leading WordPress Backup and migration plugin. Protect your website with reliable backups. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- AIOSEO<\/a><\/strong>: The original and most powerful WordPress SEO plugin used by 3 million+ sites (now with AI). Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- MonsterInsights<\/a><\/strong>: The most popular Google Analytics plugin that helps you make data-driven decisions. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- WP Mail SMTP<\/a><\/strong>: The #1 plugin that ensures your emails arrive safely in the recipient\u2019s inbox, and not in the spam folder. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- WPConsent<\/a><\/strong>: Self-hosted privacy compliance & cookie banner plugin for WordPress. Trusted by 100k+ websites. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- SeedProd<\/a><\/strong>: The ultimate drag and drop website builder to create custom WordPress themes and landing pages. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- Smash Balloon<\/a><\/strong>: Seamlessly integrate your social media feeds with WordPress. Used by 1.75 million websites. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- PushEngage<\/a><\/strong>: Powerful push notification software. Add a new traffic & revenue channel to your site. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- SearchWP<\/a><\/strong>: SearchWP lets you customize WordPress search form and search results. Trusted by 50,000+ websites.<\/li>\n
- Easy Digital Downloads<\/a><\/strong>: Top rated WordPress plugin for easily selling digital products and subscriptions. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- AffiliateWP<\/a><\/strong>: Launch your own self-hosted affiliate program in minutes to grow your eCommerce revenue.<\/li>\n
- WP Simple Pay<\/a><\/strong>: Accept payments online without a shopping cart. Supports credit cards, ACH bank debit, Google Pay, Apple Pay, etc. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- Sugar Calendar<\/a><\/strong>: Powerful event calendar management plugin built for churches, conferences, and more. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- WP Charitable<\/a><\/strong>: WordPress donation and fundraising plugin that helps you raise more money. Trusted by 10,000+ non-profit orgs. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- WPCode<\/a><\/strong>: Add custom code to your site without editing your theme files. It can replace dozens of existing WordPress plugins. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- Thrive Themes<\/a><\/strong>: A powerful suite of conversion-focused tools that can transform your website into an online business platform.<\/li>\n
- WPVibe<\/a><\/strong>: Connect Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor to your WordPress site and manage posts, media, themes, and more using plain English. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- BuddyBoss<\/a><\/strong>: Create a private community with social networking groups, forum discussions, online courses, and more. <\/li>\n
- Uncanny Automator<\/a><\/strong>: The #1 no-code automation plugin for WordPress. Create powerful workflows to save time. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- Universally<\/a><\/strong>: Translate your website content into 110+ languages in minutes without hiring a professional translator. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- ActiveLayer<\/a><\/strong>: An AI-powered anti-spam service designed to protect WordPress forms and comments without CAPTCHA. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- Envira Gallery<\/a><\/strong>: Create beautiful photo and video galleries with this easy-to-use drag-and-drop gallery builder. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- Sydney<\/a><\/strong>: A great all-purpose free WordPress theme, used by over 100,000 websites. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- Botiga<\/a><\/strong>: A lightweight WooCommerce theme built for optimal performance while boosting conversions. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- aThemes Merchant<\/a><\/strong>: An all-in-one WooCommerce growth tool that lets you boost revenue, AOV, and retain customers. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
WPBeginner 17th Birthday Giveaway<\/h4>\n
To celebrate the 17th<\/sup>\u00a0birthday of WPBeginner, we\u2019re running a HUGE giveaway!<\/p>\n
We are giving away premium plugin licenses worth over $10,000 to 39 lucky winners.<\/p>\n
So, what kind of goodies are we giving away? Here\u2019s the complete list: <\/p>\n
10 licenses of Universally<\/a>,\u00a05 licenses of Uncanny Agent<\/a>, and 3 licenses each of the following products: WPConsent<\/a>, ActiveLayer<\/a>, AIOSEO<\/a>,\u00a0WPVibe<\/a>, SeedProd<\/a>, Duplicator<\/a>, WPChat<\/a>, and Sydney theme<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\nThank You, Everyone<\/h4>\n
I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us in this journey. I really do appreciate all of your retweets, personal emails, content suggestions, and the interactions at the events.<\/p>\n
I also want to say special thank you to everyone who\u2019s using our plugins because that enables us to keep bringing more free tutorials to WPBeginner.<\/p>\n
You all are AMAZING and without you, there is no WPBeginner.<\/p>\n
I look forward to another solid year ahead of us.<\/p>\n
Syed Balkhi
Founder of WPBeginner<\/p>\n\n<\/p>
The post WPBeginner Turns 17 Years Old \u2013 We\u2019re Doing a Giveaway ($10,000 in Prizes)<\/a> first appeared on WPBeginner<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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- WPForms<\/a><\/strong>: Drag & drop + AI form builder for WordPress. Create any type form with ease. Trusted by 5 million+ sites. Download for free<\/a><\/li>\n
- We released ActiveLayer<\/strong><\/a>, an AI-powered spam protection tool that stops form, comment, and registration spam server-side in milliseconds without CAPTCHAs or puzzles. Here\u2019s the full background story<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- WPBeginner Updates<\/a><\/li>\n