Fernando Acosta graduated from the Federal University of Pampa. He has always been curious about how Internet works. What delights him are: AdWords, engagement, SEO, conversion, traffic analysis and performance hacks. He loves to contribute to open source projects. He also conducts training sessions on WordPress and WooCommerce.
Cloudways: Hello Fernando, thank you for joining us today. Can you please tell our readers a bit about yourself.
Fernando: I really love traveling. My whole life, I worked at home and whenever I can I travel around… When I’m not traveling, I’m working. These are the two things I do with great pleasure. My routine is very simple: work, read books, watch series, running, listen to podcasts and cooking 😛
Cloudways: We heard that you are good at marketing and advertising. Why the shift towards web development? How did you become a web developer?
Fernando: My career (and life) is based on my curiosity. When I was younger, I wanted to understand how the internet works. Then I encountered programming and web design. I loved it! After that, I was curious about how all this was possible for free. I know there advertising on the web. I loved it too. So I graduated in advertising. So I first became a programmer and then advertising. In fact, I do not consider myself a real programmer. I am curious and dedicated. I self-taught myself programming by just reading on the internet and looking at forums. Even now, I think it is important to help others the same way I was helped. So I always help in the forums and discussion groups.
Cloudways: There are many content management systems around the globe. What were the reasons for pursuing your career as a WordPress developer? If there was no WordPress, what can be your other options?
Fernando: I chose WordPress because it was my first CMS. At the very beginning of my studies about the web, I discovered WordPress and was very simple carried away with it and the very generous community. After that, I tried Joomla! and Magento. But they are not as flexible or as easy to understand. I love WordPress! Today I could create any kind of website with WordPress, regardless of customization. And when I am stuck, there is the incredible community.
Cloudways: Fernando, can you please share your experience and tips for better WordPress Search Engine Optimization.
Fernando: Currently I do not work so focused on SEO, but there are some things that always work. Content is the most important part. At first, it was all about putting in a lot of keywords in the content. Today the technique is at the same time, simple and sophisticated: create content that people want to read. Do not worry about Google. It is smart, and if people like your content, Google will notice. You will be rewarded for it. The challenge now is to make content relevant to people so that it stands out among millions of websites and blogs.
Cloudways: Aside from development. You’re very active on different WordPress forums to help the world’s largest WordPress community grow. How well do you manage these stuff besides your work?
Fernando: I do it whenever I can – and I would like to do more. I consider helping the community a tw0-way street. While I help other, I see issues that are not-so-common for me. So it is a great learning opportunity.
Cloudways: You’ve learned a lot about WordPress. What inspires you to start your own blog? Specifically, in your local language?
Fernando: I always wrote snippets to facilitate my future work, perhaps save a few minutes. So I thought I could share them and help others. Also, of course, this is my personal marketing and my main source of new customers. With good SEO, many people come to me and some become customers. It’s a win-win situation.
Cloudways: WordPress 4.5 has launched a few months ago. Which feature did you like the most about the new WordPress?
Fernando: My favorite part is as user and not as a developer. Posts editor shortcuts help a lot, especially for someone like me who love shortcuts.
Cloudways: Fernando, can you please suggest our readers, how one can start learning WordPress from scratch?
Fernando: Well, it depends. If you want to start a new blog, it is relatively a simple matter. You just need get a host, install a theme with a few clicks and write your posts. After that, you can learn about how plugins work and how they can help you. One of my favorite things in WordPress is the easy learning curve. But if want create your own themes or plugins, it can take a lot of time. The best way: WordPress Codex + Ask a lot of questions! Forums and communities should become an important part of you life 🙂
Cloudways: All work no joy, makes jack a dull boy. What do you do in your free time?
Fernando: Well, I really like to work 🙂 But I’m also like go to bar, travels or just read a book on my Kindle. Currently, I’m reading the Elon Musk biography. Yeah, I really like general topics!
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Cloudways: Fernando, you’re one of the happiest customer of Cloudways. Please share your experience of being part of one of the best WordPress hosting providers. How would you compare traditional hostings with Cloudways?
Fernando: Well, to be honest, I hate to manage servers. That’s why I love Cloudways. They offer an optimized server with a fair price. But the best is the support team who is very responsive and expert. The dashboard is similar to that of a shared host but the perform is like a cloud host. Can’t be better!
Just to humor our readers, can you please send us an image how does your desk or workspace look like? 🙂
Mansoor Ahmed Khan
Been in content marketing since 2014, and I still get a kick out of creating stories that resonate with the target audience and drive results. At Cloudways by DigitalOcean (a leading cloud hosting company, btw!), I lead a dream team of content creators. Together, we brainstorm, write, and churn out awesome content across all the channels: blogs, social media, emails, you name it! You can reach out to me at [email protected].
