The WP Minute+

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportBuilding a thriving suite of digital products is no simple feat. In this episode of The WP Minute Plus, host Matt Medeiros dives into the challenges and opportunities with WordPress entrepreneur Christian Raiber.After getting his start by recognizing the potential of passive income through WordPress themes, Christian has built an impressive portfolio of niche plugins. He shares the method to his madness - how he identifies overlapping user segments to solve pressing problems. Christian also provides hard-won advice on balancing vision with user needs as products scale and evolve. Whether you're just getting started with your first commercial plugin, or looking to expand your product lineup, don't miss Christian's insights on the WordPress business landscape. Tune into the full episode to level up your product building game.Full show notes: https://thewpminute.com/?p=12929 ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportIt’s WordPress 6.4 release day, and I’m really excited for this new version of WordPress. I think it’s one of the most important releases for WordPress, especially through its new default theme, Twenty Twenty-Four. I also think this is a first milestone release of an”Apple way” of releases.Meaning, just like iPhones and MacBooks, updates are iterative, and not groundbreaking at every release. I see WordPress settling into a similar feature/update cycle similar to Cupertino. So when I say it’s important, I mean, will this next year of development, building off 6.4, continue to bring WordPress into the future?Read the full blog post here. ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportKatie Keith from Barn2 joins the podcast to discuss her recents success running a WordPress & WooCommerce plugin business.Key TakeawaysTransitioning from client services to product business takes forethought about your ideal lifestyle and abilities.Know if you want to manage a team before diving in. Build a remote team culture by regularly checking in, being flexible, and celebrating shared wins – not just revenue goals.SEO success requires a balance between optimization best practices and creating content real humans love. Don’t over-optimize.Consider both logic and marketing impact before splitting brands and websites. Domain authority has tangible value.Providing bundled offerings can ease plugin pricing fatigue for customers with diverse needs.YouTube and content marketing are powerful sales drivers.Invest in what already works for your business.Chapters0:00 Intro1:00 Katie’s background3:00 Transitioning from agency to product company8:00 Remote team culture10:30 SEO strategies13:00 Document Library Pro success15:00 Evaluating business models17:00 The state of WooCommerce21:00 Matt’s SEO frustrations23:00 Marketing through content25:30 Plugin pricing and bundles28:00 Lifetime licenses debate31:00 Podcasting strategies35:00 Investing in YouTubeImportant LinksBarn2 Plugins – https://barn2.comWP Product Talk PodcastEllipsis Marketinghttps://twitter.com/KatieKeithBarn2https://thewpminute.com/support ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportIn this episode of WP Minute+, Justin Ferriman discusses his business ventures, including founding LearnDash and his latest project, BrightGrowth.We’ll also discuss GapScout, an AI tool for software businesses to analyze customer reviews, which didn’t go the way he had hoped. He’s now selling GapScout due to development hurdles and legal issues with review site policy changes, leaving him with a small taste of failure.Ferriman has pivoted to consulting, using his strengths in marketing and strategy to coach startup founders, offering personalized advice and roundtable discussions, despite the approach’s intentional lack of scalability.His key advice for WordPress entrepreneurs is to leverage personal strengths, be passionate about work, and be discerning in client and service selection for maintaining high standards.Key TakeawaysJustin explains how he is now selling his business GapScout after running into challenges building complex AI technology and changes to review site terms and conditions.The GapScout experience left Justin feeling defeated but taught him to focus on what really energizes him in business.Justin has transitioned to coaching and consulting for startup founders, playing to his strengths in marketing, growth strategies and maximizing profits.He is being very selective about who he works with through warm outreach and relationship building vs trying to scale massively.For WordPress entrepreneurs, takeaways are to focus on your strengths, cut out parts of business you dislike, and be selective about services you realistically can deliver at a high level.Justin leverages Medium for content marketing and gets great organic reach without having to worry about blogging or SEO himself.Overall it’s a story of reinvention, lessons learned from failure, and the importance of playing to your strengths as an entrepreneur.Important linksLearnDash – Justin’s previous business that was acquired: https://www.learndash.com/GapScout – Justin’s latest business that is now for sale: https://www.gapscout.com/Bright Growth – Justin’s current coaching/consulting business: https://www.brightgrowth.com/Justin’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/justinferrimanWP Minute Slack Group: [https://thewpminute.com/supportMedium – Platform Justin is using for content marketing: https://medium.com/Pressnomics Conference – Where Justin and host previously chatted: https://www.pressnomics.com/ ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportIn this episode of The WP Minute Plus podcast, host Matt Medeiros interviews Aaron Edwards about his AI products DocsBot.ai and Imajinn.ai.Aaron shares his background working in WordPress for over a decade, including serving as CTO of WPMU Dev. He then discusses how DocsBot allows users to train chatbots with their own company data to use for customer support, sales, and internal knowledge. Aaron talks about the process of training the bots, pricing plans for WordPress businesses, and surprises when selling to enterprise customers.Chapter Markers:0:00 – Intro1:01 – Welcoming Aaron Edwards1:03 – Using this as an AI therapy session1:24 – Aaron’s background in WordPress2:22 – WPMU Dev’s white label reseller hosting plans3:35 – Training chatbots with your own data5:04 – Using retrieval to provide factual answers8:07 – Letting chatbots index your content10:38 – Typical Doc Spot customers and use cases12:02 – The process for training a DocsBot13:15 – Bringing your own OpenAI key15:15 – Ethics of competitors using your content16:41 – Focusing on driving intent vs. informational content18:11 – AI-generated content and SEO20:23 – Creating helpful content with or without AI22:33 – Selling DocsBot plans to WordPress businesses25:26 – Surprises when selling to enterprise customers28:51 – Flexible ways to integrate DocsBot bots29:36 – Potentially expanding to other AI services32:42 – Where to find Aaron and his AI productsOther Important Links:The WP Minute Slack – https://thewpminute.com/supportAaron on Twitter – https://twitter.com/uglyRobotDev ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportI recently had Jess Frick, Director of Operations at Pressable, on the WP Minute+ podcast. We had an insightful conversation about Pressable’s relationship with Automattic, how the company differentiates itself, and the benefits of Jetpack.I appreciated getting Jess’s insider perspective on Pressable and how they balance being owned by Automattic while still maintaining their own identity and startup mentality in the WordPress hosting space.Definitely check them out if you want managed WordPress hosting with great performance and infrastructure.Key TakeawaysPressable is owned by Automattic but operates independently with a startup mentality. They have more freedom to be “edgy” compared to other Automattic properties.Pressable builds on top of WP Cloud infrastructure created by Automattic. This gives them performance advantages that allow them to handle large websites.They work closely with Jetpack and see big value in including it for free with hosting plans. Security features are especially important.Pressable targets agencies, freelancers, and site owners who want great WordPress infrastructure without the rigidness of a company like VIP Hosting.They aim to be innovative and regularly improve the hosting experience like the recent updates to make staging -> live site migration easier.Important Quotes“We are thrilled to partner with you on this because I really believe in what you guys are doing. And I love the voice that you have in the community. It’s not like other voices.”“I think going forward, you can expect to see, more opinionated opportunities with [Jetpack] as well.” ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportI recently had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Jackson, co-founder of Forge Media and creator of the popular WordPress plugins NovaShare and Perfmatters. Brian has extensive experience building successful products and businesses in the WordPress space.In our wide-ranging conversation, we discussed several important topics relevant to the WordPress community right now:Using AI to Enhance Content CreationBoth Brian and I have begun experimenting with AI tools like ChatGPT and Bard to improve our content workflows. He uses a "hybrid approach", leveraging AI to generate ideas and drafts but still adding his own personal touch. I completely agree that carefully crafted prompts are key to getting good results from AI. Neither of us is yet comfortable publishing fully AI-written content.The Impact of AI on the Future of WordPressWe speculated about how advanced AI could enable automated site building outside of WordPress in the future. However, Brian emphasized that niche complexities of WordPress will be difficult for AI to grasp anytime soon. Monetization and Support for Plugin BusinessesBrian explained why he avoids "lifetime deal" pricing for his products, despite it being common for WordPress plugins. While tempting for short-term revenue, it removes incentive for ongoing improvement. He believes subscribers should continue supporting developers to allow constant iteration. Still, he limits sales to just the major Black Friday promotion each year.Key TakeawaysAI can help generate ideas and drafts, but human refinement is still neededWordPress niche complexity means AI won't replace it soonJavaScript skills are critical for WordPress developers now"Lifetime deal" pricing removes incentive for ongoing developmentLimiting sales promotes sustainable growth over quick cash grabsQuotables"I don't think a lot of people know a hundred percent. You can't say yes or no, you know, will Google know this is written by me or not?""WordPress is just a mess, to be honest, for the people that are in the weeds every day, like grinding, like they know how messy WordPress is.""If you have a good product, like why do you need to constantly push sales? It doesn't make sense. ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportLaunching a WordPress website can be daunting for new users. Between learning the platform, choosing templates, setting up your homepage, and establishing an online store, it’s a lot to take on. This is where Bluehost’s WonderSuite comes in.In today’s episode, Matt interviewed Jocelyn Hendrickson, a Senior Product Manager at Bluehost, WordPress Commerce. We went deep into their WonderSuite product, especially how it impacts WooCommerce users. She gave great insight into how this new offering simplifies the website creation process for their customers.In a nutshell, WonderSuite provides tools and guidance to get your WordPress site up and running smoothly. No more staring at a blank page wondering what to do next.Jocelyn explained that WordPress experts like us understand the platform because we’ve been using it for years. But for beginners, it can be really confusing trying to figure everything out.This is where WonderSuite comes in with features like templates to choose designs, placeholder content to match your theme, and a support portal for asking questions when you get stuck.One of the key components Jocelyn highlighted is WonderCart, which makes setting up an online store a breeze. You don’t have to build promotions and sales pages from scratch anymore. WonderCart uses AI and pre-made templates to do it for you.As Jocelyn put it, WonderSuite and WonderCart remove the burden of launching a customized, functional WordPress site. Instead of getting overwhelmed, you have tools to guide you through the process.The next time you’re ready to recommend WordPress to a beginner user, keep Bluehost and WonderSuite in mind. Especially if you’re not going to be there to help them along every step of the way. ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportI recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jon Clark, Marketing Automation Specialist at StellarWP, who also has his own YouTube channel called Jon Automates where he discusses movies, pop culture, and video games. In this fun and insightful episode, Jon shares his expertise on email marketing automation, creating entertaining YouTube content, and his thoughts on recent video games like Elden Ring.At StellarWP, Jon focuses on managing email marketing automation across their suite of WordPress products. He discusses best practices like avoiding email sends on Fridays, finding the optimal times to reach engaged audiences, and using dynamic content and segmentation to create more personalized, relevant messaging. Jon emphasizes focusing on whether an email campaign will entertain or provide value rather than just chasing metrics.On his YouTube channel, Jon prioritizes creating entertaining content on movies, trailers, and pop culture over optimizing for the algorithm. He collaborates with a close group of "YouTube friends" who cross-promote each other's channels. Jon purposefully avoids "rage channels" and politics to foster a positive community where different opinions can be shared openly. He's considering starting a second channel focused just on creative film projects and cinematography.Listeners can find Jon online on YouTube and Twitter. ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportI recently had the pleasure of chatting with Nyasha Green about her experiences in the WordPress community. Nyasha is a talented developer, writer, and podcaster who has contributed tremendously to WordPress over the years.In our conversation, Nyasha shared some great insights for new WordPress developers just getting started. Here are 3 key takeaways from our discussion:Learn WordPress development through YouTube and Twitter. Nyasha explained how she learned WordPress and Gutenberg through YouTube videos and people live-tweeting their learning journeys. YouTube is a valuable resource for picking up WordPress skills. Following WordPress experts on Twitter can also connect you with people willing to teach and walkthrough concepts.Contribute to WordPress in small ways. Nyasha talked about how anyone can contribute to WordPress, even in small ways like providing support, designing assets, and testing. Look for teams and projects seeking help wherever your skills allow you to pitch in. The process may seem intimidating but start small.The WordPress community welcomes new developers. Nyasha stressed the WordPress community warmly welcomes both new developers and non-developers. It’s important to make new people feel comfortable when they lack knowledge on technical topics. Go out of your way to support and guide newcomers positively.It was great having Nyasha share her open, honest perspectives on the WordPress community and new developer experience. Be sure to listen to our full conversation on the podcast and follow Nyasha on Twitter! ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportBluehost has launched a new suite of products called WonderSuite to improve the onboarding experience for new WordPress users. The goal is to simplify the initial setup process and eliminate common pain points that can be frustrating for beginners. WonderSuite includes tools like WonderTheme for easy customization, WonderBlocks for premade layouts, WonderCart for ecommerce features, WonderStart for tailored site building, and WonderHelp for AI-powered assistance. These features provide guardrails and helpful guidance so first-time users aren't overwhelmed learning WordPress.WonderSuite makes use of AI in a couple ways. WonderHelp allows users to ask plain English questions and receive step-by-step tutorials. WonderBlocks uses AI to generate initial content tailored to the user's business, like a flower shop. The key is the AI is assistive, not taking full control. Users still have flexibility to modify all settings and content. Overall, WonderSuite aims to smooth the learning curve so new users can focus on their business instead of web development. It provides an easy onramp while still building on WordPress as the foundation. ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportI’ve been skeptical about the AI tools I see emerging in my Twitter feed.So many of my WordPress friends are using these tools to code, write articles, build websites, and even develop their own AI products. But I’ve been struggling to catch on. Until I saw a thread from Kim Coleman in Post Status about her success with better prompts in ChatGPT.So like any podcasters would do — I invited her on the show to learn more.The Right Prompts Unlock AI’s PotentialBoth Matt and Kim initially struggled to get good results from ChatGPT and similar AI tools. They found the content too generic and not helpful for their WordPress needs. The breakthrough came when they learned to craft detailed, structured prompts to give the AI more context. Instead of just saying “summarize this blog post,” they give background like: “You are an expert WordPress content creator. Summarize this blog post in a conversational tone for our podcast listeners.” Kim shares prompts she uses to turn video transcripts into step-by-step tutorials, and to turn technical changelog notes into readable blog posts. Carefully shaping the prompt helps the AI stay on track.Trying New AI Tools Yields Mixed ResultsMatt has had more success using Claude.ai instead of ChatGPT to generate show notes by giving it two separate interview transcripts. The key is uploading both transcripts at once so the AI doesn’t confuse information between interviews. Kim experimented with some tools like ContentScale and others where you fill out forms instead of chatting. She didn’t find these as effective as crafting her own prompts in a chat interface. They agree that graphic and video AI tools like Midjourney are not yet ready for marketing assets, though they see potential in the future.AI’s Role in WordPress’ FutureThere is some debate around integrating AI directly into WordPress products. If it’s just a basic tool that pastes in text, it may not add much value and could even backfire if it provides bad results. More complex integrations like LifterLMS using AI as a “coach” to guide course creation show more promise. This takes into account the human goals instead of just spitting out generic content. Matt and Kim agree responsible humans are still needed to oversee AI tools, but they will likely continue shaping parts of the WordPress workflow. Using the right prompts unlocks the benefits while avoiding potential downsides.Important linksHere are the important links we mention throughout the conversation:ChatGPT (chat.openai.com)Claude AI (claude.ai)ContentScale (contentscale.com)Midjourney (midjourney.com)Canva (canva.com)LifterLMS (lifterlms.com)Paid Memberships Pro (paidmembershipspro.com)The WP Minute Podcast (thewpminute.com) ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/support(Note: I had to record on Zoom and the audio quality isn't the greatest. Sorry about that!)In this podcast episode, Matt and Clifton discuss Clifton's role as a web expert and his journey with WordPress. They talk about Clifton's YouTube channel and his approach to teaching WordPress step by step. They also touch on the evolution of website building using WordPress, the benefits of themes like StudioPress, and the introduction of Gutenberg. They discuss the future of WordPress, the concerns of agency owners, and the power of the WordPress developer ecosystem. Clifton shares his motivation for creating educational videos on his YouTube channel and his plans for the future. They also discuss video production techniques and the importance of prioritizing education in content creation. ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportIn this episode, Matt chats with James, an industry veteran in WordPress, about his new initiative TeamWP. They delve into James' experiences and insights, revealing the need for a more robust approach to team-building and culture within WordPress businesses.James introduces TeamWP, a service aimed at fostering healthier and more productive work environments within these businesses. He discusses how they aid in obtaining candid feedback from employees, maintaining confidentiality, and promoting a psychologically safe space for open communication.James shares his philosophy on company culture, underscoring the importance of balancing hard work with celebration and relaxation to avoid burnout. He also highlights some of the models and principles that he's developed over 15 years in the industry, including the Open Team framework and an employee engagement survey.This engaging discussion ends with James emphasizing that his approach is interactive and guided, striving for sustainable improvement over quick fixes.Important linkshttps://twitter.com/jamesgirouxhttps://teamwp.co/https://thewpminute.com/support ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportTo honor WordPress’s 20th anniversary David Bisset has invited four charming and entertinaing community members to talk about some highlights in it’s history. Primary topics include: how WordPress has made an open source for the general community, what proposal or feature of WordPress over the years didn’t get attention or appreciation it deserved, and what WordPRess event has been the most noteworthy?Just like other conversations - there is quite a few memory of about the community and forgotten WordPress features. Join us and you may recognize some of the things shared!ShownotesGuests w/ Shared linksFrancesca MaranoHelen Hou Sandí appearance at WCEU2016 (“not 2017 as I mentioned”) https://youtu.be/Nl6U7UotA-M?t=2380“Multisite Roadmap that, I believe, was not given a fair chance” https://make.wordpress.org/core/roadmap/multisite/[Feature project] “Updates on updating the updaters with Outcome 2 committed yesterday”The Women of WordPress. “It's hard to mention just a few, because luckily there are many and hopefully many more to come. But if I had to pick only 3, Josepha Haden Chomphosy, Underrepresented in tech (gaming the system here :grimacing: ) and myself”.Twitter: @FrancescaMaranoMaitreyie ChavanIntroduction of REST API Endpoints in WP 4.7 - https://wordpress.org/news/2016/12/vaughan/An all-women and non-binary release WordPress 5.6 - https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/03/11/all-women-release-squad/Launch of Learn WordPress - https://wordpress.org/news/2020/12/introducing-learn-wordpress/WordCamp Asia 2023 - https://asia.wordcamp.org/2023/we-did-it/https://twitter.com/maitreyie_chttps://www.linkedin.com/in/maitreyie/Jason Cosperhttps://wordpress.org/news/2008/10/usability-testing-report-25-and-crazyhorse/https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/post-formats/WordCamp 2016: “The Camp That Started It All” https://sf.wordcamp.org/2006/Managed WordPress Hosting: “This is where WP moved upmarket… Sites started outgrowing and graduating from shared and VPS hosting and WordCamp talks and tracks started talking about the "business of WordPress".https://wpwatercooler.comhttps://simian.rodeo/@boogahJoshua Woldttps://joshuawold.comhttps://onboardwp.io ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportTo honor WordPress’s 20th anniversary David Bisset has a friendly chat with four prominent but cool community members to talk about some highlights in it’s history. Primary topics include: Memorial WordPress Release, a WordCamp or WordCamp Experience, and the most notable State of the Word Announcement from Matt. Guests also share other moments that stood out to them and what the future might hold.ShownotesGuests w/ Shared linksEric KarkovackWordPress 1.2 "Mingus" added the plugin architecture:https://wordpress.org/news/2004/05/heres-the-beef/ WordCamp Philadelphia 2011 - My first WordCamp. I loved the informal nature of the event and meeting other attendees. It opened my eyes to the WP community.https://philadelphia.wordcamp.org/2011/ 2014: The advent of WordCamp US, and other “anchor” camps worldwide, using Slack instead of IRC for communication:https://wptavern.com/matt-mullenwegs-state-of-the-word-highlights-internationalization-mobile-and-new-tools-for-wordpress-contributors @karks88https://www.karks.com/https://www.speckyboy.com/https://www.thewpminute.com/Jeff ChandlerRae Moreyhttps://www.therepository.email/https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-6-simone-includes-new-twenty-twenty-one-theme-and-improved-editorhttps://peterwilson.cc/wordpress-5-6-released/ (Peter Wilson, Awesome Motive-sponsored core contributor)https://europe.wordcamp.org/2015/https://torquemag.io/2017/12/state-word-2017-recap/Ken Elliottbkreative.netblackpresswp.comtwitter.com/kennethspeaks ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportRobby McCullough of Beaver Builder joins the podcast to chat about the future of page building in WordPress and at his company. Robby and his team have just celebrated 9 years running the Beaver Builder plugin, changing the page building landscape as WordPress users know it. He's excited to press forward into his next chapter of WordPress products with the Assistant plugin. Think of it as the glue to connecting your multiple WordPress websites across the cloud, sharing templates, blocks, and other data. https://twitter.com/RobbyMcCulloughhttps://twitter.com/BeaverBuilderhttps://assistant.pro/https://wordpress.org/plugins/assistant/https://thewpminute.com/support ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportManaged WooCommerce hosting is a growing segment within the WordPress ecosystem. And it has a new entrant: WooCommerce. The Automattic-owned eCommerce provider recently launched WooExpress.The service is hosted by WordPress.com. It aims to be a one-stop shop for building and maintaining an online store. Packages start at $40 per month with discounts for paying annually. A selection of pre-installed extensions and themes are included.Sarah Gooding of WP Tavern reports that WooExpress’ starting price is higher than entry-level products from GoDaddy and Bluehost. However, the most expensive package ($70 per month) comes in below GoDaddy’s premium tiers.Beyond its name recognition, WooExpress may enjoy a few advantages over competitors:As we reported last week, the price of WooCommerce extensions is going up. Bundling popular titles built by WooCommerce is likely to attract value-conscious store owners.Meanwhile, its beefed-up hosting infrastructure was already in place. WordPress.com has been offering packages that include WooCommerce for some time. That’s likely to cut down on growing pains.Lastly, ownership’s vast internal knowledge of WooCommerce and WordPress is a win for customers.How will WooExpress fare? How will its competitors respond? The WP Minute will keep you posted.Links You Shouldn’t MissSEO plugin maker Yoast announced the departure of former CEO Marieke van de Rakt. Under her watch, the company was acquired by Newfold Digital in 2021. van de Rakt will now turn her focus to investing in open source, sustainable, and female-led companies via Emilia Capital. In a related note, Yoast founder Joost de Valk announced that he too is stepping away from Newfold to focus on entrepreneurship.Security firm Sucuri published a detailed report regarding the abuse of an abandoned WordPress plugin. The Eval PHP plugin hasn’t seen an update in a decade, but it’s being leveraged by malicious actors to install malware. The report also questions the wisdom of leaving similar plugins in the official repository long after abandonment.WordPress.com launched a website building service back in 2021. It was a controversial topic at the time, with some freelancers wondering if their businesses would be impacted. The service initially aimed for the mid-range market, with prices starting at $4,900. Now they appear to be targeting the lower end of the market as well, with a $499 Built By WordPress.com "Express" package. The package promises a 5-page website built within 4 business days. Thanks to WP Minute Member Paul Lacey for reporting this development.From the Grab BagNow it’s time to take a look at some other interesting topics shared by our contributors. CertifyWP has launched the WordPress Management and Design Credentialing Exam. The $150.00 exam aims to certify those knowledgeable in front-end WordPress development. The organization also offers an optional course to help learners prepare for the exam. There have long been calls for a well-organized notification system for WordPress. Project core contributor Joe Bailey-Roberts provided an update on such efforts over on the Make WordPress blog.How can WordPress developers leverage AI tools? WP Engine Builders will hold a virtual event on April 28 to discuss the possibilities.Big changes to Twitter’s verification system have been in the news. Users who haven’t purchased the Twitter Blue service are now missing those famous blue checks next to their name. WordPress co-founder and Tumblr CEO Matt Mullenweg recently explained why he’s now a Twitter Blue subscriber.Mark Westguard, founder of the WS Form plugin, shared some thoughts about the cost of sponsoring WordCamps. Westguard has questioned the affordability for small businesses.When it comes to SEO, page experience has been mentioned as a factor in recent years. However, Google recently removed it from their ranking systems page.What does a “power user” think of Gutenberg in its current form? Torque Magazine’s Nick Schäferhoff published a review that points out the good and bad.We’ve all seen software and services that use urgency as a marketing tool. The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has offered advice pointing out what is and isn’t permissible. ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportZack Katz of GravityKit & TrustedLogin joins the show to talk about running multiple products in the WordPress space. The conversation explores the ups-and-downs of doing a product rebrand, plus, what it's like to build a business in the Gravity Forms (and WordPress!) ecosystem. Don't miss this episode.https://www.gravitykit.com/https://www.trustedlogin.com/https://twitter.com/zackkatz ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportThe discussion is about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to grow WordPress product businesses.The speakers are Andrew Palmer, co-founder of Bertha.ai, and the hosts of the WP Product Talk podcast. They discuss the importance of AI for WordPress product owners, noting that it is a trending topic in the tech world, and offers opportunities for both internal improvements and AI-related products. They mention the potential for AI to change working processes and the need for WordPress product owners to adapt to this technology. The speakers also touch on their personal experiences with AI, such as using it for content generation and marketing purposes. ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportJoin Matt, Katie, and Aaron as they discuss how to diversify (plugin + SaaS) a WordPress product. They highlight the importance of this subject because it is an up-and-coming and continuing to grow aspect of WordPress products, and it has advantages for serving types of content or doing types of functionality that should not be limited to a WordPress website specifically. Additionally, diversifying a WordPress product can be a good model for certain types of products and can scale more quickly, making it a good option for businesses. Aaron highlights the technical difficulties of supporting and maintaining WordPress plugins due to compatibility issues with hosting providers, themes, and other plugins, making it difficult to ensure compatibility with all possible configurations. The discussion focuses on the various ways to diversify WordPress products, including creating a software as a service (SaaS) product, offering hosting services, and creating a platform or community for your product. ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportMatt Cromwell and Katie Keith introduce WP Product Talk's first episode of 2023. Katie Keith joins the show as the new co-host. They talk about their guest, Zach Katz, founder of Gravity Kit and Trusted Login, and how they will discuss the subject of being a solo founder. Matt Cromwell also mentions a Twitter poll he conducted asking people if they prefer audio-only or YouTube streaming, with the majority preferring YouTube. However, they are still exploring other options. ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supportKim Coleman and Brad Williams are discussing the significance of Five for the Future, an initiative promoting the WordPress community's contribution to the platform's growth. They mention that WordPress is built by people who volunteer and are passionate about the web and the platform. They argue that building a business on top of the platform requires one to rely on WordPress itself moving forward, and contributing to the platform can make it an effort that's part of the whole team. They also suggest that contributing to the platform can be a lot more creative and extends beyond development work. ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supporthttps://twitter.com/miriamschwabhttps://elementor.com/https://www.strattic.com/https://thewpminute.com/support ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supporthttps://twitter.com/syedbalkhihttps://thrivethemes.com/https://awesomemotive.com/https://thewpminute.com/support ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supporthttps://twitter.com/ChrisBadgetthttps://lifterlms.com/https://paidmembershipspro.com/https://thewpminute.com/support ★ Support this podcast ★

Thanks Pressable for supporting the show! Get your special hosting deal at https://pressable.com/wpminuteBecome a WP Minute Supporter & Slack member at https://thewpminute.com/supporthttps://twitter.com/chrislubkerthttps://extendify.com/https://thewpminute.com/support ★ Support this podcast ★