The WitsCode Blog
Field notes on web, AI search & growth.
Practical, opinionated writing from the team, what we ship for clients, what we are testing, and the patterns that actually move the needle.
- WordPress
Feb 3, 2026 · 8 min read
How Much Does WordPress Maintenance Actually Cost in 2026?
WordPress maintenance costs £40 to £250 a month in the UK and $50 to $350 in the US. See the real benchmark price bands, in-house cost, and breakeven math.
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- AI & Vibe Coding
Feb 2, 2026 · 11 min read
Cursor vs Claude Code: The Workflow Difference That Matters
Cursor is editor-centric and interactive. Claude Code is terminal-first and agentic. Here is the task split that decides which to use, plus the hybrid workflow we run on large projects.
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- Shopify & Ecommerce
Feb 2, 2026 · 10 min read
The Apps Behind Every Slow Shopify Store (Data From 50+ Audits)
Aggregate data from 50+ WitsCode Shopify audits. The 10 apps most commonly installed on stores that failed Core Web Vitals, with measured script weights and the cross-app interaction effects nobody...
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- WordPress
Feb 1, 2026 · 10 min read
WordPress Maintenance Services: What's Actually Worth Paying For?
A tier-by-tier breakdown of entry, middle, and top WordPress maintenance plans, where the value is real, and where you are paying for resold automation.
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- For Founders
Jan 31, 2026 · 9 min read
MCP Security for Business Users: What to Lock Down First
MCP servers have real access to your systems. The four security practices we set before any client goes live: scope minimisation, read-only where possible, audit logging, credential rotation.
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- Shopify & Ecommerce
Jan 31, 2026 · 10 min read
Free vs Paid Shopify Apps: Where the Real Cost Actually Hides
Free Shopify apps charge you in ways that never appear on your Shopify bill: JavaScript weight, data monetization, support lag, and upsell traps. Here is what a veteran sees that the SERP misses.
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- WordPress
Jan 30, 2026 · 9 min read
WordPress Backup Strategy: 3-2-1 for Small Business Sites
The 3-2-1 backup rule applied to WordPress for small business sites, the plugins and tools that automate it, and why most backup plugins are not real backups.
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- Shopify & Ecommerce
Jan 29, 2026 · 10 min read
Shopify App Dependency Hell: The Pre-Install Audit We Run on Every New App
The six-question filter we run before installing any Shopify app on a client store. Publisher reputation, script loading, uninstall hygiene, checkout compatibility, data portability.
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- AI & Vibe Coding
Jan 29, 2026 · 9 min read
When Cursor Stops Helping and Starts Hurting Your Codebase
The four Cursor anti-patterns that quietly wreck vibe-coded projects: over-editing, context rot, auto-applying suggestions, and prompt sprawl. How to spot each and the workflow change that fixes it.
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- WordPress
Jan 28, 2026 · 8 min read
Two-Factor Authentication on WordPress: The Implementation We Use on Every Client Site
How WitsCode rolls out WordPress two-factor authentication on every client site: which 2FA plugin, TOTP over SMS, role-based enforcement, and lockout recovery.
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- AI & Vibe Coding
Jan 27, 2026 · 11 min read
The Cursor Rules Files We Give Every Non-Technical Founder We Work With
The full text of the .cursor/rules directory we install on every founder project. Safety, git, Supabase, and env guardrails that stop the disasters before they happen.
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- For Founders
Jan 27, 2026 · 10 min read
Notion MCP: Turning Your Workspace Into Claude's Memory
Notion MCP: Turning Your Workspace Into Claude's Memory The Notion MCP server is the short answer to a long-standing founder frustration. You have been writing things down in Notion for two years....
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- Shopify & Ecommerce
Jan 26, 2026 · 11 min read
Metafields Over Apps: Custom Product Features Without Plugin Bloat
Build size charts, ingredient lists, and care instructions with Shopify metafields and a small Liquid snippet. Code included, no app required.
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- For Founders
Jan 25, 2026 · 10 min read
Slack MCP: The Chief-of-Staff Workflow for Founders
Slack MCP: The Chief-of-Staff Workflow for Founders Most founders do not need another Slack bot. They need a chief of staff. Someone who reads the overnight backlog before the first meeting, pulls...
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- WordPress
Jan 25, 2026 · 9 min read
Wordfence vs Sucuri vs MalCare: Which WordPress Security Plugin Wins in 2026?
Wordfence vs Sucuri vs MalCare compared on real detection, false positives, performance, and incident response. The winner depends on your hosting tier.
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- Shopify & Ecommerce
Jan 24, 2026 · 11 min read
Native Shopify Features Replacing Third-Party Apps in 2026
A veteran walkthrough of Shopify Bundles, Subscriptions, Gift Cards, Metafields, Markets, Forms, and Customer Accounts. Where native is now enough, where the paid app still wins, and how to migrate...
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- WordPress
Jan 23, 2026 · 10 min read
My WordPress Site Was Hacked, What Do I Do First? (Hour-by-Hour Playbook)
WordPress site hacked? The first thing to do is take it offline and snapshot it. Follow this hour-by-hour recovery playbook from isolation to post-mortem.
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- AI & Vibe Coding
Jan 23, 2026 · 10 min read
Cursor for Non-Engineers: The Guardrails That Prevent Disasters
Cursor can let a non-dev delete their production database in a single prompt. The rules file, terminal permissions, repo setup, and git discipline we require of every non-engineer founder we onboard.
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- WordPress
Jan 22, 2026 · 10 min read
WordPress Security: The Minimum Viable Hardening Checklist for SMBs
The 14 free or near-free WordPress security and hardening steps every small business site genuinely needs, plus what paid security plugins really add.
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- For Founders
Jan 21, 2026 · 10 min read
Connecting Google Workspace to Claude via MCP: The Setup
Connecting Google Workspace to Claude via MCP: The Setup The first time Claude searches your Drive and drafts a reply in Gmail without you copy-pasting anything, something clicks. Suddenly the...
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- Shopify & Ecommerce
Jan 21, 2026 · 11 min read
Why We Removed 9 Apps From a Shopify Store and Revenue Went Up
A controlled case study on removing nine Shopify apps across a 60-day window, including the sequencing, native replacements, attribution method, and measured revenue lift.
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- Web Performance
Jan 20, 2026 · 13 min read
WordPress Speed Audit: The 25-Point Checklist We Use on Client Sites
The full 25-point WordPress speed audit framework WitsCode runs on paid engagements, with the why, how-to-test, and fix path for every item.
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- Shopify & Ecommerce
Jan 19, 2026 · 10 min read
Popup and Email Capture Apps on Shopify, Ranked by JavaScript Weight
Klaviyo, Privy, Justuno, OptinMonster, Poptin weighed in kilobytes and measured in INP impact. Which ones lazy-load properly and which fire on every page regardless of intent.
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- AI & Vibe Coding
Jan 19, 2026 · 9 min read
Production Patterns for shadcn Components Generated in v0
shadcn/ui components are fine in isolation, but v0 generates them without theming, accessibility review, or form integration. Walk through the four hardening steps we apply before shipping.
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