Say thanks and learn more about our podcast sponsor Omnisend. Read the show notes here: https://thewpminute.com/?p=15514 Support us for as little as $5 to join our members-only Slack group. ★ Support this podcast ★

Say thanks and learn more about our podcast sponsor Omnisend. In this episode of the WP Minute+ podcast, host Matt Medeiros sits down with Ben Ritner, the creator of the popular Kadence WordPress theme. Ben shares his journey from building websites for clients to creating the Virtue theme, which gained over 300,000 active installs at its peak. He discusses the evolution of the Kadence brand, which has been around for 10 years, and the launch of the Kadence theme four years ago as a Gutenberg-ready solution.Ben and Matt delve into the challenges faced by theme developers when adhering to WordPress.org guidelines while trying to meet user demands. They explore the idea of allowing users to choose their site-building foundation, whether it be core WordPress or a third-party solution like Kadence or Elementor, to simplify the onboarding process and improve user experience.The conversation also touches on the role of hosting companies in providing streamlined WordPress experiences and the difficulties in onboarding non-WordPress users. Ben shares his thoughts on the Kadence ecosystem, which includes a range of plugins focused on front-end performance, design, and marketing. He also discusses the integration of AI into Kadence products as an assistant to help users create content more efficiently.Matt and Ben explore the topic of AI in the WordPress space, discussing the concept of AI credit fatigue and the importance of trust in centralized AI platforms. They also touch on the potential of open-source AI models and their integration into WordPress products.Key Takeaways:The Kadence brand has evolved over the past decade, with the Kadence theme launched four years ago as a Gutenberg-ready solution.Theme developers face challenges in adhering to WordPress.org guidelines while meeting user demands for more control over their site-building experience.Hosting companies have attempted to provide streamlined WordPress experiences, but onboarding non-WordPress users remains a challenge.The Kadence ecosystem focuses on front-end performance, design, and marketing, with AI integration aimed at assisting users in creating content more efficiently.Trust in centralized AI platforms and the potential of open-source AI models are important considerations in the WordPress space.Important Links:Kadence WP: https://www.kadencewp.com/Ben Ritner https://twitter.com/BenjaminRitner Support us for as little as $5 to join our members-only Slack group. ★ Support this podcast ★

Angela Jin shares insights on making WordPress thrive as an open source community, attracting younger generations to engage with WordPress, challenges facing community events, including rising costs and the need for incident response teams, and gracefully handling conflict within the WordPress community.

Say thanks and learn more about our podcast sponsor Omnisend. This episode of The WP Minute+ podcast features host Matt Medeiros in conversation with guest Marc Benzakein.Marc is currently involved with two WordPress-related businesses – MainWP, a self-hosted WordPress site management plugin, and Site District, a managed WordPress hosting company.Matt opens the show recapping his previous interview with Marc on The Matt Report podcast, where they discussed Marc’s former business ServerPress which has now shut down. Marc shares what he has been up to since closing ServerPress, including taking a 6 month sabbatical away from WordPress, before getting involved again working with smaller bootstrapped companies in the WordPress space.Topics Discussed:The high sponsorship costs for events like WordCamp make things difficult for small companies in the WordPress ecosystem. Marc and Matt debate whether the platform can sustain if sponsors pull out.They discuss the necessary move towards block editors and full site editing for WordPress to stay competitive, even though some developers dislike it. The focus needs to be ease of use over speed.Marc highlights the existential threat of keeping websites relevant when social platforms like Facebook offer quicker user engagement. All of WordPress needs to address this issue.The dominance of big tech platforms and algorithms threatens the open web, as most content is now filtered through them rather than accessed directly. Podcasting faces similar challenges.Key Takeaways:Opportunities for WordPress pros with strong personal brands to work with multiple niche companies rather than one big corporate roleNeed to make WordPress site building competitive with social platforms for ease of useAll of WordPress needs to band together to demonstrate the benefits of owning your data with a website Support us for as little as $5 to join our members-only Slack group. ★ Support this podcast ★

Say thanks and learn more about our podcast sponsor Omnisend. Matt Medeiros interviews Vik Patel, General Manager of Pressable, a managed WordPress hosting company that is part of Automattic.They discuss Pressable’s startup culture within the larger Automattic organization, how the various Automattic hosting brands work together, and the importance of WordPress being open source software.Vik talks about Pressable’s focus on agencies and developers as their target customer base, and how they aim to provide a fast, unopinionated hosting platform. He mentions some updates coming to Pressable in 2024 like improved staging/production syncing, a UI for agencies to run mass actions across their sites, and security-focused auto updates.Key Takeaways:Pressable maintains a startup culture within Automattic, moving fast to build new features without lots of internal coordinationAutomattic’s hosting brands refer customers to each other when another brand is a better fit, putting the customer’s needs firstWordPress being open source provides freedom and control compared to closed platformsPressable is focused on serving agencies and developers by providing great support and an easy-to-use, flexible hosting platform Support us for as little as $5 to join our members-only Slack group. ★ Support this podcast ★

Say thanks and learn more about our podcast sponsor Omnisend. Host Matt Medeiros interviews Brent Lundell, an IT innovator at Bluehost, about optimizing WordPress performance and scaling on Bluehost’s infrastructure. They dive into the challenges of supporting a diverse WordPress landscape, from outdated plugins to complex WooCommerce stores.“I came through those days and it wasn’t our best period. We’re better now and we’ve really put the work in to make that experience a lot more effective.”Brent LundellWith over 15 years at Bluehost’s parent company Newfold, Lundell provides unique insights into their cross-functional approach to WordPress optimization. If you run a WordPress site on Bluehost or are considering the platform, you won’t want to miss Lundell’s candor regarding their past struggles and recent improvements. Tune in to understand Bluehost’s dedication to the individual WordPress user’s experience.Key Takeaways:Bluehost builds custom solutions for WordPress instead of relying on off-the-shelf configurationsThey optimize for complex WooCommerce stores as an indicator of overall WordPress performanceA cross-functional “performance team” coordinates WordPress improvements across the companyBluehost partners directly with key players like Cloudflare, JD Goff at WordPress Core, and major plugin developers Support us for as little as $5 to join our members-only Slack group. ★ Support this podcast ★

Say thanks and learn more about our podcast sponsor Omnisend. Cory Miller and I discuss how the WordPress community is impacted when “big issues” clash with Matt, Automattic, and other community members. How should we handle these moments of passion and strife?It’s easy to label these issues as WPDrama, but in my opinion that’s not doing the WordPress community any favors. From the exterior, it’s categorized and shrugged off as “yet another drama issue” in WordPress land. Aren’t we all tired of that? Inside the community, or interior, it takes away from the actual pain or strife someone is experiencing. Today’s episode unpacks how Cory and I decipher these issues and how Post Status + WP Minute members handle it when it comes up. We’ll also discuss how we deal with Matt Mullenweg at the center of issues, leading the product, and leading the community. Important links- Cory Miller- Post Status- Matt Medeiros- WP Minute Support us for as little as $5 to join our members-only Slack group. ★ Support this podcast ★

Say thanks and learn more about our podcast sponsor Omnisend. I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Alex Panagis, CEO of digital growth agency Scalemath, on my podcast The WP Minute+. As a leader in the WordPress space with deep roots in the ecosystem, Alex had plenty of insightful perspectives to share.A big topic we dug into was WordPress vs. closed platforms like Webflow. As you might expect, Alex is firmly in the open source WordPress camp. He sees the flexibility of WordPress as superior for most uses, allowing users to control more of their site without getting locked into a proprietary ecosystem.That said, Alex doesn’t believe Webflow is necessarily bad if it enables someone to build a better site than they could with WordPress. The choice comes down to what works best for each user and their goals. The concern is more about avoiding vendor lock-in down the road.We also discussed the impact of AI on digital marketing and content creation. While useful in certain applications, Alex believes AI raises the bar in terms of the quality and originality needed from human creators and strategists. Essentially, it forces everyone to up their game, which is ultimately a good thing.Several other highlights that WordPress professionals may find interesting:How Scalemath builds deep, long-term partnerships vs. the typical agency/client relationshipThe importance of product development in scaling a services agencyWhy most smaller WordPress firms don’t make economic sense for an agency to work withAlex’s take on Basecamp’s upcoming Slack competitor and “pay once” software modelIt was a wide-ranging and insightful chat with Alex!Chapter Markers[00:00:00] Introduction[00:02:00] Alex’s background and Scalemath[00:05:00] Working with clients and pricing[00:10:00] Ideal client criteria[00:15:00] Building the Scalemath brand[00:19:00] Pricing and value[00:25:00] Open source vs closed source CMS[00:30:00] SaaS pricing models[00:35:00] Basecamp’s new “pay once” model[00:37:00] The impact of AI[00:42:00] Disclosing AI written content Support us for as little as $5 to join our members-only Slack group. ★ Support this podcast ★

Mike Stott, one of the leads behind Jetpack Creator, discusses the goals and competition of Jetpack Creator. The podcast also explores the challenges and effort required for creators to monetize their content through WordPress. The wide range of use cases for Jetpack in the WordPress creator space is highlighted, along with different monetization strategies for podcasters such as cryptocurrency payments and microtransactions.

Say thanks and learn more about our podcast sponsor Omnisend. I recently had an insightful discussion with Rytis Lauris, co-founder and CEO of the email marketing platform Omnisend, on the WP Minute+.Even after nearly 10 years in business, Rytis described Omnisend as still being in "startup mode." He credits staying bootstrapped with helping maintain their agility to pivot based on customer feedback, rather than getting bogged down in bureaucracy like many older companies.Omnisend is a Pillar Sponsor of the WP Minute. Part of the sponsorship agreement is to host an interview like this, in an effort to have a candid conversation about their company. We covered a wide range of topics relevant to any WordPress Professional, from competition to company culture to leveraging new technologies like AI. Here are 5 of my key takeaways from our conversation:Laser focus on a niche is critical - By specifically targeting ecommerce merchants early on, Omnisend set itself apart from more generic marketing platforms. Really understanding customer pain points lets you build solutions tailored to their needs.Community delivers long-term stability - Rytis believes platforms like WordPress have an advantage over solitary gatekeepers like Shopify thanks to open source's distributed model where no one entity controls the ecosystem.Go where the customers are - Though initially focused on Shopify, Omnisend expanded into WooCommerce after seeing impressive organic traction there. Value creation trumps personal preferences.Startup mindset stems from leadership - Maintaining ambition and efficiency despite company maturity comes from the top. Rytis still drives Omnisend's vision decade later.AI should enhance abilities, not replace jobs - Omnisend judiciously uses AI to help humans be more productive. But Rytis believes strategic thinking still requires human creativity and intuition.Beyond the key insights, here are 5 reasons why you should tune into our conversation:We have 20+ years combined building digital companies so share informed perspectives on the industry.Gain insider knowledge of the WordPress vs Shopify ecosystems from someone operating within both.Learn how to scale your startup without sacrificing agility or customer centricity.Hear a thoughtful approach to leveraging promising innovations like AI without going overboard.Enjoy an insightful dialogue with the candid yet focused Rytis Lauris about business and personal growth.I thoroughly enjoyed my talk with Rytis - his uniq Support us for as little as $5 to join our members-only Slack group. ★ Support this podcast ★