The OceanWP Writer Is Again: How Nicolas Lecocq Constructed 6 New WordPress Merchandise With AI

In case you’ve been a part of the WordPress neighborhood for some time, then you definately’ve nearly definitely heard of OceanWP. Introduced as a unfastened theme with premium-level options, it briefly turned into a staple for freelancers, businesses, and DIY website online homeowners.

The author, Nicolas Lecocq, stepped clear of WordPress after promoting the theme, most effective to go back years later with an entire new solution to development merchandise. This time, he’s growing quicker and considering another way about functionality, person enjoy, and the position AI can play in construction.

Underneath his new corporate, DigiHold, Nicolas has introduced six WordPress merchandise in not up to 365 days — paintings he says would have taken him years ahead of.

On this interview, Nicolas stocks what’s imaginable when enjoy meets new AI gear and while you prioritize growing merchandise that in reality lend a hand shoppers.

“A product works when it solves an actual downside… that’s what I center of attention on now.”

Nicolas Lecocq – Writer of OceanWP & Founding father of DigiHold

Stay studying to get insider recommendation and guidelines from the author of one of the crucial a hit topics in WordPress historical past.

📹 Video Interview with Nicolas Lecocq

In case you’d like to take a look at our entire video interview with Nicolas Lecocq, then you’ll watch it underneath:

Or you’ll use the hyperlinks underneath to peer what we lined within the interview (and extra):

🚀 Meet Nicolas Lecocq: From Sports activities Blogger to Self-Taught Developer

Nicolas’s adventure with WordPress began in 2012, now not with a marketing strategy, however with a private passion.

His first weblog excited by MMA sports activities, and even though it didn’t closing lengthy, it offered Nicolas to the versatility of WordPress.

“I sought after to create a weblog and I searched on Google ‘one of the simplest ways to create a weblog,’ and it was once clearly WordPress.”

Nicolas Lecocq

Quickly, he was once tinkering with topics and experimenting with code. On the time, studying assets have been way more restricted than they’re as of late.

Nicolas depended on a mixture of YouTube tutorials, on-line boards, and one thing many seasoned builders nonetheless swear by means of: finding out the code of different topics to peer how they have been constructed.

“I used to be staring at YouTube movies, however there was once now not numerous data like now… I realized actually myself and bit by bit by means of modifying topics.”

Nicolas Lecocq

His early freelance paintings concerned making consumer internet sites responsive, again ahead of mobile-friendly designs have been the usual.

That procedure published an perception that will later outline his profession: each and every undertaking gave the impression to require studying a completely new theme.

Nicolas started imagining a unmarried, flexible answer.

One theme that would take care of any form of site — from eCommerce to genuine property — whilst preserving a constant workflow for builders and website online homeowners alike.

That concept turned into OceanWP.

📈 The OceanWP Phenomenon: When Loose Beats Top rate

OceanWP began so that you can streamline Nicolas’s consumer paintings.

As an alternative of adapting to a brand new theme for each and every undertaking, he constructed one that would take care of the rest, and he knew it in and out.

“In case you have one theme to create the rest, it’s more uncomplicated for you when you know the way to make use of it.”

Nicolas Lecocq

Firstly, Nicolas deliberate to promote OceanWP as a top rate theme.

But if his first try at a paid theme on ThemeForest didn’t acquire traction, he determined to take a unique way.

He launched OceanWP without cost, however paired it with a significant other plugin, Ocean Further.

This allowed customers to free up the entire attainable of the theme with out breaking WordPress.org pointers.

They may get admission to an surprisingly beneficiant set of options without cost at a time when maximum robust topics have been locked at the back of paywalls.

“I put such a lot of unfastened options… it was once like a top rate theme made without cost. So everybody beloved it.”

Nicolas Lecocq

Along those gear, Nicolas additionally introduced top rate OceanWP add-ons for paid options.

Expansion was once sluggish within the first six months, fueled basically thru phrase of mouth. However as soon as it stuck on, it grew in no time.

Inside a 12 months, OceanWP went from an aspect undertaking to one of the crucial common topics in the marketplace. With 1000’s of installs, Nicolas noticed his OceanWP source of revenue soar from round $2–3K per 30 days to $15K per 30 days.

The mix of flexibleness, wealthy options, and a unfastened access level made OceanWP a favourite for freelancers, WordPress businesses, and DIY website online developers alike.

We will be able to additionally vouch for the OceanWP theme. We’ve really helpful it heaps of occasions over time for its versatility and entire function set.

In truth, we steadily come with it amongst our best possible choices without cost topics in a couple of classes. It even is available in at #4 on our listing of the most efficient unfastened WordPress industry topics.

🎯 Finding out From Luck and Setbacks

Development OceanWP gave Nicolas a crash route in what it takes to develop and maintain a well-liked WordPress product. Along the wins got here treasured classes.

Some of the largest? Efficiency issues.

“I added such a lot options I didn’t actually consider functionality… now functionality is the very first thing to consider.”

Nicolas Lecocq

Early variations of OceanWP packed in an enormous listing of functions, however Nicolas admits that a few of the ones options bogged down internet sites.

💥 Comparable Publish: Serious about studying extra about WordPress site functionality? Take a look at our final information to spice up WordPress pace and function.

Through the years, person comments contributed to shaping enhancements. This was once comments that got here in thru touch paperwork, WordPress.org boards, enhance emails, or even GitHub.

For Nicolas, the ones conversations weren’t simply trojan horse reviews or function requests. As an alternative, they have been a roadmap for making the product higher.

“It’s your introduction, however it’s their product. So that you at all times wish to concentrate to them.”

Nicolas Lecocq

After 3 to 4 years, he determined to promote OceanWP.

The enjoy have been formative, however he sought after to discover new concepts and cope with non-public priorities.

His subsequent undertaking, Olympus, aimed to be quicker and extra centered than OceanWP. However simply after release, non-public cases and partnership problems pressured him to step away.

The setback reshaped how he approaches collaboration.

“I can now not make my mistake with Olympus to do dangerous partnerships now. I’m very selective about who works with me.”

Nicolas Lecocq

From the ones stories, Nicolas carried ahead a number of essential classes: prioritize functionality, construct for person wishes, and select collaborators with care.

🤖 The AI-Powered Comeback: Development 6 Merchandise in Underneath a Yr

In 2024, Nicolas returned to WordPress construction with a well-known start line: freelancing and development internet sites for purchasers.

However he spotted one thing that will outline his subsequent bankruptcy. Just about each and every consumer sought after to promote one thing, whether or not it was once services and products, eBooks, or eLearning content material.

That remark turned into the basis for his new corporate, DigiHold.

DigiHold is designed to hide eCommerce wishes with the next merchandise:

• DigiCommerce – A platform for promoting virtual items, services and products, and on-line classes
• DigiBlocks – A choice of Gutenberg blocks for development high-performance websites
• DigiFusion – A minimalist WordPress theme with Professional options for complete customization

Each and every product additionally has a Professional model, making a complete of six releases, all in-built below a 12 months.

The adaptation this time? A performance-first way paired with the ability of AI.

“You can not do coding with out AI. It’s such a lot quicker… it’s a sport changer.”

Nicolas Lecocq

Nicolas leaned closely on Claude AI, which he prefers over ChatGPT for construction duties.

His workflow comes to coaching the AI on his codebase, asking it to lend a hand enforce options, after which moderately reviewing each and every recommendation for functionality, safety, and person enjoy.

He was once fast to emphasise that AI doesn’t exchange the wish to know the way to code, however it amplifies it.

“Now and again it tells me very dangerous issues. And I are aware of it’s now not just right, so I don’t do it,” Nicolas stated.

🔮 Why AI Integration Issues: Development for The following day’s Internet

For Nicolas, AI isn’t only a behind-the-scenes construction software. It’s additionally one thing he’s actively development into his merchandise.

DigiFusion Professional now contains integrations with ChatGPT and Claude, permitting customers to generate content material for weblog posts and pages with out leaving WordPress.

It’s a part of his better trust that site homeowners must be provided to make use of AI in their very own workflows, now not simply builders.

This center of attention on AI integration comes from a forward-looking view that the best way other people seek the internet is converting.

“You want to know the way to enforce search engine optimization for AI as it’s the long run… it’s taking place.”

Nicolas Lecocq

Nicolas predicts that AI-driven seek gear like ChatGPT will exchange many conventional Google searches.

For builders and website online homeowners, that suggests enthusiastic about the way to optimize content material for AI. This can be a shift he believes will grow to be vital within the coming years.

“I believe it is going to be more uncomplicated to go looking on the net with ChatGPT, so other people will use it an increasing number of,” he stated.

If you wish to be informed extra about it, take a look at our amateur’s information to generative AI optimization for WordPress.

Via designing merchandise with AI functions from the beginning, Nicolas is positioning DigiHold to be in a position for that transition and serving to his shoppers do the similar.

💡 Product Philosophy & Developer Recommendation

If there’s one commonplace function with all of Nicolas’s merchandise, it’s that they’re born from real-world wishes, now not tendencies.

DigiCommerce, DigiBlocks, and DigiFusion every got here from fixing particular issues his purchasers confronted.

“A product works when it solves an actual downside… for those who simply create it to become profitable, I imagine it is going to now not actually paintings.”

Nicolas Lecocq

That mindset shapes the whole lot from his function selections to how he manages functionality.

Even if he believes strongly within the significance of person comments, he’s now not afraid to show down requests that will decelerate a website online.

As an alternative, he prefers to provide workarounds by way of kid topics or customized code.

“Efficiency and person enjoy need to be in thoughts while you construct WordPress merchandise now.”

Nicolas Lecocq

His construction workflow may be lean and intentional.

He makes use of:

• Visible Studio Code for coding
• Native for staging environments
• Photoshop for design paintings
• ClickUp for organizing options, comments, 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 apparent: grasp the basics ahead of depending on AI.

“You actually wish to be informed code first, after which AI is helping along with your code.”

Nicolas Lecocq

That suggests beginning with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, working out how issues paintings, after which the usage of AI to hurry up and refine what you already know the way to do.

💥 Comparable Publish: In search of extra recommendation from founders? Take a look at our interview with Ionut Neagu, co-founder of Themeisle.

💭 Ultimate Ideas

Nicolas Lecocq’s tale comes complete circle, from educating himself WordPress by means of modifying topics to development one of the crucial common unfastened topics on this planet.

Now, he’s returning years later with a brand new mindset and a strong new toolset.

His adventure is a mixture of resilience, adaptability, and steady studying. The setbacks he confronted didn’t finish his profession. As an alternative, they reshaped how he works, how he chooses collaborators, and the way he builds merchandise.

Now, with AI as a part of his day-to-day workflow, he’s ready to transport quicker than ever whilst preserving functionality and person enjoy entrance and heart.

However his recommendation to different builders is to peer AI as an accelerator, now not a alternative.

“For my six merchandise, I imagine I will have achieved them in some years manually. I did it in not up to a 12 months with AI.”

Nicolas Lecocq

For builders and marketers, Nicolas proves that robust abilities, person comments, and recent gear can free up new paths.

To be informed extra about what Nicolas is operating on as of late, take a look at the DigiHold site.

📚 Bonus: Professional Assets for WordPress Builders

Having a look to apply in Nicolas’s footsteps and construct your individual WordPress merchandise?

Those WPBeginner guides permit you to get began:

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