How AI Is Reshaping the WordPress Business Landscape — with Jon Schroeder of Elodin Design

Building dynamic pages with Gravity Forms for Global Accessibility Awareness Day

In this episode, Amber Hinds, CEO of Equalize Digital, discusses the importance of web accessibility, the role of AI in enhancing accessibility efforts, and the upcoming Global Accessibility Awareness Day. She shares insights on how individuals and organizations can contribute to accessibility initiatives, particularly through the use of Gravity Forms. https://equalizedigital.com/gaad2026/ [https://equalizedigital.com/gaad2026/] https://www.gravityforms.com/accessibility/ [https://www.gravityforms.com/accessibility/] Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Accessibility and AI in WordPress 03:02 Global Accessibility Awareness Day Overview 06:11 Contributions to Accessibility: How Everyone Can Help 08:49 Using Gravity Forms for Accessibility Initiatives 12:08 Technical Insights: Code and Shortcodes for Accessibility 14:53 Future of Accessibility and AI in WordPress

Building Lead Generation for Agencies with Gravity Forms & AI

What if your sales pitch could run itself? That's the idea behind the website audit tool that Logan Greenhaw, Owner of TrailMix Creative, built using Gravity Forms, GravityWiz's API Alchemist add-on, and a handful of clever API integrations. In this episode, Logan walks us through how he turned a tedious manual process — running SEO audits for prospective clients — into a streamlined, AI-assisted lead generation engine that does the heavy lifting for him. Logan and Matt also dig into the realities of running a full-service creative agency over the past decade: the pressure to say yes to everything, how client expectations have shifted in the age of AI, and why the "anyone can just use ChatGPT" sentiment is both a real threat and a bit overblown. If you're an agency owner trying to figure out how to use smarter tooling to generate better leads and close more clients, this one's for you. In This Episode * The evolution of running a full-service WordPress and web design agency over 10 years * How client expectations are changing as AI becomes more mainstream * Why Logan built a website audit tool — and how it became a lead generation machine * Using Gravity Forms and GravityWiz's API Alchemist to orchestrate PageSpeed Insights and IP Info API calls * Running simultaneous API calls via Cloudflare Workers and posting results back into Gravity Forms * Tokenized report URLs — how Logan saves audit results so clients can revisit them later * Using Mailgun with Gravity Forms for reliable transactional email delivery Connect with Logan: * Website: trailmixcreative.com [https://trailmixcreative.com/] * X/Twitter: @trailmixcreate [https://x.com/trailmixcreate] * LinkedIn: TrailMix Creative [https://www.linkedin.com/company/trailmixcreative] * Instagram: @trailmixcreative [https://www.instagram.com/trailmixcreative] * Facebook: TrailMix Creative [https://www.facebook.com/trailmixcreative] Resources Mentioned * TrailMix Creative Website Audit Tool [https://trailmixcreative.com/] — Find it under the Services tab * Gravity Forms [https://gravityforms.com/] — The form engine powering Logan's audit tool * GravityWiz API Alchemist [https://gravitywiz.com/documentation/gravity-forms-api-alchemist/] — Used to connect Gravity Forms to external APIs without custom code * Cloudflare Workers [https://workers.cloudflare.com/] — Handles simultaneous API calls to PageSpeed Insights and IP Info, with results posted back to Gravity Forms * Google PageSpeed Insights API [https://developers.google.com/speed/docs/insights/v5/get-started] — One of the two APIs powering the audit report * IPInfo [https://ipinfo.io/] — Used for IP-based data enrichment in the audit tool * Mailgun [https://www.mailgun.com/] — SMTP provider integrated with Gravity Forms for delivering audit reports via email * Matt's API Alchemist Overview Video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go1yxT3t1vU] — A walkthrough of the GravityWiz API Alchemist add-on on the Gravity Forms YouTube channel

How AI Is Reshaping the WordPress Business Landscape — with Jon Schroeder of Elodin Design

Is AI quietly changing the kind of websites people need — before it even changes how we build them?  In this episode of the Breakdown Podcast, Matt sits down with Jon Schroeder, founder of Elodin Design, for an honest look at how the WordPress freelance and agency world is shifting in early 2026.  Jon shares what he's seeing on the ground: agency work slowing down, mid-range projects drying up, and growing demand at both extremes — simple one-pagers and full-blown web applications built on WordPress.  The conversation covers AI's hidden impact on search and lead generation, why WordPress remains a powerhouse for affordable app development, and a real-world case study using Gravity Forms as the backbone of a property management application. Connect with Jon: * Website: elod.in [https://elod.in/] * Twitter/X: @jonschr [https://x.com/jonschr] Resources Mentioned * Elodin Design [https://elod.in/] — Jon's web development studio * Rent Fetch [https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/rent-fetch/] — Jon's apartment rental sync plugin for WordPress * Brindle Digital [https://brindledigital.com/] — Agency partner for Rent Fetch projects * Gravity Forms [https://www.gravityforms.com/] — Form plugin used in Jon's property management app and Rent Fetch integration * GravityWiz API Alchemist [https://gravitywiz.com/] — Advanced add-on for connecting Gravity Forms to any API * Admin Columns Pro [https://www.admincolumns.com/] — Used for managing custom content types and CSV exports in WordPress * Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) [https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/] — Referenced as an alternative to native custom fields Standout Moments "A significant percentage of traffic is getting routed to Google where it never leaves Google. It never comes to your site." — Jon Schroeder "WordPress can be used for an awful lot of things. It has the authentication layer and all of that baked into it, where a lot of times you can build something that's a wireframe... at a fraction of the price where all of the functionality is actually in place." — Jon Schroeder "I trust myself more than the AI. And I have built some test sites and some landing pages with AI, but I don't know if I would trust it going live." — Jon Schroeder

When Boring is Good in WordPress

What does it take to run a WordPress agency for nearly two decades — and actually enjoy the ride? Toby Cryns, founder of The Mighty Mo, has been building WordPress sites since the days when you had to convince clients that WordPress was a legitimate (and secure) platform. In this episode, Toby sits down with Matt to talk about how the WordPress agency landscape has evolved, why chasing the latest page builder is a trap, and how choosing stable, reliable tools has been the backbone of his business. In This Episode * How the WordPress community has matured from a collaborative hobbyist scene into a serious business ecosystem over the past two decades * The difference between pitching WordPress to small businesses versus enterprise marketing teams — and why it requires entirely different conversations * Why Toby prefers stable, proven tools over chasing the latest page builder, and how that philosophy protects his clients long-term * Navigating the page builder landscape: Beaver Builder, Cadence, Elementor, and knowing when to standardize versus flex for a project * A real-world Gravity Forms use case: building a complex product intake and quoting form for a screen technology company, layered on top of WooCommerce * Why Toby's team chose Gravity Forms over WooCommerce's native form and extension ecosystem — transparency, trust, and a healthier add-on community * Gravity Forms as "glue": how its conditional logic and integrations (Zapier, Mailchimp, Salesforce) create flexibility and business continuity even when tools or team members change * Lessons from the car business: why client experience and proactive communication matter more than any technology choice * Why Gravity Forms "does things the WordPress way" — and why that matters when you're inheriting and managing client sites Connect with Toby: * Website: TheMightyMo.com [https://themightymo.com/] * LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tobycryns [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobycryns/] Resources Mentioned * Gravity Forms [https://www.gravityforms.com/] — Form plugin for WordPress * Gravity SMTP [https://www.gravityforms.com/gravity-smtp/] — SMTP and email deliverability plugin from the Gravity Forms team * Gravity Wiz [https://gravitywiz.com/] — Third-party Gravity Forms add-ons and snippets (including the shop configurator for WooCommerce integration) * Beaver Builder [https://www.wpbeaverbuilder.com/] — WordPress page builder * Cadence [https://www.flavor-developer.com/] — WordPress theme and blocks * Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) [https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/] — Custom fields plugin for WordPress * WooCommerce [https://woocommerce.com/] — E-commerce platform for WordPress * Zapier [https://zapier.com/] — Automation and integration platform

Build Affiliate & Incentive Programs with Gravity Forms

Matt sits down with returning guest Alex Standiford to talk about a big milestone for Siren Affiliates: it now supports Gravity Forms. If you’ve ever written off “affiliate plugins” as just referral links and payout percentages, this conversation will reshape how you think about partnership programs in WordPress. Alex explains why Siren is really an incentive program builder, not just “get a link, earn 10%.” The episode gets into practical, real-world use cases like lead-based programs for agencies, revenue share models tied to performance over time, and even vendor payouts routed through Gravity Forms product fields. They also get into the reality of running a product business alongside consulting, how AI is helping Alex move faster without magically eliminating the need for long-term maintenance, and why WordCamps can feel a little awkward when you build marketing-adjacent tools in a community that values authenticity. By the end, you’ll have a bunch of “wait, I could do that?” ideas, especially if you run an agency, a course business, or any WordPress product that depends on partnerships. Takeaways * Siren is positioned as an incentive program builder for collaborators (affiliates, partners, vendors, sales teams), not just a traditional affiliate plugin. * Gravity Forms support unlocks smarter workflows like routing applicants into programs, tracking lead activity, and automating CRM and email list follow-up once someone is approved. * You can track actions over time and do distributions (revenue share style payouts) without requiring a direct on-site transaction for every tracked event. * Gravity Forms product fields can be used to attribute value to specific collaborators, which opens up vendor and booking-style scenarios, not just referrals. * A strong affiliate program looks more like a product with onboarding, education, and touch points, and “10 great partners” often beats “1,200 random signups.” Important links * https://sirenaffiliates.com/ [https://sirenaffiliates.com/] * https://gravityforms.com/ [https://gravityforms.com/] * https://gravityflow.io/ [https://gravityflow.io/]