Q4 2019 Update Notes
Hey everybody, the next round of updates just dropped and a ton of work has gone into making it happen – it’s pretty huge with a lot to cover.
TL;DR – Site subscription overhaul, Free SSL for everybody, Core updates, App updates, New Affiliate Program!
Site subscription overhaul
The most notable of the latest batch of updates is a complete overhaul of the entire site subscription system which fixes pretty much all of the issues we’ve had with payments and subscriptions so far.
The signup flow for new sites has changed, and subscriptions and payments are now managed in your site admin panel on a new “Account” page where you can also manage your site’s custom domain name.
This has been in the works for a very long time and I’m glad to finally be able to push these changes to the live platform.
Free SSL for everybody!
I made the decision to give all sites on the platform (including new sites) a free SSL certificate as standard rather than charging for the few people that wanted one. Now when you connect your domain to your site an SSL certificate will get installed and activated for you at no extra cost. SSL provides security benefits, as well as SEO benefits, and means you’ll access your site over https:// instead of http:// along with a nice green padlock in the address bar instead of the “Not Secure” that started appearing on sites served over http:// in some browsers.
I’ve already installed and activated SSL certificates on all existing sites on the platform, and cancelled subscriptions of those who were originally paying for the service.
Core Updates
The platform core has undergone significant updates which include security updates and various feature updates.
These updates include core ecommerce updates like being able to set a low-stock threshold for individual new products, the ability to increase/decrease stock options via the bulk edit form, a new “Additional content” form in emails under “Store Settings > Emails“, and auto coupon code generation options when creating new coupon codes.
There’s new customiser options for an off-canvas menu, italic Google fonts, global button styles, heading styles, a different logo for mobile devices, collapsing mobile menu dropdowns when another menu item is opened, featured image sizes, site tagline display with text logo in the site header, and a ton of other improvements and bug fixes.
The page builder has been significantly updated with bug fixes and improvements which include a ton of new features including mobile alignment options added to the Button module, italic Google fonts are now supported, nearly 600 new Font Awesome icons, new units available for padding/margin/height/width selectors, new settings for border radius/minimum height/box shadow in various modules, new responsive editing options, new animation options, row edges and shapes options, background overlay gradient options for rows and columns, and tons more along with a streamlined visual experience throughout the editor. Seriously – if you haven’t already done so recently, check out the page builder. It decreases the need for a ton of custom CSS and allows you to do so much more.
A lot of other changes were made to the platform core – far too many to mention here. The main thing is you should notice everything running much faster and smoother now with a better user experience overall.
App Updates
Almost all the apps we have on offer have received updates which tackle bug fixes and improvements. Main highlights are the SEO Meta Tags app has been redesigned with many new settings, and the Performance app has been significantly streamlined to the point where the only option needed is “Clear cache”.
New Affiliate Program
The old affiliate program was removed at the beginning of the year due to development issues. Today there’s a new affiliate program in town offering 30% commission on every new referral! You don’t need to have a site with us to apply for the program, and you can see all the information and apply over on the Affiliate Program page.
That’s just about all for now. I’ll now get back to working on customer support, documentation, and putting finishing touches on a bunch of new apps ready for release on the platform. If anybody has any questions or comments about these updates or anything else, get in touch using the live chat in the bottom corner of the page.