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Welcome to ‘Plugin Pulse: WP Plugins A to Z Unplugged!’ I’m your host, John Overall, bringing you the latest beat on all things WordPress. Where we dive in to spill the beans on the latest in the WordPress world, all unplugged and unfiltered, showcasing the recent WordPress news, digging into a killer plugin demo, or exploring tips to level up your site. Today, I’ve got the mic to myself, and we’re pulsing through what’s hot, what’s new, and what you need to know. So, grab your coffee, fire up your dashboard, and let’s get into it!”
Today
Doing a weekly podcast can sometimes be a challenge to come up with content week after week, but lets get it started.
This week I am babbling about:
I am talking about unpopular ideas in WordPress today and I have a New Plugin review, discussion about The Liquid Web Fiasco, tips, plugin extras and more all coming up on Plugin Pulse: WP Plugins A to Z Unplugged.
Going to be doing something new and make this more interactive you can join the Google Meet limit 2 ppl this will continue for the next while and see how it goes.
The Weeks Discussions:
WordPress Drama:
The Hits keep coming for Liquid Web with the closure of IconicWP brand
Summary of article above
The popular WooCommerce extension developer IconicWP has shut down its brand, with its plugins discontinued or absorbed into Kadence’s Store Kit. In this helpful guide, Barn2 walks through every major Iconic plugin and offers practical replacement options. They highlight their own solutions where they have strong matches and recommend trusted third-party plugins for the rest. Barn2 notes their past positive collaboration with Iconic and aims to help affected store owners transition smoothly
And some more new drama in WP
Vanity Plugin Filters creates new drama https://x.com/MarcoAlmeidaPT/status/2059610969362289042
WordPress Plugins Admin Vanity Filters Debate (May 2026)
WordPress plugin developer Marco Almeida (@MarcoAlmeidaPT) kicked off a lively X thread after spotting what he calls “vanity filters” popping up on the Plugins management page in the WordPress admin dashboard. The discussion started as a reply to a user’s screenshot showing unusual links or filters tied to free plugins (with Yoast SEO specifically called out). Marco asked the community straight-up: do we really want the plugins page cluttered with promotional elements from every author? He linked to an active WordPress.org support thread urging Yoast to remove their custom filter, noting it wasn’t even mentioned in their changelog.
The replies pulled in heavy hitters like Ajay D’Souza, Danny van Kooten, and Sybre Waaijer of The SEO Framework. Many devs voiced concern that one big plugin pushing the limits sets a dangerous precedent—soon every author could abuse the same core filter and turn the clean plugins screen into a mess of branding. Several recommended switching to The SEO Framework as a cleaner alternative. Yoast is already responding with core-level fixes (Trac ticket 65359 and related GitHub PRs), while others pointed out legitimate use cases for plugin suites. The thread highlights a bigger conversation about plugin etiquette and keeping the WordPress admin experience user-friendly.
WordPress News and Items:
WP Beginner brings a complete list of the changes in WP 7
WordPress 7.0 Major Release Highlights (May 2026)
WordPress 7.0 dropped in May 2026 as the first big release of the year. It brings a solid mix of user-friendly features and developer improvements. The standout additions include a brand-new AI Connectors screen, a refreshed admin dashboard, and several long-requested block editor upgrades that reduce reliance on extra plugins.
Here’s a clean point list of the key changes:
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AI Connectors Screen — Central hub under Settings to connect OpenAI, Google Gemini, and Anthropic Claude directly in core. One-time setup so plugins can share the same AI connection.
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Refreshed Admin Experience — Smoother transitions, modern look, less full-page reloads, and a powerful Command Palette (Ctrl/Cmd + K) for fast navigation.
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Responsive Block Visibility — Show or hide any block by device (mobile, tablet, desktop) right in the block editor — no extra CSS or page builder needed.
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Smarter Visual Revisions — Side-by-side visual diff with color coding for added/removed/changed blocks plus detailed attribute tracking.
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Custom CSS per Block — Add styles to individual blocks directly in the Advanced panel of the inspector.
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New Core Blocks — Icons block (full SVG library), Breadcrumbs block, and improved Headings block that consolidates H1–H6.
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Customizable Navigation Overlays — Full control over mobile menu overlays with guided setup and template part support.
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Better Pattern Editing — Defaults to content-only mode for simpler editing of synced patterns.
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Gallery Lightbox Navigation — Back/forward arrows and keyboard support when using lightbox on galleries.
Under-the-hood updates include pseudo-element support in theme.json, PHP 7.4 minimum requirement, improved Font Library, and more secure default user role options. Real-time collaboration was pulled before final release.
Plugin Reviews
Plugin 1
Found out about it here
The Lowdown:
Every plugin and theme you install registers REST API endpoints. Most are public by default — including the ones your site never uses.
Unused endpoints are unnecessary exposure. They reveal information about your stack, invite probing, and become liabilities when a vulnerability is discovered in a plugin you forgot to audit.
WPBuoy Endpoint Manager gives you a clear view of every endpoint on your site and a one-click toggle to disable the ones you don’t need.
See your full API surface Every REST API endpoint from WordPress core, plugins, and themes in one organized view — grouped by namespace, with a count of how many are currently disabled.
Block endpoints instantly Toggle any endpoint off and it returns a 403. No code, no rules, no guesswork. One click. Requires an active Pro license.
Preview before you block Click the preview icon on any static endpoint to fetch its live REST API response in an inline modal — without leaving the admin. Know exactly what you’re disabling before you disable it.
Search and filter your endpoints Find any endpoint instantly with keyboard search (Ctrl/Cmd+F) and result highlighting. Filter by status, route type, method, or namespace to focus on what matters.
Rating: 5 Dragons 🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉
Some SEO Stuff:
Google now answers everything
Change is coming to the Search and SEO world
Google AI Overviews Impact on SEO – Reddit Thread Summary (May 2026)
A popular Reddit thread in r/SEO_Xpert is making waves with a screenshot showing Google’s AI Overview now delivering complete answers directly on the search results page. The original poster warns that this shift could devastate organic traffic, with users getting full information without ever clicking through to websites. They highlight major risks for content creators: lower clicks even on top rankings, informational blogs becoming nearly useless, and Google turning into the final destination instead of a gateway to sites. The post asks the community how they’re feeling about this rapidly changing future of SEO.
The discussion shows a split in opinions. Veteran SEOs argue it’s not the end but a pivot — focus is shifting from traditional backlinks to getting cited by AI, and those already producing high-quality content are seeing opportunities. Others are more pessimistic, saying even being cited won’t drive clicks since users get what they need instantly. Several comments point out that while informational queries suffer most, transactional searches for products and services may still drive traffic. A common theme: adapt or get left behind, with concerns that reduced incentives for new content could eventually hurt Google’s own AI quality.
Some SEO info for the new LLMs.txt standard:
The LLMS Standard is getting stronger.
LLMs.txt Now in Chrome’s Agentic Audits – X Thread Summary (May 2026)
SEO specialist Chris Long (@chris_nectiv) dropped a widely discussed thread pointing out the contradiction in Google’s messaging around LLMs.txt. Just days after Google stated that SEOs don’t need to worry about additional files or markup, Chrome has now officially included LLMs.txt in their new Agentic Browsing audits within Lighthouse. The audits check for the presence of this machine-readable AI summary file at the domain root as part of evaluating AI-readiness. Chris quotes Crystal Carter from Wix, who highlighted that Google I/O confirmed LLMs.txt validation is coming to Chrome’s Agent Developer Tools.
Chris admits he’s starting to turn around on the value of implementing LLMs.txt after hearing from several respected experts. The thread also links to the full Chrome Lighthouse agentic scoring docs and sparks debate about mixed signals from different Google teams, the shift from traditional SEO to agentic/AEO optimization, and whether LLMs.txt could become a de facto standard similar to how Core Web Vitals evolved.
More on the LLMS.txt from sem rush
Semrush on llms.txt – X Thread Summary (May 2026)
Semrush (@semrush) dropped a clear explanatory thread breaking down the proposed llms.txt standard. The file is designed to help large language models better understand and use website content by giving them a curated, machine-readable list of the site’s most important pages — instead of letting AI crawlers wander freely across everything. The post includes a helpful visual breakdown and links to the full details.
Replies in the thread were more cautious. Multiple users pointed out that llms.txt is still only a proposed standard with no major AI platforms confirming active use yet. Several referenced John Mueller’s statement that it’s “not done for search,” along with notes from Google and ChatGPT advising against treating it as a current ranking or citation factor. The discussion highlights the ongoing debate on how much priority marketers should give llms.txt right now versus waiting for clearer adoption signals.
AI Stuff:
Elementor – Generate Website Markdown
https://x.com/PineDigitalCo/status/2059252587778514948 website markdown
Elementor Website Markdown Feature Boosts AI Readiness – X Thread Summary (May 2026)
WordPress agency owner Ryan Logan (@PineDigitalCo) shared a quick test of Elementor’s new “Generate Website Markdown” feature. After turning it on, his site successfully passed the “Markdown Negotiation” test and saw its overall AI readiness score jump by a full 20 points on isitagentready.com.
In follow-up replies, Ryan noted that while Elementor’s tool works well, he ultimately turned it off and achieved 100% agent readiness using SEOPress’s dedicated Agent Readiness setting instead. The thread also sparked comments about lighter custom solutions versus relying on page builder bloat for these AI optimization features.
V for V for the show
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Security Stuff:
Patchstack CEO Warns WordPress 7.0 Could Trigger “Absolute Rush” To Steal AI API Keys
Fresh drama just dropped for this week’s show! Patchstack CEO has issued a strong warning that the new AI Connectors feature in WordPress 7.0 could unintentionally turn thousands of sites into prime targets for hackers.
With one-click integration of OpenAI, Google Gemini, and Anthropic Claude directly in core, many site owners will be storing valuable AI API keys on their WordPress installs. According to Patchstack, this changes the economics of attacking WordPress sites dramatically. While most compromised sites used to be low-value (for spam, redirects, or botnets), stolen AI API keys now sell for serious money on the dark web and can be used for expensive token-maxed vulnerability research at the victim’s expense.
The concern is real: easier entry points + high-value targets = hackers rushing in. The advice is clear — if you’re connecting AI keys to your site, set strict spending caps immediately to limit potential damage.
This is a perfect tie-in to our “Dashboard Invasion” episode! We’ll discuss the risks, best practices for secure AI usage in WP 7.0, and tools that can help lock things down.
Coding Tips:
How to remove Elementor AI and nag banners from the Editor window
Found it here:
Insert it into your functions.php file for child theme.
//add this to your functions.php file in a child theme
add_action( 'elementor/editor/footer', function() {
echo '<style>
#e-notice-bar, /* nags when license is about to expire */
#elementor-panel-elements-notice-area,
#elementor-panel__editor__help, /* help button */
button.MuiIconButton-root, /* whats new button */
#elementor-panel-category-custom-widgets, /* Create custom widgets with Angie */
.e-ai-button, /* pink notice above editor */
button.MuiButtonBase-root[aria-label="Angie"] /* Angie button upper left */
{ display: none !important; }
</style>';
Upcoming Interviews and Available times:
Reminder that we have more interviews coming up in the coming weeks with more developers and community members https://wppluginsatoz.com/book-an-interview-on-wp-plugins-a-to-z-podcast/
Available interview dates: July 13 & 27th, Aug 10th & 24th 2026.
Other Shows and places to get WP Info & Training
The WP Builds Podcast
WP Roads
WP-Tonic
Worlds Worst Web Developer
WP Mayor
wp Minute
The WP Week newsletter
Kitchensink WP
