Short thoughts, work in progress, lessons learned, & the occasional personal update.
Recently visited my fiancée’s family, so I got some time off from this workstation and worked from somewhere else for a bit.
That’s one of the things I’m really grateful for with freelancing. You have the freedom to bring your work anywhere and get a change of scenery when you need it.
But yeah, good to be back at this little workspace!
Got my new eyeglasses! Been trying to take better care of my eyes since they take the most stress in this kind of work. So I make sure to get them checked from time to time.
Also, I always go with transition lenses. Just being practical 😅
Classy and functional at the same time!
Being a freelancer taught me that you need a backup for everything. Projects, internet, even your computer 😀. Since my main machine is a Mac Mini running the M4 chip, I just needed this laptop repaired as a backup.
But with all the AI integrations these days, PCs and laptops are getting expensive. Even the repairs!
I’m continuing an Elementor project, and I can see myself building custom solutions around it again.
For growing sites with heavy dynamic data and conditional layouts, it’s not really its strongest area.
But it’s still great for marketing sites and for less technical users. Also noticed it now has an MCP, which is a nice plus if you’re using AI.
8 structured data systems in one project. Connecting and strategizing everything so it all works from day one.
I guess freelancing feels fulfilling once you’re done with this kind of project. But the process behind it? That’s a bit overwhelming.
This time I’m not starting from scratch though, the previous provider left it at about 15% progress so I’m just picking up where they left off.
The only real challenge? The language. Shifting from English to Deutsch 😅
Hallo zusammen 👋
Currently working on one of my monthly site care tasks, checking the speed of a client site. And it’s still performing well. These routine checks don’t look exciting but they keep things running the way they should.
Speed is one of the hardest things to improve on a website because there are so many factors like server, how the pages are built, and the tools used to build them. But I’m still glad I was able to improve this one.
One thing you can’t really control when handling projects is the timeline. It can shift at any point, especially when you’re working with trade businesses.
I’ve tried the more popular ones, but Basecamp is still one of the most straightforward tools out there.
Btw I’m almost done with a new post on how I onboard client projects using it.
Since I left my corporate job last year to go full-time freelancing, I’ve been putting a lot more effort into this website.
Just added a new post and it got indexed almost immediately.
Got my new earbuds from Anker and I’m really liking the noise cancellation so far. Been using the one from Baseus for 2 years and it finally needed a replacement.
Looks small but this pair really helps when I need to focus.
My WP Booking System review is now showing up in AI Overviews and SERP, just like my Bricks Builder one. Been ranking for both too.
Found some old clips of my website designs done on Adobe XD. Different versions of my site over the past 10 years. A lot of testing and trial and error. It’s been a journey.
Had to switch to Figma with all the issues around XD being phased out.
I can’t remember if they’re going to post recordings of the 2-day event, but I was still able to gather some insights from my phone and memory 🙂
Here’s the new blog about HighLevel Live Manila.
Since I’ve already added more than 10 notes, I can say I’m really liking this new feature on my website.
See the full post on why I added microblogging to this website.
Nah maybe a discount 😅
But seriously, if you’re going with WordPress, at least use a solid page builder like Bricks (my bias), Beaver, Divi, or Elementor. Launching a site is just a small part of it.
Building new pages and optimizing over time is the long game, and your site builder matters for that.
Looking at these skylight photos all day got me thinking. What’s it like living in a house with a transparent roof like that? Then I imagined having one here in PH. Sounds great when it rains. Then summer hits 😂
jk, these skylights are actually automated and packed with features.
WPBakery might be the only page builder where the experience is equally rough whether you’re using backend or frontend editing. Divi handles this way better.
Sorry, I keep comparing these two because they both offer both modes, but the quality gap is real. Credit to the Divi team for getting that right!
I just realized I wasn’t able to record everything. Now I’m trying to piece together all the info I remember and the photos I have.
The insights they shared were pretty overwhelming 😅
I have an urgent page build using WPBakery. Although we have a 1-week deadline, I’m confident I can deliver. But seriously, at least give us a custom CSS field per widget. Even Divi has that!
I’m not really the type to rant about tools I use for work. I get that every builder is built differently. But every time I have a project using this one, it just takes so much longer than it should.
I originally created this survey for a law firm’s website. Since they were already using Gravity Forms, I was able to build a fully-functioning Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey with the help of conditions and a mix of code customizations. It’s perfect for gathering valuable customer feedback and improving your services!
When I started building this feature for a client, I initially thought I’d need extra add-ons like the Survey add-on, especially since I have an Elite license. However, I decided to give it a try using just the default input fields. With some custom styling and code customization, I managed to develop the feature without additional extensions.
With Gravity Forms’ conditional functionality, I created a form that adapts to user choices, showing only the fields they need for a simpler and smoother experience.
Try selecting the ‘8-10’ option to view the paginated input fields.
I developed a WordPress shortcode to enhance the default Gravity Forms Confirmation page. This dynamic shortcode allows for the display of different confirmation pages based on the user’s selections. It helps determine if the user is satisfied with your service by showing tailored responses.
If the user is satisfied, they will likely select the option 8-10, which triggers questions related to positive feedback. Upon form submission, the custom shortcode displays a detailed response that combines all the feedback. The user can copy this response and use it as a review on your business pages, such as Google My Business or Facebook.
Here’s a sample submission of positive feedback:
