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I'll be honest, we intended to talk the most useful e-commerce plugins for WordPress, but ended up talking mostly about WooCommerce. That said, there's a ton of information in here about WooCommerce plugins and extensions, including what  plugins you'll need for specific functionality in WooCommerce.   Our WordPress panel this week:   Sallie Goetsch: from WP Fangirl Jackie D’Elia: from Jackie D’El...

Jackie D'Elia has had a long career in web development and programming. For the past several years she has been an independent WordPress developer, primarily on the Genesis platform. During the last year, Jackie has been a regular member of our Saturday podcast panel. We talk to Jackie about her experiences in web development, and what it takes to become a top-quality front-end / WordPress develop...

Our WordPress panel shares the biggest mistakes they have made on website projects. If you've done one website or a thousand, chances are you will identify with at least one thing on this list. We talk not only about our botch-ups, but how our processes changed afterwards as a result. There's something for everyone in this episode.   Our WordPress panel this week:   David Hayes: from WPShout Salli...

We talk with James Laws, founder of WP Ninjas, and co-creator of Ninja Forms. In this episode James share his insights on building a WordPress product company, managing internal growth, and advice for podcasters in the WordPress space.   WP Ninjas https://wpninjas.com/   Mastermind. FM http://mastermind.fm/   Adventures in Businessing http://aib.fm   ==================   Our episode this week is s...

The WP-Tonic panel looks at how to tackle large scale web projects. What sort of preparation and research goes into more complex projects? We analyze project management, organization, communication, and delegation in this can't miss episode.   ==================   This Weeks WordPress Panel   Sallie Goetsch: from WP Fangirl Christopher Hawkins: from Cogeian Systems Kim Shivler: from White Glove We...

Our guest this week is Emily White, of Emily White Designs. Emily has a successful business developing custom Genesis WordPress themes with her development partner, Greg Young. Emily clearly knows her customer base and is focused on giving her clients a fantastic customer experience. This interview shows you can still be successful running a small agency.   Emily White Designs https://www.emilywhi...

This week, we look at site structure and SEO. How does site architecture affect your search rank? We look at keyword research, internal linking, URL structure, permalinks, categories and tags, 301 redirects, setting up call-to-actions throughout the site, user experience, and more.   One of the more valuable episodes we've done this year, especially if you're trying to get your site to rank higher...

WordPress architect Mario Peshev joins us to talk WordPress in the enterprise. Mario is the founder and CEO of DevriX, a 25 person WordPress agency. He also is a core contributor to WordPress and a frequent speaker on web development. Mario Peshev at DevWP.eu http://devwp.eu/   DevriX: http://devrix.com/   Mario Peshev on Twitter https://twitter.com/no_fear_inc   Digital Growth with Mario Peshev h...

In this episode, we look at the value of participating in the WordPress community, both offline and online. Is there anything substantial to be gained from befriending people who do the same thing that you do? Join us every Saturday at 9 am PST for our live show where you can ask WordPress tech questions and be part of the discussion. To see a list upcoming Saturday shows go to the WP-Tonic websit...

Chris Lema and AJ Morris of Liquid Web stop by to talk product innovation, hosting, and the WordPress community.   We're also joined by our WordPress panel for this special episode.   Cast for Episode 169:   AJ Morris: https://ajmorris.me/ Chris Lema: http://chrislema.com/ Sallie Goetsch https://www.wpfangirl.com/ Lee Jackson https://trailblazer.fm Jonathan Denwood https://www.wp-tonic.com/ John L...

We look at the role of user experience design in web design. How does UX differ from other disciplines in web design and development?   Our panel this week:   Krissie VandeNoord: http://krissievandenoord.com/ Sallie Goetsch: https://www.wpfangirl.com/ Jackie D'Elia: https://jackiedelia.com/ Kim Shivler: https://whiteglovewebtraining.com/ John Locke: https://www.lockedownseo.com/ Jonathan Denwood:...

Tim Brown is someone that if you haven't heard of him yet, you soon will. A web designer, marketer, and WordPress fanatic from Minneapolis, MN, Tim has been building his personal brand while working full time at a local agency. Seriously, Tim publishes quality content like a beast, and has earned every bit of his success. In this episode, Tim will share his experiences in both freelancing, organiz...

In this week's WordPress panel, we looked at social media tools and services. What tools do we use to share, track, and accelerate social media engagement? We also talk social media strategies, and what platforms are giving us the best returns. We do a live show every Saturday at 9am PST. You can find details about each Saturday show here: https://www.wp-tonic.com/blab/   =======   Our panel this...

Social media consultant Mojca Marš returns to tell us all about Facebook ads and why they are so effective. http://superspicymedia.com/ =============   Table of Contents for Episode 165   0:00 Podcast Intros 2:53 What things is Mojca applying in her business that's allowing her to double her income from last year? 4:34 Why Mojca recommends Facebook ads above other social media lead generation chan...

We have a great discussion here with Cody Landefeld, co-founder of Mode Effect, a WordPress ecommerce agency that has worked with Fortune 500 companies. We talk with Cody about some of the difference between a regular web project and an eCommerce web project. What should you be preparing for with eCommerce that is different from regular web development? You can learn more about Cody at https://mod...

Consultant Philip Morgan discusses positioning in a crowded market. He literally wrote the book on positioning for technical firms. Philip helps technical consultants, like web development shops, find a specialized position in a generalized world. This specialization, in turn, helps those firms strengthen their expertise in a specific niche and command higher rates. We really enjoyed this intervie...

Web pioneer Jeremy Keith talks with us about the resiliency of the web, upcoming innovations in CSS and browser support, native vs. web, and what he's excited about in web development. You can follow him on his site at https://adactio.com/ .   ==================   Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of hosting. Head over to...

Following up our previous episode with a discussion on different types of pricing for web design and development services. How do we price our projects? Hourly? Fixed fee? Project rate? Blended rate? Value based? We also talk about some of the mistakes we've made in pricing projects, and the #1 step we recommend to estimating web development projects more accurately.   Our WordPress panel this wee...

In episode 160, consultant Jonathan Stark tells us why hourly billing is nuts. Jonathan Stark built a six figure solo consultancy by ditching hourly billing for value-based fees. He has a decade of real-world experience successfully applying value-based theories to software development projects. With his coaching program, he teaches freelancers, solo consultants, and boutique firm owners how to do...

We take a look at the growing ecosystem of contact forms for WordPress. Which ones should you check out? Which are best for your project? What types of functionality exist in contact forms in 2017?   ===================   Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for 6 months on managed WordPress hosting for our viewers. Head over to https://www.liquidweb.com/wordpress   and use the code WPTONIC33 at...

This week, we are blessed to have Rachel Andrew as our guest. Rachel is an accomplished web developer, co-founder of Perch CMS, a Google Developer Expert, an invited expert to the CSS Working Group (which sets the direction for how CSS works in the future). For the past four years, Rachel has also been the leading authority on CSS Grid, which is set to be supported in most major browsers in early...

Our WordPress panel discusses the planning, coordination, and execution of a complex site migration from one hosting environment to another. We'll also cover what type of content planning you'll need to put together when moving from one platform to another (like from an external CMS to WordPress.) Our panel this week: Sallie Goetsch: https://www.wpfangirl.com/ Jackie D'Elia: https://jackiedelia.co...

Carrie Dils returns to WP-Tonic for her third appearance. She is the queen of the Genesis Framework and also the host of the popular Office Hours FM podcast. We ask her about the future of Genesis, multiple income streams, teaching courses, and podcasting. You can find Carrie at https://carriedils.com/ . She also hosts one of the top WordPress podcasts at https://officehours.fm/ . Episode 156 Tabl...

In this WP-Tonic round-table we discuss Web Accessibility. What tools does the panel use to test sites for accessibility? What are the key factors that you must know about web accessibility in 2017? We discuss web accessibility standards and guidelines. How do you make sites more accessible? What needs to be included and tested? Why do web developers tend to put accessibility on the back burner? W...

Nate Wright provides WordPress themes and plugins to build better restaurant websites. After more than three years delivering products for restaurants, cafes and bars, he's built up a suite of free and commercial products to help you take reservations online, manage your restaurant menus and boost local SEO.   Nate Wright runs Theme of the Crop, a WordPress company that specializes in themes and p...