However, WordPress and the open source community have fundamentally changed how websites are hosted and content is managed.

I sat down with Bryan Muthig, founder and CEO of A2 Hosting, and Aaron Campbell, Director of Product, to talk about the impact of open source over the last several decades.

We also talk about how WordPress has been critical to A2 Hosting’s success. It’s why we are committed to supporting WordPress and fostering a robust community for designers, developers, agencies, and businesses.

A2 Hosting’s Commitment to WordPress and Open Source

A2 Hosting has been in business for 21 years – the same amount of time WordPress has been around. From the gaze of a hosting company, we discuss how WordPress has evolved to become the dominant content management system over that time. This has led A2 Hosting to continually prioritize WordPress hosting plans and solutions.

Talking about our commitment to WordPress, Byran said, “WordPress is the dominant CMS in the hosting space and the vast majority of our customers use it. So it’s only natural that A2 Hosting is committed to providing the best WordPress experience possible.”

He continued, “I still go look at support tickets because I want to understand what our customers are feeling. To see the problems that they’re seeing.”

Aaron added, “Focusing on our customers has led us more into the WordPress space. It’s a critical tool to allowing smaller and mid-sized businesses compete on the global scale.”

The Value of Open Source and WordPress

A2 Hosting has a long history of supporting WordPress and open-source technologies. Our team has a deep understanding of how these platforms provide tailored solutions for our customers.

Constant collaboration and innovation have made open source communities like WordPress so valuable. Users can work together to develop solutions and implement changes that anyone can take advantage of.

Within WordPress specifically, community-developed plugins and themes allow you to customize your website quickly and easily.

“It’s that network effect that really helped add value to the WordPress ecosystem,” said Bryan.

Talking about his own experiences, Aaron added, “I saw the community-led effort to grow WordPress early on. I knew this was the right direction and that’s when I went all in on WordPress.”

This collaborative success is why A2 Hosting remains focused on WordPress today. It allows businesses to quickly scale their content and web presence.

Importance of WordPress in Web Hosting

As it’s grown over the last twenty years, WordPress has become a critical tool in website development. It helps small and mid-sized businesses and agencies compete on a bigger scale than they were ever able to before.

According to Bryan, WordPress dramatically changed the landscape of websites and hosting.

“WordPress democratized the web in the sense that anybody could download it for free and set up a website.”

Continuing, he added, “We take it for granted at this point, but it revolutionized the way we build websites.”

Not only has it shortened and simplified the development and launch cycle for new websites, but it also makes managing and maintaining them easier and more efficient.

According to Aaron, WordPress and other open source solutions “have played an important part, not just in the web’s growth, but in the continued health of the web.”

The Ongoing Impact of Open Source and WordPress on A2 Hosting

A2 Hosting remains focused on providing the highest quality website hosting solutions for our customers.

“From a hosting standpoint, we want to provide the fastest servers possible so your visitors get a phenomenal front-end experience,” said Bryan.

While we do offer other hosting options, we are absolutely all in on WordPress. From a variety of WordPress hosting options to our state-of-the-art control panel, TurboHub, we are proud to be a leader in this space.

This also means adapting over time. We will prioritize developing tools that streamline managing multiple WordPress sites for agencies and developers. We are also committed to providing hardware options that allow our customers to thrive in the WordPress and open source communities.

Join Us on YouTube for More Conversations About WordPress, Hosting, and More

Subscribe to the A2 Hosting channel on YouTube as we continue to explore opportunities in website hosting, development, and marketing.

The post All In on WordPress: How Open Source and WordPress Changed Our Lives appeared first on The A2 Posting.

A2 Hosting is proud to partner with Bet Hannon, CEO of AccessiCart, for an exciting discussion about the importance of accessibility for websites.

Join us on Wednesday, August 7, 2024 at 12:00 PM ET / 9:00 AM PT for this free webinar. This workshop is meant for business owners, agencies, and web designers.

Register Now to secure your spot and learn more about website accessibility.

Website Accessibility Webinar Highlights

This workshop will briefly review what’s included in accessibility, overview the changing compliance requirements, share resources for beginning to implement accessibility, and offer suggestions for starting to sell accessibility to clients.

• Understanding Accessibility: A brief overview of what accessibility encompasses and why it’s essential.
• Compliance Requirements: An update on the latest changes in accessibility compliance.
• Resources for Implementation: Valuable tools and resources to begin your journey towards a more accessible website.
• Selling Accessibility: Strategies for advocating accessibility to clients and stakeholders.

About Our Presenter Bet Hannon

Bet Hannon is the CEO of AccessiCart, an accessibility services agency that supports site owners and agencies in improving accessibility of their sites. She is a past contributor to the WordPress project and is a co-organizer of her local WordPress Meetup in Bend, Oregon.

Why Attend?

• Gain insights into the importance of web accessibility and its legal implications.
• Learn practical steps to start implementing accessibility on your websites.
• Discover how to communicate the value of accessibility to clients effectively.
• See how accessibility improvements will positively impact your business.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about improving your website accessibility. Whether you are a site owner, developer, or agency representative, this webinar will provide you with knowledge and actionable strategies that will help grow your business.

Register Now

Title: Understanding & Selling Accessibility for Client Sites

Date: Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Time: 12:00 PM ET / 9:00 AM PT

What Is Website Accessibility?

Website accessibility refers to sites that design for people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. This includes individuals with visual, auditory, motor, cognitive, and other impairments.

The goal of an accessible website is to ensure that all users, regardless of their abilities, can perceive, understand, navigate, interact with, and contribute to the web.

Since 2020, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has maintained the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The W3C regularly updates the guidelines to include the latest resources and best practices.

The current WCAG 2.2 guidelines offers a variety of recommendations designed to make your web content more accessible to all. These guidelines cover a range of disabilities, including blindness and low-vision, deafness and hearing loss, speech disabilities, and more.

The WCAG outlines the four foundational principles for Web accessibility: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. It also includes guidelines for making your web content accessible to as many people as possible.

Common Accessibility Practices

Making your website or eCommerce store more accessible might seem overwhelming. However, even small changes can make significant improvements.

Here are a few tips to enhance accessibility for your websites:

• Make sure users can easily navigate your website using only the Tab and Enter keys.
• Write detailed but concise alt text for product photos for screen reads to read aloud.
• Optimize your website for screen readers by using concise language and a logical content structure.
• Use high-contrast colors and appropriate font typefaces and sizes for maximum readability.
• Provide clear and specific error messages on forms so users understand the issue.
• Include captions and transcripts for audio and video content.

For more information and tips, Bet Hannon has a great article about how to make eCommerce websites more accessible.

Why Accessibility Matters

To a certain extent, improving your website accessibility is about being more inclusive. And there is a legal precedent as well.

However, most accessibility improvements offer significant business benefits, including better SEO performance. They also make websites more user-friendly for everyone, which can lead to higher conversion rates and more sales.

Here are the top reasons you should consider making accessibility upgrades to your website:

• Inclusivity: It ensures that everyone, including people with disabilities, can access and use web content.
• Legal Compliance: Many regions have laws and regulations that require websites to be accessible.
• Improved Reach and Performance: Accessible websites reach a broader audience, improve SEO, and enhance user satisfaction.
• Better User Experience: Accessibility improvements often lead to a better overall user experience for everyone, including those without disabilities.

Agencies and web designers should also encourage clients to include accessibility strategies during website build-out, upgrades, and maintenance.

And don’t miss our webinar Understanding & Selling Accessibility for Client Sites with Bet Hannon of AccessiCart on Wednesday, August 7, 2024 at 12:00 PM ET / 9:00 AM PT. Register Now for this free workshop and learn how to increase sales and conversions with better accessibility practices.

The post Webinar: Learn Why Website Accessibility Is Important & How To Sell It to Your Clients appeared first on The A2 Posting.

Our Commitment to WordPress: We’re All In

“We grew up with WordPress,” said Bryan Muthig, CEO/Founder of A2 Hosting. “Everything we’re doing as a company is focused on WordPress, leveraging our 21 years of experience and expertise. From product development and support to hiring, training, and marketing, every aspect of our business is designed to enhance the WordPress experience.”

Those efforts are focused on our key customers, or customer partners: WordPress agencies and web professionals who build, launch, and maintain WordPress projects for their clients.

Introducing Our New Community Growth Team

We’re excited to announce the formation of our new Community Growth Team, a testament to our commitment to supporting our key customer partners. This team is led by veteran WordPress community leaders Cory Miller, as Chief Evangelist, and Katie Richards, as our Community Growth Project Manager.

“The closer we stay to our customers, the better it’s going to be for everyone. If our customers win, we win. It always starts with our customers — it always has and it always will,” said Bryan Muthig. “This team led by exceptional WordPress veterans, Cory and Katie, is another step in showing our deep commitment to WordPress and our customers.”

Cory Miller

Cory brings a wealth of experience and a passion for WordPress and WP businesses, since 2006. As a veteran entrepreneur, his leadership, vision, and values will drive our efforts to connect with and support our customer partners as well as tell their stories and ours.

“I’ve known Cory for a long time and seen what he’s accomplished in WordPress, first building some of the first commercial products for WordPress at iThemes, then growing community at Post Status, it’s always his passion for people, especially entrepreneurs and business owners, that resonates most with me,” said A2’s COO Paul Carter. “And as we were looking to expand our commitment in the WordPress community and specifically to WordPress agencies and web professionals, there was no one better to lead our efforts.”

Katie Richards

Katie Richards, our Community Growth Project Manager, has successfully overseen WordPress community initiatives and shown strong project management abilities across numerous projects and companies in the WordPress space. Her expertise in community engagement, organization, and leadership will be crucial in building strong, lasting relationships with our agency partners and web professionals.

“From her work at Post Status to her community efforts helping organize WordCamp Grand Rapids to WordPress US, I’ve seen Katie be an absolute force in the WordPress community. And I’m ecstatic to have her join us here at A2,” said Aaron Campbell, A2’s Director of Product and veteran WordPress contributor. “What resonates most to me is how she does her work. It’s human-focused and thus purposeful and impactful.”

The Work of Our A2 Community Growth Team: It’s About Our Agency Partners

Our Community Growth Team’s mission is simple yet impactful: Show up as your agency’s essential partner in your business and work.

Your success is our success.

This team will do that by focusing on three key areas:

• Connection — As your partner, champion and advocate, we will be building deeper, more supportive relationships with WordPress agencies and web professionals.
• Community — Building mutually beneficial experiences for our customer-partners, both online and in-person, through WordCamps and our own events.
• Content — Creating impactful WordPress agency content and resources to support our partners in their work as well as sharing our news and initiatives for them.

Moving Forward Together

Our new Community Growth Team is a significant step forward in our commitment to WordPress and our customer partners. We believe that by fostering connection, community, and content, we can create a supportive ecosystem that benefits everyone involved.

Thank you for being a part of the A2 Hosting family. Together, we can build a brighter future for WordPress and achieve great things.

Stay tuned for more updates and initiatives from our new A2 Community Growth Team. We look forward to working closely with you and supporting your success every step of the way.

The post Announcing A2 Hosting’s New Community Growth Team: Another Step Forward in Our WordPress Commitment appeared first on The A2 Posting.