Ben Rojas is the President of All in One website positioning (AIOSEO) and a self-taught WordPress and PHP developer with over 25+ years of expertise. Though he began as a developer at Superior Motive, he shortly rose by the ranks to steer all the AIOSEO firm.
On this interview, Ben Rojas explains how his background in WordPress improvement paved the way in which for changing into the president of AIOSEO. He additionally shares his ideas on how he would begin his profession if he had been to begin right this moment.
“My primary piece of recommendation is be teachable, be adaptable … so as to all the time continue to learn, after which you’ll develop higher by that.”
Ben Rojas – President of All in One website positioning
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Video Interview with Ben Rojas
In the event you’d like to take a look at the whole video interview with Ben Rojas, then you may watch it under:
In any other case, you should utilize the short hyperlinks under to learn extra:
Meet Ben Rojas, President of All in One website positioningA WordPress Journey: From Assist to Internet Improvement to President of All in One website positioningInside All in One website positioningRecommendation for Aspiring WordPress Builders: Ben on Adaptability and Doing Your FinestTrying Forward: The Way forward for WordPress and All in One website positioningUltimate Ideas
Meet Ben Rojas, President of All in One website positioning
Earlier than changing into the President of All in One website positioning, Ben received his begin in IT and buyer help. However lengthy earlier than that, he started his journey as a developer. Actually, he wrote his first strains of HTML code on the age of 13 after studying from library books.
When chatting with James Agar from the WPBeginner staff, he fondly remembered his household limiting his pc time (children have to go outdoors and play) and dealing round this impediment by writing code by hand on lined paper. He’s even stored information of those early efforts!
Since then, Ben has maintained an identification as a lifelong learner, which has helped him develop into a pacesetter within the WordPress group right this moment. Subsequent, let’s speak about how he found WordPress.
A WordPress Journey: From Assist to Internet Improvement to President of All in One website positioning
After laying the foundations for a future in net improvement at an early age, Ben received a job in IT at a nonprofit group in 2008. This was when he began tinkering with WordPress for the primary time.
Quickly after, he transitioned to a buyer help function for a WordPress eCommerce product, which was known as Cart66 (now a part of WP EasyCart). His plan was to get extra aware of WordPress code.
Ben shortly began to work on his improvement abilities and finally grew to become a developer on the Cart66 staff. Throughout this time, he additionally began his personal aspect enterprise of writing PayPal plugins for Simple Digital Downloads (EDD), which is now an Superior Motive product.
Then, after a short profession shift and a departure from WordPress improvement, Ben returned to his roots. He reconnected with the EDD group and joined the Superior Motive staff in 2016.
He began as a software program developer for Envira Gallery however shortly transitioned to OptinMonster to leverage his strengths in PHP improvement.
At that time, he determined to begin leveling up. In accordance with Ben, throughout this part of his profession, he was continually constructing, iterating, and enthusiastic about give again to his staff.
“That was my mentality. That was the trouble that I put in every day attempting to point out up, do my greatest to have the ability to … get off work once I did, and return to my household and say, I did the most effective I may right this moment, and I’m going to return again at it tomorrow.”
Ben Rojas
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Throughout this enhanced part of productiveness, Ben was proactive as a contributor and helped his staff transition to a brand new JavaScript framework to spice up effectivity.
After proving himself in his function and capabilities at OptinMonster, Ben was requested to run All in One website positioning (AIOSEO). “Principally, I went from simply being a developer at OptinMonster straight into this function of being President at All in One website positioning.”
Although he had no administration expertise, Ben rose to the event. When discussing his early days as President of AIOSEO, he jokingly stated, “It wasn’t with out its challenges … it was similar to consuming from a fireplace hydrant for the primary couple of years.”
Along with studying run a enterprise, Ben talked about how his greatest problem as president was inheriting a really outdated codebase.
The AIOSEO staff needed to resolve whether or not to construct on high of dangerous code or begin over. With Ben main the way in which, they selected to rebuild the code from zero, which was more difficult however in the end extra sustainable.
His staff was capable of rewrite AIOSEO from the bottom up inside 11 months. This manner, they might provide customers the most effective product shifting ahead.
Inside All in One website positioning
Now, let’s discuss extra about what Ben is engaged on at AIOSEO right this moment. However first, right here’s just a little background on the product and its evolution.
With over 3 million customers, All in One website positioning (AIOSEO) is likely one of the hottest website positioning instruments for WordPress. When chatting with WPBeginner, Ben additionally reminded us that “It was the primary and unique website positioning plugin for WordPress.”
At WPBeginner, we love AIOSEO and apply it to all of our web sites. You may take a look at our full AIOSEO assessment for extra data on this highly effective website positioning plugin.
For the reason that starting, AIOSEO has helped WordPress customers enhance their on-page website positioning with meta tags, sitemaps, and rather more.
The unique plugin had a robust basis, however Ben’s staff has continually been growing the instrument and its options over the previous few years. They’ve constructed out new function units to assist customers with redirects, inner hyperlinks, native website positioning, and rather more.
Most not too long ago, the AIOSEO staff launched Search Statistics to assist folks see how their website positioning is working for them. This new native AIOSEO instrument integrates WordPress with Google Search Console.
Right here are some things that Search Statistics can do:
Enable you to monitor your key phrase rankings and monitor website positioning metrics
Fight content material decay by figuring out posts which can be performing poorly
Optimize your web site’s technical website positioning
Primarily, Search Statistics offers folks actionable insights into enhance their content material.
Ben and his staff have obtained a whole lot of constructive suggestions about Search Statistics. “We’ve had lots of people who stated that is what they want. They love the flexibility to see all of that proper of their WordPress dashboard.”
In the case of Search Statistics, we fully agree. Right here at WPBeginner, our editorial staff makes use of the instrument on daily basis to assist enhance our content material and increase rankings.
Equally, the brand new Key phrase Rank Tracker helps you perceive key phrase rankings on a deeper degree, permitting you to research the SERPs extra successfully.
That stated, the most recent and most fun function on Ben’s thoughts is AIOSEO’s Writing Assistant. It integrates seamlessly with SEOBoost to provide in-depth insights into your content material, together with scores for readability and key phrase utilization.
It even reveals you as much as 30 examples of competitor web sites rating properly for a selected key phrase that you just’re concentrating on. This can provide you tremendous useful insights and assist you crack the highest 10 rankings along with your content material.
Recommendation for Aspiring WordPress Builders: Ben on Adaptability and Doing Your Finest
For Ben, buyer help for a technical product was a terrific entry level into WordPress improvement. However when requested, he stated one key piece of recommendation to aspiring builders is: “Get began and by no means cease studying.” He confused the significance of training and utilizing free on-line assets.
For freshmen who wish to develop into WordPress builders, he recommends beginning by studying PHP and JavaScript to get a robust understanding of the applied sciences that the platform is constructed on.
Ben additionally wouldn’t advocate neglecting JavaScript since WordPress continues to depend on it extra closely, particularly because it strikes towards a block enhancing strategy.
In accordance with Ben, if you realize each PHP and JavaScript, then studying all the opposite essential programming languages and frameworks will likely be a lot simpler. As an example, a robust grasp of JavaScript will make studying jQuery a breeze.
💡 Wish to learn to use WordPress? Try WPBeginner’s Free Video Programs.
Ben additionally encourages aspiring builders to proactively hunt down alternatives in improvement, even when it’s on a really small scale to begin. As an example, he stated you possibly can provide to assist family and friends who might have help with their web site or take into account the freelance route to get began.
In his opinion, this sort of expertise could make you extra aggressive when making use of for junior developer roles.
When chatting typically about recommendation for builders, Ben additionally stated, “The largest factor is adaptability.”
In sensible phrases, for instance, if you end up engaged on a product with a codebase that doesn’t align along with your preferences, adapting and writing your code to that normal will nonetheless assist you be taught one thing new.
In fact, he doesn’t suppose you need to be afraid to ask why issues are achieved the way in which they’re. As a substitute, he stated, “My primary piece of recommendation is: be teachable, be adaptable … after which you’ll develop higher by that.”
“Get began and by no means cease studying.”
Ben Rojas
After we talked with Ben additional about his time at OptinMonster and mentioned the significance of angle and mindset, he cited his household as a significant motivator behind his work.
“I attempt to instill that in my youngsters. On the finish of the day, that is going to make our world higher if that is the mentality and angle that everyone has within the jobs that they’re doing.
Going to work every day with that angle, you’ll change the office that you just’re in. I do know it. I’ve seen that, I’ve felt it, and that will be one other piece of recommendation actually for somebody beginning out … being adaptable additionally has to do with this … it’s not simply the code.”
Trying Forward: The Way forward for WordPress and All in One website positioning
So what’s subsequent for Ben Rojas and AIOSEO? Right here’s what he needed to say:
“We’re going to proceed to work on issues round our AI writing assistant, to develop that, to make that higher. We’re going so as to add new options and enhancements.
After which our key phrase rank monitoring instrument that we simply launched. We’re going to proceed to enhance that, make modifications there as properly to proceed to cater to our clients.
Moreover that, we do have another superb issues within the works that I can’t actually say proper now, however we’re very, very enthusiastic about these.”
Ben Rojas
By way of the WordPress group as a complete, Ben is equally excited.
“As a developer at coronary heart, I’m actually loving what I’m seeing, the work going into safety and efficiency enhancements. I believe that ought to have began quite a bit sooner, and I’m actually glad that it’s taking place proper now.
After which the block editor—it has a whole lot of room for enchancment, however it’s being improved.“
Ultimate Ideas
Early on within the interview when discussing his WordPress journey, Ben jokingly stated, “I’m not likely the type of person who has a 5-year plan.”
However later, when requested about what’s subsequent in his skilled life, Ben stated, “I’m loving what I’m doing. I’m excited to remain right here. I’m gonna be right here for the lengthy haul.”
He additionally took this as a possibility to speak once more about his earlier message of development. “On the similar time, to type of tie again into the place we began, I’m gonna be persevering with to be taught alongside the way in which. And I push my staff to do the identical factor.
On the finish of the day, that’s what’s going to assist us to proceed to develop and to remain forward. And that’s what I’m enthusiastic about … that’s my 5-year plan.”
At WPBeginner, we’re trying ahead to watching intently as Ben Rojas continues to steer the AIOSEO staff with a constructive, forward-thinking, and customer-centered mindset. We really respect him taking the time to talk with us and for bringing us a product that helps us on daily basis.
Bonus: Professional Guides for WordPress website positioning
We hope you realized some useful insights from Ben Rojas, the President of All in One website positioning. You might also be keen on a few of our guides on WordPress website positioning:
Final WordPress website positioning Information for Newcomers (Step by Step)
What Is Google E-E-A-T? A Detailed Information to WordPress Web sites
WooCommerce website positioning Made Simple – A Step-by-Step Information to Rating #1 in Google
The right way to Get Extra International Guests (WordPress Worldwide website positioning Ideas)
A couple of of those WPBeginner articles had been even written by Ben himself.
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The publish How Ben Rojas Rose From a Developer to the President of AIOSEO first appeared on WPBeginner.
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