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Hello everyone, and welcome to another
episode of the WP Minute podcast.

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I'm your host, Eric Kovac.

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Today's topic is all about making
more money with the help of ai.

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Sure, a lot of us worry about
AI's potential to replace some

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or all of what we do, but I
think there's also some untapped

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potential for WordPress freelancers.

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It may be our ticket to boosting
the old bottom line, so allow

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me a few minutes to explain.

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Can AI help WordPress
freelancers make more money?

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Freelancers have plenty of options for
leveraging artificial intelligence.

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It seems like a new tool or five
comes out each week, and that

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doesn't include existing products.

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With bolted on AI features, the Hype
train has morphed into a rocket ship.

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This is great for open AI and
other product makers as they rake

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in cash and tons of publicity.

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What about the rest of us,
specifically those of us who

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make a living with WordPress?

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Are we gaining anything more
than a few dog and pony tricks?

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Most importantly, can AI
help us make more money?

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There's some debate to be
had on that last question.

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Some fear that AI will replace
humans or devalue what we do.

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That using the technology will
lead to our untimely demise

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as designers and developers.

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But maybe there's another way.

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Perhaps we can use AI to empower us
rather than weaken our industry standing.

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I believe it's possible.

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Let's look at ways AI might
help build our businesses.

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The right AI tools help us do more.

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It seems like freelancers
never have enough time.

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We manage multiple projects, clients,
invoices, marketing, and more.

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That's a lot of
responsibility for one person.

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The right AI tool can do some
of the heavy lifting for us.

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I've used chat GPT for over
a year and recently started

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experimenting with GitHub's co-pilot.

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Both tools have made me a
more productive developer.

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I spend less time debugging code and more
time shipping new features to my clients.

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This scenario isn't much different
than using your favorite page builder.

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You could spend a few hours
hand coding HTML and CSS.

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Or a few minutes clicking and dragging.

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With Elementor, even the block editor
offers a productivity advantage

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over the old way of doing things.

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In that sense, AI tools are the latest
in the long line of time Savers.

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This increased efficiency means
we can theoretically take on more

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projects that opens the door to
more revenue in terms of volume.

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Think of it this way, if AI saves you
just one or two hours a week, that's

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more billable time at your disposable.

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It can add up quickly.

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Use AI to expand your
development capabilities.

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Writing code is an AI strength.

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Even better.

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These tools know the ins and
outs of building for WordPress.

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The software is well documented and AI
models have absorbed that knowledge.

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That's a potential revenue
stream for freelancers.

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Even seasoned developers can't beat the
speed of models like Cursor and Claw.

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A few basic prompts are all it
takes to hit the ground running.

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You can take it from there or ask
for more features and refinements.

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Either way, you'll dash through
each step faster than ever.

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It might also lead to more ambitious
thinking when it comes to features.

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With AI as your sidekick, you can
add bells and whistles you wouldn't

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have tried before, whether because
of your skill level or lack of time,

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the efficiency and versatility of
these tools let you dream bigger.

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The results are tangible.

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AI has helped me achieve better outcomes.

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The time I save often goes right
back into improving the code.

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It's an extra opportunity
to get the details right.

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A high quality product
will please clients.

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You may even know what
they want before they do.

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That's worth a premium price.

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In my book, yes, you can charge more.

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You might be thinking this
philosophy goes against the grain.

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After all, spending the same or less time
on a project means less money, right?

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Not necessarily.

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You're still the expert in this scenario.

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Going from prompt to finished
product requires knowledge.

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A background in coding helps
inform what you're building.

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In addition, you'll need
to test and troubleshoot.

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There is plenty of work involved
if a client believes they can

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produce the same result, so be it.

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It's akin to the DIY user
who insists they are.

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It's capable of site building,
is you, any devaluing of your

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skills is on them, not you.

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That's not to say we should use
AI for everything, though quality

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still matters and any use that
cuts corners isn't worth our while.

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Instead, we should look for use cases that
increase productivity without sacrifice.

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For example, copying and pasting
generated blog posts don't add value.

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It is something a client
could do themselves.

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Things like custom code and design are
valuable regardless of the tools we use.

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Remember, car companies often
use robots on the assembly line?

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Do they charge less because of this?

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Does your plumber charge less because
they have a fancy new power tool?

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No.

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They charge based on their
expertise and capabilities.

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WordPress development is no different yet.

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We don't always charge accordingly.

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It's up to us to communicate
our value to clients, otherwise

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we're selling ourselves short.

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AI can boost your business.

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AI has the potential to help
you solve real world problems.

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Using it to your advantage can benefit
your workflow and your bank account.

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It's all about discovering where it
can impact your business the most.

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Thankfully, these tools excel at
things WordPress professionals need.

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They can lift some of the burden off
solo freelancers and small agencies.

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That frees you to focus on the
important stuff like client relations

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and tackling your to-do list.

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Most of all, the implementation
of AI can make you more confident.

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A faster development process means
you won't sweat deadlines as often.

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Extensive coding capabilities mean you
might not panic as much when a client asks

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for something you haven't done before.

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AI won't help us solve every
challenge, but it can boost your

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business, and right now is the
perfect time to experiment with it.

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You might be surprised at
how much you accomplish.

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Okay, that's it for this week's episode.

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So are you convinced that AI can help
us increase our income, or maybe it's

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just wishful thinking on my part?

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Reach out to me on Blue sky@kass.com.

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That's KAR ks.com

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and let me know your thoughts.

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And don't forget to visit us
at the wp minute.com/subscribe.

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You can sign up for our newsletter,
find us on social media, and

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become a supporting member of
the work we do at the WP Minute.

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See you next time.