In today’s digital landscape, everyone is equipped with a website. Whether it is a business, NGO, government, or a single person, a website has enabled everyone with ultimate exposure to worldwide connectivity and a digital platform to market. Interestingly, 43% of the 1.11 billion websites are hosted by WordPress. WordPress manages two-thirds of global websites, making it the most popular website hosting platform.
The user-friendly interface and tons of options to customize and manage the website make WordPress the ideal option for a person with technical knowledge or even for a non-technical person. WordPress has laid the foundation for many businesses, irrespective of their size.
So, let’s uncover some new updates you can expect from WordPress in 2024.
WordPress in 2024!
WordPress is all set with the roadmap for the year and has declared that it will soon release the three major core updates for 2024. In the March WordPress rollout, its first update- 6.5. The second major update- 6.6, will be released in the middle of the year, near July, and the last one- 6.7, will be uncovered by the end of the year, in November or December for WordPress users. This roadmap is all set for Phase 3 of the Gutenberg Project.
These releases will focus on features like typography management with an inclusive Font Library and server-side @font-face CSS generation. The designers anticipate that these features will allow users to manage, change, and explore new fonts in the admin interface. It is also said that this update will offer an exclusive library that can be extended for plugin developers.
Along with this, the complete update will enable WordPress to collaborate in real time. Users may anticipate features that improve cooperation for content production and website development, such as real-time editing, comments, and feedback capability.
Designers are anticipating that the complete release of this update should enable WordPress with another five major updates that will increase flexibility and enhance the user-friendly interface of the websites.
AI Integration
With the world moving ahead with AI integration in every technology, it will be a surprise if WordPress does not update itself with AI. Almost every user interacts with AI on various platforms.
AI-integrated WordPress will greatly benefit the content management system. This tool can help in content optimization, enabling websites with AI chatbots, enhancing the e-commerce experience, optimizing keyword suggestions, and boosting the overall appeal of the website. Apart from this, the major benefit that AI integration will bring is the use of plugins. This will reduce the use of plugins on the website, which will contribute to enhancing the speed and security of the website.
Blockchain Security
A secure website is a testimonial to a genuine business. A secure and safe website helps boost growing businesses. Blockchain technology is the new milestone that is creating highly secured platforms for websites. Measures like two-factor authentication and decentralized data storage will benefit website management by reducing the risk of trackback spam, negative SEO attacks, etc.
Blockchain technology in WordPress will also enhance the monitoring capacity. This will provide website owners with the tools to monitor and detect security breaches, hackers, and viruses, allowing them to run their websites smoothly. The enhanced security will act as a firewall for unauthorized access and attempts at hacking, making WordPress a secure platform for website hosting.
Multilingual Plugins
Multilingual plugins are the most desired update that every designer wants to see on a WordPress website. It will not just increase the efficiency of the platform but also empower SEO. The keyword research for local SEO in the native language results in the native language keywords, and finding an appropriate plugin that will work accurately with these keywords to optimize the website is difficult.
Hence, having the AI-powered multilingual plugin will do the magic for websites that use native languages. These plugins will not only translate the text but also transcreate it. This will ultimately result in the optimization of the website in the native languages, boosting the sales and revenue of local businesses.
Optimization of the Voice Search
The number of voice search users has risen drastically over the years. With 20% of the Google search done vocally, it is a trend that every website is also trying to conquer. It is highly anticipated that in the update of 2024, WordPress will incorporate voice search for an effective user experience. The voice search will enable the user to navigate through the intricate website’s bunch of information swiftly. Searching for the desired content with specific keywords will save users time surfing through the website and get to the results in a fraction of a second.
Dark Mode
WordPress will bring another update that will facilitate designers, users, and website builders in 2024, and that is enabling the dark mode. Working late hours with the white theme can put a strain on the eyes. To cater to this problem, WordPress is introducing the dark mode. In the current version, enabling the dark mode needs a specific plugin, but it is anticipated that the full update of 2024 will enable the dark mode option.
Dark mode will not just cater to the problem of strained eyes but will also help in lighting the website, increasing the loading speed, and cutting down on the need for additional plugins.
Conclusion
In 2024, WordPress is poised to revolutionize website management with its upcoming updates. With over 43% of the web hosted on WordPress, its popularity is unmatched. The anticipated updates, including AI integration, blockchain security, multilingual plugins, voice search optimization, and dark mode, promise to enhance user experience and security while keeping WordPress at the forefront of website hosting platforms. These updates mark a significant leap forward in making websites more efficient, secure, and user-friendly.