Awesome! Thanks for 139,188 visitors in the calendar year 2024 (increase of 44.3%). By 31 December 2024, there will be 801 (543 = by the end of 2023) posts, 381 (341 = by the end of 2023) pages and 4,389 images online! Update to version 11.5

The fascinating journey of our homepage began on 18 August 1999 and on 22 December 2020 we launched this VERSION 11. Within 14 months, a powerful ‘all-in-one’ solution was created that meets the needs of members, coaches and officials. This development was particularly driven by the great success of the online campaign FIT-WITH-FUN.online in 2020 and 2021. To better serve the needs of our community, a modern website based on WordPress with DIVI 4, The Events Calendar & Ticket Pro and a shop system from WooCommerce was launched.

Another milestone was the successful migration of the Tatsu-Ryu Bushido documents to Nextcloud V20 in early 2021. This system now enables a modern administration of important documents under the principle ‘One link – one document – always up to date’. In September, the update to Nextcloud V29 took place

By 31 December 2024, we had provided a remarkable 801 posts, 381 pages and 4,389 images. Our homepage is now available in over 27 languages, which is particularly important given that we were already welcoming around 4,000 visitors per month to our new homepage in April 2021.

Thanks to the successful use of numerous interfaces and plug-ins, we have been able to significantly expand the range of functions. These include, among other things, newsletter systems, interfaces to social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Flickr, Telegram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Xing), a comprehensive association management tool (Webling.eu) and an event and course booking system that offers our members more convenience. A push notification function has also been added, which allows users to subscribe to up-to-date information directly on the homepage and in the mobile app.

In January 2022, Webling.eu was successfully completed with an interface to WordPress and the new ‘TRAINER-PLUS’ service area. This saves our trainers an enormous amount of time, especially when checking attendance.

In February 2022, we launched a digital appointment booking portal that allows our members to easily and conveniently sign up or cancel their attendance at training sessions and events. We also digitised exam registrations and course bookings, significantly simplifying the entire process. On-site check-in with a QR code ensures a smooth attendance experience without manual entries.

With the release of VERSION 11.1 in March 2022, our mobile app underwent a major redesign from static to dynamic in order to integrate new useful additional features. This adjustment had become necessary to avoid duplicate maintenance efforts following the release of the new homepage.

In December 2022, VERSION 11.2 followed, which focused on the user experience. By using explanatory images and videos in combination with optimising loading times using modern technologies such as WP-Rocket and WP-Rocket and cache optimisation, we have significantly improved the user experience.

The VERSION 11.3 in December 2023 brought an expansion and optimisation of the homepage. In particular, due to increasing international interest as a result of visits to Kenya and Sri Lanka, much content, including the Tatsu-Ryu Bushido documentary, was translated into English.

With VERSION 11.4 ‘25th Anniversary Homepage’ in summer 2024, further improvements were made. Our calendar was adapted to the DIVI theme, and the integration into the Tatsu-Ryu-Bushido mobile app was optimised, resulting in over 10,000 visitors per month.

In January 2025, the website was finally updated to comply with EU directives with VERSION 11.5, which, among other things, included the e-invoicing requirement and the EU Product Safety Regulation: E-invoicing requirement | EU Product Safety Regulation | Packaging Register| Barrier-free

Overall, since the launch of the new homepage, we have not only been able to continuously expand our content and functions, but also significantly increase our visitor numbers. With 139,188 visitors in 2024, we are looking optimistically into the future and look forward to continuing to support our community in the best possible way. The update of the last few days is the result of the homepage V11.5 today.