The post Beaver Builder Birthday: Celebrating 10 Years of Success! appeared first on Beaver Builder.
]]>How it All Started
Before there was Beaver Builder… there was FastLine Media. A small web design agency run by three tech-loving guys (Billy Young, Justin Busa, and Robby McCullough) in sunny California. Business was good at the time… they created WordPress websites for clients using themes, templates, and custom coding to fit client requests.
But, they realized there has to be a better way of building websites where you don’t have to toggle between the backend of the WordPress admin panel and refreshing to view your changes on the front end.
Customer support requests were a nightmare because clients couldn’t make changes on their own without reaching out to their developers for every little thing.
The guys started dreaming up a tool to revolutionize web design. What if we could make a “front end drag and drop builder” to make building websites faster and easier for agency owners and be intuitive enough for clients to make changes without knowing how to code?
FastLine Page Builder was Born!
In 2014, the guys launched the first page builder plugin for WordPress. It completely changed how websites would be created going forward.
Fun Fact: Did you know that the plugin was not called Beaver Builder at first?
The original name was actually “FastLine Page Builder”!
At first, things started slow, and as you can imagine the name didn’t catch on.
With the advice of a friend who was an experienced marketer, they needed to change their name to improve their branding and make something that would stand out and be memorable.
Story Behind the Name “Beaver Builder”
Here is a snippet from a blog post written by Robby back in 2015 about the story behind the name:
“Luckily for us though, one of our first customers was a “marketing guy.” He not-so-subtly told us that we had an amazing product, but our marketing sucked. He gave us some great free advice. We took it and it worked! So, we decided to bring him on as a contractor/consultant. On his suggestion, we… completely rebranded our product. He suggested that our name at the time, FastLine Page Builder, didn’t mean anything and that it was kinda “lame.”
Here’s another familiar story: we needed a name. Gosh, it’s hard to name a product. We spent weeks coming up with ideas. Everything depends on the name, and EVERY good name is seemingly taken (especially when you’re talking about getting the .com without paying a mint). We struggled with this for several weeks.
After much frustration, and in an attempt to get the guys to crack a smile, I started thinking about animals that build stuff. Bees build hives. Spiders build webs. Yeah, okay that’s a start. Beavers build dams… beaver build… it alliterates well.. I perked up and jokingly said, “how about Beaver Builder?” We laughed, “hahaha.” It’s funny, but no one will take us seriously with a name like that. But, like school girls, we couldn’t stop giggling about it. It was so fun and memorable. Luckily, compared to a suit-and-tie corporate culture, the WordPress culture is pretty casual and playful. After a bit of debate, we decided to try and pull it off!”
With a new name, and rebranded website, they were ready to take the WordPress world by storm.
10 Years and Almost 10 Million Downloads!
The company has gone from a small idea in Billy’s garage to powering millions of WordPress sites worldwide.
The founders are all very humble and feel awkward talking about their success… but I don’t mind and am very proud to be part of this global remote team.
But, we wouldn’t be here without the support of the Community. Let’s talk about some of their success stories.
Community Success Stories
Ready for some warm fuzzies? Let’s dive into some Success Stories and see firsthand how Beaver Builder has changed lives and businesses for the better.
“Beaver Builder gives you the tools you need to get started. As you scale, it then becomes more robust with you. It’s like the Ferrari of website builders.” ~ Mike Rux, ciphersdigital.com
From mom-and-pop shops to big-name brands, we’ve got a success tale for every occasion. Spoiler alert: it’s all sunshine and rainbows!
Have you seen some of the sites built with Beaver Builder?
Check out some of the Website Examples that have been created for agencies, blogs, businesses, coaches, courses, colleges, events, podcasts, etc.
Chris Lema was one of many WordPress influencers who recommended Beaver Builder to their community. https://chrislema.com/recommend-beaver-builder/
Over the years the reputation of the company of being a stable, reliable product has stood the test of time and has led us to where we are today.
But, don’t take my word for it… let’s see some reviews from our customers.
Future of Beaver Builder
Hold onto your hats, folks, ’cause the fun’s just getting started! We’ve got big plans brewing, from top-secret projects to game-changing updates.
Justin recently wrote a post about some things we’re working on, and some of the plans we have for the future of Beaver Builder.
If you haven’t read the post here are some of the highlights:
- Box Module Multiple Backgrounds
- Loop Builder Module
- Dynamic Global Content
- Modules Without Wrappers
- Top-Level Container Modules
- New JavaScript Module API
- Modules as Blocks
- Block Theme
- and More…
Here are some teasers for you to check out.
Box Module Mulitple Backgrounds
Loop Builder Module
Think of us as your friendly neighborhood web-building superheroes, here to save the day with our pixel-perfect powers.
Stay tuned, ’cause the best is yet to come!
Special Birthday Sale
Here is a quick video from our team and community wishing you all a Happy Birthday!
To celebrate our 10-year anniversary we wanted to offer a special birthday sale.
Ready to join the bash? From April 2nd to 30th, we’re offering 20% discount on all Beaver Builder plans, Beaver Themer, and Assistant Pro.
It’s our way of saying thanks for supporting us throughout the years. So grab your confetti cannon and let’s make some magic!
Learn more about this offer here: https://www.wpbeaverbuilder.com/birthday-sale/
Wrapping Up
As we raise our glasses to the last decade, we want to raise a toast to you, our incredible community. Here’s to a future filled with more laughs, more love, and more jaw-dropping websites than ever before.
Cheers to ten years of Beaver Builder brilliance!
Ready to join the fun? Share your favorite Beaver Builder memories and let’s keep the party going in the comments below!
Don’t forget to follow us on social media for all the latest updates and shenanigans. Let’s make some web-building magic together!
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]]>The post Social Media Marketing with Beaver Builder’s Link in Bio Templates appeared first on Beaver Builder.
]]>Beaver Builder has added an assortment of link tree style landing page templates to our rapidly growing arsenal of free and premium templates available on Assistant.pro! Happily use them for your link in bio pages on Instagram, Tiktok, and beyond. They look great out of the box, but can also easily be customized.
Pictured above, four free templates for Beaver Builder available on Assistant.Pro. Link in Bio: Cyber, Link in Bio: Ode to Gardner, Link in Bio: Latte, and Link in Bio: Floral.
What Does Link in Bio Mean?
The origins of the term link in bio are tied to the fact that Instagram will not allow links within single photo posts. The widespread practice for promoting products, content and affiliations on Instagram became using a hashtag that links back to the content creators bio page, #linkinbio.
What is a Link Tree?
Although you can link to anything from your Instagram bio page, it became popular to use a single column of vertical buttons, often referred to as a link tree.
Why Link Trees Make Effective Landing Pages
One of the core principles of marketing is using a clear Call to Action (CTA). Because the Link Tree format is simply a stack of buttons, there’s little question about what you’re asking users to do. CTA content will vary depending on your niche.
Social Media Influencers: Will typically link to their affiliates. Amazon affiliate pages or brands that sponsor them.
Bloggers, Content Creators and Affiliate Marketers: Often link to their latest blog posts.
Businesses, Consultants and Service Providers: Link to their own products and service pages on their sites.
The Advantages of Using Beaver Builder for WordPress to Create Your Link In Bio Pages
There are popular platforms designed specifically for creating link tree style link in bio landing pages. But there are a few good reasons why you’re better off using WordPress with Beaver Builder’s page builder to create your link in bio page.
- This is a cost effective way to create custom pages. When you pay for a link tree only platform, you won’t have access to the abundance of other tools available in WordPress with Beaver Builder.
- You have complete control over branding. With a link tree only platform, you will have less control over your branding. If you are using a free plan, you will most likely see the service provider’s logo on your landing pages.
- If you decide the link tree style landing page isn’t the best solution for your link in bio page you won’t be limited to that style as you would with platforms dedicated to link tree type pages.
How to Build a Link Tree for Your Link In Bio With Beaver Builder’s Free Templates
Prepare Your Tech Stack
- Open your WordPress site.
- If you don’t already have an Assistant.pro account, get one. It’s free!
- Install the Assistant WordPress plugin on your site. You should also have Beaver Builder’s Page Builder installed on your site.
Add a Link in Bio Template Library to Your Assistant.pro Account
Now that you have your tech stack in place including the Assistant WordPress plugin, you will see a cute little chubby pencil in the upper right corner of your site. That’s the Assistant Pro icon. Click it to open the Assistant WordPress Sidebar.
Navigate to the Library tab. This will prompt you to sign in to your Assistant Pro account.
Navigate to the Community tab. Type Link in Bio into the search field, and choose a template. Click the “Get Library” button. That same button will transform to say “View in Libraries”. Click it again and it will take you to the Assistant Pro Libraries App.
Add the Template to Your WordPress Site
Click on the Beaver Builder Template. Under “Actions” select “Import” to add the Beaver Template which can later be accessed from your site’s Beaver Builder Saved Templates, or, select “Replace Current Page.”
Conclusion
Link Tree style templates are a great way to call social followers to action on Instagram and other social media platforms. Beaver Builder’s Link in Bio Templates are free and fabulous. Enjoy!
Want to learn more about the powers of Assistant, a free plugin and cloud storage platform for WordPress? Check out our free course and user docs!
Related Questions
What is Assistant Pro?
Assistant Pro is a cloud based storage app designed to meet the needs of WordPress creators. The basic plan is free! The Assistant plugin is an always-free plugin for WordPress that connects to the Assistant Pro Cloud, but also allows WordPress users to do an abundance of other cool things like navigate and build their sites with way less clicks.
How do I add links to Instagram?
You can add links to your instagram bio page (Link in Bio) or to Instagram Stories. Learn More at the Instagram Help Center.
How Can I Add My Instagram Feed to WordPress?
Adding an instagram feed to your site is both a great way to keep fresh content streaming to your site and also drive traffic back to your social accounts! Check out our post on how to add an instagram feed to your WordPress site with PowerPack for Beaver Builder.
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]]>The post Building a Succesful Realtor Website – An Interview and Site Showcase with WebCami appeared first on Beaver Builder.
]]>Since 2002, Cami has run a one-person web agency called WebCami where she’s built over 600 websites. Cami knows Beaver Builder like the back of her hand, and she’s been kind enough to share some of her tips and best practices.
Meet Cami MacNamara
We actually had the opportunity to pick Cami’s brain twice recently! Along with this interview, when we were together in Pheonix for a WordCamp, we put together a quick video interview with several Beaver Builder users (including Cami), as well as a few folks from the Beaver Builder team.
What are your go-to plugins for web projects? Obviously Beaver Builder, but do you have a standard plugin “stack” that you use each time?
I have a prototype installation that serves as the foundation for all my new website designs. In terms of plugins, I have a preferred stack that I consistently rely on. Apart from my trusted Beaver Builder family of plugins, one tool I heavily depend on is ManageWP Worker from GoDaddy. This plugin is not only essential for my care plan services but also facilitates seamless cloning from production to client hosting for all my projects. In addition, I utilize other notable plugins such as WP-Rocket, Smush Pro, Pods, and WP101, just to mention a few.
In my experience, the ideal number of plugins for a website varies depending on the specific requirements of each client. I prioritize needs over quantity and typically have an active plugin count ranging from 15 to 20.
Can you tell us about this site and the project? I.e., How long did the build take? Was it a refresh of an existing site or a brand-new build?
The project I shared with you spanned approximately seven months to complete. Most builds take about 90-120 days. This extended timeline was primarily due to the passing of my father during the redesign process. Fortunately, the client involved in this project happens to be a close friend, and she displayed remarkable understanding throughout the entire ordeal. Given that this was a redesign, her existing website remained online throughout the duration of the project. I always strive to collaborate with kind-hearted business owners, and this client certainly fits the bill.
Therese, the client, had a specific requirement for her assistant to easily manage listing information. To address this, I employed the Pods plugin to create a custom post type dedicated to properties. In addition, I utilized Pods to establish custom fields, allowing her assistant to effortlessly input property data. Leveraging the capabilities of Beaver Themer, I further crafted a visually appealing template for presenting these properties. As a result, Therese’s assistant quickly adapted to the new system.
Did you consider any other platforms? Why did you choose WordPress + Beaver Builder?
Back in 2002, when I first ventured into website design, I relied on manual coding using Notepad, Frontpage and Dreamweaver. I was first introduced to the Blogger CMS (Content Management System). Fast forward to 2007, a client requested that I link their WordPress blog, and I recall feeling concerned that it might be the end of my career. Anyone could build a website! This is similar to the current concerns some have about AI’s potential impact on web design.
For many years, I utilized Genesis in combination with WordPress. A dear friend who is also a fellow designer recommended I explore Beaver Builder in 2016. Based on her suggestion, I went all in, and I haven’t looked back since. Presently, the only system I utilize outside of WordPress with Beaver Builder is Carrd.co, which I exclusively use for quickly creating landing pages. Having a streamlined approach allows me to focus on delivering efficient and tailored website solutions to my clients.
What are some unique challenges that come with building real estate websites?
First and foremost, it is crucial for a real estate broker’s website to offer ease of updating for their staff. As a solopreneur, I do not possess the capability to promptly update all their listings in real-time. Additionally, real estate companies often operate during weekends, which is not in line with my work hours.
Another point worth noting is that I no longer consider an IDX feed as vital for real estate agents to have on their individual websites. Convincing them of this can sometimes prove challenging. Instead, I advocate leveraging their website as a platform to share their own unique stories and foster trust among potential buyers and sellers. Rather than attempting to compete directly with platforms like Redfin solely for listings, it is more effective to utilize the website as a means to establish a genuine connection and build credibility with clients.
By focusing on personal narratives and cultivating trust, real estate agents can set themselves apart in a more meaningful way.
How did WordPress and Beaver Builder help you solve these challenges?
Beaver Builder addresses two key challenges that greatly benefit my workflow. First of all, it helps me save time. As a one-person agency managing over 200 websites in my care plan and serving numerous clients, efficiency is critical. By leveraging Beaver Builder, I can swiftly create visually stunning websites without the need to outsource any design work. The ability to save and reuse templates enables me to build a personal library of designs, streamlining future projects. This is particularly satisfying as I had long desired the capability to create my own themes, which Beaver Builder now allows me to accomplish.
Secondly, Beaver Builder empowers my clients to perform minor updates to their websites independently. Beaver Builder has a clean and intuitive workspace for my clients, who genuinely appreciate its user-friendliness. To enhance their understanding, I have incorporated the WP101 Plugin for general Beaver Builder training videos, while also creating my own tutorial library using Loom specifically tailored to each client. This approach has yielded remarkable results, as clients tend to grasp the intricacies of Beaver Builder far more readily than they do with WordPress as a whole. Simplifying the process for them not only ensures their satisfaction but also facilitates my management of a larger client base.
Do you have any other Beaver Builder hacks or best practices that you can share?
Maximize efficiency and avoid reinventing the wheel with each new website by utilizing the power of templates. Assistant Pro proves to be an invaluable tool in this regard. When you have meticulously designed a page layout, a row, or a module that works perfectly on one website, the ability to seamlessly copy it to the next build ensures consistent quality and saves time.
Thoroughly check your settings in the responsive editor. Demonstrating your commitment to delivering a dependable user experience on all screens enhances client satisfaction. Paying close attention to details such as column breaks and font sizes guarantees that your clients’ websites will look great across various devices.
Lastly, make the most of the visibility setting to hide elements that you anticipate reusing in the future. For instance, if a client requests the removal of a team member, it is wise to hide the corresponding module rather than deleting it entirely. Chances are high that you will soon need to add a replacement team member, and this approach saves you from recreating the module from scratch.
Thanks for doing this, Cami! How can people find more of your work or hire you for their projects?
You can find me as WebCami on most social media platforms. WebCami.com serves as the main business website. I also maintain a blog where I share valuable tips and insights with fellow freelancers at WebCamiCafe.com. It’s a space dedicated to fostering growth and knowledge within the freelance community and it also has a Facebook group. I’d love to connect with you online!
I’ve recently launched my very own podcast titled, what else, “The WebCami Podcast” — a platform where I read blog posts about WordPress, web design, and running a freelance web design business. You can find it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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]]>The post Summer Update – Introducing the “Box” Module 📦 appeared first on Beaver Builder.
]]>Q: What did the beaver say to his friends at the summer picnic?
A: “Let’s stick together and have a dam good time!” 
The team has been working hard to bring several exciting new features to Beaver Builder, and we have a sneak peek to share with you today. There is news about our latest Beaver Builder update (2.7) and some additional courses and content available for Beaver Builder…
Fun Fact about Beaver Kits 
Did you know that baby beavers are called “kits?” Beaver Kit is also the name of a new premium template pack we created and released over on Assistant Pro. Since launching the Assistant Pro sharing features and marketplace, the community has been thriving and there are now hundreds of templates and designs available – many of them for free!
We have a Beaver Kit promo video over on YouTube if you’d like to see all it can do.
Getting started with Assistant is easy. Sign up for an account at Assistant.pro and install the Assistant plugin on one or multiple WordPress sites. Now, you’re ready to effortlessly import and use any of the templates and designs or upload your own to share with others!
Do More with Custom Modules
One super-powerful feature of Beaver Builder is the ability to create your own modules with custom HTML, CSS, JS, and PHP. We maintain extensive text documentation on how to create custom modules, and now we’ve summarized and broken down that process into an easy-to-digest custom module course.
The course is available for a one-time $49 fee. You can find it, along with our 7 other free courses, in the Beaver Builder Course Library.
Beaver Builder 2.7 – “Cascade”
The latest version of Beaver Builder just dropped this month. Beaver Builder 2.7 “Cascade” is live and features a new, more-accurate responsive editing interface, per-node CSS and JS, ACF Blocks support, and a lot more.
When we release major updates, we start by making the new version available to download from your account page and manually update your sites. After a few weeks, we push out automatic updates so everyone can update from the WordPress admin area. We just enabled auto updates last week so, if you haven’t logged into your site in a while, you can update today and check out the new goodies!
To learn more about what changed in 2.7, see our update blog post or this quick video over on YouTube.
What’s coming to Beaver Builder next…
Now that 2.7 is all wrapped up, we’ve been working hard to figure out an elegant way to bring some powerful new features to Beaver Builder for our next update. Browser adoption of CSS features like grid and flexbox is ubiquitous, and we plan to introduce support for both very soon.
Introducing the “Box” Module 
The solution we’ve come up with is called the “Box” module. It’s a module that, similar to a row or a column, will act as a container. Boxes can be nested, stacked, and arranged horizontally, vertically, or in a grid. Unlike percentage or fixed-width columns, boxes can be more fluid and flexible. Imagine a header with a logo that is 200 pixels where the rest of the space is dynamic based on the screen width.
This is one of those concepts that is much easier to visualize than to explain in words, so have a look at this Box Module teaser video…
Along with pixel-perfect headers, the Box module is going to open up lots of new possibilities for modern page designs. It also outputs less markup than traditional row and column layouts, so designs utilizing the Box module will benefit from fewer elements on the page.
Because the Box module is native, supported in the free version of Beaver Builder, and a tool that has a LOT of variations and combinations, we’re extra excited about the potential for everyone to share and iterate on each other’s creations using Assistant Pro!
Global Styles & Colors
The other big push we’re making is to implement global styling and colors. These features will enable you to set styling options in Beaver Builder for things like typography, links, buttons, and headings, and the settings will apply across your site. You’ll be able to override any of them on a case-by-case basis in Beaver Builder, but imagine setting a button style once in the global style panel, then every button you put on a page inheriting that style by default.
Global colors will allow you to set up a color palette and color names for a site and then easily access those colors in Beaver Builder. No more having to copy and paste hex codes. We’re also exploring the idea of supporting WP global colors with this feature so you’ll have easy access to them if they’re supported and set in your theme.
We don’t have an ETA for these features yet, but we’re excited to get an alpha version out as soon as possible so we can get feedback and work toward getting them launched.
Beavers in the Wild
The world is getting back to normal these days and it feels great. Last week, I took a trip out to Austin, Texas for CloudFest – a
If you’re not familiar with Zack, he is one of the regulars over at the Beaver Builders Facebook Group and on our BB Slack.
I also had the opportunity to jump on two fun podcasts recently…
On the WP Coffee Talk podcast with Michelle Frichette, I told the story about how I planned and failed to make my co-working space membership a better deal by drinking “free” beer. I also shared one of my favorite coffee cups and the hidden “Easter egg” sticker I have on it.
Over at the WP Minute Podcast, Matt Mederios and I had a longer-form discussion about the future of page builders! Matt has been doing podcasts for a long time, and he really knows the right questions to ask to get folks to open up and share.
Thanks a ton at both the WP Minute and WP Coffee Talk for hosting me. If you listen and enjoy either episode, I am sure Michelle and Matt would love it if you could give their podcasts a nice rating or a share.
WordCamp US
At the end of August, several of the Beaver Builder team will attend WordCamp US in Maryland. I’m particularly excited about this year because the camp falls on my birthday! I’m hoping to host a little celebration and would love for you to join. Shoot us a comment or a tweet if you plan to be there. We’re bringing some special swag to give away.
Tickets are currently sold out, but there is still an opportunity to volunteer and/or speak. Also, if you ask around, tickets can usually be found throughout the WordPress community. Hope to catch you there!
See you soon 
It’s been an action-packed Spring and we’re looking forward to a similarly busy and productive Summer. As always, from everyone on our team, thanks for the support and encouragement. Beaver Builder recently celebrated its 9th anniversary, and we wouldn’t still be here if it wasn’t for you. 
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]]>The post Adventures in Thailand – WordCamp Asia 2023 appeared first on Beaver Builder.
]]>ICONSIAM Mall and Event Center
WordCamp Asia was held at a huge multi-level shopping mall + event center called ICONSIAM. I’ve attended many WordCamps and this was by far one of the most fun venues I have ever been to. On the mall’s ground floor, there was a giant food court that featured many different restaurants and a collection of classic Thai street food vendors. On my first pass through, I picked up some mango sticky rice and a made-to-order plate of pad thai. Yum!
The upper floors of the mall featured dozens of different stores. There was a great coffee shop, an Apple store, and various other brands and kiosks. It was really nice being able to pop down an escalator from the WordCamp to find great food and a place to do some window shopping or grab anything one might have forgotten to bring from home (in my case, a mouse and a camera bag).
Volunteering on the AV Crew
The tickets for WC Asia sold out extremely quickly, so I tried signing up to volunteer for the AV crew as a photographer. I was accepted for the position and ended up spending quite a bit of time working in one of the speaker rooms taking photos. Spending so much time listening to talks was a bit of a new experience for me as I tend to mostly hang out in the “hallway track” at WordCamps.
The organizers of WC Asia put in a bunch of work and it was cool getting to see a behind-the-scenes look at how much activity was going on in the volunteer Slack. Any day now, there should be a public Flickr album available with all of the photos from the camp. I also posted a bunch of the pictures I took on Twitter.
Meeting WordPress Friends
One of the best things about attending WordCamps is getting to travel to new places, see old friends, and hopefully make some new ones. I got to do all of this in Bangkok this year. I ran into Sujay from BrainStorm Force, Bryce from Metorik, Karim from CrowdFavorite, Syed from WP Beginner, James Giroux from TeamWP, and dozens of other familiar faces from the WordPress community. Miriam Schwab of Strattic made a point to introduce me to a few of the team from Elementor!
As always, one of the highlights of the WordCamp was the after-party! One of the suggestions for the party was to wear an outfit from your country or culture. Being from California, I decided to wear beach clothes – a tank top and flip-flops. Luckily for me, it was a hot and humid evening, so I was quite comfortable! Towards the end of the night, the dance floor really started popping off…
The #WCAsia after-party was one for the books.
— Robby McCullough (@RobbyMcCullough) February 20, 2023
I loved seeing all the different outfits from everyone’s countries/cultures.pic.twitter.com/X5gOfomtof
The day after the WordCamp ended, I hosted a little Beaver Builder and friends dinner. We ate Japanese food and then went to a tropical-themed bar for a drink. Coincidentally, the last time I was in Bangkok in 2019, my Dad was there and we got to spend some time together. On this trip, my Mom came out to Thailand! The guys from WPMU DEV had an extra ticket that they generously gave to her, so she got to attend the last day of the WordCamp and also come out to the after-party.
Post-Camp Adventures in Thailand & Singapore
After the WordCamp was over, I spent several more days in Bangkok, visited the island Koh Samet for some beach time, then spent some time in Singapore before flying back to San Francisco. One of the beautiful things about working remotely is, while I did some time off to rest and relax, I was able to get a good amount of work done during the three weeks that I was out of the country.
What’s Next for Team BB
After missing out on a couple of years of WordCamps, we’re hoping to make up for lost time this year. In just a few days after this article goes live, Beaver Builder will be attending and sponsoring WordCamp Pheonix in Arizona (March 24-25). If you’re there, be sure to come by our table, say hello, and grab a couple of stickers! We’re also planning to attend WordCamp US later this year in August.
Thanks again to all the sponsors, organizers, and volunteers that work hard to make WordCamps happen. We hope to see you at the next one!
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]]>The post 3 Reasons Why WordPress Agencies Love Beaver Builder appeared first on Beaver Builder.
]]>The smartest Wordpress brands, agencies, and freelancers choose Beaver Builder for their critical projects.
I’m one of them! 
Here are three reasons why.
1. Full Embrace of GPL Freedoms
Beaver Builder code is licensed under the GPL, the same liberal license that enabled WordPress to grow and power over a third of the web.
This means you can legally white label Beaver Builder and sell it to your clients. The tool even comes with built-in white labeling features to make it easy for you!
But why stop at just a few clients?
Beaver Builder’s Pro Package includes multi-site support, so hundreds or thousands of your users can enjoy drag and drop design functionality. That’s what website hosts Faithmade and Meesites are doing. GPL, FTW!
2. Rock Solid Code and Stability
The Beaver Builder development cycle is famous for its long alpha and public beta periods. I used to be frustrated with the long wait, wishing to get new features as soon as they were announced.
Then I experimented with a different page builder, and immediately ran into bugs trying to get my site to appear correctly on mobile devices. It dawned on me that 95% of the features my clients want are part of the standard Beaver Builder package. Think about it – most client requirements can be achieved using just the header, text, photo, and form modules.
I realized the critical feature for me as a service provider isn’t a whizz-bang design module, but the stability and reliability of the page builder.
I want every wrinkle ironed out before I use the latest version of Beaver Builder on a production site. Because every minute I lose struggling with a bug is another dollar I lose delivering a late project.
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Now I embrace the long Beaver betas. I want every wrinkle ironed out before I use the latest version of Beaver Builder on a production site. Because every minute I lose struggling with a bug is another dollar I lose delivering a late project.
I want every wrinkle ironed out before I use the latest version of Beaver Builder on a production site. Because every minute I lose struggling with a bug is another dollar I lose delivering a late project.
3. Large, Thriving, (and Helpful) Freelance Community.
When I became a freelancer this year, the Beaver Builder Facebook community gave me golden advice and lots of support. As I write this, the Facebook group has almost 14,000 members.
I’ve paid to be in online communities with less people and less experience than what I find with Beaver Builder. This week there were questions about:
- How much should you charge a client when you step into a half-finished project?
- Which is the best LMS – LearnDash or LifterLMS?
- What’s the best directory plugin that works with Beaver Builder?
As you can see, discussions go beyond Beaver Builder to include Wordpress and client services in general. It took me a long time to discover the group, and I quickly became an active member there.
If you provide services to clients the choice of a page builder is easy.
Beaver Builder gives you the freedom, stability, and support you need to make your agency grow.
Why did you choose Beaver Builder for your agency? Please share your story below.
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]]>The post Autumn Update – Addressing all the Elephants appeared first on Beaver Builder.
]]>Beaver Builder Theme 1.7
Version 1.7 of the Beaver Builder Theme is live! This update rolled out a few weeks back and includes a long list of enhancements and fixes. Some highlights are:
- Improved Gutenberg support.
- Bootstrap 4 support.
- A toggle to select Bootstrap 3, 4, or no framework at all.
- Font Awesome 5 and Font Awesome Pro support.
- Several performance and load-time improvements.
- A whole lot more…
Many people ask why they should choose the Beaver Builder Theme and our answer always sounds a little like this: the WordPress theme market suffers from “shiny ball syndrome.” Theme authors compete to see who can add more features, bells, and whistles, and this leads to bugs, bloat, and stability issues.
Our approach has always been to keep and maintain a simple, yet powerful framework to customize and build on. You have proven there is a demand for this approach as the BB Theme is now active on over 160,000 websites. Yee-haw!
Beaver Builder 2.2
The big news of the day is Beaver Builder 2.2! In Beaver Builder 2.0 and 2.1, we overhauled and modernized the Beaver Builder interface and user experience. In 2.2, we’re working hard to modernize and improve on what can be built with Beaver Builder. As always, we’re implementing some of the most popular and highly-requested features directly from your feedback. Thanks for that!
Here are a few things you can look forward to in 2.2.
Unit Selection Additions
This was a hugely popular feature request and, frankly, a challenge to implement, but we did it. In 2.2, we’re moving beyond pixels and bringing percentages, vh, and vw values as options for padding, margins, and sizing.
Row Shapes and Gradients
Row shapes and gradients are coming in 2.2. This one is exciting because it opens a whole new world of design possibilities. Nothing screams “page builder” or “bootstrap” like boxy, row-after-row designs and these new features will let you break out of that box. To see these in action, check out this preview video from our buddy David Waumsley.
Border, Shadow, and improved Font Styling
Do you see the theme developing here? Along with new design features for rows, we’re also adding box shadows, border options, and improved typography settings in 2.2.
Modular & Funnel-focused Row Templates
2.2 is bringing a new suite of pre-made designs to work with. In the past, we released full-page templates, but this time we chose a more modular approach. 2.2 will feature over 80 new row templates that can be mixed, matched, or used a la carte. The designs are a collaboration with our good friend, Paul Lacey, of Dickiebirds Studio.
The pre-made rows take advantage of some of the new features in 2.2 like gradients and row shapes, and they look HOT 
. Paul talks about the process of building said templates in this interview with another good friend, Kim Doyal, on her podcast.
A Whole Lot More
This is just scratching the surface of what’s to come in 2.2. You can check out the Page Builder changelog for more details or stay tuned for a future blog post where we will dig deeper into what’s coming.
2.2 is currently in beta status. We don’t recommend using it on live sites just yet. We’re planning to release 2.2 towards the end of this month, November 2018.
The Elephant in the Room
Regular readers of the blog have noticed and mentioned our publishing schedule has been sparse recently. Sorry about that. I take full responsibility. No one likes hearing excuses, but I can say we’ll be better about communicating in the future and would like to apologize for the radio silence. Rest assured, we’re still here. Beaver Builder is still very much in active development. Our community is still growing and thriving.
On that note, we’re looking to bring someone on the team to help with marketing and community building – a product evangelist if you will. Interested? Know someone who might be? Check out our job listing here.
What about Gutenberg?
Speaking of elephants and rooms, Gutenberg, WordPress’ new editor project, is on the cusp of launching. Here’s what you need to know. Beaver Builder and Gutenberg are totally compatible. Once you update to WordPress 5.0, you’ll be able to switch between Gutenberg and Beaver Builder easily. We’re excited to see what the WordPress user community does with Gutenberg once it becomes the standard. As we’ve said in the past, we’re firm supporters and optimistic about the future!
Not to worry. Gutenberg and Beaver Builder are and will remain totally compatible. #nofud
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Farewell to a Few Friends
Regrettfully, we learned that two members of our community passed recently. I struggle with what’s appropriate regarding “brands” offering condolences, but these were friends, and I feel like it’s important to mention. They’ll be missed, and our sincere condolences go out to their friends, families, and loved ones.
I grew up online, and one of my early programming mentors was someone I never met in person. I would sneak out of my bed at night, fire up AOL, and chat about coding and websites. I only ever knew him by his handle, Chip.
I discovered several years later that he passed away in a car accident. Despite never even knowing his real name, it was a profound—and confusing—moment of loss and sadness. The bonds that form from online relationships are real.
Also, I’d like to point out WP&UP, an organization that supports and promotes positive mental health within the WordPress community. If you’re looking for support right now or in the future, it’s a great place to start.
Footnotes and Plugs
WordCamp Seattle & WordCamp Dallas/Fortworth
The Beaver Builder team is hitting the road this weekend! Brent will be attending and speaking at WordCamp – Dallas / FortWorth doing a session called “CSS Jam Session.” Don’t miss it.
Robby McCullough will be at WordCamp Seattle–not speaking–but looking for hearty handshakes and fellow beer drinking enthusiasts. 
We’ll both have stickers on hand. Find us and say hi!
Can it be done with Beaver Builder?
Tickyboom Design has been creating a fantastic video series called, “Can it be done with Beaver Builder?” Over the 19 episodes, Tim picks various well-known landing pages and design standards and answers whether they can be recreated with Beaver Builder. It’s a great series with lots of tips and tricks sprinkled over some genuinely entertaining content. Thanks, Tim!
Landing Pages with Beaver Builder by Chris Lema
Justin and I recently returned from our favorite business event of the year, CaboPress. It’s an intimate, business-focused conference hosted in Cabo by Mr. Chris Lema. We’ve been fortunate to attend several years in a row now, and each year, we leave feeling fresh and inspired. Chris, as part of his role at Liquid Web, recently published a fantastic video tutorial on building landing pages with Beaver Builder. Definitely worth a watch. Thanks, Chris!
WP Builds Interview with Matt Mullenweg
Many of you have likely heard of the WP Builds podcast. A few Beaver Builder regulars do it. By the time this is published, their interview with Matt Mullenweg should be live. I got a few insights into some questions and answers, and it sounds like it will be an excellent episode!
WPMU Dev Partnership
I wanted to give a tip of the hat to some friends over at WPMU DEV. We had the opportunity to talk shop with some of the crew when Justin and I were at WordCamp London. The result of all is a partnership where we’re offering reciprocal discounts to each other’s customers. They are real go-getters over there, so their discount is live already, but we’re planning to offer a similar discount to all of you soon. Stay tuned.
What’s your favorite new Beaver Builder content?
As mentioned before, the blog has been quiet, and I’m afraid we might have missed some great content. Please, please leave a comment with a link to anything Beaver Builder related that you’ve enjoyed or found helpful. Also, if you haven’t already, feel free to pop by the Beaver Builders’ Facebook Group and share it there as well.
With that, we’ll see you next time around. As always, thanks for your support and being part of the Beaver Builder community.
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]]>The post Happy 4th Birthday to Beaver Builder appeared first on Beaver Builder.
]]>Three Years Ago…
In thinking about what to write for this post, I took a look back through some of our old birthday posts. There are some fun memories in there! In our first birthday post, we just hit the 10,000 active sites milestone. We were also just getting into the habit of regular blogging.
We’re maintaining our monthly tradition of writing a news & updates blog post. I think this is the 3rd month in row we’ve managed to stick to our schedule!
We published the very first iteration of our Knowledge Base and we hosted a design contest. Oh, the memories.
Two Years Ago…
For birthday number two, we wrote a little bit about the process of working with a lawyer on our incorporation documents and a CPA for our taxes. We were really growing up as a business at that point. We used to say “fake it until you make it.” Well, we still say that, haha!
Around that time, we made an investment in the business and picked up the domain name, beaverbuilder.com. We were working on a new round of landing page templates. Oh and look at that, we had just announced that we hit $1,000,000 in revenue. I remember that being a really scary thing to talk about it. Our goal was to brag a little to try to get some press and it worked! WP Tavern covered the story.
One Year Ago…
Last year, we were just on the cusp of releasing Beaver Themer, our first major add-on for Beaver Builder. Themer had been out as beta for a number of months, and we were preparing for our scheduled launch in May.
The Beaver Builders Facebook Group had just passed 6,000 members (we’re at 11,500 now)! We also added two new members to the Beaver Builder team, Carlos and Simon.
Today
And that brings us to today, our 4th birthday. Well, we’re a few days late, but it’s still our birthday month. I am proud to say, we’re continuing to see fantastic growth as a business, a product, and a community. Beaver Builder’s usage numbers continue to grow at a rapid pace. Beaver Themer is now a staple in many professional workflows. Themer is being used on over 50,000 websites!
Our team has continued to grow. Somewhat-formally, we brought on a new advisor this year and another member of our support team. Including the three partners, we now have 15 people on the squad.
When we started Beaver Builder, I don’t think any of us could have anticipated what was to come. It’s been one heck of a journey so far and, frankly, it feels like we’re still just getting started. As I am writing this post, Justin and I are in London! It’s our first time in Europe. We’re sponsoring WordCamp London and, after working together for over a year, we’re meeting Danny and Simon in person for the first time!
What’s Next
Shifting gears from the nostalgia, Beaver Builder 2.1 “Redridge” went live yesterday. You can learn more about Redridge in this blog post or this Knowledge Base overview article.
Beaver Builder Theme
The next focus in our sights is the Theme! We’re working on a theme update right now. We’ll have more details very soon, but we’re planning to knock out a few of the top requests for new features and enhancements including…
- Mobile logos
- Major performance optimizations
- Bootstrap 4 support
- Button styles
- Font and typography improvements for headings
- And a whole lot more!
Beyond that, we’ve mentioned a few times in passing that we’re exploring some new space for Beaver Builder and a potentially a new product altogether. Between Gutenberg and others, our space has gotten a bit more competitive than when we were getting started 4 years ago. I really wish we could share more about what we’re working on like we did in the good ‘ole days.
Sadly, we have to be a bit more closed-lipped with our plans, but we are planning to continue to innovating and pushing the envelope. We want to continue to improve the experience of building websites on (and maybe off) of WordPress.
To close this one out, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank you. Beaver Builder has always been a joint effort between the people building it (us) and the people using it (you). As I mentioned, just about all of the work we’re doing on the theme is based on feedback from you!
Justin and I got the chance to meet a whole swath of Beaver Builder users in the U.K. We shared laughs and stories. Our community is filled with so many smart, creative, and genuine people. I still have to pinch myself when I think that four years later we still have the opportunity to do this. Thank you!
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]]>The post Ask Us Anything (AMA) — An Update Post appeared first on Beaver Builder.
]]>It was really fun. We’re making an effort to do more with video this year and this ended up being a solid first attempt as a team. For our update post, I wanted to share the video here and also share a few plugs and updates.
Beaver Builder Team AMA
Without further ado, here is our AMA. I’d encourage actually heading over to the YouTube version linked here as you can see the list of questions we answer and have a link to the specific time in the video. Feel free to hit that subscribe button, too!
Ask Us Anything Part 1
Ask Us Anything Part 2
Despite having Brent on the team and his extensive background in photography, I am afraid our legs seem to steal the show and the lighting. They’re very well exposed.
Facebook Algorithm Change
You may have heard or you may have been affected, Facebook has been experimenting with their content algorithm. They’re giving greater priority to posts from your friends and family and less priority to posts from brands, like us.
I think it’s a good move on Facebook’s part, but since we use Facebook—and particularly the Beaver Builders Facebook group—to share a lot of our news and updates, we’ve noticed a slight dip in traction with our posts.
If you’re the type that wants to keep up with every detail, we’d encourage you to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.
We’re also considering starting up another newsletter list with more frequent mailings. If that’s something you might be interested in, let us know in the comments!
Beaver Builder 2.1 Alpha
Beaver Builder 2.1 is currently in Alpha. We’re planning to release a blog post with all the upcoming features of the release which you can read about in our last update post.
If you can, please give 2.1 a test run on your staging sites. Due to the FB change mentioned above, the alpha isn’t getting quite as many installs as it normally would. You can download the alpha version from your account page.
We hinted a bit in our AMA video, but we’re starting to discuss and explore other problems in the web design space. If you’re a Javascript guru and interested in solving problems in that space, you may want to check out our latest job post.
WordCamp Miami
Whenever I am writing on an airplane, I feel like it’s important to mention that I am writing on an airplane And, yes, I am currently on route to Miami for WordCamp Miami which is this weekend. One of my favorite things about Miami (considering I haven’t been there yet) is the extensive selection of quality memes and GIFs….
I know this is late notice, but if you’re going to be at the camp, let me know! I’d love to link up.
Footnotes and Plugs
Gutentag Panel Discussion
Last week, I had the opportunity to take part in a virtual live event about Gutenberg. The event was organized and hosted by HumanMade. David Lockie and I had a really great discussion about Gutenberg and how it might affect web agencies. The other 3 sessions of the event were really informative as well. You can see my talk here, or visit this link and trade your email for access to all 4 sessions.
Wallace Inline 1.0
Our friend Bradley Kirby released the 1.0 version of Wallace Inline. I wrote about the slightly embarrassing situation a few months ago where I told Bradley we likely wouldn’t be pursuing inline editing. Not long after—thanks to a TinyMCE update—we realized implementing it from the development perspective would be a lot easier than we originally expected. Bradley evolved the idea from just inline editing to creating a tool that gives greater control for restricting client access and it looks awesome!
WP Builds Podcast
I got the opportunity to chat with Nathan Wrigley from the WP Builds Podcast. It was a good chat with lots of discussion around Gutenberg and our plans there.
Start with Beaver Builder Course
Davinder, the man behind ProBeaver, recently released a getting started course on Beaver Builder.
Leadership Notes from Chris Lema
Our friend and mentor, Chris Lema, is back at daily blogging on his new site/domain, Leadership Notes. Chris packs great tips and insights into easily digestible and entertaining posts. We’re big fans!
Beaver Builder Workflows
In our 2018 video push, I’ve been learning how to use a new piece of software recently, Adobe Premiere. It’s extremely helpful to watch other people’s workflows when trying to work out the best process for working with new software.
With that in mind, I want to share two videos from our community that highlight how folks use Beaver Builder. Nate Houstman created a video series about creating a business website with WordPress using Beaver Builder.
Paul Lacey also created and shared a video in the Facebook group about his Beaver Builder workflow and how it fits with some of his other go-to tools.
Update: A late add here from our friend and OG Beaver Builder user, Athlone—How to Create an eCommerce Website with WordPress.
Hooked on Products Podcast
I got to join my friends Phil Derksen and John Turner on their somewhat new podcast, Hooked on Product. Good times.
Gutenberg Live Q&A
In the off chance you’re not totally bored of us talking Gutenberg, just a few hours ago I joined Zac Gordon and Joe Casabona for a live question and answer session on the topic.
In Closing
Alright! I think that about does it. We’d really love to know what you think about the AMA video approach. Let us know in the comments. As always, thanks a ton for your support and we’ll see you next time.
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]]>The post 48in48 Case Study: Building 48 Websites for Nonprofits in 48 Hours appeared first on Beaver Builder.
]]>Since we launched Beaver Builder almost 4 years ago, it’s opened up a world of new relationships and opportunities. I can honestly say it’s been one of the wildest journeys of my life. It might sound cliche, but I genuinely love when we’re able to leverage our business and our software to do something good; to give back.
A few years ago, a gentleman named Adam Walker wrote us asking if we’d be willing to donate a license to his non-profit organization, 48in48. I should mention here, we offer a standing 10% discount on Beaver Builder for non-profits, but this was a bit of a different situation. Adam, and his partner Aaron Reimann, were planning to build 48 websites for 48 different non-profits in 48 hours.
If I am honest, I was a bit skeptical that he would be able to pull off such a feat. I mean, I think I’ve been trying to launch my personal blog for the better part of 3 years now. Not only did they create the 48 websites, it was the first of many 48in48 events.
Today, I am thrilled to invite Aaron and Adam to share a post about how they pulled this off using Beaver Builder. Furthermore, I’d encourage everyone to check out the 48in48 website and keep an eye peeled for a 48in48 event near you. They’re always looking for skilled volunteers and it’s one of the most high-leverage ways to do some good with your time and Beaver Builder chops.
48 Websites in 48 Hours
48 websites, for 48 non-profits in 48 hours. It sounds almost impossible, right? Well, it is possible, but it surely is difficult without a great team of volunteers and the right tools. We now have the right tools to get the job done.
The first 48in48 event was in my hometown of Atlanta and we used a system that allowed us to spin up 48 websites pretty easily, and the platform worked well. We used what the creators of that platform used, Genesis Themes, Genesis plugins and 100 or so other plugins. The event went well, a lot of sites were launched.
We all learned what it is like if we get 150 volunteers access to WordPress, it is almost chaos. It is very hard to learn a widget-based homepage if you’ve never actually used WordPress. Most of Genesis is widget-based and it is limiting concerning the design options. If you don’t like the Genesis theme, you have to switch to find something that more fits the look that the non-profit is looking for.
The platform only allowed for Genesis themes and the plugins already on the system. That’s fine, but we very quickly realized that 150 volunteers need a page builder to give a newbie the features they needed to create anything they imagine (within reason of course).
Sideways8 worked with 48in48 to build a “multitenancy” platform for the events. The platform is a turnkey WordPress system using Git to deploy sites onto the servers. With a click of a button, you can spin up a WordPress install with all of the plugins and themes a non-profit would need to build a site.
Then comes a Page Builder….
For the second (in Atlanta), third (in New York) and fourth (in Boston) events, we used our new turnkey platform, but we added a page builder. Sideways8 had already been using Beaver Builder for all of their projects, and it only made sense to add Beaver Builder to the platform we have created.
Right after the event, we ran into some volunteers. We asked them, “What would have made this easier for you to build the sites?”. With most of the volunteers not having much WordPress experience, they wished we only had one option on the platform for themes. The volunteers wound up being extremely more productive with a 30-minute training session simply explaining Beaver Builder.
Since the first four events, we have removed all themes except for Beaver Builder and we’ve cut the learning curve significantly. Sure, we’ve needed some plugins for memberships, form creation, social icons, etc, but with all of the tools like BB Page Builder, BB Theme, and the Theme Builder we’ve been able to build just about anything we’ve need for these non-profits.
Let’s Show ‘Em Some Love
Okay, Robby here again. I hope you’ll join me in showing 48in48 what our community can do and show them some social media love. Give ’em a plug. Share this article on Facebook. If there was ever an organization you can feel good about blasting to your social circle, this is it. Thanks so much everyone!
@48in48org builds 48 nonprofit websites with @BeaverBuilder in 48 hours at their events hosted throughout the world. They're always looking for volunteers, so check out their website and visit a 48in48 event near you! https://48in48.org/
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