Journal
What I’m building, what’s new in WordPress, and practical tips for running your own website. New here? Start with a reading path below, or search every post.
Start here
Pick the path that sounds most like you. Each one is three posts, read in order.
Running a business and want to understand your site, or just starting to learn.
For developers keeping up with core changes and the newer APIs.
How I use Claude Code and Cursor, and where I still check every line.
What to expect from a site, a theme, or outside help.
Ready-made themes built for real kinds of businesses, and the stories behind them.
Featured
The post I’d hand you if you only read one this month.
I now sell WordPress themes on matthummel.com. Cobble & Candle, my theme for restaurants, taverns and inns, went from version 1.0 to 1.5.1 in a month. Here is what changed, what it costs, and what…
Newest first. Search by keyword, filter by topic, or press / to jump to search.
How one public repo of rules, skills and commands keeps Claude Code consistent across every WordPress project I work on, and syncs to every machine on merge.
The website basics every new developer should learn and every business owner should understand: how a site works, who owns what, backups, and staging.
Install the WordPress MCP Adapter, expose an ability with mcp.public, and connect Claude Code or Cursor through an Application Password. Includes the default endpoint and the safety checks to run first.
Acreline is a WordPress real estate theme that helps agents and brokers show listings, book more showings and capture leads. See the demo and get in touch.
WordPress 7.1.3 closes seven security holes and fixes four bugs. Here’s what each change means, which sites it touches, and what to do next.
Cobble & Candle is a WordPress block theme I built for restaurants, taverns and inns. It handles menus, live opening hours, table bookings and rooms to stay, with no page builder. Here is what it does, how it is built and what I learned.
My AI workflow for WordPress development on a Mac: which AI tool writes, which one reviews, how a change moves from branch to release, and what I check.
Overlay plugins can’t fix headings, labels, focus, contrast, alt text, or link text. What the FTC and DOJ said, a 30-minute keyboard and screen reader check, and where accessibility fits in a build.
WordPress 7.2 plans a stable Table of Contents block with server-side rendering. What is planned, why saved headings went stale, and how I plan to keep TOCguide compatible.
Page 2 of 3
WordPress first, but not only WordPress. Each topic links to its full archive.
Custom themes, blocks, plugins, and release notes, including the updates that break things. The biggest topic here.
PHP, JavaScript, CSS, accessibility, and the basics every site owner should know.
How I use AI on the repeatable parts of a build, then review every line before it ships.
How white-label and overflow work runs when you keep the client and I do the building.
Quick answers about who writes it, what it covers, and how to keep up.
I do. I’m Matt Hummel, a full-stack WordPress developer in Gettysburg, PA. I build custom themes, plugins and web apps for small shops, inns, tour companies, real estate agents and agencies, and every post comes out of that work. No guest posts, no rewritten press releases.
WordPress is the core: custom themes, Gutenberg blocks, plugins and the updates that break them. Around that you’ll find general web development too, like PHP, JavaScript and CSS, accessibility, deployment with GitHub Actions, and how I use AI tools on real builds. The topic list has the full spread.
Two groups. Business owners, marketers, and agencies who want to understand their website and know what good work looks like before they pay for it, and developers who want a fix that works on a real site.
Use the search box in the post list, or filter by topic. You can switch between grid and list view if you’re scanning for one title.
The easiest way is email: drop your address in the signup form and new posts come to you. If you’d rather use a feed reader, paste matthummel.com/feed/ into Feedly, NetNewsWire or whatever you already use. New posts also go out on Bluesky and LinkedIn, linked in the footer.
Yes. Send a note on the contact page with a link to the post or a few lines about the project. I usually reply within one business day (Eastern Time).
