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An in-depth look at the Beaver Builder ecosystem, and the new Beaver Themer. After almost one year of development,  Beaver Builder's announce its first official addon. Beaver Themer is a theme builder plugin for WordPress. What makes Beaver Builder so special? What makes their community unique? Will Beaver Themer change how people develop WordPress websites?   Our WordPress panel this week:   Kim Shivler: https://whiteglovewebtraining.com/ Lee Jackson: https://angledcrown.com/ Mendel Kurland https://ifyouwillit.com/ Sallie Goetsch: https://wpfangirl.com/ Jackie D'Elia: https://jackiedelia.com/ Jonathan Denwood: https://www.wp-tonic.com/ John Locke: https://www.lockedownseo.com/   ==================   Table of Contents for Episode 192   0:00 Podcast intros. 3:07 WordPress News Story #1: New WordPress Plugin Blocks Spam User Registrations Using Stop Forum Spam Database 8:43 WordPress News Story #2: Weglot Multilingual Plugin Closes $450K in Seed Funding 19:11 Main Topic: The Beaver Builder Ecosystem 19:20 What makes the Beaver Builder community so special? Why do people like this plugin so much compared to other page builders? 25:26 What has Beaver Builder done right that other page builders have not? 27:25 What's a good way to handle licensing for clients with Beaver Builder? The importance of a cute mascot in a WordPress product. 29:17 Balancing being user-friendly and developer-friendly. 30:27 Lee describes how they integrate Beaver Builder and Beaver Themer into the workflow at Angled Crown. 33:51 How will Beaver Themer change the development landscape? Particularly in regards to frameworks like Genesis? What are the pros and cons of using Beaver Builder vs frameworks? 45:45 How does Beaver Builder output CSS? What happens when you deactivate the plugin? 47:40 Do Kim or Lee use any third-party add-ons for Beaver Builder? Will Beaver Themer change the WordPress themes landscape? The many ways in which people interact with WordPress. 58:05 A rant about people who complain about tools that cost money (that they then use to make money). 1:05:06 Podcast outros.   ==================   Links mentioned during the show:   Stop Signup Spam >Stop Spammers Beaver Themer PowerPack Beaver Builder Add On Genesis Extender Plugin Ultimate AddOns for Beaver Builder   ==================   Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website: https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/beaver-builder-ecosystem/   ===================   Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2   ===================   WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance and support service, and the publisher of a weekly WordPress business podcast.

We Interview Tenko Nikolov, CEO and Managing Partner at SiteGround. SiteGround is a successful hosting company with hundreds of employees. Located in Europe, its CEO, Tenko Nikolov, has been fixated on growing his brand by focused on success across the team and for their customers. It's evident that SiteGround knows what they're doing -- and the photos tell a great story about a great company culture. Tenko has shared his experiences with us in the interview below. We highly recommend you read it to learn how this young CEO has made his company so incredibly successful. Tenko share with us about the future of hosting, Siteground's commitment to innovation, and what they look for in hiring for their team. We'll also hear the story of how Tenko rose from technical support to being the CEO. Lastly, what huge plans does Siteground have for the future. It's an episode that will give you great insight into one of the leading hosting companies out there. ==================   Table of Contents for Episode 191   0:00 Podcast intros. 0:29 How did Tenko first come to work at Siteground? What was his start with technology? 3:19 Did Tenko plan on becoming on CEO? 4:10 The three core values of Siteground and the role each play in the company's success. 6:54 Some of the technological innovations that Siteground  have as features, and ones that they are working on. 9:27 What are the qualities that Siteground looks for in hiring team members? 10:23 Why the term "the cloud" is redundant. What the future of hosting will look like. What company is actually pushing web hosting forward. 13:03 What features Siteground has to keep sites secure. Some things they are currently working on to make their hosting environments even more secure. 17:21 Who are Siteground's target customers? How does marketing differ between small business and enterprise customers? 22:03 How is marketing changing for hosting companies within the WordPress space? What word does Tenko want people to associate with Siteground? 25:43 What is Kyup? Who is it built for? What might it be in the future? 27:01 Does Tenko think Amazon or Google will enter the hosting market directly? Where does he see hosting in general going over the next decade? 28:39 What other projects is Tenko involved in besides Siteground? 29:25 Has the technical background in Bulgaria helped Siteground find some talent? What factors contribute to the talent pool in Bulgaria? 32:28 What is Siteground's top priority over the next twelve months? 34:29 Are clients asking more about renewable energy? What efforts are they making towards being eco-friendly? 36:20 Is WordPress more or less secure than other CMS? What contributes to its reputation? 37:20 What marketing efforts are they integrating with their technological innovation over the coming year? 38:46 What events is Siteground involved in throughout the year? 40:21 Podcast outros.   ==================   Links mentioned during the show:   Let's Encrypt Kyup WordCamp Europe 2014 WordCamp Sofia (archive list from WordCamp Central) Bulgaria PHP Conference   ==================   Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website: https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/tenko-nikolov-ceo-siteground/   ===================   Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2   ===================   WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance and support service, and the publisher of a weekly WordPress business podcast.

This week, we look at learning management systems and building an online course in WordPress.   Our WordPress panel this week:   Chris Badgett: https://lifterlms.com Kim Shivler: https://howtobuildanonlinecourse.com Sallie Goetsch: https://wpfangirl.com Jonathan Denwood: https://www.wp-tonic.com/ John Locke: https://www.lockedowndesign.com/   ==================   Table of Contents for Episode 190   0:00 Podcast intros. 2:21 WordPress News Story #1: 10up Releases WP Docker, an Open Source Docker Configuration for Local WordPress Development 5:30 WordPress News Story #2: Shopify Discontinues Its Official Plugin for WordPress 13:35 Main Topic: Learning Management Systems in WordPress 13:40 What is an LMS? How does it differ from an online course or a membership plugin? 18:36 How much goes into planning the material for an online course? 23:16 Technology is hard because planning the content for students is hard. 26:35 What part(s) of your course should you write first? The answer might surprise you! 32:02 Building in motivation to finish a course. Why gamification is not as important as creating meaning. The importance of community during a course. Mapping fluency to reality in a course. 37:56 Making sure that different learning styles are in the lessons. Following up with a sense of community - why this is the X Factor in the success of an online course. 39:27 How long should each course segment be? How do you determine what each student should be able to do at the end of a learning module? What is the sweet spot for learning modules? 42:50 Estimating what students will be able to do in a certain time frame. 45:11 IS it more difficult to move beginners or intermediate learners forward? Knowing who you are building the class for. Scaling engagement. 55:19 Podcast outros.   ==================   Links mentioned during the show:   Docker Safe Redirect Manager Self-Determination Theory Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs The Dip (Seth Godin) LMSCast   ==================   Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website:   https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/learning-management-systems-wordpress/   ===================   Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2   ===================   WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance and support service, and the publisher of a weekly WordPress business podcast.

This week, our guest is Zack Rosen, CEO of Pantheon. As CEO & Co-Founder, Zack leads the charge to define what developers need now, & what they and their clients will need 5 years from now—and beyond. Zack pioneered the first large-scale Drupal website for the Howard Dean campaign in 2003, co-founded the world’s first Drupal development shop, CivicSpace, co-founded a successful Drupal development shop, Chapter Three, and also co-founded Mission Bicycle. What started as a professional website development epiphany—We’re doing it wrong!—evolved into an all-in-one platform after he and a few trusted colleagues got together and started solving problems. What Salesforce did for sales & Gmail did for email communications, Zack envisions Pantheon will do for websites. How do you build a solution so important it can’t be ignored? Ask not, “How many gigs of storage can we get?” Ask, “How much more scalable can our website become? How much faster can we reach our people?” Zack discusses the future of hosting, Pantheon's goals, Multidev, WordPress at scale. He also talks about the difference between Drupal and WordPress, education, outreach, and mentorship. During our talk, Zack defines the three different levels of websites, and the level where he thinks WordPress is still early in it's adoption. If you use the web to make a living at all, this is an episode you'll want to listen to.   ==================   Table of Contents for Episode 188   0:00 Podcast intros. 0:19 How Pantheon got started. 3:50 Where Zack sees hosting going in the next decade. 8:11 Pantheon's lofty goal for hosting, and how they came up with that goal.   13:08 What most clients don't know about performant WordPress hosting at scale. 20:59 The effect that education outreach with developers has on the awareness and growth of Pantheon. Discussions about workflow with larger sites with multiple people working on it at the same time. 26:03 What is Multidev? How this feature is unique in WordPress hosting, and the practical use cases for agency team workflow. 29:10 Differences in community and culture between Drupal and WordPress. 32:25 What Pantheon learned about communication from WordPress US. 36:26 Dividing lines between different classes of websites. The expectations for each level. The level where Zack thinks WordPress is still early in it's adoption curve. 43:34 What Zack has done to prepare Pantheon for growth as it moves from one level to the next. Why he believes that the majority of entrepreneurial growth and learning comes down to mentorship. 47:01 Podcast outros.   ==================   Links mentioned during the show:   Chapter Three Mission Bicycle ScaleWP.io   ==================   Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website:   https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/189-zack-rosen-pantheon/   ===================   Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-a-wordpress-podcast-for-web-professionals/id893083124?mt=2   ===================   WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance and support service, and the publisher of one of the top WordPress podcasts in the space.

In this episode, we look at local development, and how that can help your workflow. What options are there for local development, and what do you do with a local site when it's time to deploy. We examine why you need a local environment in your workflow, and some choices for getting started.   Our WordPress panel this week:   Jackie D'Elia: https://jackiedelia.com / Morten Rand-Hendriksen: https://www.lynda.com/ Sallie Goetsch: https://wpfangirl.com Jonathan Denwood: https://www.wp-tonic.com/ John Locke:  https://www.lockedowndesign.com/   ==================   Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting. Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.   ==================   Table of Contents for Episode 188   0:00 Podcast intros. 4:08 WordPress News Story #1: Scaling WordPress Image Serving with Tachyon 14:57 WordPress News Story #2: Is The Design Firm an Endangered Species? 28:20 Main Topic: Local Development Environments in WordPress 28:28 Why should you develop locally? What advantages are there by incorporating it into your workflow? 30:50 Use the simplest possible setup for local development when you're getting started. 35:02 The panel has lots of thoughts on different local development setups. 50:28 You should always backup your database when working locally. 57:25 Podcast outros.   ==================   Links mentioned during the show:   Amazon Web Services by Delicious Brains Design Thinking (IDEO) Teehan+Lax Partners Join Facebook Design (2015) Discussion: The Future of the Digital Design Agency (2015) "Anyone who influences what the design becomes is the designer." DesktopServer Installing and Running WordPress: DesktopServer Migrate DB Pro Moving WordPress with WP Migrate DB and DB Pro Local by Flywheel Bitnami Mergebot MAMP & MAMP Pro XAMPP Vagrant Source Tree Rethink.fm Schedule WordPress: REST API East Bay WordPress Meetups   ==================   Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website: https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/188-local-development-environment-wordpress/   ===================   Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2   =================== WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance and support service, and the publisher of a weekly WordPress business podcast.

We sit down to talk with Dusty Davidson, the CEO and co-founder of Flywheel. He tells us how the hosting company got started, early years and growing, what they look for in hiring, their acquisition of Local, and much more. We also ask Dusty about early years and growing, what they look for in hiring, their acquisition of Local,  and much more.   ==================   Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting. Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.   ==================   Table of Contents for Episode 187   0:00 Podcast intros. 2:57 How did Flywheel get started? Why they decided to start a hosting company in the first place. 5:39 What gaps in the hosting market was Flywheel trying to fill? 9:06 Some common hosting problems that Flywheel sought to solve. Growing the company using pure hustle and guerrilla marketing. 16:47 What does Flywheel look for when hiring? What challenges have they faced when growing the company? 20:44 As Flywheel grew, who did Dusty look to for advice? How do organizations change as they grow? 23:21 Dusty's early involvement in Silicon Prairie News and the growing tech scene in the Midwest. 30:34 Bootstrapped vs. Venture Capital funded. 32:49 The trend of hosting companies consolidating services by buying other companies and tools. The decision process behind Flywheel purchasing Pressmatic (now Local by Flywheel). Thoughts on GoDaddy acquiring Sucuri. 39:21 Is the future bright for plugin developers? What's the future for themes and plugins? How does this affect the perception of other products in the WordPress space, like hosting? 46:44 What is the future for growth for WordPress the platform? 49:00 Podcast outros.   ==================   Links mentioned during the show:   Silicon Prairie News One Million Cups Local by Flywheel   ==================   Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website: https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast-episodes/   ===================   Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes   https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2   ===================   WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance and support service, and the publisher of a twice-weekly WordPress podcast.

Lee Jackson returns to talk his other company, Event Engine. This is a web agency devoted entirely to website design for conferences, events, and expos. We look the unique challenges faced by conference website managers, and some great tips for digital marketing for events, expos, and conferences.   Links Event Engine The Event & Expo Podcast Angled Crown   ==================   Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting. Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.   ==================   Table of Contents for Episode 185   0:00 Podcast intros. 3:29 What made Lee choose events and expos as a vertical? What led to him developing the Event Engine CMS? 6:50 What research went into adding features and modules to the Event Engine CMS? (built on top of WordPress). How did this product evolve? 11:09 How do they get in front of these event companies? What marketing methods work? 13:13 The benefit of publishing content year round for conferences and expos that only happen once a year? 17:07 Why giving away free content year round doesn't hurt ticket sales, but rather helps it. Tools for building a social element on a conference website. 19:40 Using the Facebook Pixel for retargeting and follow-up marketing. You can also do this on Twitter and LinkedIn. 22:39 Tips for marketing in person. 27:09 How Lee decided what to keep and what to turn off by default in the modules of Event Engine. Thoughts on the possibility of modules in WordPress. Backwards compatibility in WordPress. 30:28 Thoughts about WordPress growing the market share, and what it is happening to the market as a result. 37:10 Overcoming design by committee, and how Lee's process has changed over time to smooth this out. 41:22 Working with WordPress with outside apps using the REST API. 43:51 Podcast outros.   ===================   Additional Links mentioned during the show:   BuddyPress 165 WP-Tonic: Mojca Marš – All About Facebook Ads WP Innovator Podcast WP Innovator YouTube channel   ===================   Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website: https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/185-event-website-design/   ===================   Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2   ===================   WP-Tonic is a WordPress maintenance company, and the publisher of a twice weekly WordPress business podcast.

We look at event management plugins, what they do, and when you will need specific ones. What if you run recurring events? Say you run a once a year event, and need to sell tickets? What if you're a musician or band posting gigs? We give our recommendations for these scenarios and more.   Our WordPress panel this week:   Sallie Goetsch: https://wpfangirl.com Kim Shivler: https://howtobuildanonlinecourse.com/ Lee Jackson: https://angledcrown.com/ Jonathan Denwood: https://www.wp-tonic.com John Locke: https://www.lockedownseo.com/   ==================   Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting. Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.   ==================   Table of Contents for Episode 184   0:00 Podcast intros. 3:08 WordPress News Story #1: Advanced WordPress Facebook Group Moves to Curb Low Quality Content with Admin-Approved Posts 11:16 WordPress News Story #2: WordPress Editor Experience Survey Shows 75% of Respondents Don’t Use Distraction-Free Writing Mode WordPress News Story #3: Recommended Reading: Resilient Web Design, a Free e-Book from Jeremy Keith 25:56 Main Topic: Event Management Plugins 26:12 The Events Calendar 31:05 Lee has a clever tip for creating event listings without a plugin. 35:20 Google Calendar Events Event Organiser Event List Events Manager 39:10 Why you might need an events management plugin in the first place. Your blog is not the proper place for upcoming events! 41:09 Lee's thoughts on Event Espresso and Tickera 44:22 Plugins for bands and musicians: GigPress (recommended) and Gigs Calendar (Not actively maintained) 48:01 The competition isn't other plugins, but online services like Eventbrite. 50:18 Tips about buying tickets or registering with WooCommerce. 56:38 Podcast outros.   ==================   Links mentioned during the show:   Grammarly WP-Tonic Episode 162: Jeremy Keith on Resilient Web Design Resilient Web Design The Web is responsive by default Getting the Perfect Website (2008) Event Engine Event Engine: The Event & Expo Podcast WooCommerce Simple Registration Hallway Chats 100k Freelancing: EP 0107 Real World Marketing with John Locke   ==================   Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website: https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/184-wordpress-event-management/   ===================   Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2   ===================   WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance and support service, and the publisher of a twice-weekly WordPress business podcast.

We look at what a marketing funnel is, and how they can help grow your business. Then we analyze how to build funnels in WordPress, methodologies for building funnels, and moving people down the funnel to close a sale. At the top of the funnel is awareness, further down the funnel is interest, evaluation, and finally commitment, and closing the sale.   Our WordPress panel this week:   Adam Fout of Blue Steele Solutions Sallie Goetsch of WP Fangirl Jonathan Denwood of WP-Tonic John Locke of Lockedown SEO   ==================   Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting. Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.   ================== br /> Table of Contents for Episode 186   0:00 Podcast intros. 3:50 WordPress News Story #1: This (WordPress) community is not for the taking 12:14 WordPress News Story #2: Automattic to Host a Free, Remote Conference on Design and Exclusion on April 21 17:31 WordPress News Story #3: Transparency Report #26 – The Future of ThemeIsle and How Often People Change Themes 24:40 Main Topic: Marketing Funnels 24:44 The top of the funnel: Identifying potential customers and creating an avatar. Finding your target customers. Building awareness for people that they even have a problem that needs solving in the first place. 32:41 Other means of lead generation. Doing off-site and on-site marketing to build awareness. Moving from a generalist position to a vertical over time. 40:07 Lead nurturing:  email marketing, reaching out to engaged prospects, looking at data, measuring engagement. Picking up the phone is still effective. 43:21 Establishing your niche. Following up with referrals, and communicating with the people who send you send referrals and inquiries. 47:57 Lead nurturing by focusing your content, curating similar content, and having a consistent newsletter. Great content is table stakes. 51:11 Comparison and consideration. Strategies for overcoming objections. Your proposal shouldn't be a pitch, but things you have already agreed on. 57:25 Podcast outros.   ==================   Links mentioned during the show:   )The Art of Paid Traffic Podcast (Rick Mulready https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHE0wmgljco8 Mile Final Battle The Ultimate Customer Persona Template East Bay Meetup Five ways your auto body shop can bring in more work (Go Daddy Garage)   ==================   Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website: https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast-episodes/   ===================   Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2   ===================   WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance and support service, and the publisher of a weekly WordPress business podcast.

Tom is a self-employed WordPress developer and a top contributor to the WordPress development community. Tom also runs a small business called Pressware, that builds web applications, sites, themes, plugins, and more – using WordPress. He also works as the Tuts+ Code editor where he is responsible for overseeing all of the Web Development and CMS content that’s published via Envato. You can find a lot of Tom’s open source work both in the WordPress Plugin Repository as well as on GitHub (though some of it’s quite old and outdated so be mindful of the dates in the repository). Tom tries to keep as many repositories as updated as possible, but contracts and clients come first, so those projects take a backseat.   TomMcFarlin.com https://tommcfarlin.com/   Pressware https://pressware.co/   ==================   Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb and Beaver Builder. Our first sponsor this week is Beaver Builder. What sets Beaver Builder apart from their competition is their thriving community, top-notch-support, and third-party ecosystem. The Beaver Builder 2.0 UI and Beaver Themer are also right around the corner. If you've been on the fence about using a page builder, now might be the time to give Beaver Builder a try.   ===================   Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting. Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.   ==================   Table of Contents for Episode 183   0:00 Podcast intros. 4:04 How did Tom first get into web development? 7:50 What initially attracted Tom to the WordPress ecosystem? 14:12 Where did the decision to blog daily come from, and what impact did that have on Tom's career? 21:21 Where does Tom's passion for code quality come from? Is the WordPress ecosystem getting better at quality development? 29:04 WordPress is not the new hotness, but it is reliable and stable. 34:40 Thoughts on telemetry in 2017. 40:36 How the WordPress UI may evolve in 2017. 44:01 Quick thoughts on e-commerce and WordPress. 46:51 Podcast outros.   ===================   Find bonus content for this episode on the WP-Tonic website: https://www.wp-tonic.com/183-tom-mcfarlin/   ===================   Subscribe to WP-Tonic on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wp-tonic-wordpress-podcast/id893083124?mt=2   ===================   WP-Tonic is both a WordPress maintenance service, and the publisher of a twice-weekly WordPress podcast.