Devrims: Derek, you’ve been building things online for over 20 years. What initially drew you to WordPress, and how did it evolve into becoming such a central part of your career?
Derek: I came to WordPress early on in my freelance career building small business websites for clients. It was a natural progression when you hit the point of wanting your clients to manage content on their site instead of you having to do it all the time. Quickly I used it on almost every single site build and it became the foundation for everything I was doing.
Devrims: Let’s talk about Conversion Bridge, your latest WordPress product. What inspired its creation, and what specific problem does it solve for WordPress users?
Derek: I’ve seen that many sites don’t ever set up conversion tracking. I think many professional developers and website owners know about adding an analytics platform like Google Analytics but stop there. To get real insights on a website, you need to go deeper and track conversions like purchases, form submissions, and other important actions visitors can take on a site.
I think most people don’t set it up because it’s hard. It often requires custom coding and with so many plugins in the WordPress ecosystem it can be a challenge to know how to do it right for each one.
So I set out to make adding analytics and setting up conversion tracking incredibly easy, regardless of which analytics platform or plugins you are using on a WordPress site. You can now get everything related to analytics setup and configured to track all the important events on a site in less than 1 minute with Conversion Bridge.
Devrims: Let’s dive into your experience with plugin development. What’s your process for identifying market needs and validating product ideas before development?
Derek: I have a few smaller plugins – Confetti and Address Autocomplete Anything – that were a result of direct requests from clients wanting some custom functionality. I recognized that it would only take a little more effort to turn them into a product so it seemed like a no brainer to do so and see what would happen. While they are not massive income generators they have definitely been worth the effort.
Another plugin – Sunshine Photo Cart – I started 12 years ago for my wife who was a photographer. There was nothing else like it available at the time so I dove in head first without really thinking about it.
So far I’d say I haven’t spent too much time thinking if a product would work or not – I just went ahead and built it, offered it, and seeing if it’s worth the time to continue.
Devrims: Marketing plugins in the WordPress ecosystem can be challenging. What strategies have you found most effective for reaching your target audience?
Derek: One great aspect of Conversion Bridge is the 50+ plugins it integrates with. This also leads to easy marketing wins by doing cross promotional stuff with the plugin companies Conversion Bridge integrates with. Being able to reach their audiences directly has helped get things off the ground more easily for a development focused person like myself.
Devrims: Let’s do some quick rapid-fire questions
| Favorite WordPress plugin (other than your own) | ACF – I wouldn’t have made it this far as a freelancer without it |
| Best productivity tip you’ve discovered over the years? | Make a list of what to do for the day and knock them out 1 by 1 |
| Favorite vacation spot | Anywhere warm with a beach |
Devrims: Having worked across agencies and freelancing, how do you view the role of managed hosting in supporting WordPress businesses? What should developers and site owners look for in a hosting provider?
Derek: Managed hosting is a must in WordPress. I have had upwards of 75 client sites with a single managed hosting provider who has been fantastic for my needs. I rarely worry about technical issues like sites going down or dealing with backups. This helps me stay focused on other more important things to continue to grow.
Devrims: The WordPress community is known for its collaboration. How has engaging with the community influenced your career or shaped your products?
Derek: I’ve been very active on Twitter/X the last 2 years or so constantly talking about my building journey and how things are going with it. This has helped personalize me and my product while also getting others to spread the word for me as well. Without being engaged with the community, I would not have met some great people who pushed me to actually build Conversion Bridge in the first place – it may have never existed without their encouragement.
Devrims: Balancing life and work is critical for any creator. How do you manage your work-life balance, and are there any personal hobbies or routines that help you unwind?
Derek: Development is both my job and a hobby. Whenever I have free time I find myself back in front of the computer making something.
That being said, I definitely need to be out playing the sports I love (soccer and golf) to keep me physically moving and in a better headspace.
Devrims: Lastly, can you recommend a few people in the WordPress or web development space we should interview next?
Derek: Mark Westguard, WS Form
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