Started as a freelancer and grew to a 7 figure digital marketing agency. Sharing lessons learned. Agency @37designs and WordPress plugins at @panoramawp
Ann Arbor,MI
Joined June 2007
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I've audited over 100 websites before redesigning them to assess why users aren't converting.
There are 9 common reasons, detailed below 👇:
LLM optimization ≠ SEO.
Same fundamentals, different rules.
LLMs reward brand mentions, reviews, and hyper-specific content—not just long form content and links.
If you're only optimizing for Google, you're already behind.
Google Ads is evolving with AI Max for Search, automating targeting, bidding, and more. While this saves time, it also means less control and transparency. Strong strategy and clear messaging remain essential. Stay proactive to navigate this shift effectively.
Is your brand being recommended by AI?
Try this: Start a fresh chat, act as your ideal customer, and ask for recommendations. If your brand isn't mentioned, explore why and how to improve your presence.
Ross Johnson retweeted
Today we're sending the Wooping Shop Health plugin for #Woocommerce out to our early access users!
Want access? It's not too late to sign up on wooping.io
Ross Johnson retweeted
Remember how I told y'all I have some news coming today? Here we go!
Today, I'm announcing 2 new tools for decentralizing WordPress plugins and themes.
Part 1: Wormhole Sync - a tool for syncing/merging WordPress plugins/themes from external sources.
github.com/JeffMatson/wormho…
Currently, Wormhole Sync will store all data to a PostgreSQL database and files to an S3 (or compatible) object store.
Part 2: The Wormhole API - a drop-in replacement for the WordPress plugin/theme repositories. As a drop-in replacement, it can be used seamlessly from inside any WordPress admin. Users would see no difference.
Behind the scenes, the Wormhole API is doing a few things, including:
- Delivering plugins/theme installs/updates from multiple sources.
- Aggregating search results and dependencies.
- Full-text search within WordPress
- Checking file integrity, comparing across multiple versions available (including other Wormhole instances).
+ (a lot more that will be announced when Wormhole releases)
While the Wormhole API is already functioning well within my development environments and on serverless providers, I have some more fine-tuning to do before I unleash it.
Once the Wormhole API is ready, anyone will be able to spin up their own instance. Additionally, a publicly-accessible instance (or two) will be available for anyone to use.
Check out Wormhole Sync and let me know what you think! Stay tuned for more in the near future!
Ross Johnson retweeted
So, personal update. I decided to quit my job, which means I have some openings for contract work.
If you're looking for a talented WordPress developer with a proven track record of launching, and maintaining high-caliber WordPress plugins, message me!
alexstandiford.com/articles/…
Ross Johnson retweeted
If you’re thinking about building a custom block, ask yourself:
Does this make more sense as a block pattern? Can I use other blocks to accomplish the result I want?
Don’t reinvent the wheel. If you can plug in existing blocks, do so! It’s much easier to maintain over time.
Ross Johnson retweeted
They say, "You can't create more time."
I disagree!
Want to learn the most effective way to create tremendous impact and be wildly productive?
I'm going to give you two techniques that, when implemented, give you more time every single day.
Ross Johnson retweeted
Don’t confuse activity, productivity, and progress.
Activity = Doing stuff
Productivity = Doing stuff efficiently
Progress = Doing the right stuff
Never underestimate the impact of focus over efficiency.
Ross Johnson retweeted
I had to click on “no, I don’t want to stay healthy” to close a popup and I realized why people don’t like marketers.
It takes, on average, 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds) for a visitor to form an opinion about your website.
If it resonates with them, they'll continue to engage. If not, they'll leave.
Make sure your first impression is the right one.
Ross Johnson retweeted
Recently I had a lot of leads tell me "I don't want an award winning design, I want my audience to like it"
(1) It got me reflecting on the work that we did, is it award winning?
(2) Clients may truly not care about awards. Just a good site.
#IllusionOfProgress #InwardFocus
Me: Why are footers the hardest part of a website to design?
@RealRamchilla: I think for the same reason misc drawers are hard to organize? All the stuff belongs in it, and are tied together by the only virtue that you own this stuff.
Brilliant analogy and dead on.
I love working on strategy.
Synthesizing pages of notes and research into a simple but effective approach for reaching a desired goal isn't easy, but it is exciting.
There is an inflection point where all the noise becomes harmonious notes, and everything flows from there.