Posts by fillerspace

Release new items. When I release a new item, the older items get a bump in sales.

I think there is a misconception that all PHP in a WordPress plugin or theme is automatically GPL-licensed. When the Free Software Foundation did its analysis back in 2009, the WordPress themes they looked at (default and classic) were little more than index.php, page.php, single.php, and a functions.php file. Basically wrappers around The Loop. Of course these are clearly derivative of WordPress code, and subject to GPL. Now that themes are more complex, and include functionality that could really stand alone without WordPress, this code should not be subject to GPL.

An example would be a plugin that analyzes the text of a post to evaluate SEO, such as placement of H1 tags, keyword density, links, etc. This could be a standalone script, with a proprietary license. The fact that WordPress loads it and fires it using the save_post hook is incidental, and should not subject the entire script to GPL.

The way I have been approaching it is to put more of the logic in JavaScript, and just use the bare minimum WordPress functionality when absolutely necessary.

It could be that Themeforest is much more well known than it was in 2009. With far fewer members, it was much easier to find someone who was new to the marketplaces. Now, it is likely that many of the people you are sending are already members, or have otherwise visited the marketplaces before clicking your link.

WiredThemes said
Is there any special treatment to register jQuery UI to WordPress? Are there any compatibility flags to look out for?

Could be an issue with noConflict()

Try putting your code inside a function like this:

jQuery(function($) {
     //now $ works
});

echo( implode( ’’, file( ‘filename.ext’ ) ) );

Not as elegant, but it passes theme-check and achieves the same thing.

jayc said
Within the past I did use Adwords, BuySellAds and it was a waste of money for me

I think the problem is that with display ads like BSA, the audience is not targeted enough. True, if you advertise on a web design site you are bound to get some people interested in a specific plugin, but not many. It’s like going to the grocery store and shouting “who wants this veggie burger!”

AdWords is much more targeted, but the audience is much smaller. I think that not many people know exactly what to search for when looking for a plugin (unless it is a slider or gallery), so they end up just browsing CodeCanyon to see what’s cool rather than searching Google for “on-page WordPress text editor”.

The trend I’m seeing so far is that the best advertising comes from releasing new items and being on the front page, or being on the popular items list. Even older items get a bump when an author releases new items, because people check out the author’s portfolio. So I guess I have to release a new item every week!

I don’t have any bestsellers yet, but my jQuery plugins each took about 2 days each, while my WordPress plugin took a week at first, then a day each for the two updates. I’m working on a WordPress theme for ThemeForest, and I started yesterday. So far, I have just a loop!

samberson said

fillerspace said
Do you use the item page as your landing page? Or the demo page with the purchase bar at the top?

The item page, because then I can use my referral link right away

Excellent point about the referral link. I’ve been looking into advertising with AdWords, but I’d like to tailor the landing page for different ad variations and keyword to get better quality score (and thus, lower CPC rates). That means I’d have to link to a page I control, and then put my referral link there to send people to the item page.

Do you use the item page as your landing page? Or the demo page with the purchase bar at the top?