Should you’ve been a part of the Blogging platform group for some time, then you definitely’ve nearly actually heard of OceanWP. Launched as a free theme with premium-level options, it rapidly turned a staple for freelancers, companies, and DIY website homeowners.
The creator, Nicolas Lecocq, stepped away from Blogging platform after promoting the theme, solely to return years later with a complete new method to constructing merchandise. This time, he’s creating sooner and considering in a different way about efficiency, consumer expertise, and the function AI can play in improvement.
Below his new firm, DigiHold, Nicolas has launched six Blogging platform merchandise in lower than one 12 months — work he says would have taken him years earlier than.
On this interview, Nicolas shares what’s potential when expertise meets new AI instruments and if you prioritize creating merchandise that really assist prospects.
“A product works when it solves an actual downside… that’s what I deal with now.”
Nicolas Lecocq – Creator of OceanWP & Founding father of DigiHold
Preserve studying to get insider recommendation and ideas from the creator of probably the most profitable themes in Blogging platform historical past.
📣 That is our sequence, #MyWordPressStory, which brings you insights from among the most profitable leaders within the Blogging platform trade.
Should you’d wish to be featured in our interview sequence – whether or not you’re a plugin developer, founder, or Search professional – be at liberty to succeed in out and tell us by way of our contact type.
📹 Video Interview with Nicolas Lecocq
Should you’d like to take a look at our full video interview with Nicolas Lecocq, then you may watch it beneath:
Or you should utilize the hyperlinks beneath to see what we coated within the interview (and extra):
🚀 Meet Nicolas Lecocq: From Sports activities Blogger to Self-Taught Developer
Nicolas’s journey with Blogging platform began in 2012, not with a marketing strategy, however with a private pastime.
His first weblog centered on MMA sports activities, and though it didn’t final lengthy, it launched Nicolas to the flexibleness of Blogging platform.
“I wished to create a weblog and I searched on Google ‘one of the best ways to create a weblog,’ and it was clearly Blogging platform.”
Quickly, he was tinkering with themes and experimenting with code. On the time, studying sources had been much more restricted than they’re in the present day.
Nicolas relied on a mixture of YouTube tutorials, on-line boards, and one thing many seasoned builders nonetheless swear by: finding out the code of different themes to see how they had been constructed.
“I used to be watching YouTube movies, however there was not numerous data like now… I realized actually myself and little by little by modifying themes.”
His early freelance work concerned making shopper web sites responsive, again earlier than mobile-friendly designs had been the usual.
That course of revealed an perception that will later outline his profession: each venture appeared to require studying a wholly new theme.
Nicolas started imagining a single, versatile answer.
One theme that would deal with any sort of web site — from eCommerce to actual property — whereas retaining a constant workflow for builders and website homeowners alike.
That concept turned OceanWP.
💥 Associated Content: Tobias Bäthge turned a pastime venture for his baseball workforce into TablePress, a Blogging platform plugin now powering 700K+ websites. Learn the total interview to see how he did it.
📈 The OceanWP Phenomenon: When Free Beats Premium
OceanWP began as a method to streamline Nicolas’s shopper work.
As a substitute of adapting to a brand new theme for each venture, he constructed one that would deal with something, and he knew it in and out.
“When you’ve got one theme to create something, it’s simpler for you when you know the way to make use of it.”
Initially, Nicolas deliberate to promote OceanWP as a premium theme.
However when his first try at a paid theme on ThemeForest didn’t acquire traction, he determined to take a unique method.
He launched OceanWP without cost, however paired it with a companion plugin, Ocean Further.
This allowed customers to unlock the total potential of the theme with out breaking Blogging platform.org tips.
They might entry an unusually beneficiant set of options without cost at a time when strongest themes had been locked behind paywalls.
“I put so many free options… it was like a premium theme made without cost. So everybody liked it.”
Alongside these instruments, Nicolas additionally launched premium OceanWP add-ons for paid options.
Development was gradual within the first six months, fueled primarily by way of phrase of mouth. However as soon as it caught on, it grew in a short time.
Inside a 12 months, OceanWP went from a facet venture to probably the most widespread themes in the marketplace. With hundreds of installs, Nicolas noticed his OceanWP earnings leap from round $2–3K per thirty days to $15K per thirty days.
The mix of flexibility, wealthy options, and a free entry level made OceanWP a favourite for freelancers, Blogging platform companies, and DIY website builders alike.
We will additionally vouch for the OceanWP theme. We’ve really useful it tons of occasions over time for its versatility and full characteristic set.
In truth, we frequently embrace it amongst our high decisions without cost themes in a number of classes. It even is available in at #4 on our listing of the very best free Blogging platform enterprise themes.
🎯 Studying From Success and Setbacks
Constructing OceanWP gave Nicolas a crash course in what it takes to develop and maintain a preferred Blogging platform product. Alongside the wins got here precious classes.
One of many greatest? Speed issues.
“I added a lot options I didn’t actually take into consideration efficiency… now efficiency is the very first thing to consider.”
Early variations of OceanWP packed in an enormous listing of capabilities, however Nicolas admits that a few of these options slowed down web sites.
💥 Associated Content: Desirous about studying extra about Blogging platform web site efficiency? Take a look at our final information to spice up Blogging platform pace and efficiency.
Over time, consumer suggestions helped form enhancements. This was suggestions that got here in by way of contact kinds, Blogging platform.org boards, help emails, and even GitHub.
For Nicolas, these conversations weren’t simply bug studies or characteristic requests. As a substitute, they had been a roadmap for making the product higher.
“It’s your creation, but it surely’s their product. So that you at all times must take heed to them.”
After three to 4 years, he determined to promote OceanWP.
The expertise had been formative, however he wished to discover new concepts and deal with private priorities.
His subsequent venture, Olympus, aimed to be sooner and extra centered than OceanWP. However simply after launch, private circumstances and partnership points compelled him to step away.
The setback reshaped how he approaches collaboration.
“I cannot make my mistake with Olympus to do unhealthy partnerships now. I’m very selective about who works with me.”
From these experiences, Nicolas carried ahead a number of essential classes: prioritize efficiency, construct for consumer wants, and select collaborators with care.
🤖 The AI-Powered Comeback: Constructing 6 Merchandise in Below a 12 months
In 2024, Nicolas returned to Blogging platform improvement with a well-known place to begin: freelancing and constructing web sites for shoppers.
However he observed one thing that will outline his subsequent chapter. Practically each shopper wished to promote one thing, whether or not it was providers, eBooks, or eLearning content material.
That statement turned the muse for his new firm, DigiHold.
DigiHold is designed to cowl eCommerce wants with the next merchandise:
- DigiCommerce – A platform for promoting digital items, providers, and on-line programs
- DigiBlocks – A group of Gutenberg blocks for constructing high-performance websites
- DigiFusion – A minimalist Blogging platform theme with Professional options for full customization
Every product additionally has a Professional model, making a complete of six releases, all inbuilt below a 12 months.
The distinction this time? A performance-first method paired with the facility of AI.
“You can’t do coding with out AI. It’s a lot sooner… it’s a recreation changer.”
Nicolas leaned closely on Claude AI, which he prefers over ChatGPT for improvement duties.
His workflow includes coaching the AI on his codebase, asking it to assist implement options, after which rigorously reviewing each suggestion for efficiency, safety, and consumer expertise.
He was fast to emphasise that AI doesn’t substitute the necessity to know how you can code, but it surely amplifies it.
“Generally it tells me very unhealthy issues. And I do know it’s not good, so I don’t do it,” Nicolas mentioned.
🔮 Why AI Integration Issues: Constructing for Tomorrow’s Internet
For Nicolas, AI isn’t only a behind-the-scenes improvement software. It’s additionally one thing he’s actively constructing into his merchandise.
DigiFusion Professional now consists of integrations with ChatGPT and Claude, permitting customers to generate content material for weblog posts and pages with out leaving Blogging platform.
It’s a part of his bigger perception that web site homeowners must be outfitted to make use of AI in their very own workflows, not simply builders.
This deal with AI integration comes from a forward-looking view that the best way individuals search the online is altering.
“You could know how you can implement Search for AI as a result of it’s the longer term… it’s taking place.”
Nicolas predicts that AI-driven search instruments like ChatGPT will substitute many conventional Google searches.
For builders and website homeowners, meaning serious about how you can optimize content material for AI. It is a shift he believes will grow to be crucial within the coming years.
“I believe it will likely be simpler to look on the net with ChatGPT, so individuals will use it an increasing number of,” he mentioned.
If you wish to be taught extra about it, try our newbie’s information to generative AI optimization for Blogging platform.
By designing merchandise with AI capabilities from the beginning, Nicolas is positioning DigiHold to be prepared for that transition and serving to his prospects do the identical.
💡 Product Philosophy & Developer Recommendation
If there’s one frequent characteristic with all of Nicolas’s merchandise, it’s that they’re born from real-world wants, not traits.
DigiCommerce, DigiBlocks, and DigiFusion every got here from fixing particular issues his shoppers confronted.
“A product works when it solves an actual downside… should you simply create it to earn cash, I consider it won’t actually work.”
That mindset shapes the whole lot from his characteristic choices to how he manages efficiency.
Though he believes strongly within the significance of consumer suggestions, he’s not afraid to show down requests that will decelerate a website.
As a substitute, he prefers to supply workarounds by way of baby themes or customized code.
“Speed and consumer expertise should be in thoughts if you construct Blogging platform merchandise now.”
His improvement workflow can be lean and intentional.
He makes use of:
- Visible Studio Code for coding
- Native for staging environments
- Photoshop for design work
- ClickUp for organizing options, suggestions, and concepts
- Claude AI as a coding assistant, however by no means as a substitute for core abilities
For brand new builders, his recommendation is evident: grasp the basics earlier than counting on AI.
“You really want to be taught code first, after which AI helps together with your code.”
Which means beginning with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, understanding how issues work, after which utilizing AI to hurry up and refine what you already know how you can do.
💥 Associated Content: Searching for extra recommendation from founders? Take a look at our interview with Ionut Neagu, co-founder of Themeisle.
💭 Remaining Ideas
Nicolas Lecocq’s story comes full circle, from educating himself Blogging platform by modifying themes to constructing probably the most widespread free themes on the planet.
Now, he’s returning years later with a brand new mindset and a strong new toolset.
His journey is a mixture of resilience, adaptability, and steady studying. The setbacks he confronted didn’t finish his profession. As a substitute, they reshaped how he works, how he chooses collaborators, and the way he builds merchandise.
Now, with AI as a part of his day by day workflow, he’s capable of transfer sooner than ever whereas retaining efficiency and consumer expertise entrance and heart.
However his recommendation to different builders is to see AI as an accelerator, not a substitute.
“For my six merchandise, I consider I might have achieved them in some years manually. I did it in lower than a 12 months with AI.”
For builders and entrepreneurs, Nicolas proves that robust abilities, consumer suggestions, and recent instruments can unlock new paths.
To be taught extra about what Nicolas is engaged on in the present day, try the DigiHold web site.
📚 Bonus: Knowledgeable Sources for Blogging platform Builders
Seeking to comply with in Nicolas’s footsteps and construct your personal Blogging platform merchandise?
These WPBeginner guides might help you get began:
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