{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The WP Minute+","title":"WooExpress launches, Yoast leadership change, WordPress certifications","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":443,"description":"Managed WooCommerce hosting is a growing segment within the WordPress ecosystem. And it has a new entrant: WooCommerce. The Automattic-owned eCommerce provider recently launched WooExpress.The service is hosted by WordPress.com. It aims to be a one-stop shop for building and maintaining an online store. Packages start at $40 per month with discounts for paying annually. A selection of pre-installed extensions and themes are included.Sarah Gooding of WP Tavern reports that WooExpress’ starting price is higher than entry-level products from GoDaddy and Bluehost. However, the most expensive package ($70 per month) comes in below GoDaddy’s premium tiers.Beyond its name recognition, WooExpress may enjoy a few advantages over competitors:As we reported last week, the price of WooCommerce extensions is going up. Bundling popular titles built by WooCommerce is likely to attract value-conscious store owners.Meanwhile, its beefed-up hosting infrastructure was already in place. WordPress.com has been offering packages that include WooCommerce for some time. That’s likely to cut down on growing pains.Lastly, ownership’s vast internal knowledge of WooCommerce and WordPress is a win for customers.How will WooExpress fare? How will its competitors respond? The WP Minute will keep you posted.Links You Shouldn’t MissSEO plugin maker Yoast announced the departure of former CEO Marieke van de Rakt. Under her watch, the company was acquired by Newfold Digital in 2021. van de Rakt will now turn her focus to investing in open source, sustainable, and female-led companies via Emilia Capital. In a related note, Yoast founder Joost de Valk announced that he too is stepping away from Newfold to focus on entrepreneurship.Security firm Sucuri published a detailed report regarding the abuse of an abandoned WordPress plugin. The Eval PHP plugin hasn’t seen an update in a decade, but it’s being leveraged by malicious actors to install malware. The report also questions the wisdom of leaving...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/Sc_eJunw7xigqxjwbAQZm4WVha2xRuUoFYgmWEEXnaU/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9hODUy/NDIxOTQzZmFmNDk3/ZDk4ZGUzZTQ3NzA3/NTk5MC5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}