


<p>But for those who want to have a deep historical knowledge about the project, the act of reading posts and researching—there&#8217;s no way to automate tracking that activity. So Drupal has a really interesting way of doing that. I&#8217;ve thought about bringing something akin to that. For those that do more of that hidden type of work, wherever it is never going to be practical to get activity metrics, anywhere that we could get activity metrics, let&#8217;s build an automation for that. But if it does not make sense to do activity metrics, some means of logging that time in a more manual process—I feel like the more that we can continue to recognize the value of contributors in open source, the better we are as stewards of various open-source projects. I think we can serve as examples to how open source should be for other projects probably yet to come.</p>



<p>So I&#8217;ve been doing some deep thinking around that lately in my specific day-to-day work. I&#8217;m excited to see where that one goes. Looking ahead, what do you think the future for Drupal with Acquia leading some of the major initiatives will look like? In WordPress, we see Automattic generally leads the way with what we are doing with Gutenberg, with the community team as far as events go, and we&#8217;re grateful for that ability, but we also see that there is a need for more organizations to step up and step in to facilitate some of that. How do you see that shaking out with Acquia in particular as it relates to Drupal? Do you see the same tensions in the community perhaps about the direction of the project?</p>



<p><strong>Malcolm:</strong><br />Very much so. Again, there are mirror images of each other in so many ways. It feels like right now, especially the Drupal community is taking pages out of the modern WordPress playbook. I will say that with WordPress, there isn&#8217;t the same kind of marketing team with Drupal that some of the closed-source hosted enterprise CMS systems have. So in some ways, expansion for Drupal will come from trying to entice more people to work on the project. I think that we have a very similar percentage of third-party companies working on it, but I think we&#8217;re struggling. I think, just like the WordPress community is starting to as well, where a lot of the contributors are—no offense—they&#8217;re getting a little older. I had someone once say to me, the biggest mistake that Drupal&#8217;s made was turning away from being a CMS option for the local mom-and-pop shop.</p>



<p>Because once that happened, young developers had a hard time getting started with Drupal, and the project lost some important continuance of fresh, young, and new ideas. I&#8217;m seeing that as I&#8217;m participating more and more in this community, they&#8217;re trying to go, oh shoot, we kind of shot ourselves in the foot here about the future of Drupal. How do we fix that before the old guard all sail off into the distance, so to speak? Making it more innovative, reducing the friction in using the software, I think, will be a big part of that. One of the major changes that I have a lot of enterprise customers lament is how quick Drupal is versioning right now. It&#8217;s just constant new versions coming out. I think there was only a year and a half between the first version of Drupal 10 and the Drupal 11 release that came out, which is incredibly fast for the Drupal community.</p>



<p>For those that don&#8217;t know, there are still a lot of sites running Drupal 7 and have been running it forever and would love to just run it forever. But the goal now is, how can we iterate on Drupal in a way that it can innovate while maintaining some of that backward compatibility so that we don&#8217;t break things, so that we can release more often, and have upgrades more often, and just make that a seamless part of using Drupal? Again, that reminds me a lot of what WordPress has done. It&#8217;s a lot of versions—I think three to four a year. I don&#8217;t think Drupal&#8217;s going to iterate that quickly, but that is the goal. Again, it reminds me so much of what WordPress is doing. Then from an Automattic versus Acquia perspective, I think it&#8217;s very similar. We try to point the direction that we see based on the clients that we have in hopes that we as a company are helping lead the project well.</p>



<p>But there are still definitely a</p>



<p>lot of different voices with different interests and focuses as we move forward. I think there are a lot of people out there that don&#8217;t see the value in Starshot, that don&#8217;t see the value in appealing to the experienced builder, who think that it should remain a very developer-centric CMS platform because that provides the comfort and security that they&#8217;re used to. But I think there&#8217;s a diminishing market for that kind of CMS, and I think that this new project or this new direction is such a breath of fresh air.</p>



<p><strong>Courtney:</strong><br />I would agree there. That kind of reminds me a little bit about the needs of the users, not just from the contributor space, but also from the user space, how the needs of the users of projects are evolving. It used to be that we were just asking for pages in WordPress or sidebars back when I remember that. That&#8217;s how I learned PHP—registering a sidebar to stick a widget in the side, and I had to learn a lot about PHP. I didn&#8217;t really have any mentors or anyone to help me through that experience. Oh boy, was that a challenge, especially when there weren&#8217;t nearly as many materials online for teaching me this as there are these days. So one of the hot issues that I see right now across these are areas like accessibility, the need for improving accessibility. You mentioned the hot-button word of backward compatibility and where that stands. I know that Drupal has had some differences compared to WordPress in pushing updates when we have releases and the cadence of the releases. It&#8217;s funny that in WordPress, folks so much lament, why does it take so long to get whatever? And also lament, oh my goodness, you&#8217;re shipping so many releases in a year. Meanwhile, Drupal&#8217;s like, oh, it&#8217;s only a year and a half. We could do it. And that&#8217;s making waves in a year and a half. I don&#8217;t know enough about Drupal to know if in that year and a half they&#8217;re shipping many features in that change. I also don&#8217;t know which versions are or are not backward compatible. Where do you see that shaking out in the different communities?</p>



<p><strong>Malcolm:</strong><br />Yeah, so the learning curve for Drupal is steep. I&#8217;ve mentioned that before, but one of the reasons for that is there are some externalities that both CMSs have. Drupal depends on CKEditor for its editing experience. So when CKEditor 4 went end of life, Drupal had to upgrade to CKEditor 5. When Composer upgrades, Drupal needs to update to the new version of Composer. There are some other projects within Drupal that also push that along. Then of course, we have the upgrades of PHP, the upgrades of MySQL. So there are all these externalities that have to be managed through this process. So it&#8217;s not wholly on the CMS to determine when these releases happen in some ways, right? Because we want to continue that secure, performant, and accessible tool. In terms of accessibility, I will say a lot of people in the Drupal community have this strong belief that Drupal is much more accessible than WordPress.</p>



<p>Again, I think it really comes down to the company that&#8217;s developing. With the additional things that you add on top of it, like WordPress core on its own is very accessible, but you add a really crummy theme and some crummy plugins, and guess what? You can&#8217;t use it anymore. And that&#8217;s very similar to Drupal. There are agencies that are not as good at accessibility, and when they develop a theme for Drupal to publish a site online, it&#8217;s not accessible. Or when they create a module for Drupal to add some functionality and they don&#8217;t do it in an accessible way, guess what? The admin panel is no longer accessible. There&#8217;s been some complaints about CKEditor not being as accessible as some people would like in terms of the version that&#8217;s integrated with Drupal. So again, there are always these ebbs and flows, and it really depends on these third parties. So I really dislike the conversation of is WordPress accessible or is Drupal accessible? And if we take it down to the core, the answer for both is yes, but as soon as you change anything or add anything, then the answer might be no.</p>



<p><strong>Courtney:</strong><br />And the answer for a logged-in user that is in the edit interface as opposed to the front-end website visitor also could be vastly different about that too. And that&#8217;s just even with core for both of them. Yeah, so it&#8217;s something that I think we all could benefit from learning about for sure. So let&#8217;s skip ahead to what advice do you have for others in the community? Those who have been longtime contributors and are considering branching out like you have. I know some WordPress people that are itching to look beyond the WordPress experience itself. I am quite happy here. I think there&#8217;s a lot of learning to do, and I love to get into shenanigans where I learn from other open-source projects, and I hope that we can share our knowledge together and benefit all of our communities through that. But I know some folks that are looking to different shores, we&#8217;ll say. What advice do you have for them and how could they start preparing if they&#8217;re interested in jumping ship to somewhere like Acquia? Or leaving the standard CMS space for other kinds of flavors of web dev?</p>



<p><strong>Malcolm:</strong><br />Yeah, I will say hopefully through this discussion, anyone, no matter which open-source project you&#8217;re on, especially if it&#8217;s a PHP, MySQL-developed CMS, you can easily transition from one to the other. And there are some amazing opportunities there. I would highly recommend if you are a WordPress developer or you&#8217;re a Drupal developer and you&#8217;ve been in that space for a long period of time, take a short break and go check out what the other is doing. You might be able to contribute some important refinements due to your experience. You might be able to identify a path that your CMS choice went down only to find a dead end, and you could save countless hours of tinkering by dozens of people by bringing that up. You might see features or functions or ideas that you could bring back to the tool that you favor. So there&#8217;s a huge amount of opportunity there, and especially right now with all of the transitions and changes that have happened in WordPress over the last couple of years and the ones that are being queued up for Drupal over the next little while, this would be a great time to just kind of peek in and see what the other is doing and take some learnings from that.</p>



<p>Because while both CMSs typically target different types of customers, so to speak, I think that there&#8217;s a lot to learn from each other. There&#8217;s a lot of opportunities for time savings, and there&#8217;s, I don&#8217;t know necessarily that it&#8217;ll become one homogenous CMS someday, but I think that there are advantages that each has that each should be looking to incorporate into their own right. And so we should be hoping to see those kinds of opportunities and transitions. I will say from someone who&#8217;s been in the WordPress space primarily for the last 20 years, going to a more niche CMS means that there&#8217;s a little bit less competition in a way. So your opportunity for contribution, in a way, is larger, right? Your potential impact is larger, and sometimes the salaries are higher. So explore those things, explore those opportunities, and push yourself to learn new things. I know that if and when I ever come back to the WordPress community and work in WordPress again, the things that I&#8217;ll have learned through this process will be so valuable in that effort. So no new knowledge is wasted.</p>



<p><strong>Courtney:</strong><br />Absolutely. What kinds of things right now, in a more timely fashion, we&#8217;ve talked about our Drupal community and the WordPress community and the learnings between them—what kind of things in open source, whether they be new open-source projects, any kind of dependencies—you mentioned PHP, MySQL—being aware of what these things that we depend upon in our open-source projects are doing, or any other kinds of trends, things that are on your radar that are more news related?</p>



<p><strong>Malcolm:</strong><br />Yeah, I love full-site editing in WordPress. I remember when the idea first came out, people were saying that at some point, maybe WordPress would only have one base theme and we would all just install different block and patterns packs or style packs. I still believe that could be a long-term direction for themes in WordPress. I think that the Experience Builder in Drupal is potentially trying to develop something similar. I know Webflow has really kind of focused in on the freedom of design in an interesting way. I think being able to easily implement an idea on the web will empower so many people, and I&#8217;m really excited about that. Personally, one of the things that&#8217;s impacted me the most at work is there&#8217;s an open-source tool called Rooney, which allows me to scan Drupal websites and get an understanding of what&#8217;s going on with them.</p>



<p>I&#8217;ve been able to start writing my own policies and profiles, which allows me to take data that I think is valuable or interesting about the Drupal install and the server configuration and the traffic and the logs, and parse that out in valuable ways for my customers. I wish I had that back in the WordPress world because being able to type in a command in the command line and get a really nice HTML report that I can then tease little details out of has just been—oh my goodness, it&#8217;s the chef&#8217;s kiss of my job in a way. So I really love that and would love to see someone take a look at that and maybe generate something like that for WordPress before I go back to that space. If I do someday, that ability to analyze, to take in all of these various data sources and turn them into graphs and charts and stats in a way that is useful and actionable—it&#8217;s so empowering and I hope to continue to see those kinds of tools get more time and attention. I&#8217;m actually trying to push Acquia to really spend some money—basically some people time—and say, hey, look, we&#8217;re actually going to sponsor this project because it&#8217;s</p>



<p>so important internally to our team that we want to make sure that it never goes away and that it continues to be developed, supported, and grown. So Rooney is my thing that I think is really cool from a technical perspective.</p>



<p><strong>Courtney:</strong><br />I think I might need a link for that. Thank you so much for the past 40 minutes or so here that we&#8217;ve been together. Is there anybody else that you think we should have on the show?</p>



<p><strong>Malcolm:</strong><br />I have two quick suggestions. Brent Schultz from Third and Grove—he worked with me at 10up. He has a deep knowledge of both WordPress and Drupal from an engineering perspective, and I think that would be super interesting. Being a VP of a large multi-CMS agency, he can provide information on the keyword &#8220;composable architecture,&#8221; being able to take a bunch of different tools and combine them and create them into these custom solutions. I think he would be amazing for that. Then my second one was—I asked my boss this question: if I&#8217;m asked who should go on the show, who should I mention? He said Ron Northcutt, head of Developer Relations at Appsmith, would be great. He had a deep interest in trying to bring more e-commerce functionality into Drupal, something that is often pushed off to third-party tools. I think the conversation about the difference between why did WordPress think it was okay to have WooCommerce, but Drupal thought that having any kind of commerce functionality was the wrong approach when Drupal was supposed to be focused on big business and enterprise. And WordPress was supposed to be the mom-and-pop blogger. So I think that conversation would be a lot of fun as well to be able to listen to.</p>



<p><strong>Courtney:</strong><br />I think that would be fantastic for a Do the Woo show of all places. Absolutely, yes. And one little bit of a plug back—Bob did not ask me to share this, but there is a new show on Do the Woo that is specific for WordPress in the enterprise. That one might be really interesting also for some of the Drupal folks to take a listen to because it is a lot of the top-tier Fortune 50 type of websites, the enterprise agencies behind those, sharing about their experiences and what they need in the WordPress interface and also the WordPress community as it relates to serving their customers. So I&#8217;ll make sure I share a link back for that one with you. Thank you so much, Malcolm, for being with us today.</p>



<p><strong>Malcolm:</strong><br />Thanks for having me.</p>
</div>




<p>In this episode of <strong><em>Open Talk on Open Source</em></strong>, host <strong>Courtney Robertson</strong> sits down with <strong>Malcolm Peralty, a seasoned expert in both the WordPress and Drupal communities</strong>. </p>



<p>With nearly two decades of experience in the open-source space, Malcolm shares his journey from starting with WordPress in its early days to his current role at Acquia, the &#8220;mothership&#8221; of Drupal. </p>



<p>The conversation dives deep into the evolution of both platforms, the challenges and opportunities in open source, and the exciting future of content management systems. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Takeaways</h2>



<p><strong>Malcolm Peralty&#8217;s Journey</strong>: Malcolm has extensive experience in the WordPress community, having started with WordPress back in its early versions. His career spans various roles, including blogging, project management, and support for major WordPress products.</p>



<p><strong>Transition to Drupal</strong>: Malcolm transitioned from the WordPress community to working with Drupal at Acquia, highlighting the parallels between the two platforms and the opportunities that come from exploring different open-source projects.</p>



<p><strong>WordCamp Canada Experience</strong>: Malcolm discussed his experience presenting at WordCamp Canada, where he spoke on working remotely for American companies while based in Canada, and noted the growing focus on social topics in WordCamps.</p>



<p><strong>Acquia and Drupal&#8217;s Focus</strong>: Acquia plays a similar role for Drupal as Automattic does for WordPress, with a focus on product development. Malcolm’s role at Acquia involves bridging the knowledge gap between the Drupal and WordPress communities.</p>



<p><strong>Drupal&#8217;s Evolution and Starshot Initiative</strong>: The Starshot initiative, now referred to as Drupal CMS, is aimed at improving Drupal for site builders, akin to WordPress’s Gutenberg project. This initiative focuses on making Drupal more accessible and user-friendly, particularly for non-developers.</p>



<p><strong>Comparison Between WordPress and Drupal</strong>: Malcolm highlighted the differences in perception and use cases between WordPress and Drupal, noting that while Drupal is seen as more robust for enterprise-level websites, there’s a growing recognition of WordPress&#8217;s capabilities beyond blogging.</p>



<p><strong>Recipes in Drupal</strong>: A key feature in Drupal&#8217;s future is the introduction of &#8220;recipes,&#8221; which allow users to configure and share pre-built site configurations, offering flexibility and ease of use, especially for agencies.</p>



<p><strong>Open Source and Mentorship</strong>: Both WordPress and Drupal have strong mentorship and community support programs, though their focuses differ. Malcolm pointed out the importance of cross-community learning and contribution.</p>



<p><strong>Challenges in Open Source:</strong> Malcolm discussed the challenges facing open-source communities, including the shift from a hacker mentality to profitability, and the need to attract fresh contributors as the original contributors age.</p>



<p><strong>Future Directions for Drupal</strong>: The Drupal community is looking to reduce friction in using the platform and make it more appealing to a broader audience, particularly as it relates to maintaining backward compatibility and frequent updates.</p>



<p><strong>Advice for Community Members</strong>: Malcolm encourages developers and contributors to explore other open-source projects like Drupal to gain new perspectives and ideas that can be brought back to their original communities, enhancing both personal growth and community innovation.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Links</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://peralty.com/about-me/"><strong>Peralty &#8211; About Me</strong></a></li>



<li><a href="https://peralty.com/2024/04/05/one-year-at-acquia/"><strong>One Year at Acquia</strong></a></li>



<li><a href="https://www.acquia.com/about-us"><strong>Acquia &#8211; About Us</strong></a></li>



<li><a href="https://dri.es/drupal-cms-the-official-name-for-drupal-starshot"><strong>Dries &#8211; Drupal CMS, the Official Name for Drupal Starshot</strong></a></li>



<li><a href="https://dri.es/introducing-drupal-starshot-product-strategy"><strong>Dries &#8211; Introducing Drupal Starshot Product Strategy</strong></a></li>



<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/phoenixfireball/"><strong>Malcolm Peralty&#8217;s WordPress Profile</strong></a></li>



<li><a href="https://canada.wordcamp.org/2024/speaker/malcolm-peralty/"><strong>WordCamp Canada 2024 Speaker Profile &#8211; Malcolm Peralty</strong></a></li>



<li><a href="https://canada.wordcamp.org/2024/session/working-in-wordpress-with-american-companies/"><strong>WordCamp Canada 2024 Session &#8211; Working in WordPress with American Companies</strong></a></li>
</ul>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 28 Aug 2024 09:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:25;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:78:"WPTavern: Remote Code Execution Vulnerability Patched in WPML WordPress Plugin";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=160485";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:89:"https://wptavern.com/remote-code-execution-vulnerability-patched-in-wpml-wordpress-plugin";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1842:"<p>The popular WordPress Multilingual plugin, WPML, which is installed on over 1,000,000 websites, has patched a <a href="https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2024/08/1000000-wordpress-sites-protected-against-unique-remote-code-execution-vulnerability-in-wpml-wordpress-plugin/">Remote Code Execution (RCE)</a> vulnerability (CVE-2024-6386) that researchers have classified as <strong>&#8220;Critical,&#8221; with a CVSS score of 9.9</strong>. Users are strongly advised to update their websites to the patched version, WPML 4.6.13.</p>



<p>Security researcher <a href="https://sec.stealthcopter.com/">Mat Rollings</a> (stealthcopter) discovered and reported the vulnerability through the Wordfence Bug Bounty program, earning a bounty of $1,639.</p>



<p>Wordfence’s István Márton explained: “The WPML plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to, and including, 4.6.12 via Twig Server-Side Template Injection. This is due to missing input validation and sanitization on the render function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to execute code on the server.”</p>



<p>Matt Rollings dubbed this vulnerability “a classic example of the dangers of improper input sanitization in templating engines” and has shared more technical details about this vulnerability on his <a href="https://sec.stealthcopter.com/wpml-rce-via-twig-ssti/">blog</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In the past eight days, researchers have earned $21,037 as bounties for reporting three critical plugin vulnerabilities: <a href="https://wptavern.com/critical-vulnerability-patched-in-givewp-plugin">GiveWP</a>, <a href="https://wptavern.com/record-bounty-awarded-as-critical-privilege-escalation-vulnerability-patched-in-litespeed-cache-plugin">LiteSpeed Cache</a>, and WPML.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 27 Aug 2024 20:05:02 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:7:"Jyolsna";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:26;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:47:"WPTavern: WordCamp Europe 2025 Seeks Organizers";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:30:"https://wptavern.com/?p=160466";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:58:"https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-europe-2025-seeks-organizers";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:2652:"<p><a href="https://europe.wordcamp.org/2025/">WordCamp Europe 2025</a>, scheduled to take place from June 5 &#8211; 7, 2025, in Basel, Switzerland is <a href="https://europe.wordcamp.org/2025/call-for-organisers/">looking for organizers</a> to make this flagship event a grand success. The planning phase of this event will start in September 2024. </p>



<p>Organizers will be involved in weekly or bi-weekly meetings leading up to the event and will <a href="https://europe.wordcamp.org/2025/call-for-organisers/teams/">work in teams</a> including Budget, Community, Content, and Design. </p>



<p>The WordCamp Europe 2024 in Torino, Italy received prestigious <a href="https://europe.wordcamp.org/2024/wordcamp-europe-receives-patronage-from-the-european-parliament/">patronage from the European Parliament</a>, granted by Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament. The event emphasized accessibility and inclusivity and was attended by 2,584 attendees from over 70 countries. The 2023 and 2022 events were heavily criticized by the community for <a href="https://europe.wordcamp.org/2022/diversity-at-wceu/">lack of diversity</a> in speaker lineups and organizing teams but the 2024 version more than made up for it. </p>



<p>WordCamp Europe 2025 looks to be on the right track when it comes to accessibility and sustainability. The <a href="https://europe.wordcamp.org/2025/venue/">venue Messe and Congress Center Basel</a> are fully accessible for people with mobility challenges and prioritize environmental sustainability. However, the event coincides with Eid ul-Adha, a major Muslim holiday.</p>



<p>The organizers have assured that: &#8220;While we cannot change the dates, the organizing team is committed to making WCEU 2025 more inclusive of attendees who are celebrating Eid ul-Adha. To do this, we will consult with the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Working Group and attendees of the Muslim community to find initiatives that support them to feel welcome at our event during those dates.&#8221;</p>



<p><strong>The last date for applying is August 31, 2024, at 23:59 CEST.</strong> While it is recommended that applicants be based within European time zones due to meeting schedules, any WordPress enthusiast from around the globe can apply. </p>



<p>Though all WordCamp communications will be in English, knowledge of French or German is essential to apply for the local team. </p>



<p>Those interested in hosting WordCamp Europe 2026 are encouraged to apply for the 2025 organizing team to gain valuable experience and insight into event logistics and organizational requirements.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 27 Aug 2024 18:36:54 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:7:"Jyolsna";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:27;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:69:"Do The Woo Community: Page Builders and WooCommerce with Anthony Tran";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:28:"https://dothewoo.io/?p=85351";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:68:"https://dothewoo.io/page-builders-and-woocommerce-with-anthony-tran/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:43242:"<div class="wp-block-group has-border-color has-light-gray-background-color has-background has-small-font-size has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-24 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained">
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<p class="wp-container-content-10"><strong><a href="https://www.airwallex.com/integrations/woocommerce?utm_source=701Nn000009vJ0mIAE">Airwallex</a></strong>: With <strong>Airwallex</strong> merchants are no longer forced to convert their foreign incoming payments into their home market currencies and they can use the funds to pay suppliers internationally.</p>
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<p class="wp-container-content-12"><strong><a href="https://your.omnisend.com/onlywoo_dothewoo">Omnisend</a></strong>: Whether it&#8217;s for integration into your Woo product, or building sites for clients, <strong>Omnisend</strong> is the solution for email and SMS marketing with their CRM solution for WooCommerce shops and your own website.</p>
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Episode Transcript
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<p>Emma:<br />Welcome, everybody, to another exciting episode of <em>Do the Woo Biz Chat</em>, where we dive deep into the world of WooCommerce and everything that powers successful e-commerce businesses. We are, again, your hosts, Emma Young and Adam Weeks, and we are thrilled to have you here with us today. Hopefully, we can explore some exciting new trends, tips, tools, and anything to help elevate your site to new heights.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ms. Emma. Yes, that&#8217;s right. We are joined by Anthony Tran today. He&#8217;s the Marketing Director of Beaver Builder, one of the leading page builders in the WordPress ecosystem. He&#8217;s here to share his expertise on how page builders can revolutionize your WooCommerce site and enhance your customer experience. Anthony, welcome. We are so glad to have you here. We’ve met a few times, and it&#8217;s my pleasure to welcome you onto the show.</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Hey everyone, thanks for having me on the show.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />It&#8217;s good to have you. Anthony, would you mind just sharing with us a little bit about your background, how long you&#8217;ve been at Beaver Builder, and what Beaver Builder is for those who may not know?</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Yeah, I&#8217;d be happy to. So I started my entrepreneurship journey in 2013. I left my corporate job and started a podcast. I was podcasting about digital marketing, and it evolved into creating my own WordPress web design agency. My wife and I were building websites using Beaver Builder in 2014, and that’s how we learned about it. After a couple of years doing the agency work, Beaver Builder was looking for a Marketing Director, and I thought, “Wow, this would be such an awesome opportunity with my marketing background using Beaver Builder.” I joined the team, I think, in 2019. So I&#8217;ve been with them for about five years, and it&#8217;s been a lot of fun. I’m happy to be here and happy to dive into WordPress, Beaver Builder, or wherever you want to take us.</p>



<p>Emma:<br />That is the ultimate customer success story! You used it for a web agency, and now you&#8217;re the Director of Marketing. That&#8217;s awesome. Do you happen to know, by any chance, where the name Beaver Builder came from?</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Yeah, there’s a cool story behind it. Robbie has shared this on a mini-podcast, but basically, when they first created the business, it was called Fastline Page Builder. Not a great name, not great branding, but their agency was Fastline LLC, Fastline Media—sorry, Fastline Media. After their initial launch, it didn’t really take off at first. They had some customers who used it and liked the product, but they said, “Hey, maybe you can work on the brand name.” So Robbie and the guys had to brainstorm. They thought, “Let’s figure out what kind of animal builds something.” I think they came up with some really wacky names at first, like “Oh, spiders create webs,” and “Bees make hives.” One day, Robbie came into the office and said, “What do you think about Beaver Builder?” They all kind of chuckled about it; it was kind of goofy. Then they slept on it and thought, “I like it. It’s got a fun ring to it; it’s fun. It kind of has our personality, and we think it’d be fun. Let’s see what happens.” And of course, the name stuck, and it became what it is today.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />Fantastic. It is memorable. I was at CloudFest in Germany, and we were talking to Robbie. I introduced him to the guy who started Groundhogg, and I was like, “We’ve got groundhogs and beaver builders. WordPress is full of quirky animals.” I wasn’t sure where we could go with that, but it didn’t go anywhere other than it being memorable. So, well done to Robbie for something that sticks in your brain. So, WooCommerce and page builders—what I wanted to pull out of this episode is this idea about where these two intersect, and I’m kind of curious about your take. How does someone know if a page builder is right for them or if it’s not for them if they’re starting a store? What’s your general sense? We’ll kind of start from a high level and then work our way down. From a high level, why would someone want a page builder, Beaver Builder being one of them, but there are a number of them out there. There’s Divi, and these different page builders. Why would someone want to use a page builder?</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Well, from a high level, page builders are great because if you’re looking to create a website and you maybe don’t know how to code, you’re not a developer, or you just don’t want to code, and you want to be able to easily drag and drop layouts on the front end of your WordPress website, then a page builder is perfect for you. I don’t know if you all remember back in 2013 how building WordPress websites was like—you would pick a theme, and you would get stuck with this certain layout. You could change the colors and fonts a little bit, and every time you adjusted something, you had to refresh your screen, open it up on the front end, and see what it looked like. Well, with page builders, it’s nice because you see everything, and it’s very intuitive, just drag and drop. So from a high level, I think page builders are great for anyone who wants to be able to build custom websites and have a lot of flexibility to do so.</p>



<p>And as far as from a WooCommerce perspective, I think it works great. It’s just a perfect pairing, especially with Beaver Builder because WooCommerce out of the box is just a great solution for anyone who wants to create an e-commerce website with WordPress. Out of the box, you can have your shop, your cart, your checkout page, your product pages—those are all going to work out of the box. But what Beaver Builder and other page builders do is take it to the next level, where you can create custom layouts for your shop, custom layouts for your product page, your checkout page, your cart page. So all those shopping cart experiences can now be customized to match your brand and be consistent throughout your entire website. So that’s why I really like page builders with WooCommerce.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />Nice. Excellent answer. Thank you.</p>



<p>Emma:<br />It was really good. It was like all the questions that I wanted to ask as a follow-up were answered already. He’s good. I can see your podcast experience background. Maybe you can go into another thing, like an additional plugin that can help enhance all of these Beaver Builder features?</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Well, thank you for leading with that question or the follow-up question, because Beaver Themer is an add-on product that we have that actually allows you to create all those custom layouts with WooCommerce and Beaver Builder. The good news is—and I was actually going to tell you this later in the podcast—we are going to be including Beaver Themer in all of our pricing packages soon. So now people can get the power of Beaver Builder, Beaver Themer, and if they want to create WooCommerce websites, it’s all going to be in a nice package for you. You can use it and be able to create it. We also have a free video tutorial course on how to create e-commerce websites using all of our products with WooCommerce.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />Nice. When you said &#8220;The Power of Beaver Builder,&#8221; there was like a He-Man, &#8220;The Power of Beaver Builder.&#8221;</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Well, Brent, our design lead, always likes to create these themed beavers, especially during Halloween. So I might have to give him that idea, say, “Hey, maybe this year we could do like a Thor Beaver.”</p>



<p>Adam:<br />Yes, there you go.</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />We’re even trying to get him to do a Batman Beaver, but he hasn’t gotten around to that yet.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />Batman… a lot of alliteration going on there. Batman, Beaver Builder. Oh, very cool. Alright, so from a high level, there’s the customization that a page builder can bring you. What challenges might someone face—and this may be if you have any case studies or people that you’re thinking of—what type of challenges can someone run into as they’re building out their e-commerce site using Beaver Builder and WooCommerce? Are there things that you’ve seen, like, “Hey, these are the things you need to avoid,” or “You’re using Beaver Builder wrong”? Anything that you’ve seen that might be some of the challenges?</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Well, I think when anyone is using any kind of new tool or software, there’s always going to be some kind of learning curve. But I think what people can find confidence in using WooCommerce and Beaver Builder is that both of those products have been around for a very long time. Beaver Builder’s been around for over 10 years, so the product is very stable, very mature, and it’s not going to go anywhere. The same thing with WooCommerce. WooCommerce has been around since, I mean, probably since WordPress started back in 2009 or so. They’re very reliable. The good news is if you do have any questions, there are so many video tutorials, so many courses, so many YouTube videos about both of these products that you’re going to be able to find any answer to any question you might have. Yeah, there’s a learning curve, and you might run into some roadblocks, but you can simply Google</p>



<p>and find the answer to whatever roadblock you have while you’re creating your e-commerce site.</p>



<p>Emma:<br />Do you think there’s ever a case—or maybe you’ve seen an example—where a page builder was maybe not the right choice? Is there ever a situation like that?</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Yeah, I think if someone’s looking to create a basic online store and they already have a WordPress theme that they just really love and want to use, then that might be a good fit for them. They might say, “Hey, I already have a theme I like, or I have an existing site, and I just want to be able to plug in an e-commerce platform to add some products.” Then that’s perfect for them. They can install WooCommerce, use the default styles and settings, and they’re off and running with creating their e-commerce site. They don’t have to start over with a new page builder or a new website. So if they already have a preexisting site, or they just want to build something very simple, or they want to use a very specific theme, then maybe a page builder is not the right fit for them.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />Got it. Sometimes when you run into the hardcore WordPress person who wrote the code themselves, I have seen this thing where page builders get a bad reputation, like “You don’t want to use a page builder.” What is the source of that angst that you may have seen out there?</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Well, just seeing how WordPress has evolved over the years, I think, like you said, some of those hardcore WordPress users may have been the people who were there from the very beginning and liked to hand-code WordPress themes and their websites. So maybe they feel like, “Hey, a page builder kind of takes away the fun of hand-coding things the way they’re used to.” So they might not have completely adopted the idea of a page builder, but I think if they’re open to exploring it, they’ll find that, man, it really speeds up their development time—the time it takes to build websites—and they still have the flexibility to add code if they want to. So that’s one of the nice things about Beaver Builder. It’s pretty much a no-code type of product, but it does allow you to custom code, add your own HTML, CSS, JavaScript, things like that.</p>



<p>So you can do customization if you like to, but if you want to use a product out of the box without coding, you can. The other thing I will say is that there’s a lot of misconception when it comes to using page builders. People say, “Oh, it impacts speed or performance.” But there have been so many case studies that have been written online about people doing performance speed tests with page builders, including Beaver Builder, that have proven that page builders are actually very fast and are not the main cause of slow performance. When building a WordPress website, there are just so many factors that could impact speed, like slow web hosting services, if someone installs too many plugins, if people upload image files that are too large and haven’t been compressed, or if they’re not using other speed technology like caching tools and CDNs. I mean, there are so many other factors when it comes to speed and performance that I think people are being narrow-minded if they’re thinking that it’s just a page builder that’s slowing down their website.</p>



<p>Emma:<br />Have you found that some of those hardcore WordPress users who like to do everything themselves from coding everything start to see the beauty of a page builder? And what was it, maybe, that ended up changing their minds?</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Yeah, I mean, we get testimonials and feedback reviews all the time from people who say the exact same thing—you know, they had that aha moment where they said, “I have been a diehard non-page builder person for many years. I’ve been hand-coding everything myself, and I’ve finally tried out Beaver Builder or other page builders, and wow, I’m blown away. This is amazing. I’ll never go back to hand-coding everything myself.” And that’s just a fun turnaround story that we love to hear because I don’t think people have to necessarily choose one way or the other. They can actually have a hybrid of both. You can still use page builders and can still custom code on page builders. So I don’t think people have to plant their flag and say, “I only choose one side or the other.”</p>



<p>Adam:<br />I love how you go through testimonials and get to know your customers. Beaver Builder has an incredible community. You have a very active Slack, with a lot of people in there talking about Beaver Builder. I’m curious, is there anyone who stands out who used Beaver Builder in a surprising way? There’s this idea I have that you make a tool, and someone uses your tool in a way that the creator wasn’t expecting or beyond the general idea. Has anybody surprised you, like “Wow, you made that with Beaver Builder”? Anything that stands out?</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Wow, there have been so many great websites and examples to choose from. It’s kind of hard to pick, but what recently surprised me was that there have been a lot of college websites created using Beaver Builder—really very recognized institutions. If you Google &#8220;College Beaver Builder College Websites,&#8221; we wrote a blog post about, I think it was, 13 colleges that created their websites using Beaver Builder. I’m just going to name off a few examples, like Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, USC, University of Florida, UC— I mean, the list goes on. These are all really prominent schools. The nice thing is these colleges are actually teaching these students how to build websites using Beaver Builder. And I’ll give another example that I was recently a part of, which was 48in48—I’m not sure if you guys have heard of that.</p>



<p>It’s a nonprofit organization that helps build websites for organizations that need websites. Basically, they ask for volunteers to build 48 free websites for organizations that need them, and they build them in 48 hours or less, and they’re all using Beaver Builder to create these websites. I got to be part of the judging panel to select the top three. It’s just fun. It’s just some recognition. But I was amazed to see some of these websites that are created—I mean, full five to ten-page websites for these organizations. And I was very impressed by the quality of work that was done. So it was cool just to see people using Beaver Builder in the real world.</p>



<p>Emma:<br />That is so cool. I’m Googling 48in48 right now, and it makes me want to try it because I’ve just been trying to do a WooCommerce site on the side a couple of hours here and there. Now I’m like, “Alright, I’m going to go home—I’m at home—after this call. I’m going to go get Beaver Builder, sign up for it, and make 48 versions of it.” This is the coolest thing. I got goosebumps when you were telling me about this. This is really cool; it should get more attention. I like this.</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Yeah, we’re definitely trying to spread the word too. It’s just a great cause, and they’re always looking for volunteers. So if you want to help build websites or have any marketing skills that you want to volunteer, they’d be willing to have you help them. They always host this. I think every quarter, there’s a new event, so it’s really cool.</p>



<p>Emma:<br />I just want to quickly circle back to the college websites. I’m also looking at that blog post right now that shows all of the images of it. So would you say—is there a niche or some type of topic that most Beaver Builder users tend to use it for, or does it kind of cover all different types of sites?</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />We’ve seen it all. We’ve seen it all. I mean, obviously we’ve seen e-commerce sites with WooCommerce. We have college websites; we have blogs. I think Robbie even said there was a NASA website that was using Beaver Builder. I mean, there are just some really cool examples of websites. People build directory websites, membership sites. What else is there? Yeah, I’ve definitely seen a variety, even just simple landing pages. There are so many use cases, and it’s really neat to see a lot of people that use it. I mean, there have been over a million websites built with Beaver Builder, so there’s probably everything you can imagine that’s been built with Beaver Builder.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />That’s amazing. A million! There are a number of brands in WordPress that have a following, and I would say Beaver Builder is one of them. Sometimes there’s this tongue-in-cheek idea of your company needing fans and raving fans and how to get them. I would say that Beaver Builder actually does have fans, and it is exciting to see that. And I think your commitment to some of these projects where, “Hey, we’re going to give back; we’re going to do this 48in48,” things like that are spectacular. Alright, shifting gears a little bit, because Bob keeps bugging Emma and me that we’ve got to get our numbers up. SEO for this podcast—Bob keeps bugging us, so I’ve got to use the word AI a few more times, apparently. I’m kidding; Bob doesn’t say that. But that is one of the transformational things of technology in this industry. Nothing is going to be left untouched by AI in some way. I’m curious if Beaver Builder has any plans if anything’s happening in that area. Yeah. What’s your take on page builders and how page builders will relate to AI now and going forward?</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Yes,</p>



<p>AI is definitely moving very fast, I will say. And it’s exciting. It’s like the internet before the internet became what it is today, and I think that’s why people are so excited. There’s this new technology; they’re all trying to figure out how to apply it to their business, and the potential is limitless. The evolution in the last year or two has just been mind-boggling. Every time there’s a new announcement from OpenAI or Google or Facebook about something using AI, I’m just like, “Wow, it’s amazing.” So anyways, as far as when it comes to building websites, I’ve already seen a lot of technology and products and software that have been created to help web creators build websites using AI. For example, I’ve seen AI that can help create sitemaps. Obviously, they can write content, create stock images, spin up layouts, provide brand colors, and create logos for you.</p>



<p>A lot of these are separate products, and I think where page builder companies will evolve to is they’ll find ways to integrate some of these special features or product capabilities into the page builder, which will eventually give someone more of an all-in-one solution for their customers. So that’s something that we’ve been exploring for our product as well. It’s like, “Okay, we want to continue to evolve our product. We want to give value to our customers, but we also don’t want to…” A lot of big concerns for page builders are that people say, “Oh, we don’t want page builders to have too much bloat.” So there’s a balancing act. We want to add more features, but it’s still got to be lightweight. It’s still got to not impact performance. We want to give all these AI integrations, but is it necessary? Are there other products or tools that are already doing it better that people can just rely on versus us trying to give a different version of it? So there’s definitely a lot of discussion on where AI fits into our business model. But yeah, it’s definitely something that we’re keeping a pulse on, and it’ll be interesting to see how we find ways to use it.</p>



<p>Emma:<br />Very cool. Thank you. That’s a very nice segue into whether there are any sneak peeks or exciting things happening that you can let us know about over at Beaver Builder. Maybe AI-related, but maybe not.</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Yeah, we actually have a lot of projects in development. We used to be, I guess, a little bit behind closed doors. A lot of times, we didn’t want the secret to come out too early, but now we’re trying to be more transparent, more open about what projects we’re working on. Justin Busa, the co-founder of Beaver Builder, actually wrote two blog posts recently about upcoming features and product development that they’re working on, and we’ve actually published them. We shared them, and if you check out those blog posts, we have screenshots, video clips, and examples of what that new technology is going to look like. And what we found is that being more transparent and letting people know what’s coming ahead has actually been a good thing. It’s created a lot of buzz; people are really excited about it. It’s something for people to look forward to. And it just shows that we’re continuing to grow. We’re definitely not stagnant. We’re continuing to add more to our product, continue to improve our product for our customers, and we’re listening to their feedback because a lot of the ideas that we’re implementing came from their feedback and their suggestions.</p>



<p>Emma:<br />Nice. I love to hear stuff like that—giving clients exactly what they want and a solution to their problems. Actually, those are Adam’s words. I think he drops that at least once in every podcast, but I got him this time. Here you go.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />Alright, so the name of this podcast is <em>Woo Biz Chat.</em> So, business—a lot of people listening to this have a business in WordPress and WooCommerce. Recently, you all made the decision to update pricing. Pricing is one of those topics that business owners in WordPress, and really in most any business, struggle with. How do we price this product? What are the repercussions of pricing? We know why we change pricing—it’s for profit and different reasons—but I recognize that. If you could maybe take us back behind the curtain a little bit and share with us—so Beaver Builder has updated its pricing. Can you walk us through the thought process, the steps you took to get to where you are today, and some of the things that might’ve made you nervous and how you decided to go forward? I’d love to just hear your thinking on pricing and price changes.</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Yeah, this is actually a really good discussion because we just published a blog post last week announcing our upcoming pricing changes that are going to happen in September. Now, before I even dive into that, I just want to let you know that if any existing Beaver Builder customers have a subscription, this does not impact them in any way. Their subscription, their plans, will all remain the same. They do not have to worry.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />Yeah, that’s a choice right there. That’s part of a philosophy—is that we’re going to grandfather people, and we’re going to keep the people who are on our current plan the same. Okay, this is interesting. Yeah, I want to hear more.</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Yeah. So Beaver Builder hasn’t changed its pricing for over 10 years.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />Oh, wow. Okay.</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />And of course, over those 10 years, the costs of things have gone up and have changed. But we struggled with changing our pricing because we care about our customers and we didn’t want to interrupt their current pricing models at any time. And so, when we did go through this process, we always thought of them first. These are our legacy customers. Some of these customers have been around for 5, 7, 8, 10 years, and we really wanted to, I guess, reward them for being loyal to us by not interrupting their pricing. We’re going to keep it all the same. So that was number one. It was rule number one—we do not mess with legacy customers’ pricing subscriptions. These changes are only impacting new customers. But we also didn’t want to go with the “Hey, we’re just going to raise prices to raise prices.” That just doesn’t feel good either. We’re really about the people.</p>



<p>So we said, “How can we add more value to our new customer base?” And one of the pieces of feedback that we got over the years was, “Hey, can you include Beaver Themer in all your pricing plans?” Now, when Beaver Themer came out in 2017, it was a new thing. Theme builders were not around. So Beaver Themer was one of the first to do it, or if not the first to do it. And so it was a new revolutionary product. So of course, we felt like, “Hey, this new product—we want to be able to provide it as an add-on subscription. If people want to use it, they can purchase it. If not, Beaver Builder as it is works great.” But over the years, as we got more competitors, our competitors started building theme builders into their pricing plans.</p>



<p>So we said, “Okay, we want to be competitive with our competitors, so we’re going to include Beaver Themer in all our new pricing plans. We’re going to include the WordPress Beaver Builder theme in all of our pricing plans, and we’re going to change our lowest pricing package from $99 to $89.” So it lowers the barrier to entry for any new customer that just wants to build one website. They’ll get all of our products—the page builder, the theme, and Beaver Themer for only $89, which I think makes us very competitive. Then some of our other pricing plans, like our highest tier plan, our unlimited plan, is actually still the same. So not only did we lower our lowest price, we kept our highest price the same, and then our middle tiers are just slightly higher, but they include everything. They include Beaver Themer. So we really said, “Hey, how can we balance providing value and still make us competitive in the market?”</p>



<p>And then the only main differentiator from our legacy users is that before, all of our plans in our legacy packages were unlimited. Now we have some site limitations. So our middle tier has a 50-site limit, our highest tier is unlimited, and our lowest tier is one site. But here’s the thing—we took it one step further. We didn’t just throw out any random number. We did a lot of digging into our analytics and did a case study of all of our customers out there—how many sites each subscription had, how many websites they built, and all these things in different pricing packages. We ran the numbers and said, “Okay, if we were to make this change, would it drastically impact our customers or any of our new customers?” And the answer is no. So we found a really nice balance where it’s like, we’re going to give you more value, and yeah, we’re going to give you slight limitations, but 90% of you are not even going to be impacted even if you change to the new plans. But if you stay with the old ones, you’re still going to be okay. It was a very well-thought-out process. I’m very proud of the team. It took us months to really come to where we are today. Even then, before pulling the trigger, we announced it to our Facebook group just to get some initial feedback to see if anyone brought up any things that we didn’t think of that we might need to adjust.</p>



<p>Luckily, it’s been really well-received, so we’re very excited to push it out.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />Nice. Congratulations on that. It sounds like it was something that you had to think through a lot. There were a lot of questions on, “Are we doing this the right way?” And it wasn’t just, “We need more money—raise prices.” It was done the Beaver Builder way, where you guys think through things and care a lot about your community. So well done there. But you say it’s not actually until September that this is going live?</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Yes. Yeah. September, I believe it’s September 10th or 11th, somewhere around that range, is when we’re going live. And yeah, I will definitely say that we really wanted to focus on our customers, our community, and we did not want to upset them in any way. And that’s the one thing we definitely led with—this new plan does not impact you if you’re not changing your subscription. Legacy users, you’re still good.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />There you go. So if you are listening to this podcast before September 10th, hurry up and go get your— but if you’re already a Beaver Builder user, you’re fine.</p>



<p>Emma:<br />But that’s actually great advice for all the listeners out there who have pricing plans on their sites—the thought process and all of the data analysis that you guys put into deciding when to do the change and how to do the change and what the price is like. That’s something that we hopefully can adapt into our own business models, however big or small your personal Woo business is. But that leads me into another question. Let’s say somebody jumps on this before the pricing change or after—it doesn’t matter—and they’re considering trying out Beaver Builder. Maybe they’re a first-timer for building a site in general. What kind of things should they focus on to get the most out of this tool? Is there a right or wrong way to build a website? Is there a logical way? It can be maybe something you recommend from experience, but yeah, what would be something that you would advise to someone using it for the first time?</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Well, if you’re interested in Beaver Builder, I would say there are a couple of opportunities to try it for free. Number one, we have Beaver Builder Lite, which is our free version. We’ve added some more to it, by the way, recently. And there’s also a free live demo on our website where you can actually click, and it’ll spin up a demo website, and you can literally drag and drop the modules and see how it works. So there are definitely some free versions that you can use to try it before you buy it. The other thing is we have free courses, as I mentioned, not only published on our YouTube channel, but they’re also available on our website. We don’t try to sell you anything. We just have you log in, and you can watch the video tutorials. You can watch video tutorials on how to use the product.</p>



<p>We even have a course that walks you from beginning to end on how to build a website, and you watch—we call it Follow Along—where you just follow us building the website, and we give you all the design files. That’s another way to do it as well. And gosh, like I said, there are just so many resources out there. There was a gentleman named Joshua Long—I’m just going to give him a shout-out. He just created a course recently on webdesigntrainer.com, where it’s a beginning-to-end, soup-to-nuts course on how to build a website using Beaver Builder. It’s very well created. I want to give him a shout-out. Also, WP101 has created a course on how to use basic WordPress. Their video tutorials are great, but they also have some course content regarding Beaver Builder. So yeah, there are a lot of different ways to learn about Beaver Builder, learn about WordPress, and learn how to use WooCommerce too. So hopefully, don’t be scared—just jump in, take it a little bit at a time, day by day, and you’ll be surprised at what you can create in a couple of days.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />Yeah, I was very impressed. I Googled WooCommerce and Beaver Builder, and Will Morris wrote a really in-depth article—just step-by-step—on how to build a WooCommerce site using Beaver Builder. And it is just a very well-done tutorial with videos. I think that type of attention to detail is one of the reasons why Beaver Builder is so popular. I think Elementor—and no shade to them at all, they’re great people over there—but one thing about Beaver Builder is that it feels to me like it’s the page builder for the people who know… just, it kind of has that feeling to me. And one thing I liked is that in that article, someone asked a question, and you were the first person to answer it. There was another one back in 2021. This article has been updated. And so you personally hopped in and answered a question. I think that just goes to who Beaver Builder is and what you guys really stand for.</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Thank you. Yeah, we’re definitely for the people. We try to be personable. And actually, we’re going to be at WordCamp US. So if you are in Portland this year, feel free to say hi to us. The founders are going to be there—Billy, Robbie, Justin, and I. So yeah, make sure you come and say hi. We’ll have a booth out there too.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />Very cool. Yeah, I was just going to ask—so if anybody wants to get to know Beaver Builder, WordCamp US is where you should be.</p>



<p>Emma:<br />Yeah. Hopefully with a beaver holding a Thor hammer.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />I have high expectations.</p>



<p>Emma:<br />But yeah, WordCamp US is just around the corner, so if you have more personal questions to ask Anthony or his colleagues, go find him at his booth, wherever that may be in the large conference hall. But is there maybe something that we didn’t ask you that you wanted to talk about related to Beaver Builder, WordPress, or a Woo site? Or it can be completely unrelated as well. We’re always down with that. Maybe something we forgot.</p>



<p>Anthony:<br />Well, I guess I’ll just leave with this. One of the great things about WordPress I’ve found is the community. Whatever product or products you use within WordPress, I think we all just look at it as a big ecosystem. We’re all one big family, especially when you notice it when we go to WordCamps, the WordPress meetups, local meetups, and of course the big conferences—WordCamp US, WordCamp Europe, Asia, etc. There’s just this really amazing community where we’re all just friends, and we all geek out about the same thing. It’s just fun to be able to hang out with like-minded people. So I would say if you haven’t gone to one of these live events, please do. It’s a lot of fun, and a lot of people put a lot of work into hosting these events. So make a trip, and hopefully, we’ll meet you all there.</p>



<p>Adam:<br />Fantastic. Well, Anthony, thank you so much for supporting the WordPress community by attending these events. And again, yeah, stop by and meet Anthony and the good people of Beaver Builder at a WordCamp near you. Thank you for this time. This has been another episode of <em>Biz Chat.</em> You can find us wherever you find a podcast. Please share this podcast with people that you care about. If you don’t care about them, don’t share it with them. But if you do care about people, you should share this podcast because you’ll get to meet amazing people like Anthony and learn about the companies in WordPress that are doing the work, such as Beaver Builder. And with that, thank you so much. I hope you guys have a great rest of your day.</p>
</div>




<p>In this episode of <em><strong>Woo BizChat</strong></em>, hosts <strong>Emma Young</strong> and <strong>Adam Weeks</strong> chat with <strong>Anthony Tran, Marketing Director of Beaver Builder</strong>, to explore the intersection of WooCommerce and page builders. </p>



<p>Anthony shares his journey from a WordPress web design agency owner to leading the marketing efforts at one of the most popular page builders in the WordPress ecosystem. They talk about the benefits of using page builders like Beaver Builder for creating customized, flexible e-commerce sites, the evolution of page builders in the WordPress community, and the exciting developments on the horizon, including AI integration and upcoming features. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Takeaways</h2>



<p><strong>The Power of Page Builders</strong>: Page builders like Beaver Builder offer a user-friendly way to create custom, flexible websites without needing to code. They are beneficial for WooCommerce users looking to enhance their online stores with personalized layouts and consistent branding across their site.</p>



<p><strong>Beaver Builder’s Origin Story</strong>: The name &#8220;Beaver Builder&#8221; was chosen for its fun and memorable branding, which has since become a cornerstone of its identity in the WordPress community.</p>



<p><strong>Customer Success and Community</strong>: Anthony Tran’s journey from a user of Beaver Builder to its Marketing Director highlights the company’s strong community focus. Beaver Builder has cultivated a loyal following, evidenced by testimonials and its active community, including contributions to initiatives like 48in48.</p>



<p><strong>Challenges and Misconceptions</strong>: While some hardcore WordPress users may initially resist using page builders due to a preference for hand-coding, many have found that page builders significantly speed up development time without sacrificing flexibility. Misconceptions about page builders impacting site speed are often unfounded, as many other factors influence performance.</p>



<p><strong>AI and the Future of Page Builders</strong>: Beaver Builder is keeping a close eye on AI developments and exploring how AI can be integrated into its offerings to enhance the user experience, while maintaining the product&#8217;s lightweight and efficient performance.</p>



<p><strong>Upcoming Features and Pricing Changes</strong>: Beaver Builder is continuously evolving, with new features and integrations on the horizon. The company is also adjusting its pricing for new customers, including the addition of Beaver Themer in all pricing plans, while ensuring that existing customers’ plans remain unchanged.</p>



<p><strong>Educational Resources</strong>: For new users, Beaver Builder offers a variety of free resources, including tutorials, courses, and live demos, to help them get the most out of the tool and build their sites with confidence.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Links</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonytranmba/">Anthony on LinkedIn</a></strong></li>



<li><strong><a href="https://www.wpbeaverbuilder.com/">Beaver Builder</a></strong></li>



<li><strong><a href="https://www.wpbeaverbuilder.com/blog/">Beaver Builder Blog</a></strong></li>



<li><strong><a href="https://48in48.org/">48in48</a></strong></li>



<li><strong><a href="https://webdesigntrainer.com/">Web Design Trainer by Joshua Long</a></strong></li>



<li><strong><a href="https://www.wpbeaverbuilder.com/woocommerce-page-builder/">Will Morris’s Article on WooCommerce and Beaver Builder</a></strong></li>
</ul>



<p></p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Tue, 27 Aug 2024 09:46:50 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:28;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:79:"Do The Woo Community: Recap of Do the Woo 4.0 Launch and WordPress dot com Post";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:28:"https://dothewoo.io/?p=84450";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:83:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/recap-of-do-the-woo-4-0-launch-and-wordpress-dot-com-post/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1843:"<p>As you know, during the week of WordCamp Europe 2024 last month, June 10 &#8211; 15, we led up to our huge launch of 4.0 at the event. A lot of content was pushed out, plus a so many conversations at WCEU about the launch. If you happened to miss any of it, here are the links to the episodes.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>June 10: <strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/do-the-woo-4-0-this-week-at-wordcamp-europe/">Do the Woo 4.0, This Week at WordCamp Europe</a></strong></li>



<li>June 11: <strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/a-new-show-scaling-enterprise-wordpress-and-oss/">A New Show, Scaling Enterprise, WordPress and OSS</a></strong></li>



<li>June 12: <a href="https://dothewoo.io/a-pre-launch-chat-with-jay-walsh-at-woocommerce/"><strong>A Pre-Launch Chat with Jay Walsh at WooCommerce</strong></a></li>



<li>June 13: <strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/thinking-about-our-launch-on-wceu-contributor-day/">Thinking About Our Launch on WCEU Contributor Day</a></strong></li>



<li>June 14: <strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/do-the-woo-podcast-channel-4-0-official-launch/">Do the Woo Podcast Channel 4.0 Official Launch</a></strong></li>



<li>June 15: <strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/learn-about-all-the-shows-on-the-do-the-woo-podcast-channel/">Learn About All the Shows on the Do the Woo Podcast Channel</a></strong></li>
</ul>



<p>Also, BobWP published a guest post on WordPress.com about the launch and partnership with WordPress.com, Woo and Jetpack.</p>



<p><strong><a href="https://wordpress.com/blog/2024/06/14/partner-spotlight-do-the-woo-4-0/">WordPress.com Partner Spotlight: Do the Woo&nbsp;4.0</a></strong></p>



<p><strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/press-release-do-the-woo-4-0-launches-at-wordcamp-europe/">And if you missed our press release, check that out here.</a></strong></p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:29;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:75:"Do The Woo Community: Tips for the One-Person Shop WordPress Plugin Builder";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=7127";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:70:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/tips-for-the-single-wordpress-plugin-builder/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5313:"<p>In an <strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/running-a-wordpress-plugin-business-single-handedly-with-mark-westguard/">episode on Do the Woo</a></strong>, Mark Westguard from WS Form talked about his journey and what it means to run a successful plugin shop single-handedly.</p>



<p>Here are 12 tips taken from that episode.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-community-involvement">Community Involvement</h3>



<p>Engage with the WordPress community by attending events like WordCamps, and consider sponsoring these events to build a network and gain support from other developers and users.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-documentation">Documentation</h3>



<p>Develop a comprehensive knowledge base for your plugin. Write articles for frequently asked questions to reduce support requests and provide instant answers to users.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-customer-driven-development">Customer-Driven Development</h3>



<p>Focus on customer feedback to guide the development of new features. Use a feature request page where users can submit and vote on new ideas.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-support-automation">Support Automation</h3>



<p>Automate support as much as possible. Use tools to recommend knowledge base articles based on user queries and streamline the support process.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-efficient-time-management">Efficient Time Management</h3>



<p>Prioritize tasks by balancing between reactive updates (e.g., API changes) and proactive development of new features based on customer demand and potential business impact.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-collaborate-with-third-parties">Collaborate with Third Parties</h3>



<p>Work with third-party developers and services to extend the functionality of your plugin. This helps in managing integrations and keeping your plugin up-to-date.</p>



<div class="wp-block-group has-border-color has-light-gray-background-color has-background has-small-font-size has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-147 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained">
<p class="has-secondary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f0a1ab971f9dce87252b162a11a595d4">Thanks to our sponsor&#8230;</p>



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<img width="500" height="500" tabindex="0" src="https://i0.wp.com/dothewoo.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Weglot-square.jpg?resize=500%2C500&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-80104" />
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<div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">
<p class="wp-container-content-68"><a href="https://www.weglot.com/blog/weglot-woocommerce-partner"><strong>Weglot</strong> is now an official partner with WooCommerce</a>. That means going multilingual is even easier. You can now find their integration live on the <strong>WooCommerce marketplace!</strong></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-profitability-focus">Profitability Focus</h3>



<p>Maintain a high level of profitability by being cautious about hiring. Consider hiring only when the workload becomes unmanageable and impacts personal life significantly.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-multi-function-roles">Multi-Function Roles</h3>



<p>When hiring, look for individuals who can handle multiple roles, including support, development, and representation at events, to maximize efficiency and reduce costs.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-self-service-tools">Self-Service Tools</h3>



<p>Develop tools that allow users to solve their problems without contacting support. This includes automated responses and a robust support form that guides users to the right resources.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-selective-feature-development">Selective Feature Development</h3>



<p>Not all feature requests should be built. Focus on those that benefit a broader audience and align with your plugins primary use cases. Niche or highly specific requests can often be handled through custom code or third-party services.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-marketing-and-visibility">Marketing and Visibility</h3>



<p>Actively market your plugin by demonstrating its capabilities and forming relationships within the WordPress community. Participate in podcasts, write articles, and engage on social media.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-balance-work-and-personal-life">Balance Work and Personal Life</h3>



<p>Ensure your work does not negatively impact your personal life. Be mindful of your working hours and make adjustments when necessary to maintain a healthy work-life balance.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:30;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:79:"Do The Woo Community: Press Release: Do the Woo 4.0 Launches at WordCamp Europe";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=7063";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:82:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/press-release-do-the-woo-4-0-launches-at-wordcamp-europe/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5714:"<p><strong>For Immediate Release</strong></p>



<p><strong>Do the Woo 4.0 Official Launch: Elevating Voices in the WordPress Community</strong></p>



<p>WordCamp Europe, June 9, 2024 — We are thrilled to announce the official launch of Do the Woo 4.0, marking a significant milestone in our journey to build a vibrant community for WordPress and WooCommerce builders and businesses. This launch coincides with the first day of WordCamp Europe.</p>



<p>Since 2018, Do the Woo has evolved through continuously, growing both in content and community engagement. The decision to move Do the Woo to its own site in late 2022 was the first major step for the future. As we entered 2023, our mission began to extend beyond WooCommerce to encompass the broader WordPress ecosystem. The idea was simple: elevate voices and create a podcast by the community, for the community.</p>



<p>At the beginning of 2023, planning for the new started and in October, we solidified our efforts, with the goal of showcasing the diverse range of the Do the Woo podcast channel with our shows. With significant support from WordPress.com, this vision became a reality, culminating in a redesigned site that went live in March.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This week, we start our prelaunch. The official launch will be on June 13, 2024, when we will proudly unveil the fully developed Do the Woo 4.0.</p>



<p><strong>Key Features of Do the Woo 4.0</strong></p>



<p><strong>Comprehensive Podcast Lineup:</strong>&nbsp;</p>



<p>With the official launch, we now have a total of <a href="https://dothewoo.io/our-shows/">12 shows</a> and <a href="https://dothewoo.io/about-the-woocommerce-builder-community/">26 hosts</a>, including our latest addition focused on <a href="https://dothewoo.io/podcasts/scaling-enterprise-wordpress-and-open-source-software/">enterprise WordPress and open-source software (OSS)</a>. <a href="https://dothewoo.io/our-shows/">Each show has its own dedicated page</a>, allowing listeners to learn about the series, explore past episodes, and subscribe to their favorite content.</p>



<p><strong>Enhanced User Experience:</strong>&nbsp;</p>



<p>Our top priority was to provide an easy way for listeners to subscribe to the shows they want. They can subscribe to individual shows or opt for the full Do the Woo feed if they want to stay updated on all content.</p>



<p><strong>Global Community Representation:&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>The <a href="https://dothewoo.io/about-the-woocommerce-builder-community/">About page</a> features a dynamic map showcasing our hosts, sponsors, and guests from around the world. This interactive feature highlights the global reach and diverse backgrounds of our contributors.</p>



<p><strong>Support for Hosts</strong>:&nbsp;</p>



<p>We’ve introduced a <a href="https://dothewoo.io/support/">new support option</a> on our site, allowing listeners to support specific shows and their volunteer hosts. This initiative aims to sustain the high-quality content produced by our dedicated team and support them in their travels and contributions to the community.</p>



<p><strong>Special Acknowledgments</strong></p>



<p><strong>Partners:</strong>&nbsp;</p>



<p>We extend our heartfelt thanks to WordPress.com, WooCommerce, and Jetpack for their unwavering belief in our community and the incredible support they have provided.</p>



<p><strong>Sponsors:</strong>&nbsp;</p>



<p>Do the Woo&#8217;s existence and growth are made possible by our sponsors. We express our deepest gratitude to our current sponsors: Airwallex, Avalara, Cloudways, GoDaddy, Hostinger, Omnisend, and Weglot. Their commitment to our community is invaluable.</p>



<p><strong>Podcast episodes for the launch week scheduled to go out</strong></p>



<p>June 10: <strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/do-the-woo-4-0-this-week-at-wordcamp-europe/">Do the Woo 4.0, This Week at WordCamp Europe</a></strong></p>



<p>June 11: <strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/a-new-show-scaling-enterprise-wordpress-and-oss/">A New Show, Scaling Enterprise, WordPress and OSS</a></strong></p>



<p>June 12: <a href="https://dothewoo.io/a-pre-launch-chat-with-jay-walsh-at-woocommerce/"><strong>A Pre-Launch Chat with Jay Walsh at WooCommerce</strong></a></p>



<p>June 13: <strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/thinking-about-our-launch-on-wceu-contributor-day/">Thinking About Our Launch on WCEU Contributor Day</a></strong></p>



<p>June 14: <strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/do-the-woo-podcast-channel-4-0-official-launch/">Do the Woo Podcast Channel 4.0 Official Launch</a></strong></p>



<p>June 15: <strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/learn-about-all-the-shows-on-the-do-the-woo-podcast-channel/">Learn About All the Shows on the Do the Woo Podcast Channel</a></strong></p>



<p><strong>Join Us</strong></p>



<p>We invite you to explore the new Do the Woo 4.0 at <a href="http://DotheWoo.io">DotheWoo.io</a>. Whether you are a developer, a business owner, or simply a WordPress enthusiast, there is something for everyone. Take a moment to browse through the site, subscribe to your favorite shows, and consider supporting our hosts.</p>



<p>For more information, to be featured on a podcast, or to discuss sponsorship opportunities, please contact BobWP directly. We have exciting plans ahead and look forward to sharing them with you.</p>



<p><strong>Contact:</strong></p>



<p>BobWP</p>



<p>Email: info@dothewoo.io</p>



<p>Website: <a href="https://dothewoo.io">https://dothewoo.io</a></p>



<p>Thank you for being part of our community and for your continued support. We can&#8217;t wait to see where this journey takes us next.</p>



<p>###</p>



<p>End of Press Release</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:31;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:86:"Do The Woo Community: 12 Public Relation Tips for WordPress and WooCommerce Businesses";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=6707";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:90:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/12-public-relation-tips-for-wordpress-and-woocommerce-businesses/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:3590:"<p>In a recent <a href="https://dothewoo.io/adding-public-relations-to-your-wordpress-or-woo-biz-stack/"><strong>Woo BizChat</strong></a>, hosts Emma and Adam talked about the benefits of PR for WordPress specific businesses. Adam is a PR specialist that is founder of <strong><a href="https://cirrusinfluence.com/">Cirrus Influence</a></strong>.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Start with the why:</strong> Before starting a PR campaign or diving into networking events like WordCamps, clarify the purpose and objectives behind your efforts. Understanding the &#8220;why&#8221; will guide your actions and decisions.</li>



<li><strong>Identify your tribe:</strong> Find the communities or groups where your target audience is active and engage with them. Building relationships within these communities can provide invaluable support and opportunities for collaboration.</li>



<li><strong>Be bold and persistent:</strong> Don&#8217;t be afraid to reach out to potential partners or event organizers. Even if you receive a &#8220;no&#8221; initially, don&#8217;t be discouraged. Seek constructive feedback and consider alternative approaches for future endeavors.</li>



<li><strong>Develop your expertise:</strong> Continuously work on improving and sharing your knowledge and expertise. Consider giving talks at local meetups or WordCamps to establish yourself as an industry expert.</li>



<li><strong>Practice public speaking:</strong> Engage in activities like Toastmasters to improve your public speaking skills. Confidence in presenting your ideas is crucial for effective communication and networking.</li>



<li><strong>Embrace confidence:</strong> Confidence doesn&#8217;t come from external validation. You have to believe in yourself and your capabilities. Take the initiative and recognize your own potential.</li>



<li><strong>Avoid hard-selling tactics:</strong> When participating in events or engaging with potential customers, focus on building relationships rather than pushing sales. Provide value and focus on becoming a trusted resource for your audience.</li>



<li><strong>Keep track of data and feedback:</strong> Gather data and feedback from your PR activities to assess what is working and what needs improvement. Data points, whether positive or negative, provide insights for refining your PR strategies.</li>



<li><strong>Engage in the margin:</strong> Allocate resources and opportunities for creative marketing initiatives. Having some margin allows you to experiment with brand-building activities and sustain long-term growth.</li>



<li><strong>Utilize WordCamps as relationship building:</strong> Attend and sponsor WordCamps with the intention of building relationships rather than solely emphasizing direct sales. Use these events to connect with the WordPress community and establish your brand identity.</li>



<li><strong>Don&#8217;t wait for confidence:</strong> Confidence is an internal decision. Don&#8217;t wait for external validation or a sudden surge of belief in your abilities. Take charge of your confidence and trust in your potential to make things happen.</li>



<li><strong>Seek encouragement within:</strong> Ultimately, the motivation and encouragement you need comes from within. Don&#8217;t rely solely on external sources for validation. Embrace self-encouragement and belief in your journey.</li>
</ul>



<p>Listen to the full episode here: <a href="https://dothewoo.io/adding-public-relations-to-your-wordpress-or-woo-biz-stack/">Adding Public Relations to Your WordPress or Woo Biz Stack</a></p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:32;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:71:"Do The Woo Community: 10 Ways to Boost Your WordPress Affiliate Program";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=6726";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:75:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/10-ways-to-boost-your-wordpress-affiliate-program/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:3224:"<p>Creating and running an affiliate program for your WordPress products or services can be overwhelming and challenging. Alex Standiford is asking everyone to rethink affiliate programs. Here are 10 ideas that may spark something new in your affiliate program.</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Consider Diverse Performance-Based Programs</strong>: Look beyond traditional affiliate models and consider partnerships that offer payouts based on specific performance metrics, such as driving traffic, customer satisfaction, or content engagement, in addition to sales.</li>



<li><strong>Focus on Quality Over Quantity</strong>: Rather than targeting a large number of affiliates, aim to work closely with a smaller group of committed affiliates who are aligned with your brand and have the potential for significant conversions.</li>



<li><strong>Develop Personalized Partnerships</strong>: Foster stronger relationships with affiliates by providing personalized support, workflow insights, and one-on-one consultations to maximize their success.</li>



<li><strong>Explore Profit Margin-based Payouts</strong>: Determine payout percentages based on your profit margins, ensuring that the compensation aligns with the value brought in by affiliates.</li>



<li><strong>Emphasize Collaboration Among Affiliates</strong>: Allow for multiple affiliates to earn credit for the same sale, encouraging collaboration and teamwork among the affiliates rather than fostering competition.</li>



<li><strong>Evaluate the Long-term Commitment of Affiliates</strong>: Understand the level of commitment required for your products or services, especially for items with significant user loyalty, such as recurring payment services, and consider tailored affiliate approaches for each category.</li>



<li><strong>Avoid Over-reliance on Volume-based Traffic</strong>: Challenge the effectiveness of purely volume-based traffic and explore more nuanced and sustainable strategies to create a more targeted and engaged audience.</li>



<li><strong>Encourage Allyship and Teamwork Among Affiliates</strong>: Foster an environment where affiliates can work together as allies, leveraging each other&#8217;s strengths to attract and convert traffic, encouraging specialized roles and collaboration for improved performance.</li>



<li><strong>Consider Tailored Affiliate Programs</strong>: Explore the possibility of customizing affiliate programs to match specific niches, addressing the limitations of generic affiliate approaches and contributing to improved partnership outcomes.</li>



<li><strong>Prioritize In-depth Support and Education</strong>: Provide comprehensive resources, insights, and dedicated support to affiliates, setting up workflows to guide them through effective strategies and enable overall success.</li>
</ol>



<p>You can learn about Alex&#8217;s WordPress plugin <strong><a href="https://www.sirenaffiliates.com/">SirenAffilates.com</a></strong> and / or listen to the full episode on Do the Woo: <a href="https://dothewoo.io/reimagining-affiliate-programs-for-your-woo-biz-with-alex-standiford/"><strong>Reimagining Affiliate Programs for Your Woo Biz with Alex Standiford</strong></a></p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:33;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:86:"Do The Woo Community: 12 Email Marketing Tips for WooCommerce and WordPress Businesses";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=6246";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:90:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/12-email-marketing-tips-for-woocommerce-and-wordpress-businesses/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:6257:"<p>In a podcast episode of <em><strong>Woo BizChat </strong></em>we had email marketing expert Greg Zakowicz from Omnisend chatting with Emma and Adam. Although it&#8217;s recommended that you listen to the full episode, <strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/email-marketing-tips-for-woo-and-wordpress-businesses/">Email Marketing for Woo and WordPress Builders and Businesses with Greg Zakowicz</a></strong> , here are 12 tips to help with your WordPress or WooCommerce business, whether you create products or provide services.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-embrace-automation">Embrace Automation</h2>



<p>Greg emphasizes the effectiveness of automated emails, revealing that 41% of all email marketing orders sent by Omnisend customers came from automated messages. Automation allows you to send targeted and relevant messages based on the user&#8217;s behavior, making it a powerful tool for increasing engagement and conversions.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-focus-on-high-intent-automated-messages">Focus on High-Intent Automated Messages</h2>



<p>Greg highlights specific automated messages that drive results, including welcome messages, browse abandonment, and cart abandonment emails. These messages are high-intent and directly tied to user behavior, making them more likely to lead to conversions.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-utilize-social-proof-in-subject-lines">Utilize Social Proof in Subject Lines</h2>



<p>Greg suggests that subject lines featuring social proof, such as top-rated products or five-star reviews, can capture attention. Incorporating elements that highlight the quality and popularity of your products or services can make your emails more appealing to recipients.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-experiment-with-emojis-in-subject-lines">Experiment with Emojis in Subject Lines</h2>



<p>Despite not being a new concept, Greg emphasizes the continued effectiveness of using emojis in subject lines. Emojis can help break up the visual monotony, especially on mobile devices, making your emails stand out in crowded inboxes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-optimize-for-mobile-and-visual-appeal">Optimize for Mobile and Visual Appeal</h2>



<p>Greg discusses the importance of visual elements, white space, and breaking up text to make emails visually appealing. Since many users access emails on their mobile devices, optimizing for mobile responsiveness and creating visually engaging content can enhance the overall user experience.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clean-inactive-contacts-regularly">Clean Inactive Contacts Regularly</h2>



<p>Greg emphasizes the importance of cleaning inactive contacts from your email list to maintain deliverability and engagement rates. Sending emails to inactive contacts can negatively impact your sender reputation and result in lower inbox placement. Regularly clean your list, preferably twice a year, to remove subscribers who haven&#8217;t engaged in a significant period.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understand-and-monitor-email-deliverability-requirements">Understand and Monitor Email Deliverability Requirements</h2>



<p>Stay informed about email deliverability requirements, such as authentication protocols like DKIM, DMARC, and SPF. Greg mentions that Google and Yahoo have implemented new deliverability requirements, and compliance with these standards is crucial for proving your legitimacy as a sender and avoiding potential deliverability issues.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-benchmark-against-yourself-not-just-industry-averages">Benchmark Against Yourself, Not Just Industry Averages</h2>



<p>While industry benchmarks can provide useful insights, Greg advises marketers to primarily benchmark against their own performance. Focus on improving your open rates and click-through rates over time rather than comparing yourself solely to industry averages, as different list-cleaning practices can significantly impact these benchmarks.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-leverage-competitive-differentiators-in-email-templates">Leverage Competitive Differentiators in Email Templates</h2>



<p>When creating email templates, highlight competitive differentiators such as free shipping, fast delivery, and customer service policies. Templatize this information to make it highly visible in your emails, catering to the specific intent of users who are looking for such value propositions when deciding whether to engage with your email content.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-templatize-social-proof-and-value-propositions">Templatize Social Proof and Value Propositions</h2>



<p>Incorporate social proof, customer testimonials, and value propositions into your email templates. Whether it&#8217;s showcasing five-star reviews, testimonials about great customer service, or emphasizing hassle-free returns, templatizing this content can build confidence and address potential obstacles to conversion, ultimately increasing click-through rates.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implement-automated-retargeting-sequences">Implement Automated Retargeting Sequences</h2>



<p>Greg emphasizes the importance of setting up automated retargeting sequences based on user behavior. Whether it&#8217;s a browse abandonment or cart abandonment, these automated sequences can significantly improve the chances of reengaging with users who have shown interest in your products. By strategically utilizing automation, you can &#8220;feed the wolf&#8221; over time, increasing the likelihood of recapturing customers at a lower cost compared to other retargeting methods.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-use-ai-tools-for-subject-line-generation">Use AI Tools for Subject Line Generation</h2>



<p>Greg recommends using AI tools, such as the subject line generator provided by Omnisend, to overcome creative blocks when crafting email subject lines. AI-powered tools can offer a fresh perspective and propose creative subject lines that may not have been considered. This can be particularly useful in ensuring that your subject lines stand out and capture the attention of your audience, contributing to higher email open rates</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:34;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:73:"Do The Woo Community: Learn Marketing Deeply with Your WordPress Products";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=6241";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:53:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/wordpress-product-marketing/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:2248:"<p>In a recent Emerging Tech episode David Lockie had the chance to talk about a lot of WordPress with Noel Tock plus catch up on what he is doing. This is the final thought coming from Noel, and I would recommend checking out the entire conversation: <a href="https://dothewoo.io/learn-wordpress-product-marketing-deeply/"><strong>Learn WordPress Product Marketing Deeply with Noel Tock</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-on-noel-s-mind">On Noel&#8217;s Mind</h2>



<p>I&#8217;d say what I talked about now is probably the thing that bugs me the most or lives rent free in my mind is that amazing effort and energy that everyone puts into WordPress, but then is trying to fit through a pipe that&#8217;s way too small in terms of product marketing is never really displayed in its full glory to the rest of the market in a very specialized way.</p>



<p>And it&#8217;s a struggle to you start thinking, are you delusional because you&#8217;re talking to an enterprise client when they say WordPress doesn&#8217;t do this, doesn&#8217;t do that. And you&#8217;re sitting there thinking, am I just like a WordPress advocate or do I actually know what I&#8217;m talking about?</p>



<p>So I think in many ways, when Matt, years ago, 2015, what was it 2015 when he said learn JavaScript deeply, I think now it&#8217;s learn marketing deeply. That&#8217;s what I think should be WordPress&#8217;s mission for the next two years because we are in a time when we&#8217;ve gone boom bust and we have an opportunity to seize right now as companies are looking at down rounds and they&#8217;re laying off staff.</p>



<p>One of the first places they cut is R&amp;D and innovation, and we have an opportunity to catch up on that ground. Not that we have to necessarily build a lot of stuff at all. I don&#8217;t even think we have to build that stuff, but I think we have to just do a much better job of product marketing at <strong>three, four or five levels of niches</strong>. And to me, it doesn&#8217;t mean that those couple niches define what WordPress is. There are just merely abstractions and narratives that sit on top of the WordPress we know today. It&#8217;s not trying to change what WordPress is.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:35;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:78:"Do The Woo Community: A WordPress Project Funding Solution and Where it Starts";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=6181";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:82:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/a-wordpress-project-funding-solution-and-where-it-starts/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:2682:"<p>In a deep discussion around supporting essential projects in the WordPress space <a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.linkedin.com/article/edit/7162363489506861056/">Tom Willmot</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.linkedin.com/article/edit/7162363489506861056/">Joost de Valk</a> explored the issues around the topic. Specifically how does this get solved?</p>



<p>As they described a particular project that you can learn more about in the <a href="https://dothewoo.io/funding-wordpress-projects-with-tom-willmot-and-joost-de-valk/"><strong>full episode</strong></a>, it led into many paths that led to the need for change. For contributors keeping up all of these essential projects and in reality, are like saying &#8220;Hey, y&#8217;all pay up for what I&#8217;m doing for you here for free.&#8221;</p>



<p>Joost opened it up with this thought it it went further into who should really be stepping up.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-a-perfect-world">In a perfect world&#8230;.</h2>



<p>Joost: But it also opens up a wider discussion about how do we support the tools that we use that are not like the tools that end users may be using, but the tools that we use to build those. It&#8217;s this whole ecosystem. And are we even aware of the fact that we&#8217;re using this code? Well, I think it&#8217;s a problematic thing, and I have my opinions on how we should solve this in an ideal world. Unfortunately, I&#8217;m not the one who gets to decide that.</p>



<p>So in my ideal world, we would have a WordPress app store where WordPress plugins, the plugin repository would not just be for free plugins, but would also be for commercial plugins. And we take a percentage of sales there and put that money to work on stuff like this and lots of other things. I think that would make WordPress better for everyone. We could how we want plugins to sell their things, and we couldn&#8217;t enforce all the proper legalities there that are needed, and we could fund the companies and the projects that we need that we all need to, well, to sustain our work.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-and-there-is-so-much-more">And there is so much more&#8230;</h3>



<p>Well, that was the perfect world for Joost. But Tom and Joost went on to talk about other ways of funding these projects and who should be stepping up. Of course, it&#8217;s not even that simple.</p>



<p><a href="https://dothewoo.io/funding-wordpress-projects-with-tom-willmot-and-joost-de-valk/"><strong>Listen to the full episode Funding WordPress Projects with Tom Willmot and Joost de Valk here.&nbsp;</strong></a></p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:36;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:73:"Do The Woo Community: Starter WooCommerce Performance Tips for Developers";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=6174";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:77:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/starter-woocommerce-performance-tips-for-developers/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:10033:"<p>In a <a href="https://dothewoo.io/woocommerce-performance-optimization/">Woo DevChat</a>, I asked <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrinazeidan?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAACbwBtEBQRgcNmwLLij0zaBN7znv_qYfCuM">Sabrina Zeidan</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/wputasic?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAACQSmi8BUWyj0LAr-g2JbUQcu799ehldCdA">Uros Tasic</a> to give their insights into WooCommerce performance. One suggestion that Sabrina made was that they come up a a few step for a developer who is not performance expert but they notice or they feel like you feel like the website is acting slow.</p>



<p>They don&#8217;t know whether it&#8217;s fronted or backend. It was fine a month ago and now it&#8217;s acting weirdly.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-using-a-query-monitor">Using a Query Monitor</h2>



<p>The first thing I would recommend is so easy. So this is not a developer tool, but it&#8217;s easy if you can add a plugin that is a query monitor. It can show you if there is some error on the site or if there are some slow queries to the database. So again, I know that there are developers going to say you can see slow queries, MySQL queries on the server. So that is advanced thing, the simplest thing, add a plugin and track, not the best thing, but you can see there if there are some issues.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-checking-the-logs">Checking the Logs</h2>



<p>If a query monitor doesn&#8217;t reveal anything or important, then I would suggest now depending on your hosting and server provider, you can check logs.</p>



<p>Let&#8217;s say for the people that are not experienced, there are two types of logs. One is the error log and another one is access log. So if you don&#8217;t know when something is happening or what kind of are pages causing it in access log, you can see that. For example, in the last hour you got 1000 views of specific page on the website that has a newsletter and some feed or something and then you can assume that something on that page is creating a problem and continue from there. In that case you can create test page with only one block or with only feed to see if that is going to behave slowly and then you can eliminate one by one. This is if the page is making a problem. Then you can see also if there is some current jobs or W-P-C-L-I commands and then you can address those.</p>



<p>For example, in multiple cases if you have a big database doing a backup, it can slow down the site because the database will be locked and then the site cannot do anything. So again, you can move backups, but you can see those details in the access login error log of the website. Again you cannot see everything there.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-using-more-advanced-tools">Using More Advanced Tools</h2>



<p>If you want to go more advanced and I want to be actively doing on performance, there are tools that I would recommend that you can use New Relic, you can use Xdebug or you can use Blackfire. All those three tools are testing your code performance. You can record the whole page and then it&#8217;ll tell you exactly how many queries, what function is called, how many times the function is called, which file is, and how it&#8217;s behaving in the background for you.</p>



<p>From there you can then pick saying, okay, this plugin is taking five seconds to load on this specific page to I really need this plugin or can this be changed? Can I introduce some caching plugin, can I? But those are a little bit more advanced tools but I would spend some time to get familiar with those similar tools.</p>



<p>So just once more, this is Blackfire, New Relic and Xdebug. Some of them are free, some of them have a paid plan. So again, you don&#8217;t need all three but you can start with at least one. And then again, if you want to test the front end and just the Google Page speed, you can use Lighthouse or Google speed may have some suggestion.</p>



<p>To sum it up, first one is query monitor, easy, and there are good things about it. It&#8217;s pretty user friendly. You can just see what&#8217;s happening and if something is red, you know that strong. So it&#8217;s easy to find the bottlenecks.</p>



<p>The second one would be check the logs on the server, both access and error logs and then PHP errors or something like that.And the third one is use one of the tools like Blackfire, New Relic or Xdebug and again you&#8217;ll find issues with plugins but then this is awareness I&#8217;m talking about. But yes, what would your steps be?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sabrina-s-perspective-as-a-performance-engineer">Sabrina&#8217;s perspective as a performance engineer</h2>



<p>I will share the steps when I&#8217;m hired to work on a websites, but steps that someone who is not performance expert but just a developer can take to identify what&#8217;s happening and if something is happening because this is the beginning of the process. So let&#8217;s say you just notice something is off. I would recommend to start with narrowing down the problem if it might be overwhelming for the person who is not used to a lot of performance information.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-google-search-console">Google search console</h3>



<p>I would recommend to first identify if the problem exists and if so where it does exist. I would recommend to go first thing to Google search console and check your core web vitals data and see if there are any issues there. Google Search console is place where in page size there is a small thing where you have core web vitals assessment. This is real field data from your website, but it comes from the bigger source of information and the more detailed report can be found in Google search console.</p>



<p>There is a tab there called core vitals. You can go there and check if your website is passing core vitals assessment. If the website is passing core web vitals assessment, especially on LCP and first input delay, which will soon be replaced with INP interactive to the next paint. So if it passing on this two, it means that real users don&#8217;t have problems with speed on your website on front end, but if at the same time you have the feeling that something is off, something is loading slowly, I would try to differentiate probably if it&#8217;s happening only when you locked in, if it&#8217;s happening for locked in users and it&#8217;s not happening for locked out users and then you will have the answer.</p>



<p>If it&#8217;s not happening for locked out users, there are no issues with core web vitals, then this issue most likely will be connected with something on backend that is cached or mitigated by something on front end for locked off users. Okay, this is already a lot of information for us. We already know that we should be looking in the backend because it&#8217;s happening in the backend and from this point I would recommend install query, monitor and looking there. But again, when you install query monitor, there is a huge amount of information there. If you don&#8217;t know where you are looking at, it&#8217;s easy to get lost. And some websites have a lot of issues. This happens to my clients a lot. They see that the website have a lot of issues, there are errors, there are slow queries, there are a lot of sales and scripts loading.</p>



<p>There are so many issues I would recommend to pinpoint what is the most easy thing to fix and the most easy things to fix are usually basic ones, First it&#8217;s PHP version. It would be so easy to, it&#8217;s really, really easy to fix. You just upgrade server to a higher PHP version test there. If all plugins play well with it, you keep it going.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-memory-limits">Memory limits</h3>



<p>Now the thing that is often overlooked, there is a theme that we have in WordPress that is called Ability memory limit and by default it&#8217;s set to 40 megabytes and I see a lot of cases when this default number hasn&#8217;t been changed. For years the site was surviving somehow, but now it&#8217;s not because 40 megabytes, it&#8217;s very, very low number.</p>



<p>But it happens often. I see that they are upgrading their hosting, they&#8217;re paying for say two gigabytes of RAM on their hosting, but there is a limit set in their WordPress to 40 gigabytes. So they never use what they&#8217;re paying for. By the way query monitor is showing that thing. So if memory limit is set to the default to 40 megabytes, you&#8217;ll see that in query monitor. That would be another very easiest thing to fix. This is something that you should be able to fix yourself and if after that the problem doesn&#8217;t disappear, that that is a sign there is a problem that this is a sign you should seek for help.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-misleading-object-caching">Misleading object caching</h3>



<p>Object caching can be a very good idea and query monitor might be showing that as well. What it shows you sometimes can be misleading. In query monitor it says object caching plugin is not in use and it&#8217;s a little bit misleading because you should check numbers next to this line seeing so many hits and so many cached and if you have from 100%, you have 95% cashed, that&#8217;s fine. It means query caching is working. It&#8217;s just you&#8217;re not using the plugin to manage it, but it is working. There is nothing to worry about. So my recommendation would be try to figure out if it&#8217;s frontend or backend by going to core web vitals. Then going as locked in user and trying to figure out if it&#8217;s backend or frontend. If it&#8217;s backend, it&#8217;s still query monitor, look at query basic things like WP memory limits.</p>



<p>You can listen to the entire episode <a href="https://dothewoo.io/woocommerce-performance-optimization/">WooCommerce Performance Optimization with Sabrina Zeidan and Uros Tasic</a>.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:37;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:82:"Do The Woo Community: Navigating High-Traffic Events with WooCommerce as an Agency";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=6082";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:86:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/navigating-high-traffic-events-with-woocommerce-as-an-agency/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:4090:"<p>Operating a large-scale e-commerce business is no small feat, but when Black Friday through Cyber Monday hits, the challenges intensify, making it a crucial period for businesses like Maksimer. From a <strong>conversation on Do the Woo&#8217;s DevChat</strong>, Nenad Conić talks with hosts Zach and Carl about the strategies and experiences shared by the team at Maksimer as they tackle the unique demands of Black Friday and maintain seamless operations during this high-stakes weekend.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preparing-for-a-high-traffic-event">Preparing for a high-traffic event</h2>



<p>Nenad highlights the importance of a two-month preparation period leading up to leading up to an event like Black Friday. Proactive communication with clients becomes paramount during this time, aiming to collaboratively plan and optimize sales campaigns. Emphasis is placed on creating effective landing pages that showcase sale products, allowing targeted optimization without overhauling the entire site. The goal is to enhance the customer experience on specific pages crucial for sales.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenges-and-solutions">Challenges and Solutions</h2>



<p>Despite great planning, there are always last-minute changes from some clients, creating unforeseen challenges. Nenad acknowledges that while it&#8217;s challenging to prevent such changes entirely, early communication and preparation remain critical. To address unexpected surges in server resource usage they implement monitoring systems. These systems trigger alerts when server resources approach their limits, enabling quick intervention to prevent site crashes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-navigating-the-unknown">Navigating the Unknown</h2>



<p>In the conversation it turns  to the unpredictable nature of server warnings, comparing them to a tsunami warning with a narrow window for response. Despite the challenges, having different departments within the company, such as the growth department and eco managers, provides additional support. Eco managers work closely with clients, offering insights and suggestions for handling their websites during high-traffic events.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-entrepreneurial-mindset">The Entrepreneurial Mindset</h2>



<p>They talk about the unique mindset of e-commerce store owners, describing them as self-motivated individuals eager to explore new tools and strategies. The challenge lies in balancing their entrepreneurial spirit with practical considerations. The team at Maksimer often receives requests to implement new features, such as affiliate programs, based on success stories from other store owners. Adapting these requests to the specific e-commerce platform and ensuring compatibility becomes an integral part of the collaboration.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-building-partnerships">Building Partnerships</h2>



<p>An important piece is the partnership dynamic between an agency and store owners in the e-commerce space. Unlike traditional marketing site builds, e-commerce clients actively engage throughout the entire process, understanding that their website directly influences their income stream. The agency&#8217;s role extends beyond building websites; they effectively control the client&#8217;s income funnel, requiring a collaborative and responsive approach to maintain client satisfaction, especially in crisis situations.</p>



<p>High-traffic events in e-commerce demands a combination of meticulous planning, effective communication, and adaptability. The insights shared by the team at Maksimer shed light on the complexities of e-commerce operations and the vital role played by agencies in ensuring a seamless and successful online retail experience, even in the face of unforeseen challenges.</p>



<p><a href="https://dothewoo.io/database-optimization-monitoring-tools-and-client-communication">You can listen to the full podcast episode, Database Optimization, Monitoring Tools, and Client Communication with Nenad Conić here.</a></p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:38;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:100:"Do The Woo Community: A Deep Dive into the WordPress and WooCommerce Ecosystem’s Growth Strategies";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=6115";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:101:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/a-deep-dive-into-the-wordpress-and-woocommerce-ecosystems-growth-strategies/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:9052:"<p>In the online business world, WordPress and WooCommerce stand tall as two popular platforms that help businesses flourish. But to truly scale and excel, businesses need more than just the knowledge of these platforms—they need a well-thought-out plan.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This post dives deep into the growth strategies that can be implemented within the WordPress and WooCommerce ecosystems.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-the-wordpress-and-woocommerce-ecosystem"><strong>Understanding the WordPress and WooCommerce Ecosystem</strong></h2>



<p>The WordPress and WooCommerce ecosystem is vibrant, involving a wide array of stakeholders that contribute to its rich diversity.&nbsp;</p>



<p>At its core, this ecosystem includes theme and plugin providers, developers, and hosting providers. These entities work hand in hand, each playing a vital role in creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.</p>



<p>Theme and plugin providers, for instance, offer essential tools that enhance the functionality and aesthetic appeal of WordPress sites, ensuring users enjoy a seamless experience.&nbsp;</p>



<p><a href="https://dothewoo.io/woo-dev-chat/">Developers, on the other hand, bring in technical expertise</a>, customizing websites to meet specific business needs, while hosting providers offer the requisite infrastructure, ensuring websites are accessible, reliable, and fast.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wordpress-and-its-market-dominance"><strong>WordPress and Its Market Dominance</strong></h3>



<p>An understanding of the WordPress and WooCommerce ecosystem wouldn&#8217;t be complete without appreciating WordPress&#8217;s market dominance. WordPress holds sway over a significant portion of the CMS market, powering <a href="https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cm-wordpress">over 40% of all websites</a> currently available on the internet.</p>



<p>The factors driving its widespread adoption are its flexibility, ease of use, and extensive customization possibilities. <strong>WordPress&#8217;s open-source nature</strong>, combined with its vast community of developers and theme and plugin providers, provides businesses with virtually unlimited potential for customizability.</p>



<p>It&#8217;s this scalability and versatility that have contributed significantly to WordPress&#8217;s sustained market dominance.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-woocommerce-and-its-place-in-ecommerce"><strong>WooCommerce and Its Place in eCommerce</strong></h3>



<p>WooCommerce is a dynamic player in the global eCommerce market. It rides on WordPress&#8217;s success by providing an intuitive, flexible, and powerful ecommerce platform that businesses of all sizes can leverage to set up online stores.</p>



<p>The benefits of WooCommerce are immense. From its seamless integration with WordPress, ease of use, flexibility, and the availability of numerous themes and plugins, WooCommerce offers businesses a customizable platform for setting up online stores.</p>



<p>When stacked against other platforms like Shopify, Magento, and BigCommerce, WooCommerce shines for its affordability and adaptability. Shopify and BigCommerce are monthly subscription-based platforms, while Magento can be complex and may require expert developer knowledge.&nbsp;</p>



<p>On the contrary, WooCommerce is free, open-source, and user-friendly, making it a viable contender in the eCommerce space.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-identifying-opportunities-for-growth"><strong>Identifying Opportunities for Growth</strong></h2>



<p>In the dynamic WordPress and WooCommerce ecosystem, businesses must continuously identify and seize growth opportunities. A successful scaling strategy involves playing to the platform&#8217;s strengths and seeing beyond immediate needs to include future prospects.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Below are growth opportunities that businesses can use:</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-expanding-product-offerings"><strong>1. Expanding Product Offerings</strong></h3>



<p>In any business venture, innovation is key. To truly tap into the potential of WooCommerce and WordPress, consider expanding your product offerings. This could be done by developing new plugins or incorporating additional services that complement your current product.</p>



<p>Examples could include tools that enhance website functionality, services geared towards improving the user-experience, or partnerships aimed at promoting your product.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-building-strong-partnerships"><strong>2. Building Strong Partnerships</strong></h3>



<p>Behind every successful business, there&#8217;s a <a href="https://dothewoo.io/the-enigma-of-wordpress-and-woocommerce-partnerships/">network of strong partnership</a>s. In the WordPress and WooCommerce ecosystem, fruitful connections can be forged with plugin and theme providers, WordPress agencies, and hosting providers.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Collaborating with these entities on various initiatives can lead to reciprocal benefits and expanded growth opportunities.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-focusing-on-customer-success-and-support"><strong>3. Focusing on Customer Success and Support</strong></h3>



<p>The backbone of every successful business is its loyal customers. By building a robust customer support system, you&#8217;ll foster trust, loyalty, and eventual advocacy.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Prioritize customer success management, which involves understanding your customers&#8217; journey and providing the support they need at every step.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-investing-in-content-marketing-and-seo"><strong>4. Investing in Content Marketing and SEO</strong></h3>



<p>The secret sauce for <a href="https://www.thedotstore.com/influencer-marketing/">gaining visibility and attracting customers</a> lies in content marketing and SEO.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Creating valuable, engaging, and <a href="https://dothewoo.io/future-seo-content-ai/">SEO-friendly content</a> ensures your business&#8217; visibility to potential customers and argues for your credibility within your industry.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-adapting-to-industry-trends"><strong>5. Adapting to Industry Trends</strong></h3>



<p>In today&#8217;s rapidly changing digital world, staying informed about industry trends and adapting your strategies accordingly, can be a game-changer for your business.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Regular monitoring of industry best practices, competitor activity, and <a href="https://dothewoo.io/tag/emerging-technologies/">emerging technology</a> trends can keep you on your toes and ready to adapt.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-measuring-the-success-of-growth-strategies"><strong>Measuring the Success of Growth Strategies</strong></h2>



<p>Implementing growth strategies without a system to measure their success won&#8217;t yield the desired effect. Analytics play a vital role in gauging the effectiveness of strategies and indicate where improvements are needed.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-metrics-to-nbsp-track"><strong>Metrics to&nbsp; Track</strong></h3>



<p>To quantify your strategy&#8217;s success, consider tracking metrics like customer acquisition costs, churn rate, and average revenue per user.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These metrics provide insight into how effectively your strategies are working, where improvements could be made, and whether you&#8217;re reaching your desired goals.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adjusting-strategies-based-on-data"><strong>Adjusting Strategies Based on Data</strong></h3>



<p>Data is your best ally when it comes to steering the direction of your growth strategies. It adds objectivity to the process, helps you steer clear of bias-based decisions and allows for strategic pivots based on insights drawn from real-life performance.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Continuous analysis and refinement of your strategies based on <a href="https://dothewoo.io/woocommerce-custom-order-tables-databases-and-performance/">performance data</a> will help ensure that your growth strategies remain effective and relevant in the long run.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-final-words"><strong>Final Words</strong></h2>



<p>The WordPress and WooCommerce platforms are excellent tools for online business growth. However, simply knowing how to use these tools isn&#8217;t enough.&nbsp;</p>



<p>To truly succeed, businesses must have a solid plan. This should involve identifying new opportunities, building partnerships, focusing on customer service, staying updated with industry trends, and making data-driven decisions.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Combining these strategies ensure success not only today but also prepares businesses for the future.</p>



<p class="has-theme-palette-5-background-color has-background has-medium-font-size"><strong>This is a guest post from our sponsor and the team at <a href="https://www.thedotstore.com/">Dotstore</a></strong></p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:39;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:72:"Do The Woo Community: Documentation is a Gift to the WordPress Community";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=6007";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:76:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/documentation-is-a-gift-to-the-wordpress-community/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1370:"<p>While we we were recording an episode of <strong><em>The WordPress Way</em></strong> at Do the Woo about <a href="https://dothewoo.io/importance-of-product-testing-in-wordpress/"><strong>The Importance of Product Testing in WordPress</strong></a>, guest Brian Alexander did a quick note in the chat tool we use during a recording, simply saying, &#8220;Documentation is a gift to the community.&#8221; Host Abha Thakor asked him to elaborate on that.</p>



<p><strong>Brian</strong>: Yeah, consider someone who is not as familiar with WordPress or is having a problem with their website or is a developer who&#8217;s just getting started. All of those different roles benefit from having strong updated documentation. Think of how many forum posts might not have been logged because it was clearly stated how to use a particular feature in the documentation or perhaps uncovering bugs as you said, because that&#8217;s all part of it. Validating your documentation in a way you&#8217;re testing what your assumptions are and if those assumptions are incorrect, then you&#8217;re assuming the wrong thing or there&#8217;s a bug in the system.</p>



<p>So that definitely becomes a gift to the entire community as a resource that doesn&#8217;t require one-on-one time or tying up one person. It&#8217;s very inefficient for one person to answer all the questions.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:40;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:65:"Do The Woo Community: How the Pace has Changed with SEO at Google";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=5991";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:69:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/how-the-pace-has-changed-with-seo-at-google/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:1697:"<p>In a podcast episode of Emerging Tech at Do the Woo, host David Lockie asked Alex Moss this question.</p>



<p>With how much is SEO changing &#8217;cause it&#8217;s a pretty mature practice now, and obviously like the cries of SEO is there have been ringing for, you know, almost as long as SEO&#8217;s been around, what sort of changes is Google making? You talked about schema. What&#8217;s that pace of change like now compared to how it has been over the last say, 20 years?</p>



<p><strong><em>Alex replied.</em></strong></p>



<p>I would say it seems that since September, Google have woken up to updating a lot more stuff. from what I heard, Google was busy with other things internally that that was prioritized over supporting schema within search console and different elements of it. But I saw when things like the FAQ and the event snippets were removed from the SERPs, there&#8217;s been a lot of testing over time of what different elements should be output in the search results.</p>



<p>And at the same time, you&#8217;ve got their own AI integrations with their own SERP. So there&#8217;s been a lot of changes, not only, I would say more clarification and expansion into what they&#8217;ve already been telling us the entire 20 years. So 20 years ago they had the webmaster guidelines, it was quite basic, right? But now it&#8217;s a whole documentation area of the site. everything&#8217;s been done. Even things like EEAT with their ethos on experience authority, trust, and expertise.</p>



<p><a href="https://dothewoo.io/future-seo-content-ai/">You can listen to more of his answer and the entire conversation around the future of AI, Content and SEO here.</a></p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:41;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:101:"Do The Woo Community: Managing Response Times for Support with Your WooCommerce and WordPress Plugins";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=6061";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:105:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/managing-response-times-for-support-with-your-woocommerce-and-wordpress-plugins/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:4822:"<p>In a Woo BizChat show <strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/the-path-for-creating-a-premium-plugin-extension/">about the path to creating Woo or WP plugins as extension of other plugins</a></strong>, host Marcus asked Maarten and Katie about support response times.</p>



<p><strong>Maarten</strong>: Well, if you want low response times, you have to do a lot yourself. So I did support for a long time before I hired somebody to help me with it, and now we&#8217;re kind of splitting the workload and I still go in there from time to time just to see what are the really technical tickets or if I know a customer, I will reply to them just to maintain that relationship or if I feel like I can get some more information out of the issue that the customer has or what they might want next for the plugin. </p>



<p>I&#8217;ll also jump in and reply. So I keep doing a lot of support and since I develop my own plugins, it&#8217;s always going to be the fastest. I can do probably 20 tickets in an hour and they will be finished too. There will be a reply.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-using-support-to-perfect-documentation">Using support to perfect documentation</h2>



<p>So that&#8217;s really the best thing to do for me. But yeah, it takes a lot of time, so you want to have to put in that time. But other than that, what I also did is I keep perfecting documentation, so I keep going back to the same documentation. If a customer has a question that is in the documentation and they didn&#8217;t find a reply, I will rewrite it. I will find a different way to say the same thing. And now I&#8217;m also experimenting with AI just to see if it can help with lowering that burden on support and also just give a quicker answer to my customers.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-average-ticket-when-you-delegate-support-might-take-half-an-hour-to-do">The average ticket when you delegate support might take half an hour to do</h3>



<p><strong>Katie</strong>: It&#8217;s interesting what you say about being able to do 20 tickets an hour because that highlights the most difficult thing that I have found in outsourcing your support and getting help with it because I too, as the founder, very, very fast at responding to tickets at what I think is very high quality. I know the product so well, I know our documentation, I wrote it after all. And so I can provide good responses very quickly, but then as soon as you start hiring out people to do it, whether they&#8217;re in-house or not, you find that that&#8217;s not what you receive. </p>



<p>Typically, and I&#8217;ve talked to many other WordPress product companies, the average ticket when you delegate support might take half an hour to do. They&#8217;re not doing 20 tickets an hour or anything like that. And as a founder, that&#8217;s really frustrating because you don&#8217;t understand why they&#8217;re not as fast as you, but you kind of have to just learn to accept that it&#8217;s one of the inevitable consequences of growing.</p>



<p>For example, at Barn2, we handle 22,000 support tickets last year. So clearly I can&#8217;t do all the support myself, and I would love to, I really enjoy support, particularly pre-sales because it&#8217;s an excellent touchpoint with your customers where you can really learn their motivation, how they see your products, and constantly when I do step into support and talk to customers, I&#8217;m finding opportunities to improve the documentation, improve the products, improve our sales pages. I learned so much from doing the support, but it&#8217;s not realistic. And so you have to get help and as part of that, you just have to accept that nobody is as fast as you.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-i-still-go-in-there-and-i-do-a-lot-of-support">I still go in there and I do a lot of support</h3>



<p><strong>Maarten</strong>: Yeah, and I was going to add that I fully agree with you there. It&#8217;s very frustrating in the beginning to find a support agent because you are used to your own speed of doing things, and it&#8217;s like you said, you have to come to terms with it. And for me, it took like six months where I was very frustrated with how things were going, and then I realized that it&#8217;s just all in my head and my expectations need to be different, and now everything&#8217;s going well. </p>



<p>I&#8217;m very happy with the support guide and it&#8217;s all known off my shoulders, so it&#8217;s perfect really. But I still go in there and I do a lot of support, but it&#8217;s on my agenda to lower my burden on support for this year because I&#8217;m doing too much and I&#8217;m spread a little bit too thin, especially if I&#8217;m developing new plugins. So I&#8217;m going to have to let it go this year and do less support</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:42;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:80:"Do The Woo Community: Why Malware Scanner Plugins Do Not Work on WordPress Sites";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=5258";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:84:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/why-malware-scanner-plugins-do-not-work-on-wordpress-sites/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:7383:"<p><strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/security-from-the-basics-to-enterprise-with-calvin-alkan/">In a episode on Do the Woo, we had Calvin Alkin chatting with hosts Carl and Kathy.</a></strong></p>



<p>Kathy asked Calvin this question.</p>



<p>Calvin, I want to get back to why the plugin is, why that whole model doesn&#8217;t really work. Because of how PHP works. There might be some non-technical people who might not understand exactly how that model doesn&#8217;t work, and they might not be able to find time to read your research. But can you just give an overview of why that doesn&#8217;t,</p>



<p>What happens, I mean, I&#8217;ve seen the malware that&#8217;s done this, that&#8217;s like, oh, well, you can find everybody else&#8217;s malware, but you&#8217;re not going to find mine. And that hacker can modify those files. Can you explain why they can, why they get a site has an intrusion from, let&#8217;s say a SQL vulnerability, that SQL injection that does not have anything to do with anything happening in PHP, but they can still then get access to PHP files and modify them.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-scanner-plugins-won-t-work">Why scanner plugins won&#8217;t work</h2>



<p>So let&#8217;s start by at the point of through some means your site has been infected, so it doesn&#8217;t matter that infinite attack vectors, how that could have happened, but now your site has malware on it, and you also have a plugin that does malware scanning, maybe like using the WP chron periodically, or you can start it from the UI, whatever. But ultimately this scan, the malware scan runs in the same process, the PHP process and with the same privilege level as the malware. So the most simplest and the most blunt hit with the hammer approach, the malware could just simply disable or delete your security plugin from the file system. This will be like the easiest to understand the first time the malware runs, it just deletes your security plugin. That&#8217;s the easiest after there aren&#8217;t any scans, but obviously you as a site administrator would realize that at some point, yeah, maybe not immediately, but maybe you&#8217;ll realize eventually that your security plugin is gone.</p>



<p><br />So what they do is then because they can read the source code of the plugin, they can see how it works, and since they&#8217;re operating at the same privilege level, they&#8217;re both running inside of WordPress in the PHP process that powers WordPress, they can then alter the malware scanner in a way that maybe imagine this. They&#8217;re very complex operations going on to determine if a file is malware or not, and then the actual malware modifies that final result. It is displayed to you in the UI and just says, yeah, you&#8217;re all clean. Pretty much that&#8217;s how it works. They make the malware scanner lie to you. They make the malware scanner tell you there&#8217;s no malware, but there actually is. And the way to do that depends on malware based on the malware scanner that you have. And obviously we didn&#8217;t disclose what we did there. We don&#8217;t want to make it easier for folks, but it&#8217;s pretty easy, to be honest, like 10 lines of quote maybe to do that. It&#8217;s not hard. So yeah, that&#8217;s the fundamental issue. The system that is potentially infected wants to monitor itself, and that doesn&#8217;t work. It has to be from somewhere higher up or someplace that is more privileged at the server level.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plugins-that-have-firewalls-associated-built-into-the-plugin">Plugins that have firewalls associated built into the plugin</h3>



<p>So the firewall would be protection, not scanning. I mean, if you have hardware on your side, the firewall can be disabled in the very same manner. That&#8217;s also the, but at that point, you&#8217;re already infected. The firewall usually is there to prevent you from getting infected in the first place. There isn&#8217;t anything wrong in particular with plugin based firewalls. It&#8217;s more so that everything that you can do in a plugin with a firewall, you can do, for example, the Edge at CloudFlare or in the Nix firewall.</p>



<p><br />Yeah, just it&#8217;s heavy from a CIS admin perspective, especially in enterprise, right? We&#8217;re talking enterprise. So larger WooCommerce stores, larger sites, they need more PHP workers. They want their code to be more efficient so that the response time is faster and all those things. If every request has to be processed as a firewall request, it&#8217;s a lot of processing time dedicated to that. It&#8217;s not. Trivial in itself is a one serious reason to just not use super heavy security plugins like that is if they just do a lot and they put a lot of weight on your WordPress installation, which is a problem again for enterprise because they&#8217;re trying to be more performant, they&#8217;re trying to handle more sales, more everything, and you&#8217;re basically, it&#8217;s like having an ankle weight. You&#8217;re kind of dragging. Every request has this huge ankle weight that you&#8217;re dragging, and that serves not no purpose, but as we&#8217;re discussing the malware scanning doesn&#8217;t work. It&#8217;s more like security theater, right?</p>



<p><br />The malware scanning and some other things. Fundamentally, it&#8217;s impossible to perform that at the plugin level. And there are other things that are the same, but for example, the firewall, it is absolutely possible to write a secure firewall in a WebPress plugin. There&#8217;s nothing that makes it conceptually impossible, unlike the malware example. You can do that, whether the existing ones are secure, it&#8217;s a different topic, but it is theoretically possible. The thing is, it will not be performed because as Carl mentioned, at that point where the plugin based firewall runs, you already incur the majority of the cost of that request. You already went through the edge layer. Engine X ran, WordPress was booted, and then your firewall is hit. So it&#8217;s not performant. It&#8217;s possible to do it securely,</p>



<p><br />Or let&#8217;s go one step further to you&#8217;re trying to mitigate a DDoS. If your firewall&#8217;s, the actual PHP application, you ain&#8217;t mitigating anything, right? Your site&#8217;s blowing up either way. It&#8217;s all cool. You have a firewall, but you&#8217;re still getting hammered by hundreds of thousands of requests, your server&#8217;s not going to be able to handle it, and it&#8217;s not really designed for that either. You can do it on the same machine. I&#8217;ve done work with people that nonprofits where they can&#8217;t use American companies for security reasons, and so they can&#8217;t use CloudFlare or things like that. So you have to do a lot of the protection yourself at the machine level, but it&#8217;s not, you want those requests to be blocked. You can even overwhelm a Linux machine if you&#8217;re not careful, even with a DDoS. So that&#8217;s why it&#8217;s not efficient either, right? Part of the goal of a firewall is to prevent those DDoS attacks, and you basically are not doing that with a PV based firewall.</p>



<p><a href="https://dothewoo.io/security-from-the-basics-to-enterprise-with-calvin-alkan/">You can listen to the full episode here</a></p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:43;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:74:"Do The Woo Community: Headless WooCommerce: Pros, Cons, and When to Use It";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=5911";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:75:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/headless-woocommerce-pros-cons-and-when-to-use-it/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:7873:"<p>Headless WooCommerce is a modern approach to ecommerce websites, where the frontend (the part that users see and interact with) is separated from the backend (the part that processes data and business logic).&nbsp;</p>



<p>This separation allows developers to create custom, high-performing stores and gives them more control over the user experience. APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are the key to enabling communication between the frontend and backend in this headless architecture.</p>



<p>In traditional WooCommerce websites, the frontend and backend are tightly coupled, limiting flexibility and potentially impacting performance. With Headless WooCommerce, developers can harness the power of decoupled architecture to create lightning-fast websites that are more adaptable to change.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-headless-woocommerce-works"><strong>How Headless WooCommerce Works?</strong></h2>



<p><a href="https://bobwp.com/defining-headless-with-woocommerce-and-wordpress/">Headless WooCommerce</a> relies on a decoupled architecture, meaning that the frontend and backend operate independently from one another. This separation allows each layer to be developed and maintained independently, while still communicating effectively through APIs.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The use of <a href="https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/">REST API</a> or <a href="https://graphql.org">GraphQL</a> plays a crucial role in exchanging data between the two layers, enabling them to work together seamlessly.</p>



<p>When creating a custom frontend for Headless WooCommerce, developers can choose from various JavaScript frameworks such as <a href="https://react.dev/">React</a>, <a href="https://angular.io/">Angular</a>, or <a href="https://vuejs.org/">Vue</a>. These frameworks provide the tools needed to build interactive, high-performance user interfaces while capitalizing on WooCommerce&#8217;s robust backend infrastructure.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-benefits-of-headless-woocommerce"><strong>Benefits of Headless WooCommerce</strong></h2>



<p>There are several major advantages to implementing Headless WooCommerce, including:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Improved performance and website speed</strong>: Separating the frontend and backend allows for optimization of each layer, leading to faster load times and an overall better user experience.</li>



<li><strong>More freedom for frontend developers</strong>: With a decoupled architecture, frontend developers can build custom layouts, designs, and interactivity without worrying about conflicts or limitations from the backend.</li>



<li><strong>Better integration capabilities</strong>: APIs make it easier to integrate other services and applications into your ecommerce platform, streamlining business processes and customer interactions.</li>



<li><strong>Enhanced security</strong>: Separating the frontend and backend can create an additional layer of security, as potential vulnerabilities in one layer might not directly impact the other.</li>



<li><strong>Scalability</strong>: A headless setup supports the growth of your ecommerce business by allowing you to easily scale and adapt the frontend and backend independently.</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-drawbacks-of-headless-woocommerce"><strong>Drawbacks of Headless WooCommerce</strong></h2>



<p>Despite its advantages, there are potential disadvantages of opting for a Headless WooCommerce setup, such as:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Complexity in development and maintenance</strong>: Building and maintaining separate frontend and backend systems can require a higher level of technical knowledge and expertise, increasing the complexity of projects.</li>



<li><strong>Limited access to certain plugins and tools</strong>: Some <a href="https://www.thedotstore.com/woocommerce-plugins/">WooCommerce plugins and tools</a> might not be compatible with a headless setup, which may affect your choice of extensions and features.</li>



<li><strong>Cost factors related to development and hosting</strong>: Customizing and hosting separate systems may increase costs compared to traditional WooCommerce implementations.</li>



<li><strong>Steeper learning curve</strong>: Developers might need to learn new technologies, frameworks, or architectures to effectively work with Headless WooCommerce.</li>



<li><strong>Possibility of creating disjointed experiences</strong>: If the frontend and backend aren&#8217;t well-integrated, it can lead to dissonance or inconsistencies in the user experience.</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-to-use-headless-woocommerce"><strong>When to Use Headless WooCommerce?</strong></h2>



<p>Headless WooCommerce may not be suitable for all ecommerce stores, but it can yield significant benefits in specific situations. If your business is based on unique user experiences or needs custom interactivity that can&#8217;t be achieved with traditional themes, Headless WooCommerce could be the answer.</p>



<p>Businesses that require high scalability and flexibility are more likely to benefit from the separation of frontend and backend.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Also, those who need to integrate their stores with external systems, such as <a href="https://www.oracle.com/erp/what-is-erp/">ERP systems</a> or specialized CRM software, might find Headless WooCommerce more accommodating.</p>



<p>However, it&#8217;s important to remember that implementing Headless WooCommerce does require more development resources and skills. Be sure you have the team and budget to handle the increased complexity.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-alternatives-to-headless-woocommerce"><strong>Alternatives to Headless WooCommerce</strong></h2>



<p>Not all businesses are equipped or need to implement a headless approach. For those who find the concept excessive or unfit for their requirements, there are alternatives available.</p>



<p>Managed WordPress hosting solutions, for instance, provide an easier way for you to maintain your WooCommerce store. They handle technical aspects like security, backups, and updates, so you can focus on your business.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Additionally, if WooCommerce doesn&#8217;t meet your needs, there are plenty of other ecommerce platforms available. Shopify, Magento, and BigCommerce each have their own distinct advantages and could be worth considering. Though they might not offer the same degree of customization and flexibility as WooCommerce, they may fit your clients needs better.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-final-words"><strong>Final Words!</strong></h2>



<p>Headless WooCommerce presents ecommerce businesses with the chance to maximize the potential of their platforms, enabling them to create unique user experiences, optimize performance, and enhance security among others. However, the complexity of the architecture, a steeper learning curve, and potentially higher costs serve as potential challenges.</p>



<p>The decision to adopt this approach will heavily depend on your business type, resources, budget, and specific needs. Those who can meet the demands of a headless architecture can truly unlock powerful possibilities for their ecommerce store. As always, it&#8217;s vital to consider all alternatives to ensure finding the best fit for your ecommerce venture.</p>



<p>Remember, the aim is to provide the best experience for your customers, and the choice of platform should align with this objective.</p>



<div class="wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column5911_f4b5d1-72"><div class="kt-inside-inner-col">
<p class="has-theme-palette-5-background-color has-background has-medium-font-size">This is a guest post from the team at <a href="https://www.thedotstore.com/">Dotstore</a></p>
</div></div>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:44;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:104:"Do The Woo Community: 10 Tips on Why You Need to Do a Marketing Post Mortem with Your Black Friday Sales";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=5842";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:108:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/10-tips-on-why-you-need-to-do-a-marketing-post-mortem-with-your-black-friday-sales/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:4064:"<p>In a podcast episode on Do the Woo. hosts Adam and Emma walked listeners through the importance of doing a marketing post-mortem after your Black Friday sales. Though you may feel Black Friday is done and gone, best to revisit this to be prepared for the next time you do a huge sale on your WordPress products or services.</p>



<p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>1. Schedule a time as soon as possible.</strong></p>



<p>While it might be tempting to wait until the rush of orders and customer service inquiries subsides, conducting a post-mortem as soon as possible allows you to capture fresh insights while memories are still vivid. Aim for a time when things have settled but not too long after the event so that the data is still relevant.</p>



<p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2. Identify your goals and objectives.</strong></p>



<p>Before diving into the numbers, clearly define your goals for Black Friday. Were you aiming to increase sales, reach a specific customer segment, or simply boost brand awareness? Having clear objectives will help you assess whether you achieved them and identify areas for improvement.</p>



<p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>3. Gather and analyze data from various channels.</strong></p>



<p>Don&#8217;t limit your analysis to just your website traffic and sales figures. Examine data from email marketing, social media, paid advertising campaigns, and other marketing channels to get a comprehensive overview of your performance across all fronts.</p>



<p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>4. Evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.</strong></p>



<p>Which marketing channels generated the most traffic and conversions? Which creative elements resonated best with your audience? Identify the campaigns that performed well and explore how you can replicate or enhance their strategies for future events.</p>



<p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>5. Analyze product performance.</strong></p>



<p>Examine which products sold well and which ones fell short of expectations. Understanding why certain items were more popular than others can inform your product development, purchasing, and pricing decisions in the future.</p>



<p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>6. Identify customer behavior trends.</strong></p>



<p>Analyze customer purchase patterns, browsing behavior, and engagement metrics to gain insights into their shopping habits and preferences. This information can guide your marketing efforts and product offerings in the long run.</p>



<p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>7. Gather feedback from customers.</strong></p>



<p>Reach out to your customers via surveys, social media polls, or direct messages to gather their feedback on your Black Friday experience. Their insights can help you identify areas for improvement and enhance customer satisfaction.</p>



<p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>8. Document your findings and action plans.</strong></p>



<p>Create a detailed report summarizing your key findings, action plans, and recommendations. Share this report with your team to ensure everyone is on the same page and can contribute to implementing the improvements.</p>



<p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>9. Use the insights to inform your future marketing strategies.</strong></p>



<p>Don&#8217;t let the post-mortem be a one-time exercise. Integrate the insights you gained into your overall marketing strategy, including planning for future Black Friday and promotional events.</p>



<p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>10. Continuously refine and improve.</strong></p>



<p>The goal of a marketing post-mortem is not just to evaluate past performance but also to identify areas for improvement. Use the insights gained to continuously refine and optimize your marketing strategies for future success.</p>



<p><a href="https://dothewoo.io/a-post-mortem-marketing-analysis-of-black-friday-aka-stuff-you-should-do/">You can listen to the full episode or read the transcript for the show here.</a></p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:45;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:80:"Do The Woo Community: How Much Woo Can One Cram in a Short Podcast with ChatGPT?";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=5572";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:83:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/how-much-woo-can-one-cram-in-a-short-podcast-with-chatgpt/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:3526:"<p>A bit of fun today, or maybe not. I asked ChatGPT to <em>Give me a shorter script of a podcast where I mention WooCommerce or Woo, short for WooCommerce as many times as I can.&nbsp;</em>Well, if you know me, and my personality, I am a basically a mellow guy. So I took this one step further seeing that ChatGPT obviously doesn&#8217;t know me well and will deliver a monotone version of the results.</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />



<p>[Intro Music]</p>



<p>Host: Welcome, Woo enthusiasts, to another exciting episode of WooWonderland, where we dive deep into the magical world of WooCommerce. I&#8217;m your host, [Your Name], and today&#8217;s episode is going to be an exhilarating journey through the enchanting landscape of Woo-commerce. Yes, we love saying Woo!</p>



<p>[Transition Music]</p>



<p>Host: Woo, woo, woo! Before we jump into the heart of today&#8217;s discussion, let&#8217;s take a moment to appreciate the incredible community that surrounds WooCommerce. Woo, you guys are amazing! Whether you&#8217;re a seasoned Woo expert or just starting your Woo journey, there&#8217;s always something new and exciting happening in the world of Woo.</p>



<p>[Woo Chanting]</p>



<p>Host: Now, let&#8217;s talk about the latest Woo updates because, you know, staying current with Woo-commerce is crucial for all you Woo enthusiasts out there. The Woo team has been working tirelessly to enhance the Woo experience, and guess what? The latest Woo update is nothing short of spectacular. Woo!</p>



<p>[Applause]</p>



<p>Host: Speaking of updates, have you ever wondered how other businesses are utilizing Woo-commerce to elevate their online presence? Well, wonder no more because we have some incredible Woo-commerce success stories lined up for you today. These stories showcase the versatility and power of Woo. Woo-hoo!</p>



<p>[Background Cheers]</p>



<p>Host: Now, let&#8217;s Woo our way into the realm of e-commerce trends. Woo-commerce is not just a platform; it&#8217;s a trendsetter! From headless commerce to mobile commerce, Woo-commerce is at the forefront of shaping the future of online businesses. Woo, it&#8217;s like the trendiest kid on the e-commerce block.</p>



<p>[Transition Music]</p>



<p>Host: And here&#8217;s a pro tip for all you Woo enthusiasts out there: if you want to optimize your Woo-commerce store for success, pay close attention. Speed up your Woo site, master the art of SEO, enhance the user experience — because a well-optimized Woo store is a happy Woo store. Woo-hoo!</p>



<p>[Background Cheers]</p>



<p>Host: Now, let&#8217;s take a moment to celebrate the Woo experts in our community. Being a Woo expert is like having a VIP pass to the coolest e-commerce party in town. If you&#8217;re not part of the Woo expert program, what are you waiting for? Join the Woo party and let the Woo-magic unfold!</p>



<p>[Transition Music]</p>



<p>Host: As we near the end of this Woo-tastic episode, I want to thank all our Woo fans for tuning in. Remember, whether you&#8217;re a Woo novice or a seasoned Woo master, there&#8217;s always something Woo-nderful to discover in the world of Woo-commerce.</p>



<p>[Closing Music]</p>



<p>Host: That&#8217;s a wrap for today&#8217;s WooWonderland episode. Until next time, keep woo-ing and stay enchanted by the magic of Woo-commerce. Woo you later!</p>



<p>[Music Fades Out]</p>



<p>Well, now you can see the reason why I shared this in text vs. audio. LOL</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:46;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:70:"Do The Woo Community: Defining Headless with WooCommerce and WordPress";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=4761";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:74:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/defining-headless-with-woocommerce-and-wordpress/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:2730:"<p>You have likely heard the term headless thrown around as it has encroached on the WordPress space. Personally, I have read several posts and even listened to some talks. I was kind of getting the concept, but let&#8217;s just say I couldn&#8217;t wrap my head around it. (No pun intended.)</p>



<p><strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/headless-woocommerce-with-jacob-arriola/">That was until we had Jacob Arriola on the podcast.</a></strong> And it finally made sense to me.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Headless is More Than the Legend of Sleepy Hollow</h2>



<p>I&#8217;ll give you the way I understand it. Right? There&#8217;s a lot of different interpretations. We take WordPress and <strong>WooCommerce</strong> as an example that is a monolithic application, meaning it&#8217;s responsible for a lot of things. It&#8217;s your CMS, right? Your admins, your shop owners log in and add content, you&#8217;ve got media library, it&#8217;s got products, it&#8217;s got orders, et cetera. But it&#8217;s also responsible for serving the front end, the public facing side of your application. The product catalog page, the single product page, the cart page, <strong><a href="https://jacobarriola.com/post/hosted-woocommerce-checkout-headless-application" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">checkout</a></strong>, so on and so forth. So it&#8217;s doing a lot of things.</p>



<p>And so when you talk about headless, the head really represents that view layer, that UI layer, that public facing layer. When we talk about what is headless, we kind of cut off the head or we decouple the UI, now WordPress, is no longer responsible for delivering the front end of the application. It&#8217;s only responsible for being the CMS, which it&#8217;s really, really good at, right? And then in the WooCommerce case, all the logic regarding ecommerce variations, orders, all that stuff, database facilitation, <strong><a href="https://jacobarriola.com/post/headless-woocommerce-stripe-checkout-graphql" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">payment gateways</a></strong>, things like that.</p>



<p>And so now you are now responsible for building UI in a different kind of context, whether that&#8217;s a different domain, a whole different framework, whatever the case may be, right? So we separate that out the head, the view layer, the UI, what&#8217;s publicly available.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-diving-into-headless">Diving into headless</h3>



<p>Now that clearly should give you a better idea if you had been confused before. Of course that is only the tip of the iceberg and you may want to listen to the podcast as Jacob takes even deeper into the world of headless and WoCommerce.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:47;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:54:"Do The Woo Community: Why Do They Call it Black Friday";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=5399";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:58:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/why-do-they-call-it-black-friday/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:2420:"<p>In all the hoopla around Black Friday, some people think they know why it&#8217;s called such. Or maybe they don&#8217;t. History is fascinating, and podcast host Adam Weeks gives us the story behind it.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-black-friday-sounds-bad">Black Friday sounds bad</h2>



<p>So Black Friday has a long history that has nothing to do with shopping. There was the term, black Friday was used in some bad things such as stock market crashes such as the plague, different issues. There was the day after Thanksgiving, people would often call in sick because they just wanted to take that Friday off as well. In modern history as a marketing term started about in the eighties and the notion was that essentially Black Friday was the day that retail stores actually started making a profit. </p>



<p>So if you think back to your classes of finance or doing the books, when you do not make money, when you are losing money, it is red. When you are making money, it is black. So hence Black Friday, which is mostly true. It&#8217;s a little bit of a folklore of how true that is and I,m sure it is different for different retail outlets, but essentially that&#8217;s the idea is that this is the season when people start to make money.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-friday-didn-t-quite-work">Big Friday didn&#8217;t quite work</h2>



<p>It was kind of a marketing thing. They started out wanting to call it Big Friday, but Big Friday didn&#8217;t stick and Black Friday is what we are left with and because of its success, we are now also adding Cyber Monday. Do you know why they call it Cyber Monday? Back in the day, people had slow internet connections at home. At home they would have something called a modem that would make, and then when someone would pick up the phone, you&#8217;d get kicked off of the internet. So surfing on the internet was stupid for many people at home. And what they remembered is that my employer pays a lot of money for a really good internet connection at work. So when I get to work on Monday, that&#8217;s when I&#8217;m going to start shopping.</p>



<p>If you would like to also hear some tips around selling on Black Friday, like which works better? Percentage off or a dollar amount off? Curious, <strong><a href="https://dothewoo.io/woocommerce-wordpress-sales-black-friday-2023/">check out the full podcast here</a></strong>.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:48;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:58:"Do The Woo Community: Building Community Without the Noise";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=4750";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:62:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/building-community-without-the-noise/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:8328:"<p>When I first launched this site Do the Woo, I had written a post about this. I wanted to pull a bit from that before I bring you to-date.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-my-first-thoughts-on-community-and-noise">My first thoughts on community and noise</h2>



<p><strong>Dated October 20, 2020</strong></p>



<p>Tomorrow comes the official launch of this new site. And let me tell you, it’s been an amazing journey of learning and understanding myself as well as the audience I will be speaking to.</p>



<p>One interesting aspect of this is the main goal, connecting the Woo builder community. I talked about this on a previous post, but I would like to dive into the concept of connecting. And conversation.</p>



<p><strong>I was asked about  groups for Do the Woo</strong></p>



<p>What brought the idea of Facebook groups to mind was something that happened as I have been chatting with various people about my new site. When I talk about connections, conversation and community, a few times I was asked,</p>



<p>Are you creating a Slack Channel? Starting a Facebook group? Perhaps a forum? Where are you growing your community and letting them have a conversation?</p>



<p>When we go into or lurk in community chats, whether it’s a Facebook group, regular chatter on any social platform or even Slack, often we end up in the middle of a massive amount of noise. There is a lot going on. Conversations going left and right. Sometimes with a bit of anxiety, bitterness, and yes, anger.</p>



<p>Now I’m not saying that nothing good comes out of these conversations. But that isn’t the only way to connect and grow a community.</p>



<p>It can start with this, the art of listening. Remember when that was part of connecting? Taking the time to listen to someone else share their insights and perspectives. Getting a better understanding of that person, and often, the community they are representing. In fact, get three people together for a good conversation and I can guarantee that you will get a lot more out of it vs. endless streams and threads of online chatter.</p>



<p>Let’s take it a step further, though: personal connection. Learning about someone and then reaching out to them. Or perhaps, even having a connector that will help to introduce you to others in the community.</p>



<p>Yes, that’s it. I am the connector.</p>



<p>Whether it’s via a podcast conversation or a post interview, I am connecting you to a new face. Or it might even be me connecting you personally with someone else.</p>



<p>I get enough of that noise, or what you might consider chatter amongst dozens of people via social and other platforms. And yes, I enjoy that. But with Do the Woo, I am cutting through that noise while bringing the Woo builder community together.</p>



<p>So in the end, when I do conversations, they are one-on-one. A Zoom chat. A DM on Slack. Email and a variety of other ways. The point is, again, no matter how or where you do it, listen.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-now-it-s-today">Now it&#8217;s today</h2>



<p>So I was hoping as you read that you hung onto the fact that I wrote this over three years ago.</p>



<p>Since then, it has since resonated with me and, to be honest, I think it has always been a part of how I have built my own communities. The fact is we all do it in some way. For Woo builders, while keeping it on the business side of things, it may be a community of customers or clients. It may also be a community within a business you work for, or perhaps, colleagues of yours.</p>



<p>You may also build communities around you brand or business on your site, on social, on Slack, you name it.</p>



<p>There are community experts out there that will give you advice. There are also social media consultants that will do the same, specifically for social communities. The thing is that one size doesn&#8217;t fit all. And often that is what you will discover over and over when seeking advice on building your own community.</p>



<p>I have been building community long before I got into the WordPress space in 2006. With our other business, there were ways that we built our community, and some of this was long before we did it online. I don&#8217;t proclaim to be an expert on community building, but I can share my own experiences that have worked for me. No promises here that I will deliver the perfect piece of advice for your needs, but I am hoping this will give you a bit of a different perspective on community building and something to ponder on.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-community-does-not-need-a-bunch-of-noise">A community does not need a bunch of noise</h3>



<p>Now before I get into this part, understand that this is how it works for me, and in these last few years with Do the Woo, it has proven right for me. And by no means am I saying it&#8217;s the right way, or the only way.</p>



<p>I just feel that a lot of people never think about other options when building community. They tend to &#8220;jump on the bandwagon&#8221; of <em>engagement</em> and <em>active conversation</em> as the only way to build all communities.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-engage-or-die">Engage, or die</h3>



<p>Community and social media experts say you must engage. Or else why do it? Your community will not thrive without this engagement. It often is literally rammed down your throat. At the same time, engagement isn&#8217;t always clearly defined, and seen as this constant need to reply, comment and add your own opinion, advice or simply be part of the conversation, no matter what.</p>



<p>In fact, I have seen social media experts take &#8220;engagement&#8221; to a new and disturbing level. They constantly drop into conversations with replies like &#8220;nice&#8221;, &#8220;that&#8217;s great&#8221;, &#8220;cool&#8221; and &#8220;yeah&#8221;. If that is considered engagement, well, count me out. In fact, shouldn&#8217;t engagement also mean bringing value to a conversation. Not simple, meaningless replies that help you as they build up your metrics in your social media engagements.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-everyone-has-an-opinion">Everyone has an opinion</h3>



<p>This is the beauty of the human race. We all have an opinion and can freely express it. But on the other hand, at times, it&#8217;s nothing but added noise. How often do you see a thread of a conversation and it appears that most of the comments are left by people who never read what others have said. And alarmingly, more people appear to never have read the original comment.</p>



<p>As a result, it comes across as being all about &#8220;you&#8221;. You and what your opinion. It&#8217;s like a freaking room of people just shouting out what they are thinking, and ignoring everyone else. Nothing gets resolved and more times than not, it can turn sideways and end up being a never-ending debate or argument, instead of a discussion.</p>



<p>Now with both engagement and conversations, it&#8217;s not cut and dry. And neither of them are something that you should consider totally dismissing. In fact, depending on the goal of your own community, you may just ignore the advice I have given you so far.</p>



<p>With that all said, I simply bring these up to give you another thought to ponder on as you build your own community.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-is-this-all-going">Where is this all going</h2>



<p>This has turned into quite the long post and if you are still with me, I&#8217;m amazed. But hey, it also means you are listening, or perhaps, reading.</p>



<p>Do the Woo now has 14 co-hosts and more coming on board. On top of that I am constantly having people come in and host their own show, more of a one-off opportunity. And who knows what is next.</p>



<p>The fact is that each time you hear a show on Do the Woo, and you don&#8217;t hear me, well, that&#8217;s because I was listening. Behind the scenes, taking notes, and enjoying the conversations. Sure there is what you might consider noise in our community, but it&#8217;s softer, more viable and easy to focus on. There is a time and place for lots of noise in many communities, and that is where it will thrive and stay.  But for now, I&#8217;m in my happy place.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}i:49;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:13:"
	
	
	
	
	
	
";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:2:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:67:"Do The Woo Community: The Perfect Marriage of Content and Community";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:25:"https://bobwp.com/?p=5385";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:71:"https://dothewoo.io/blog/the-perfect-marriage-of-content-and-community/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:2303:"<p>I typically don&#8217;t spend a lot of time in the past, but every once in awhile I become reflective. As I move into the next phase here at Do the Woo, well, that is when it happens.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-content-and-community-a-combo-that-hit-me-hard">Content and Community, a combo that hit me hard</h2>



<p>If you have been following my journey, you know that, since diving into WordPress 16 years ago, community and content have played a key role in what I do.</p>



<p>But when I set this site aside, BobWP in October of 2020 and <a href="https://dothewoo.io/do-the-woo-is-live-connecting-the-woocommerce-builder-community/">turned my focus on Do the Woo</a>, it was a transition that grew not only from the previous months of 2020, but all the years before that. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-interesting-thing-happened-back-in-2020">An interesting thing happened back in 2020.</h3>



<p>It can best be described as two-pronged: <em>community and content.</em></p>



<p>As we all know, in-person connections went down the toilet during COVID. Although I had not been traveling as much over the years prior to COVID, still, I found myself reaching out to more people online. More one-to-one conversations. More digital meetups. More forms of smaller online events. But, to be honest, I probably connected more with the community that than I have in any of the previous years in the space.</p>



<p>During that same year I found myself burning out on content creation around blog post tutorials. I have done these for years and I just couldn&#8217;t poke one more out at the keyboard.</p>



<p>So I decided to focus on more community-focused content, such as my podcasts and virtual meetings. It became a natural marriage of content and community.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-between-now-and-then">Between now and then</h3>



<p>So on reflection, this was one of the best moves I have made in my WordPress career. I continued on building the community at Do the Woo. Online connections grew, and then when IRL events started back up, well, they blossomed. That tie between content and commiunity have grown to be such a huge part of Do the Woo, and everything I do these days. And now on to 2024, the biggest year yet for Do the Woo.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:15:46 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:5:"BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}s:4:"type";i:128;s:7:"headers";O:48:"WpOrg\Requests\Utility\CaseInsensitiveDictionary":1:{s:7:"*data";a:9:{s:6:"server";s:5:"nginx";s:4:"date";s:29:"Wed, 04 Sep 2024 13:00:02 GMT";s:12:"content-type";s:8:"text/xml";s:13:"last-modified";s:29:"Wed, 04 Sep 2024 12:45:27 GMT";s:4:"vary";s:15:"Accept-Encoding";s:15:"x-frame-options";s:10:"SAMEORIGIN";s:16:"content-encoding";s:2:"br";s:7:"alt-svc";s:19:"h3=":443"; ma=86400";s:4:"x-nc";s:9:"HIT ord 1";}}s:5:"build";s:14:"20211220193300";}