Clayton Morris of Fox Tech Take started out this segment—titled WP Curve takes WordPress to the next level—by asking his viewers this:
What percentage of the web do you think is run on WordPress?
Ding ding ding! Torque readers all know the answer to this one. As WP Curve‘s Alex McClafferty confirmed, the answer is: over 20% of the entire internet. Strangely, this doesn’t seem to be common knowledge outside of the WordPress ecosystem. In response to the revelation, Clayton Morris exclaimed:
So that’s a great business opportunity!
It is indeed. As Alex explained in the interview, WordPress has a thriving ecosystem that continues to grow every day. WP Curve, the company Alex co-founded with Dan Norris, is a prime example of WordPress entrepreneurship. Bootstrapped and self funded, the idea behind WP Curve is quite simple: WordPress support as a service.
According to Alex, there are many different ways to support a WordPress site. What sets WP Curve apart is their method of delivery in the sense that they have developers working around the clock to really take care of, and support, their customers at all times. With the kind of work the developers at WP Curve do—helping people design and personalize their WordPress websites—they are able to break down projects into small chunks, offering a very quick turnover . . . typically in the same business day.
The inherent challenges of being bootstrapped and self-funded are all about getting more out of less, Alex explained. Excellent customer service and support is important to WP Curve, as most of their business comes from word of mouth.
One mistake that Alex has come across, when working with small business owners who are trying to create their own website, is that they tend to be too focused on their business and what they do. This disables them from taking their customers into consideration first.
Alex has found that the best marketing that he and co-founder Dan Norris have done is all about helping other people, and helping them get what they want. So WP Curve helps their customers by providing instructional how-to guides, which can be applied to any business vertical, that help customers get traffic to their sites and get people interested in their content.
When asked why WordPress is so successful, Alex shared that he believes it’s because of its accessibility. People can start on WordPress.com with a blog, and then move over to .org and play with plugins and themes—it’s completely customizable.
People new to WordPress are often confused about the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. Alex broke it down simply by saying:
WordPress.com is great for just starting out on a blog if you want to have a journal or share your thoughts online. But WordPress.org is the platform that you can actually jump on, customize what you want, and set up a custom site from the ground up. And that’s better for business owners because it is more customizable.
Looking forward, Alex sees websites in the small business space becoming more and more content-centric. Making sure your content is high-quality and relevant is the most important aspect of driving traffic and getting people interested in your business. Whether you have articles, podcasts, how-to guides, or even infographics—helpful and interesting content is what will get people interested in your site and your business, says Alex.
See the full interview here.
What do you think are the key factors in making a small business website successful?
Michelle Oznowicz is the Managing Editor of Torque. Whether it be directing a short film, planning a unique travel adventure, or pulling together and organizing a community-powered publication, she enjoys rallying a group of people around a common goal.
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