Elementor has long been one of the most popular page builders for WordPress, praised for its drag-and-drop interface and extensive customization options. However, recent changes in the way the company handles pricing—specifically, the introduction of new features under a vague “free trial” model—have sparked concerns among users.
What’s Happening with Elementor’s Pricing?
According to reports from longtime users, Elementor has been introducing new features such as its Ally accessibility tools under a “Free Trial” label. However, there is no clear information about how much these features will eventually cost. Even when users reach out to support, Elementor representatives state that pricing has not yet been determined.
This isn’t the first time Elementor has taken this approach. Similar strategies were reportedly used for its Mailer and Image Optimization add-ons—getting users to integrate these tools into their workflow before later introducing fees.
For business owners and website developers, this raises a major concern: lack of transparency in pricing. If you’re an existing subscriber with payment details already on file, it’s unsettling to think that new charges could be introduced without upfront clarity.
Why This Could Backfire for Elementor
While Elementor has been a dominant force in the WordPress ecosystem, this pricing strategy may end up hurting them in the long run. Here’s why:
Loss of Trust: Users who feel misled by unclear pricing structures may begin looking for alternatives. In a competitive space, trust is everything.
Business Owners Need Predictability: When running a website, budgeting is crucial. No one wants to wake up to surprise charges for features they’ve already integrated into their workflow.
Potential for Industry Backlash: WordPress users have plenty of other page builders to choose from, such as Bricks and Beaver Builder, or even another website builder altogether besides WordPress that is also downloadable and gives web hosting choice, such as UltimateWB. If Elementor continues down this path, it risks alienating its user base.
Is This the Beginning of Elementor’s Downfall?
While Elementor is still widely used, tactics like these could mark the beginning of a decline. Users who feel burned by unpredictable pricing may reconsider their loyalty, especially with so many viable alternatives available.
At the end of the day, transparency is key. If Elementor intends to charge for a feature, it should disclose pricing details upfront, rather than luring users in with “free trials” that eventually turn into paid features without prior warning.
What do you think? Is Elementor’s pricing strategy fair, or do you find it deceptive? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
It can be frustrating to watch your website’s rankings suddenly drop in search results, especially after you’ve put in time and effort to optimize your content. If you’ve noticed that your websites have gone from ranking on Page 1-2 to disappearing or dropping to Pages 5-6, you’re not alone. Many website owners experience fluctuations in their rankings, and understanding the potential causes can help you get back on track.
In this post, we’ll explore the common reasons why your website rankings might have dropped and how to address them, so you can continue driving traffic and improving your SEO efforts.
1. Algorithm Updates: A Common Cause of Ranking Fluctuations
One of the most common reasons websites experience sudden drops in rankings is due to algorithm updates. Google regularly updates its search algorithm to provide users with the most relevant and high-quality search results. These updates can affect how your site is ranked in the search engine results pages (SERPs), even if you haven’t made any significant changes to your website.
What You Can Do: Check if there has been a recent Google algorithm update that could have impacted your rankings. You can find updates through industry websites like Search Engine Journal or the Google Search Central blog. If an update has occurred, it’s essential to focus on improving your content quality, authority, and user experience to recover your rankings.
2. Topical Authority: A Key Factor for Ranking Success
Another possible reason for a drop in rankings is a lack of topical authority. Topical authority refers to the depth of content and expertise a website demonstrates on a specific topic. If your site lacks strong coverage on the subject matter you’re targeting, Google may downgrade your site in favor of more authoritative competitors.
What You Can Do: Focus on building your site’s topical authority by publishing in-depth, high-quality content around the subjects you’re targeting. Ensure that your content is comprehensive, well-researched, and provides value to users. Linking to authoritative sources and getting backlinks from trusted websites in your niche can also improve your topical authority.
3. SEO Competition and Shifting SERP Landscape
Sometimes, ranking fluctuations occur simply because of changes in your SEO competition. New competitors may have entered the space or existing ones may have improved their SEO strategies, which can push your site down in the rankings.
What You Can Do: Keep an eye on your competitors and their SEO strategies. Use tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Moz to analyze their backlink profiles, content strategies, and keyword rankings. This will give you insights into how you can improve your SEO efforts and potentially outperform your competitors.
4. Indexing Issues or Google Search Console Errors
Another factor that can contribute to ranking drops is issues with indexing or errors within Google Search Console (GSC). If Google is having trouble crawling or indexing your site properly, it could result in a sudden drop in impressions and rankings.
What You Can Do: Regularly check Google Search Console for any indexing issues or crawl errors. If your site is experiencing problems, ensure that your sitemap is submitted correctly and that your robots.txt file isn’t blocking important pages. Also, make sure that there are no manual penalties or issues flagged by Google.
5. Content Quality and User Experience (UX) Issues
Google has become increasingly sophisticated at understanding the quality of content and the overall user experience (UX) on websites. If your content is lacking in value or your website has poor UX elements, it can lead to ranking drops. Factors like slow page speed, mobile-friendliness, and poor navigation can hurt your site’s performance in search.
What You Can Do: Conduct a thorough audit of your website’s content and user experience. Use tools like PageSpeed Insights to assess your website’s performance and optimize for speed. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and that the user experience is seamless, from navigation to design.
6. Backlink Profile and External Factors
Your website’s backlink profile plays a crucial role in its rankings. If you’ve lost valuable backlinks or if Google has devalued certain links due to changes in their algorithm, your site’s authority and rankings may drop.
What You Can Do: Use tools like Ahrefs or Majestic to analyze your backlink profile. Ensure that your site has high-quality, relevant backlinks from authoritative domains. If you’ve lost valuable backlinks, consider reaching out to those sites for reintegration or acquiring new backlinks through content marketing and outreach efforts.
7. Manual Actions or Penalties
Although rare, manual penalties from Google can cause sudden drops in rankings. These penalties are usually the result of violating Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, such as using black-hat SEO tactics or engaging in link schemes.
What You Can Do: In Google Search Console, check if any manual actions have been taken against your website. If you find any penalties, review the guidelines and take corrective action. This might include disavowing toxic backlinks, removing spammy content, or fixing other violations.
Final Thoughts: Monitoring and Adapting Your SEO Strategy
Ranking fluctuations are a natural part of SEO, but understanding the causes can help you recover and improve your site’s performance. Whether it’s a Google algorithm update, a lack of topical authority, competition, or indexing issues, addressing these problems will set you on the path to regaining your rankings.
By focusing on content quality, improving your backlink profile, ensuring a positive user experience, and monitoring any issues through Google Search Console, you can stay on top of these changes and make the necessary adjustments to regain lost traffic.
Remember, SEO is a long-term strategy, and ranking drops don’t mean the end of your website’s success. With consistent effort and the right approach, your site can recover and climb back to its rightful position in the SERPs.
Consider Upgrading to a Website Builder Optimized for Speed
In addition to focusing on the above SEO strategies, choosing a website builder that is optimized for fast loading speed, like UltimateWB, can make your SEO efforts much easier. A fast-loading website improves user experience and search engine rankings, making it a valuable investment. With UltimateWB, you can create a fully optimized website that helps boost your rankings while minimizing common SEO challenges. You can also explore different website builder options and reviews at ChooseWebsiteBuilder.com to find a platform that works best for your needs.
If you’re considering a career as a WordPress freelancer and wondering where to begin, you’re not alone. Whether you’re exploring WordPress as a whole or debating between learning block themes, page builders like Elementor, or WooCommerce for e-commerce, it’s important to take a step-by-step approach to build your skills.
In this guide, we’ll help you navigate where to start and give you the tools you need to jump into WordPress development, even if you’re just beginning to explore HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. By following a structured learning path, you can soon be on your way to earning money as a freelancer in the WordPress space.
1. Block Themes and Gutenberg: A Great Place to Start
If you’re just starting out with WordPress, block themes are a great foundation to build your knowledge. WordPress’s block-based system, known as Gutenberg, is how content is now structured on most WordPress sites. Block themes provide flexibility, allowing you to customize layouts and create dynamic content without needing third-party page builders.
Why Block Themes?: Block themes are part of the future of WordPress, so starting with them will give you a deeper understanding of WordPress’s core. While it may take a little time to adjust to a block-based approach, it’s a valuable skill for building modern WordPress sites.
How to Start: To begin learning block themes, start with the default themes in WordPress like Twenty Twenty-Three. Then, experiment with creating custom templates using the block editor and eventually explore advanced blocks like navigation or post loops. As you become more comfortable, you can move toward creating your own block themes from scratch.
2. Elementor: Easy to Use for Quick Website Creation
Elementor is a drag-and-drop page builder that allows you to design beautiful websites without extensive coding knowledge. If you’re looking for a faster, more visual approach to building WordPress websites, Elementor is an excellent tool to learn.
Why Elementor?: Elementor is incredibly popular among freelancers because it lets you design custom websites quickly and efficiently. Even if you don’t have a deep understanding of HTML or CSS, Elementor helps you visually create beautiful layouts with ease.
The Learning Curve: If you’re not already comfortable with HTML and CSS, Elementor is a good place to start because it doesn’t require much coding. Once you’re familiar with the basics, you can begin experimenting with advanced features such as custom CSS or using it in combination with block themes for maximum flexibility.
Freelancing Potential: Learning Elementor is a great way to start your freelance journey. You can offer your services to clients who need websites built quickly, as Elementor allows you to complete projects with minimal coding. Plus, it’s beginner-friendly, so you can build your skills gradually.
3. WooCommerce: Building E-Commerce Websites
If you want to target a more specific market, learning WooCommerce for building e-commerce websites is a great next step. WooCommerce is the leading plugin for adding e-commerce functionality to WordPress, and with the right knowledge, you can start offering e-commerce website design services.
Why WooCommerce?: WooCommerce allows you to build fully functional online stores on WordPress. It’s scalable, highly customizable, and integrates seamlessly with other plugins, making it ideal for building custom online shops. Whether your clients are selling physical products, digital downloads, or services, WooCommerce has you covered.
How to Start: Begin by setting up a basic WooCommerce store on your WordPress site. From there, experiment with adding products, configuring payment gateways, and customizing your store’s appearance. As you learn, you can offer more customized features, such as product filters or custom shipping options.
Freelancing with WooCommerce: WooCommerce websites are in high demand, and as a freelancer, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to build e-commerce sites for clients. Once you’ve mastered WooCommerce, you’ll be able to offer services that cater to small businesses looking to sell online.
4. Theme Building: Dive Into Pinegrow or Custom Theme Development
If you’re interested in deeper customization and creating completely unique websites, learning how to build WordPress themes could be a great path. While WordPress provides a variety of pre-made themes, custom theme development allows you to offer bespoke solutions for clients with very specific needs.
Why Custom Theme Development?: By learning to create custom themes, you gain full control over the website’s structure, functionality, and design. It’s a valuable skill for any WordPress freelancer, especially if you want to offer premium, tailored services.
How to Start: Tools like Pinegrow are great for visually building WordPress themes, allowing you to design the layout without writing code. If you’re comfortable with diving into the code, learning how to create custom themes using PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript will help you gain greater control over theme customization.
Freelancing with Custom Themes: As a freelancer, offering custom theme development services can set you apart from others. You’ll be able to cater to clients who need specific features or want a unique look for their website.
5. Browse Other Website Builders to Expand Your Skills
While WordPress is an excellent platform for many types of websites, it’s always a good idea to be familiar with other website builders that clients might prefer or that might work better for their needs. Platforms like UltimateWB, Webflow, Wix, and Shopify offer different approaches to web design and might be more suitable depending on the client’s specific requirements.
Why Explore Other Builders?: Having a broad understanding of various website builders will make you more versatile as a freelancer. You’ll be able to offer recommendations based on the client’s goals, helping you stand out from other WordPress specialists. Plus, understanding the features of different platforms allows you to cater to a wider range of projects.
Where to Start?: Visit websites like ChooseWebsiteBuilder.com to explore various website builders and understand their strengths and limitations. Familiarizing yourself with platforms like Wix, Webflow, or even Shopify will ensure you can handle a variety of client requests.
6. Combining Skills: Offering a Range of Services
If your goal is to earn between $500-$1000 per month starting as a freelancer, you’ll want to diversify your skills to meet a wide range of client needs. Here’s a roadmap to help you get started:
Start with Elementor: Learn Elementor for fast, efficient web design and to build a portfolio of completed projects.
Add WooCommerce: Once you’re comfortable with Elementor, expand your skill set by learning WooCommerce to offer e-commerce solutions.
Learn Block Themes: Eventually, dive into block themes and Gutenberg to deepen your WordPress knowledge and offer advanced services.
Explore Custom Theme Development: Once you’ve mastered the basics, explore custom theme development for fully tailored client solutions.
By offering a combination of these skills, you’ll be able to take on a variety of freelance projects, from simple blogs to full-fledged online stores, and start earning a steady income.
Final Thoughts: Set Yourself Up for Success
Starting your WordPress development journey can be overwhelming, but with patience and dedication, you can make great progress. Take things one step at a time, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different tools and techniques. Whether you choose Elementor, block themes, WooCommerce, or custom theme development, the key is to keep learning and building your portfolio. With the right skills and determination, you’ll be on your way to becoming a successful WordPress freelancer, earning a steady income while helping businesses create stunning websites.
If you’re running a WordPress website, you’ve likely encountered performance issues due to unnecessary bloat in your site’s code. Whether you’re using popular plugins like Elementor or relying on custom code, over time, your website can become sluggish and harder to maintain. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to streamline your WordPress setup, clean up your code, and make your site more efficient—without sacrificing flexibility or functionality.
1. Identify and Eliminate Unnecessary Plugins and Widgets
One of the easiest ways to reduce bloat is by auditing the plugins and widgets you’re using on your site. Over the years, you may have accumulated plugins that aren’t essential or are only adding to your site’s load time.
Elementor’s Widgets: As you mentioned, Elementor offers a wide range of widgets, but not all of them are necessary for your site. You can disable or remove unused widgets to speed up your site’s performance.
Plugin Audit: Evaluate each plugin you’re using. Are there any redundant plugins or those offering similar functionality? Remove any unnecessary ones to keep your site lightweight.
2. Consider Elementor Alternatives or Custom Solutions
If Elementor’s heavy reliance on JavaScript and its widgets are slowing you down, consider alternative ways to build your site’s functionality. Here are a few options:
Gutenberg: WordPress’ built-in block editor, Gutenberg, can be an excellent alternative for creating content-rich pages without relying on third-party page builders like Elementor. Gutenberg has become more flexible, with additional block plugins that can help you achieve a similar result while reducing page bloat.
Custom HTML & CSS: If you already have experience with CSS and jQuery, you could consider building lightweight, custom HTML and CSS for your pages. Although this may take longer, it will give you full control over the code, making your site cleaner and more efficient.
Bootstrap: If you’re familiar with CSS frameworks, consider using Bootstrap. It’s a popular framework that provides pre-designed, responsive components for building clean, fast, and scalable websites. It can significantly reduce the need for excessive custom code and plugins.
3. Optimize Your JavaScript and CSS
JavaScript and CSS files are often the biggest culprits when it comes to bloating your site. Here are a few ways to optimize them:
Minification: Minifying your JS and CSS files will reduce their size, speeding up loading times and improving your site’s overall performance.
Defer Non-Essential Scripts: Use the defer attribute to load non-essential JavaScript files after the page content is rendered, which helps reduce render-blocking.
Critical CSS: Generate and load only the critical CSS for your pages to reduce unnecessary styles from loading on the initial page load.
4. Clean Up Your DOM
A bloated DOM (Document Object Model) is a common issue with dynamic content-heavy websites. A DOM size of 3000+ can result in slower page loads and hinder your site’s performance.
Optimize DOM Structure: Reduce nested elements, eliminate unnecessary HTML tags, and ensure that your content is structured efficiently. The cleaner your DOM, the faster your site will load.
Lazy Loading: Implement lazy loading for images and other media elements. This ensures that only the content visible on the screen is loaded initially, improving page load times.
5. Leverage Caching and CDN
Caching and using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) can significantly speed up your website by storing static files and delivering them from servers closest to your visitors.
Page Caching: Enable page caching for faster load times. This will allow frequently accessed pages to be served quickly without the need to generate them dynamically every time a user visits.
CDN: A CDN can distribute your content across multiple servers worldwide, reducing load times and improving your site’s speed, especially for international visitors.
6. Regularly Test Your Website’s Performance
Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTMetrix, or Lighthouse to regularly test your website’s performance. These tools will give you insights into what’s slowing down your site and how you can address these issues.
By monitoring your site’s performance, you can quickly identify new issues as they arise and take steps to resolve them before they become major problems.
Final Thoughts
Cleaning up your WordPress site doesn’t need to be a daunting task. By eliminating unnecessary plugins, optimizing your code, and exploring alternative tools like Gutenberg or Bootstrap, you can create a lightweight, fast, and SEO-friendly website that’s easier to manage.
However, if you find that WordPress is still limiting your ability to achieve the performance you want, it might be time to consider upgrading to a more optimized website builder like UltimateWB. UltimateWB is designed with speed in mind, offering a clean, efficient codebase that requires fewer resources, which results in faster load times and improved performance right out of the box.
Whether you decide to stick with Elementor or move to a custom solution, the key is to keep things simple, minimize bloat, and focus on optimizing the core elements of your site. If you need help optimizing your WordPress site or want more tips on improving performance, feel free to reach out or leave a comment below!
When the Super Bowl comes around, it’s not just the game that has people talking—it’s the commercials. One of the biggest spenders in this advertising spectacle is Squarespace, a website builder known for its sleek templates and all-in-one platform. For the 11th time, Squarespace is securing a spot in the Super Bowl, despite the eye-watering cost of doing so. With the price of a 30-second Super Bowl ad jumping from $7 million in 2024 to a staggering $8 million in 2025, the question arises: Who’s really footing the bill for these extravagant marketing stunts?
The High Cost of Super Bowl Ads
Super Bowl ads have long been regarded as prime real estate for marketers, offering unparalleled exposure to a massive audience. In 2024, the game was watched by an estimated 210 million people, and Squarespace made a big splash with an ad directed by and starring legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese. With such high viewership, it’s easy to see why brands are willing to invest heavily in Super Bowl commercials.
But that investment doesn’t come from thin air. Companies that shell out millions for a few seconds of airtime need to recoup that cost somewhere, and that often means passing expenses down to customers. While Squarespace touts its user-friendly website-building platform, customers may be paying more than they realize to help finance these marketing extravaganzas.
Are Squarespace Users Covering the Cost?
Squarespace’s pricing structure already puts it on the more expensive side of the website builder market. Plans start at $16 per month for personal websites and go up to $65 per month for advanced e-commerce features. While the platform offers an elegant design experience and all-in-one convenience, its costs can quickly add up, especially for small business owners and freelancers.
One of the key criticisms of Squarespace is its lack of scalability and flexibility compared to other platforms. Users are locked into Squarespace’s hosting, meaning there’s no easy way to migrate a website elsewhere without rebuilding from scratch. Additionally, while Squarespace does offer built-in SEO tools and marketing features, it lacks the level of customization and built-in features like UltimateWB or third-party integrations available on platforms like WordPress .
The Bigger Picture: Marketing vs. Value
Investing in high-profile advertising campaigns is a calculated risk for any company. For Squarespace, the repeated Super Bowl appearances indicate a strong belief that the exposure is worth the cost. But for customers, the question remains: Is the product itself evolving at the same rate as its marketing budget? While Squarespace undoubtedly excels in design and ease of use, some users may feel that their subscription fees are contributing more to flashy commercials than to meaningful platform improvements. Meanwhile, other website builders, such as UltimateWB, provide greater flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency without locking users into a single web hosting ecosystem.
Final Thoughts
Squarespace’s 2025 Super Bowl ad will undoubtedly be another visually stunning, attention-grabbing production. But behind the glitz and glamour, customers should consider whether they’re truly getting the best value for their money. As Super Bowl ad costs continue to skyrocket, businesses and individuals looking for a reliable, cost-effective website-building solution may want to explore alternatives that invest more in their product than in their commercials.
At the end of the day, it’s not just about having the most memorable Super Bowl ad—it’s about delivering real value to the people who make those ads possible: the paying customers.
UltimateWB is a powerful website builder known for its flexibility, customization, fast loading speeds, and scalability. Whether you're building a simple blog, portfolio, business website, or a more complex e-commerce or social platform, UltimateWB enables you to do so without requiring any coding experience. Unlike hosted website builders, UltimateWB is downloadable software, offering you unique...[ Read More... ]
