Doing business with WordPress

Doing business with WordPressMikko Virenius, Valu Digital Oy

@mikkovirenius

Contents• Introduction

• The Evolution of WordPress

• The Evolution of WordPress Sites

• WordPress Companies in Finland

• The Future of WordPress

• Summary

Introduction

The Evolution of WordPress

• WordPress as a Blogging Platform, 2006-2009

• WordPress as a CMS, 2010-2013

• WordPress as an Application Platform, 2013 ->

The Evolution of WordPress Sites

personal websites

applications

eCommerce sites

company websites

campaign sites

online magazines

WordPress Companies

• Freelancers and one-man companies

• Specialized companies

• Ad agencies and digital agencies using WordPress as a part of their toolbox

The Future of WordPress

“I see the future of WordPress as a web operating system.”

-Matt Mullenweg, 2013

Application Platform

• eCommerce sites

• Mobile apps

• Modern, JavaScript based, front-ends

• Custom dashboards

• Integrations with other systems

Mobile Apps

• Mobile apps using website’s data

• Extra value: Two way communication, notifications

• App != replacement for the responsive website

Separation of Front-End and Back-End

• Modern, JavaScript based, front-ends

• Custom dashboards for specific type of sites, like Happytables

Integrations

• Content is produced in multiple systems

• Social media

• ERP systems, inventory management

• eCommerce systems

• WordPress acts as a “Content streaming system”

Challenges

• Performance

• Scalability

• Security

• Modernization vs. backwards compatibility

Summary

• WordPress market in Finland is still growing

• The number of WordPress companies is growing

• The size of the average WordPress project is growing

Questions? Visit www.valu.fi