As the founder of WPBeginner, Syed Balkhi has a guaranteed place in WordPress history. The largest free WordPress resource on the web, WPBeginner has proven to be extremely helpful for beginners looking to jump start their WordPress experience.
Since establishing WPBeginner, Syed has released some of the most popular WordPress plugins. Over 19 million websites currently use Syed’s software, which includes WPForms, a WordPress form builder, and OptinMonster.
Recognized as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs by the United Nations under the age of 30, Syed’s mission has remained constant over the years: to enable small businesses to thrive online. It is this attitude that has guided his work at Awesome Motive, the parent company behind his portfolio of plugins and software.
Curious about Syed’s story and eager to understand his motivations for doing what he does, we sat down with him to talk about WordPress and his thoughts on its future.
Comparing the beginning of WPBeginner to where you are now, what were some of the most important lessons?
Almost 13 years after starting WPBeginner, I think the most important lesson I’ve learned is the importance of consistency and staying true to the mission.
I created to help small businesses grow and compete with big ones by writing useful tutorials every day.
13 years went by fast and we are still writing useful tutorials every day.
Consistency > Intensity.
What are your career highlights and professional achievements that you are most proud of to date?
My career is still going on so it’s hard to pick highlights right now, but one of my proudest career achievements to date is seeing the impact of Awesome Motive and our products.
Over 19 million websites use our software to earn billions of dollars every year.
It’s surreal just thinking about it.
You’ve been working with WordPress since 2006, what’s the biggest thing that’s changed about it?
WordPress has changed a lot in the last 16 years. Since I started using it, the admin interface has evolved several times, custom post types have been added, featured images have been added, menus have been added, a block editor has been added, and that’s just to name a few.
Each of those changes played a critical role in getting us where we are today, so it’s hard to pick the most important without overshadowing the hard work and contributions of amazing volunteers and talented developers.
“I felt that plugins were being developed by developers for developers. I wanted to change that.”
Syed Balkhi
What led you to design and build WordPress plugins?
I wanted to create tools to help grow my own websites, and since I think I’m the ultimate beginner, I wanted the experience to be easy to use.
Other solutions on the market didn’t meet the needs because they often just didn’t understand the issues of a publisher/business owner. I felt that developers were developing plugins for developers.
I wanted to change that. That’s why we create plugins for users first.
What is the Awesome Motive product you are most proud of?
It’s hard to pick a favorite because they are all really important in solving user problems. If I had to choose which plugins to install on every site I build, it would be , , , and .
Looking to the future of WordPress
Where do you hope to see innovation in the WordPress plugin industry in the future?
I think there is going to be a constant shift towards providing better user experiences. Many existing plugins can substantially increase the number of downloads and sales you get simply by improving how user-friendly (or, as I call it, beginner-friendly) that their features and workflows can do.
Do you expect to see web hosting companies developing their own website builders that are independent of WordPress?
Over the years, many web hosting companies have tried to build freelance website builders, but I think most users want flexibility. This is one area where WordPress really excels and no other website builder comes close.
The WordPress ecosystem is very large with over 59,000 free plugins, tens of thousands of themes, and a large network of web agencies/professionals. It’s really hard for any individual hosting company to successfully compete against that.
There’s a reason why even other website building platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and others are only seeing moderate growth.
I don’t think it’s wise for any hosting company to build independent website builders. Instead, it’s better to offer seamless WordPress onboarding experiences without restricting user freedom.
In the long run, this will prove to be a winning strategy as it has been for the past decade.
What are the challenges facing WordPress right now?
The biggest challenge facing WordPress is misinformation and uneducated opinions being shared in big posts. It is disappointing to see that major publishers have lowered their standards in favor of clickbait titles to attack WordPress security.
WordPress is essentially extremely secure. The open source nature of WordPress allows the entire ecosystem to be more secure than any other closed platform.
More work needs to be done to highlight this, so beginners aren’t scared off by low-quality journalism on the big tech news sites.
What do you think the future holds for WordPress?
I am very excited about the WordPress block editor and the direction it is taking. The typing experience has been greatly improved, and the block interface offers endless possibilities.
In the long term, we will see everyone adopt the block interface and it will play an important role in shaping the future of the web because it allows everyone to create a digital presence for their business without sacrificing the freedoms of privacy and flexibility.
Any recommendations for someone looking to build a career or business around WordPress?
WordPress is a community project, so it’s important to get involved in the community. The more you give, the more you will receive.
Be polite and always give others the benefit of the doubt when reading text responses online.
I definitely recommend reading the make.blogs on and participating in the .org/Slack forums.
What is your advice for developers of new themes/plugins?
Always try to understand the problem you are solving and who you are solving it for. This will help you create better solutions for the end user.
Remember, you can’t solve a problem you don’t understand.
Stefany is a marketing professional, lover of good grammar. She enjoys writing about technology and SEO. In her free time, she likes to watch movies and make cookies.
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