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Eric Karkovack: Hello, everyone,
and welcome to the WP Minute.

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I'm your host, Eric Karkovac.

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Today's topic is managing technical
debt as a WordPress freelancer.

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Longevity is a sign of success.

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For freelancers working with WordPress,
that means witnessing different eras

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of the software and its ecosystem.

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It shows you can adapt to
change and learn as you go.

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That's a great accomplishment.

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However, technical debt is
the less appealing side effect

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of being around for a while.

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It's a disruptive force that
can weigh on your business,

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not to mention your clients.

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Technical debt comes in many forms.

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A website you built
years ago is an example.

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The decisions you made back then
could still impact you today.

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The tools and services
we use also play a role.

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An overmatched hosting account
or third party dependency

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can come back to haunt you.

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Even legacy accounting and productivity
apps may get in the way of progress.

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The longer you're in business, the
more technical debt you'll accrue.

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Perhaps it sounds scary, but
it's the reality of working

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in an ever changing industry.

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Accepting that reality is the
first step toward keeping your

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business focused on the future
without getting stuck in the past.

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With that in mind, let's look at
ways to manage your technical debt.

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Create a maintenance plan
for the site you manage.

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That website you built 10 years ago was
probably cutting edge back in the day.

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These days, not so much.

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Technology evolves, but websites
don't always follow suit.

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There are a multitude of ways a site
can stagnate, including using themes

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or plugins that aren't compatible with
the latest versions of PHP, using an

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abandoned plugin or one that's no longer
the best option for a given feature,

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Relying on an outdated API or script
library, not keeping up with routine

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software updates, or customizations that
don't follow current best practices.

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None of this is news to web developers,
but it often occurs because we

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aren't actively involved with a site
after launch, or we know something

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needs fixing but procrastinate
until it's no longer avoidable.

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Planning is stagnation.

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So, schedule maintenance checks
for each site you manage.

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Use that time to identify potential
issues before they become problematic.

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From there, you can discuss any issues
with your client to get them fixed.

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That keeps the site healthy and
can also boost your bottom line.

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Better yet, you'll have the
peace of mind of knowing the

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site isn't weighing you down.

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How often should you check your sites?

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Software updates should be
completed several times per month.

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That's essential for
security and performance.

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So, keep an eye out for new
versions and act accordingly.

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You can perform a yearly audit
to uncover any deeper issues.

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You might also look for specific concerns
such as testing PHP compatibility

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when a new version is available.

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The idea is to keep a
watchful eye on each website.

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It's the best way to stay on top
of a changing technical stack.

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Consider the third party
services your websites rely on.

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The technology surrounding our
websites doesn't always age gracefully.

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They can be just as problematic
as an ancient theme or plugin.

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These third party services often add
crucial features to the sites we build.

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Examples include payment
gateways, authentication

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apps, and code repositories.

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Any downtime or outdated
implementations could be costly.

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Then there is the myriad
of APIs we interact with.

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Things like social media feeds
and Google Maps come to mind.

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Entire apps might be built around them.

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However, these items are known
to undergo significant changes.

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Legacy code is often supported
for a short period, but eventually

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they'll require some refactoring.

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If you built a custom solution, you're on
the hook to make the necessary changes.

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One way to minimize technical debt
is to choose reputable providers.

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Any changes will likely be documented
and you'll have advance notice.

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For example, Google often announces
API changes well ahead of their launch.

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That gives you time to
prepare and implement them.

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The reality is that these
services will change.

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Some will go away.

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So, put yourself in a position.

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to lessen their impact on your projects.

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Review your business tools and processes.

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The way you run your business
can also create technical debt.

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Take billing as an example.

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An outdated process for
sending invoices and collecting

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payments will slow you down.

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It can also mean breaking into a cold
sweat while waiting for money to arrive.

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The same applies to any tool
you're using to get things done.

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An older code editor may not reflect
modern practices, and it isn't likely to

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integrate with artificial intelligence.

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Meanwhile, keeping your client
contacts in your email client may

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not be as flexible as a CRM app.

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They may seem like little things on
the surface, but each can hold you back

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as you attempt to scale your business.

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Therefore, review each tool and process
to ensure you're on the best path.

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Do they fit with current best practices?

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Are you wasting valuable time using them?

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The good news is that there are
almost always better alternatives.

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Look for tools and techniques.

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that cover your pain points
and increase efficiency.

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Ideally, you'll find options
that help you now and into the

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next phase of your business.

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Switching to a new app or changing how
you do things isn't easy, mind you.

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There's a learning curve and
some initial inconvenience.

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However, a little work now
can pay off in the long term.

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Think about the impact of your decisions.

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Some level of technical
debt is unavoidable.

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Thus, it's all about taking
steps to manage and minimize it.

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A proactive approach to managing
it lets you deal with the issues

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before they become too cumbersome.

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In other words, don't wait
until something breaks.

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It's better to update your theme's
code while it still works, right?

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Thinking ahead is also a
great way to avoid issues.

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Consider the future impact of Each
decision you make, it's something you can

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apply to every aspect of your business.

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In practice, that means choosing
stability over what's new,

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but it's also in preparing for
change and adapting as needed.

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Remember, nothing on
the web lasts forever.

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Perhaps we can't rid ourselves
of all technical debt, but we

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can keep it from slowing us down.