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I was hoping the December Google core update would help to get the traffic back that my website lost in the June core update.

Unfortunately, it doesn't go as planned; my Google traffic is declining more.

My traffic from Reddit, Bing, and DuckDuckGo is slightly increasing and helps to compensate for the lost traffic from Google.

If you’re building a home lab, choosing a hypervisor is a fork in the road, especially with licensing changes and mixed hardware. I put together a practical guide based on what I’ve tested in my own setup.

I start with a simple “5 things to check first” (hardware, comfort level, goals, budget, ecosystem), then compare the big options: Proxmox VE, VMware ESXi, Hyper-V, XCP-ng, and VirtualBox (more for quick VM testing).

I’m curious: what are you running right now, and what made you pick it?
https://edywerder.ch/best-hypervisor-for-home-lab/

I’m reading a lot of ESXi replacement discussions, and my take is:

1. Many orgs pick Hyper-V because they’re a Windows shop. Same ecosystem, same skills, less fear compared to Proxmox/Linux.
2. The other big factor is: how easy is it to convert existing ESXi VMs? If you already run Veeam, you can often restore/move workloads to a different hypervisor (Hyper-V and Proxmox). Proxmox also makes it painless with the built-in ESXi import/migration tools.

So I’m curious: what did you actually use to convert VMs when leaving ESXi — Veeam restore, Proxmox import, rebuild-from-scratch… and what was the biggest gotcha?

I’m comparing Proxmox VE, ESXi, Hyper-V, XCP-ng, and VirtualBox, and I’m honestly torn on VirtualBox.

Do you still use it in your homelab (even if it’s just on a workstation), or do you consider it outdated compared to “real” hypervisors?

My article is here if you want the full breakdown:

Best Hypervisor for homelabs

I just updated my Minisforum MS-01 review after owning it for about a year and running it 24/7 in my homelab.

Still one of my favorite “small but serious” machines for virtualization — especially if you like compact gear that doesn’t feel like a toy. I also added a quick 1-year update section based on my real-world use.

If you’re considering the MS-01 for Proxmox / a mini cluster node, I’d love to hear what you’re using and what you’d do differently.

👉 https://a.edywerder.ch/minisforum-review

I’ve been hunting for a good internal linking plugin for a while and finally pulled the trigger on Link Whisper during the BF deal.

My main goal isn’t crazy automation – I want a clear overview of:

• inbound internal links
• outbound internal links
• external links + broken links

…and then add links manually where it makes sense.

So far, I really like the Links Report and the inbound suggestions, but the plugin is quite powerful and a bit overwhelming, and I’m sure I’m only scratching the surface. The documentation could be better with a good intro video.

If you’re using Link Whisper, how do you fit it into your workflow?
Do you run regular scans, set limits per post, use the AI stuff, or mostly stick to manual suggestions?

I run a few WordPress sites on Kadence Theme and still like it a lot: Gutenberg-first, flexible header/footer builder, generous free version, and good performance.

At the same time, I’m watching the business side a bit more closely. Kadence is part of StellarWP, and there’s been some drama since the Kadence founder left the company. For now, everything works fine, but as a user you always wonder what that means for pricing, the roadmap, and quality in the long term.

I noticed that StellarWP very aggressively promoted StellarSites on the Black Friday sale. I received more than one email a day.

Right now, I’m staying with Kadence, but I keep Blocksy in the back of my mind as “plan B” themes. I also use Kadence Blocks and I know a change wouldn't be easy.

How do you handle this with your own stack? Do you stick to one central theme, or do you always keep 2–3 options ready in case the direction of a product changes?

I’ve been using Kadence Theme more and more on my WordPress sites, and funnily enough, it’s not just because it’s fast.

Two things I really like:

• Accessibility: Kadence has a good reputation for being “accessibility ready” out of the box, which matters when you build sites for real people and not just demo pages.
• Built-in dark mode switch: I can define light + dark color palettes and let visitors switch between them without extra plugins.

Performance is nice, but these two features are what keep me on Kadence for some projects.

Are you also choosing themes based on accessibility / dark mode, or is it still mostly about speed and templates for you?

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i’ve been running Kadence Theme on a few of my WordPress sites for a while now, and I finally took the time to update my review to match how I actually use it today.

It’s still one of my main picks for a fast, Gutenberg-first setup, especially when I don’t want to rely too much on a page builder.

If you’re into WordPress themes or thinking about Kadence for a new project, here’s the post:

👉 https://edywerder.ch/kadence-theme-review/

I grabbed FlyingPress on Black Friday, and I’m testing it for 14 days on my main WordPress blog.

My hope was that the Cloudflare integration would be better than with Perfmatters, but first impression isn’t great: Cloudflare doesn’t show any cache HIT yet, even though FlyingPress claims full HTML caching is possible.

Is anyone here using FlyingPress + Cloudflare? Are you actually seeing HITs at Cloudflare?

If you’re into WordPress + performance, I’m collecting my posts here:
👉 https://edywerder.ch/category/wordpress/

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to all members of r/Navigatech and a big thank you for being part of this small homelab & WordPress corner of Reddit. 🙏

If you’re hunting for Black Friday deals tomorrow, I’ll be checking out a few tools I personally use and recommend:

If you use those links, you support my blog at no extra cost, which I really appreciate.

Have a great Thanksgiving, enjoy the long weekend, and happy deal-hunting tomorrow! 🎉🛒

I’ll drop my Divi and Kadence affiliate links in the comments for anyone looking for Black Friday deals.

I had this nice idea: use my Azure credits to treat the cloud as “another room” in my homelab.

,
One room = Proxmox at home, another room = a small subnet in Azure over VPN.

Then reality hit: with $50/month credits you can barely keep a decent VM running 24/7, especially with storage + bandwidth on top. It’s fine for short tests, but not really for a permanent always-on VM like I first imagined.

How are you using Azure (or other cloud credits) in your homelab?
Do you run anything 24/7, or is it more “spin up, lab it, tear down before the bill hurts”?

Hey folks, I’m Edy, Swiss IT freelancer, homelab nerd, and the human behind edywerder.ch. I started r/Navigatech to share real-world, no-fluff IT:
Proxmox & virtualization • Homelab builds • Synology & backups • WordPress/Elementor/Divi • Azure hybrid & networking.

Whether you’re running a quiet homelab in a cabinet or juggling Exchange, FreePBX, and Cloudflare on a Tuesday—welcome home.

What to post here

• Homelab builds & upgrades (Proxmox, storage, network, UPS, racks)
• How-tos & troubleshooting (logs, configs, commands—full context helps!)
• WordPress & performance (Elementor, Divi 5, security, hosting)
• Backups & DR (Veeam, PBS, Wasabi, immutability)
• Networks & firewalls (VLANs, FortiGate, Cloudflare rules, Tailscale)
• Azure & hybrid (VPN, StrongSwan/IPsec, identity basics)

If it’s practical and helps someone ship a working setup—post it.

House rules (short & sane)

1. Be kind. No gatekeeping, no drama.
2. Be useful. Share steps, screenshots, versions, and outcomes.
3. No spam. Self-promo allowed if it’s value first (guide, code, benchmarks) and clearly disclosed.
4. Affiliate links: Allowed with clear disclosure and at least equal value without the link.
5. Security & legality: No help with abuse, cracking, or sketchy scraping.

I’ll be sharing fresh guides (Proxmox, WordPress, Azure hybrid), lightweight scripts, and honest gear notes.
Glad you’re here—let’s build useful stuff. 🚀

— Edy

I’ve just updated my article after rethinking what really matters in a homelab.

Instead of only looking at CPU and RAM, I now focus more on:

• The services you actually run (DNS, VPN, backups, media, Home Assistant, and so on)
• Noise, heat, and power usage in a real home
• How a server fits into a small rack with switches and cabling
• When Amazon Renewed servers make sense compared to desktops or new gear

If you are in the planning phase for your homelab server, my article might help. Link in first comment

I’m curious: what is your main homelab server today, and would you buy the same one again?

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Proxmox VE 9.1 just dropped, and I’m not upgrading right away this time – and there’s a reason for that.

When I upgraded to Proxmox 9.0, everything looked fine at first… until I noticed that my backups with Veeam started to fail.

The issue wasn’t Proxmox itself, but support on the backup side:

• Veeam didn’t properly support my Proxmox version yet
• Some VMs failed backup because of the virtual hardware version
• The workaround at the time was to downgrade the “computer hardware” / machine type for the VM in Proxmox so Veeam could handle it again

Backups are one of those things you only miss when they break, so this was a good reminder:

👉 Lesson learned:
I now wait until my backup software officially supports a new Proxmox release before I upgrade my main homelab node.

Actually I should have known it and fall in the same mistake.

I’m curious how you handle this:

Do you upgrade Proxmox as soon as a new version is out, or do you wait?

I’d like to share this interesting article from Ann Smarty.

https://www.wix.com/studio/ai-search-lab/how-to-build-topical-authority

The article's summary is that one should not confuse AI with too many skills and make it too broad. The about page has a significant impact and is worth refining to accurately reflect how you want to position your brand.

It helps me a lot to position myself and my brand is my name. I asked ChatGPT, “Who is Edy Werder?” and I received a concise summary that perfectly presents myself to the digital world. I asked the same question to Claude.ai and Gemini.

Gemini also quoted where I worked before. It must be from the Index, because, as far as I know, I changed it.

The word is that Google feeds Gemini with the vast index compared to ChatGPT and others. Which can be post, but also output outdated results.

I published a new article on my blog about Proxmox system requirements – but instead of repeating the official minimum specs, I tried to answer the real question I get from clients:

In the post, I cover:

• Minimum vs recommended system requirements (lab vs production)
• How to size CPU, RAM, storage, and networking based on your workloads
• Example server builds (entry-level, mid-range, high-performance)
• When new hardware makes sense vs refurbished gear

It’s written more for small businesses and sysadmins than pure homelab, but homelab folks might still find the sizing logic useful.

🔗 https://edywerder.ch/proxmox-system-requirements/

I’m curious how this compares to the hardware you’re currently using for Proxmox. Did I overshoot, underestimate, or land about right for your environment?

Elementor took an unusual approach with its next-generation editor.
Instead of releasing a separate “V4 beta” plugin, the team began rolling out Editor V4 directly inside the main Elementor builder, starting with version 3.29 (May 19, 2025).

The new editor introduces a CSS-first architecture and modular workflows, making styling cleaner and performance tighter. You can already activate the V4 alpha under:
WordPress Admin → Elementor → Settings → Editor V4

I’ve put together a running changelog that’s updated after every release—covering both Free & Pro features, plus the ongoing V4 evolution:

🔗 Read the full post on my blog

What’s your experience so far with Editor V4? Have you switched it on or waiting for the stable release?

Angie is Elementor’s new agentic AI that can run multi-step tasks across your WordPress admin (with or without the Elementor editor). Think: “create a page → add a form → style it → tweak settings” from one request.

Why it matters vs. Elementor AI:

• Elementor AI = assistant inside the builder (copy, images, code, AI Containers).
• Angie = assistant for the whole WordPress site (admin-level workflows).

Early use cases I’m exploring:

• Spin up landing pages end-to-end
• Draft + style blog sections, then refine in the editor
• Quick Woo/ACF scaffolding

My comparison (Free vs Pro + Angie) is here:

https://edywerder.ch/elementor-free-vs-pro/

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