Start here: the first fix

Welcome — and thanks for being here for issue one.

Here's the deal in one line: every week you get one practical WordPress fix, one reason it matters, and one next step. No 2,000-word essays, no "10 SEO hacks". Five minutes to read, then back to running your business.

I'm Costin — I build and maintain WordPress sites for UK businesses for a living. This is the stuff I'd tell a client over coffee, sent to your inbox instead.

Let's start with a fix you can do today.

This week's fix — clear out plugins you don't use

The problem: Most WordPress sites accumulate plugins like a junk drawer. Each one you're not using still loads code, adds security surface, and can quietly slow every page — even when "deactivated".

How to spot it: Go to Plugins in your dashboard. If you see anything you can't immediately explain the purpose of, or things you tried once and forgot, that's your list.

The fix (15 minutes):

1. Back up your site first (your host or a plugin like UpdraftPlus).
2. Deactivate one questionable plugin and click through your key pages — home, a product/service page, contact.
3. If nothing breaks, delete it — deactivated plugins still carry risk; deleted ones don't.
4. Repeat one at a time. One change, one check.

Why it matters: Fewer plugins means faster pages, fewer update conflicts, and a smaller target for attackers. It's the cheapest performance and security win there is.

If you'd rather not poke around yourself

If you'd like a second pair of eyes before deleting anything — or you just want someone to handle the housekeeping — the Website Audit flags exactly what's safe to remove and what's earning its keep, prioritised and human-reviewed.

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Every issue lives in the archive, organised by topic, so you can always come back to one. And if you want to see the packaged side of what I build, the plugins page shows the repeatable workflows alongside the service work.

See you next week.