About the creator economy
Human beings are inherent creators. It’s in our nature to create, to build, to innovate. Even children love to make things, whether it’s a drawing, a pillow fort or a sandcastle. Our creative desire drives us, in both our personal and professional lives. And that desire is without a doubt at the heart of WordPress’ widespread appeal.
WordPress and Bluehost were officially founded in the same year, both our stories are closely entwined. And both are stories that revolve around a strong commitment to empowering creators.
It’s a commitment that’s only grown in importance with the rise of the “creator economy”. What does this term mean? Simply put it’s a software-facilitated economy that allows creators to earn revenue from their creations. It’s estimated that the creator economy is worth at least $100 billion.
WordPress is a cornerstone of this market, empowering creators to share their thoughts, their art and their products with the world. As a shining example of the open-source philosophy, WordPress drives innovation by allowing users to build what they want, recycle and reuse code and develop with the full strength and knowledge of a thriving community behind them.
WordPress is a creation engine. It is powerful, robust and flexible, and it serves as a great equalizer for the lone creator taking on bigger competitors.
It has also played a crucial role in the exponential growth of eCommerce. In 2014, worldwide eCommerce sales amounted to around $1.3 trillion; last year, that number was $5.7 trillion. And a large chunk of that business is happening through WordPress; as of last year, WooCommerce alone powered around 25% of all online stores.
In a challenging global economic situation, eCommerce is a lifeline for creators and small business owners who need to reach a broader audience to make sales and grow their business. It’s an area of ongoing importance and one we at Bluehost are keenly aware of and eager to contribute to.
When creators are able to make the most of the digital tools at their disposal, it changes the balance of power in an economy. In that light, Bluehost’s mission – to empower people to fully harness the web – is more urgent than ever and is perfectly aligned with WordPress’ mission to “democratize publishing.”
It’s all about putting power back in the hands of the creators – and Bluehost is working hard to do just that.
And that’s what WP CreatorCon is all about: the creators. The people who really drive WordPress and Bluehost alike. The ones whose desire to build something special for themselves has transformed the economy and challenged the perception that bigger is always better.
Highlights of WP CreatorCon
We saw the best of WordPress come together at WP CreatorCon and share their expertise with all the creators present. The event included 6 interesting sessions from speakers in the WordPress community and Bluehost.
Here are a few insights from these sessions:
5 Core Principles of Growing a WordPress Website by Maziar Firuzmand
- First impression goes a long way
- Relevancy is the king
- Leverage bias in your marketing
- Retaining is better than acquiring
- Growth begins and ends with learning
Creating a Brand that Lasts by Jen Miller
“You create a lasting brand when you serve. That’s how brand equity works. Brands that serve and build the community leave a legacy.”
5 Biggest Website Mistakes by Carol Stambaugh
“Only 15% of websites audited passed the Google page speed test. Page speed is a ranking factor for search engines. A faster website always has an advantage over slower competitors.”
Own Your Influence by Jesse Friedman
“In order to channel your influence, you need to own and establish a direct line of communication between you and your audience.”
Panel Discussion on Designing the Tools to Build the Future
“Nowadays, there are design tools that give more power to the end user without gatekeeping. It’s important to analyze all requirements before selecting a tool.” – Tracy Apps
“The introduction of Gutenberg into WordPress has brought a whole new evolution of site editing and unlocked great creative potential.” – Rich Tabor
“AI powered tools are incredibly helpful if used in the right way. They can produce projects faster, especially for single creators”. – Anthony Ferrara
Fireside Chat on Bluehost and WordPress: 2023 and Beyond
Our experts at Bluehost, Jason Cross, SVP of Digital Presence and Commerce and David Ryan, Senior Product Manager discussed the challenges and future of WordPress, as well as how Bluehost is creating a better tomorrow for the web.
Winners of the Bluehost Creators Awards
WP CreatorCon also concluded the Bluehost Creators Awards with the announcement of the 2022 Winners. Since June last year, bloggers, students, web designers, developers, business owners and more had submitted their creations for evaluation by a jury. The awards platform encouraged all WordPress creators to submit their best work and they were joined together at WP CreatorCon by Bluehost.
The Self-Creator Winners are:
- Mike McAlister from United States of America – https://liftoffcourse.com/
- Nicole To from United States of America – https://nicoletodesign.com
- Pallavi Upadhyay Bhandari from India – https://www.thesharadraghav.com
- Joshua Ogbonnia from Nigeria – https://techskool.eskoolnow.com
- Rhemarheanna Reid from Canada – https://www.styledbyrhe.com/
- Shilpa Vadrevu from India – https://greenjams.org
- Chris Schoenwald from Japan – https://www.life-as-a.com
- Rajagopal Swaminathan from India – https://www.azzetta.com/
- Inge de Dreu from Netherlands – https://playgroundforentrepreneurs.com
- Kannan Sankaran from India – https://kannanskitchen.com
The Creative Web Professional Winners are:
- Anariel Design from Germany – https://www.anarieldesign.com/themes/basti/
- Michelle Lee from Canada –https://www.jaellefrancoeur.com
- Harry Hamernik from United States of America – https://internationalcc.com/
- Jessica Maher from United States of America – https://unitedcity.church
- Talha Amjad from Pakistan – https://happykidsliterature.com/
- Stephen Francis from United States of America – http://sjfrancis.com/
- Pixel Print Media & Perfekt from United States of America – https://gaardgroup.com/
- Jose Vilson from United States of America – https://thejosevilson.com
- Brad Baum from United States of America – https://bradbaum.com/
These awards truly represent the global presence of WordPress Creators, with participants from 140 countries and winners from 8. Heartiest Congratulations to all!
All the sessions and winners are also listed here. Until next year – Keep creating!