The relentless drive to simplify our customers’ workflows, enhance their websites, and invest in open-source tools beloved by the community—such as Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), Local, and NitroPack—inspired a banner year for innovation at WP Engine. 

Building on our 2024 Year in Review, which highlighted key upgrades and enhancements, we’re excited to present this comprehensive view of the innovations and improvements we launched for our customers and the wider WordPress community in 2024. 

From Smart Search AI, which transforms how site owners and online retailers connect with their users, to Page Speed Boost enhancements that make websites faster than ever, 2024 saw us redefine the possibilities of what your websites can do. 

Additionally, our developer sandbox environments and improved site transfer workflows simplified agency operations, while our Conversational AI search experience offered a glimpse into the future of website interactions. 

But that’s just the beginning. All of these innovations reflect our commitment to our customers, our agency partners, and WordPress users worldwide. They are embedded in the DNA of our industry-leading platform and products to help our customers and WordPress developers win online. 

Let’s keep evolving, improving, and innovating together in 2025! 

WP Engine’s 2024 Key Improvements & Innovations

Performance innovations & insights

Frontend optimization

Analytics

Platform performance

  • Edge Full Page Cache
  • Improved Object Cache
  • Entri Connect for automating DNS pointing
  • Increased reliability and security 
    • We implemented robust security enhancements, resolved customer pain points, and upgraded hardware for faster, safer, and more reliable user experiences.

UI & accessibility improvements 

WP Engine User Portal

  • Switch network workflow update
    • Effortlessly switch to our advanced network and receive DDoS mitigation. 
  • Multi-factor authentication enhancements
  • Copy site error handling &  status updates
    • More detailed updates throughout the copy site process, ensuring transparency to keep customers informed of progress and completion.
  • Integrated search for support and account information
    •  Easily locate support resources and account information directly in the WP Engine User Portal 
  • AI-powered chat support
  • Automatic Search-Replace for primary domain updates
    • Take the hassle out of manual updates with our new auto search-replace feature.
  • Site navigation redesign
    • We refined our core navigation to make the WP Engine User Portal easier and more intuitive.
  • [Beta] Dark mode
    • Save energy and give your eyes a break with our new dark mode option.
  • Account dashboard, usage reporting, and invoice updates
    • We’ve enhanced the Dashboard, Billing, and Usage pages in the User Portal, ensuring the most important information about your plan and website(s) is readily available.      

Specialized solutions

AI

  • Smart Search AI
    • A natural-language search experience that understands user intent and delivers highly relevant, accurate results—even for vague, misspelled, or conversational queries.
  • Conversational AI search experience
    • AI-powered hybrid search for both keywords and natural language. 
  • [Beta] AI Recommendations
    • Enhance content, product pages, and more with AI-generated recommendations for your users.  
  • [Beta] AI chatbot template
    • Our AI-powered vector-as-a-service technology gives you easy access to an out-of-the-box chatbot template.   

eCommerce

Headless

  • Performant Node Package Manager (pnpm) support
    •  Added support for fast, space-efficient disk space management. 
  • Improved runtime logs
    •  Gain an aggregated, real-time view of recent application logs generated by WordPress and Node.js environments.
  • Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) 
    • Ensure dynamic content freshness with incremental static regeneration. 
  • Cache purge library
    •  Removes resources from your cache without waiting for the cache to expire.
  • Enhanced User Interface
    • In alignment with WP Engine’s UX and design standards, we refined our Headless Platform UI to boost usability and intuitiveness. Try it out for free for a firsthand look!
  • HTTP health checks
    •  Monitor the health of HTTP servers with ease. 

Agency workflows & developer tooling

Solutions for agencies and large-scale sites

  • All Accounts view
    • See all of your client accounts in one place, at once. 
  • Bulk plugin and theme ZIP file upload
    • Say goodbye to individually installing plugins and ZIP files and get back to focusing on what matters most.  
  • Developer Sandboxes
    • Give your devs access to a safe, secure development environment for building and testing your latest work. 
  • Improved account switcher
    • Switch between accounts more seamlessly than ever. 
  • Improved site transfer
    • Transfer client sites faster, with more intuitive workflows and dedicated support throughout. 
  • Managed Migration Service
  • New Push/Pull functionality
    • Update client sites and their content faster and seamlessly. 
  • Status visibility for backups
    • Gain a clear line of sight into your backup processes. 

Tooling

  • Smart Plugin Manager visual regression testing sensitivity configuration
    • Smart Plugin Manager now ensures plugin and theme updates haven’t caused site errors with even greater granularity.  
  • Bulk plugin upload available for customers with Site Management 
    • Install multiple plugins at once to save time and refocus efforts elsewhere. 
  • Smart Plugin Manager users can change the limit of tested URLs
    • Test more URLs for available plugin and theme updates.
  • WP Engine Site Migration plugin  
    • The WP Engine Site Migration plugin simplifies the process of moving your local or hosted WordPress website to WP Engine or Flywheel.
  • WP Offload SES: Enqueue Only mode and improvements for high-volume senders
    • Per Version 1.7, capture or pause emails in any environment and streamline email logs to reduce database bloat for high-volume senders.

Open-source tools

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)

Free

ACF PRO

  • Field validation for ACF Blocks
    • ACF now supports block field validation directly in the editor. 
  • Store ACF Block field data in post meta 

Local

  • Create a new WP Engine site from within Local
    • As of Local 9.0.1 WP Engine customers can create sites directly in Local, no browser needed. 
  • Select and filter connected sites by individual accounts 
    • Sites dropdown now filters by account for easier navigation.
  • Database-only pushes and pulls
    •  Push and pull databases instantly without file dependencies.
  • Visual Studio Code integration
    • A new “VS Code” button opens sites in Visual Studio Code, providing users with a streamlined editing option that opens sites in new windows instead of replacing existing open VS Code windows.

NitroPack

Free

Paid Plans

  • Improved Adaptive Image Sizing
  • Enhanced image optimization 
  • Up to 60x faster font optimization
    • NitroPack’s Font Subsetting feature removes unused glyphs, reduces font sizes, and prevents FOUT/FOIT.

All of these innovations exemplify our commitment to empowering you with cutting-edge tools, seamless workflows, and unparalleled site performance. 

As we begin the new year, we remain dedicated to pushing boundaries and delivering solutions that redefine what’s possible for WordPress users, ensuring your digital experiences stay ahead of the curve.

Find out more at wpengine.com or connect with a representative now for answers to your questions! 

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