Terms

     The Code Company founder Ben May talks at an exhibition (c) thecode.co    

The Code Company, a professional company that focuses on publishing via digital media, is one of 's most trusted partners. They're WordPress experts , and they work with large-scale design including Integrations and migrations. They have built hundreds of stacks of technology to help hundreds of publishing.

The company just launched the relaunch of Substack huge The Dispatch, a publication which provides information and analysis about politics, policy, and the arts worth $1.9 million with millions of subscribers. I spoke to Stacey Astley-Clark of the communications and partnerships team about the business and the services it offers:

"Our chief executive Ben May has been using technology to tackle issues since he was 10," starts Stacey. "He built his first website with a local business when he was 12 years old and made 400 dollars." Ben noticed that there was potential for a future career from all this, and he set out to create his own agency at 22.

The Code Company didn't deliberately get into publishing, but it did win a couple of publishing clients at the start. Stacey describes: "We've carved out a segment in technology development to assist digital publishers in addition to moving from other platforms to WordPress, building membership functionality as well as ad technology. At first, we were neutral on platforms, but then we realized that the vast majority of platforms are a mess! Nowadays, we use WordPress as there were just one or two "rescue operations" on some of the different platforms."

"The vital engineering process which is required to develop the publication of websites is exactly what is our responsibility," Stacey continues. We aid publishers with solving complex problems with WordPress and discover ways using technology to "increase the revenue of their business, generate greater efficiencies within the company and decrease the risk associated with technology for business".

Stacey and I both agree that 'tech is becoming less technological', which is crucial to publishing. "Sometimes there will be journalists, content creators and marketing professionals who are using technology, and must have the ability to utilize technology without having to call engineers every five minutes.These can be described as "wordspeople" who are not "tech individuals'."

Code Company helps people create or migrate to technology stacks that make them independent. Code Company helps these people create or move to tech stacks that will make them independent "They require something be able to do the same job that they did previously, however with a much more efficient way. Code Company helps them develop or transition to tech stacks that can make their lives easier. Code Company often works with publishing companies that have websites that are creaking with technology debt. The plugin might not provide the full functionality that they require Therefore, we believe it is best to develop an integrated system specifically developed, so that the user gets all they need without having to sacrifice any things they do not."

Customers

The Code Company works with content businesses of all kinds that range from small-scale publishers to major entertainment companies. They recently completed the highly-publicized debut of Wondermind the hub of content to help people manage their mental health that is backed by celebrities like Selena Gomez and Newsette CEO Daniella Pierson. Following the launch Bhavik Trivedi, Wondermind's Chief Operating Officer of Wondermind declared: "I've never had a flawless launch. Until now. It was launched, it was redesigned to handle high volume traffic, and all our integrations were flawless."

FuqQ9UfLAmNAKjVpzFCV The brand new Wondermind media hub (c) thecode.co

They also collaborate together along with Nine The biggest entertainment firm in Australia. "We developed their corporate site along with their publications drive.com.au one of the most popular auto sites, and Future Women, a membership club specifically for professional women." Code Company also launched the Code Company also launched eBay's local ads site. "That was a huge challenge because they'd not experienced regional leads prior to the launch and they were able to obtain Australian leads because of this site" Stacey confirms. "We are currently launching an entirely new site called Science Alert, which is an important science publication in the US. The website is operated by Australia however the majority of users reside from the US. It was a project that we were working on for more than one year and a half!" She remembers.

But, it seems that the most profitable section is working with publishers that are a small number of publishers who want to grow. "We inquire, 'How can demonstrate that you are able to publish? What do we need to do to help your business and the tech stack to be in the most optimal shape so that it can grow your business?'" Stacey states. This is where the bulk of customers from The Code Company are located such as non-traditional media organizations like news websites Crikey and Her Campus, a female college students media firm located in The US (that The Code Company moved to Drupal to WordPress).

The PT0CpapgDKohJvS2XTfd The HerCampus.com content hub is accessible across multiple platforms (c) thecode.co

"We assist creative and innovative creators who feel annoyed or dissatisfied by the platform they prefer and CMS (content management system)," Stacey adds. "They're looking to us for alternatives because they're finding their existing platform is limiting in what they're competent to accomplish. The platform isn't very flexible as well as they earn a massive part of their income." In addition, it's becoming more important for creators at any level to collect data from first third parties. "They're only able to gain access the data via platforms such as Substack. We're developing custom creator stacks that allow the creators to own their own fan base," she explains.

Solutions and Services

The clients at The Code Company may have created their own website and/or requested someone else to create the site. Whatever the case they're employing a number of plugins. "As the site's popularity has increased and expanded, they're discovering that their system is breaking down and they're unable repair things by themselves. This is causing a lot of problems, and also concerns from customers and that they're not able to achieve what they'd like to accomplish. It's not always easy. unable to do something like adding items to their menus" She affirms.

Mike McPhate at the California Sun affirms: "The biggest problem with my prior membership website was the fact that it was plagued by glitches, in addition to confusing instructions about how to navigate it. I was receiving emails each and every day from frustrated readers. Since I developed the website along with The Code Company and , I'm not receiving messages from users this is remarkable!"

The California Sun (c)thecode.co

It's well-known that the performance of a site is essential for publishing firms "If they lose performance it could cost them millions of dollars" Stacey continues. "And they continue to hack out one application after each new version. They're losing efficiency until they're not efficient anymore. Then, they'll remain with us, carrying the huge technological stack groaning on the back, mindful of the risk of the website being taken out of commission due to poor performance."

Publishers are trying to diversify their revenue so more of them are exploring subscriptions as well as memberships. "We have to come up with a method that is safe and reliable. The majority of our mission is looking at ways that can be transformative for the publishers we work with," she says. The Code Company works specifically with subscription-based solutions that can solve the issue of what Stacey describes as "leaky paywalls". The Code Company's founder explains "We've worked with other services for membership before, and we've found it very straightforward to circumvent the paywall. If your business model is based on publishing, and relies on the sale of content to users it can cause a major problem."

Events and new projects are coming up

"The growth of the economy for creation is on the rise," Stacey notes. "Creators have realized that SaaS platforms aren't without their limitations, so they're beginning to consider other avenues. Diversification is a necessity that will remain for the publishers. But it's also important to continually look for new methods to reach out to audiences with more tailored and targeted information. Subscriptions do not only bring in revenue, but they also provide the chance of being closer to the audience and enhance the number of people who subscribe."

"There remain print magazines in circulation that aren't on digital and we're still receiving interest from those who are realizing that, in order to continue, it will be necessary for them to move towards digital, and a subscription service is one way to do this."

In the context of the recent developments "Ben is well-known within the realm of conference events," adds Stacey. Recently, Ben spoke at the Mumbrella Publisher Conference in Australia, and WordCamp US in San Diego. The talks covered the creator economy; focusing on 'the minimalist publisher' and ways publishers can achieve greater results with less. There is also the possibility to take lessons from the creators of larger publishing firms, typically using membership solutions.

     Ben May is the founder. Ben May is a familiar name in the world of conference. (c) thecode.co

It seems the company founder knows the industry inside out. "Ben's done this for the entirety of his life and there's not any question he's unable to answer," says Stacey. "The information I gather through discussions with clients shows that in the event of a problem, they might have to pay another agency 2 weeks to investigate. The team at Code Company's technology is able to solve it within 20 minutes on the phone because they've seen every single one of these. This is an enormous benefit for businesses being able to use the same thing to help troubleshoot."

Then, Stacey says: "Publishing or managing a website does not require as much effort like many people believe it is. We have a philosophy that is completely against complexity." We are both of the view that it's simple to be immersed in new technology or themes or plugins - "these flashing lights do not really make any impact at all." she says with a smile.

The Code Company revels in "smart simplicity" it appears. Stacey says: "We offer the chance to connect with a tech company which can assist you to achieve the results you're searching to achieve in the most simple way that works, not using the latest buzzword."

More information

To read more about The Code Company, to review case studies on prior integrations and changes as well as to explore the possibility of collaboration with them, visit their website thecode.co.

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