I am starting FireflyWP to work out loud on my WordPress projects and hopefully help others while I’m at it. WordPress is an excellent, open-source CMS platform that will only improve as block and full-site editing are fully embraced. There are a few areas I am passionate about and will focus on to make it even better:
- Performance
- Design with a focus on full-site editing
- First-class support for photography and art
- WordPress for the intranet
Performance
A fresh install of WordPress performs well even on a modest hosting plan. Unfortunately, several things can hurt your site’s performance:
- Inefficient plugins.
- Poorly optimized themes.
- Page builders can add too much processing overhead.
- Over-booked servers – If you use a shared hosting provider, your WordPress site might initially seem snappy but degrade over time as the provider adds other customers to the same server.
Finding the culprit of performance issues can be a tedious process of elimination. There are plenty of WordPress performance guides on the web, but they suggest things to try instead of helping you diagnose the problem. I want FireflyWP to provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to diagnose and fix your WordPress performance issues. These performance improvements will boost your SEO and, more importantly, provide a better experience for your visitors. Click here to get started.
Design
I am excited about the future of WordPress full site editing (FSE). I think it will provide many of the benefits of premium page builder themes without the performance overhead. I built this site using the Twenty Twenty-Three theme. I certainly have a wish list for future implementations but for the most part I was able to achieve the look and feel I wanted with minimal CSS. I am hoping to offer my own community and premium FSE themes in the near future.
First-class support for photography and art (Future project)
There is a considerable opportunity for WordPress to be a more significant competitor to Instagram, Facebook, and other photo-sharing platforms. There are just a few things I see missing:
- A mobile app that makes it easy to post photos to your WordPress site
- Themes that provide a photo-centric timeline
- The WordPress media library could use a refresh.
- Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) Support – I know it is a security risk, but built-in vector art support is a must.
A WordPress mobile app already exists, but there is a need for something purpose-built for photo sharing. I want complete control over what gets displayed next to my content online. With the right tools, WordPress can provide that control. Expect more to come on FireFlyWP regarding this topic.
WordPress for the intranet (Future project)
WordPress has significant potential as an intranet portal for small to medium-sized businesses. By intranet site, I mean a private website for a business’s employees to get news, find faqs, company calendar, benefits information, and any other info they need. To get there, WordPress needs a few key features to make it better:
- Single-Sign-On
- Better search capabilities
- Intranet friendly templates
- Integration with existing business tools
Some existing offerings come close, but I see an opportunity to create a more holistic, polished solution.
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