Agency News Weekly

Elementor is Getting a Lot Faster and Cleaner

Let’s face it, as Agency owners, we can be a bit snobby about our choice of page builder (or the complete rejection them as a whole).
For some time now, Elementor has been the builder that many agencies loved to hate – but that opinion just might change soon.
Elementor Editor v4 is the most significant revamp of the pagve builder since its original release 8 years ago.
The new architecture is built with a “CSS-first” approach, reducing inline styles and improving performance and maintainability.
Cleaner code means faster websites and more predictable results when handing off work to clients or team members.
The refreshed UI features streamlined panels with simplified settings, as well as a new global design workflow that better supports tokens, variables, and reusable styles across projects.
The alpha release is already available for testing, with Elementor encouraging feedback from developers and power users.
Migration from v3 to v4 will be optional for existing sites, ensuring no forced changes that could break current projects.
Here are a couple of video overviews from Adam Prieser and WPTuts.
Whether you’re a fan or a skeptic, Elementor Editor v4 needs to be on your radar.

WordPress contributors are debating a proposal for a new canonical plugin aimed at enhancing accessibility.
The plugin would test experimental accessibility features outside of core before inclusion in future releases.
This idea follows the broader trend of moving major features into canonical plugins instead of directly into core.
Accessibility contributors are worried this move could further marginalize accessibility from the core development process.
The fear is that plugin-only treatment may deprioritize accessibility fixes and create a separate-but-unequal track.
However, given the slowdown of WP core development to annual releases, a canonical plugin could allow accessibility improvements to move at a faster cadence.
Depending on how this issue unfolds, accessibility compliance may become more fragmented—something agencies will need to watch closely.
Read the excellent report from The Repository for more details, including opinions from accessibility experts like Joe Dolson, Amber Hinds and Rian Rietveld.

Google has begun rolling out its new AI Mode in Search, offering a conversational, AI-driven experience that could impact how users interact with search results.
Unlike AI Overviews, which summarize information above web results, AI Mode delivers a full-page AI response, potentially reducing visibility for organic listings.
Google has removed the waitlist for Labs users in the U.S., allowing more people to opt-in and test AI Mode ahead of a full release.
AI Mode appears as a new tab on the SERP positioned before other categories like Images and Videos.
It is designed to handle complex, multi-part questions, offering comprehensive responses sourced from Google’s search index.
The AI Mode interface resembles a chatbot, enabling users to ask follow-up questions and engage in a more interactive search experience.
This development positions Google to compete with AI-powered search implemented by tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity.
For agencies, this shift may affect SEO strategies, as AI-generated answers could divert traffic away from client websites.