In this shorter update, I'm sharing our general progress on the new mapping application, where we're at, what we have left to do, and how we hope to get this plugin to market by the end of May 2025. Developing a plugin like this is a complicated effort, as we're dealing with not only the core logic and UI but also the deployment strategies and intricate complexities of how to push out updates to paid users using our infrastructure without relying on the WordPress plugin store, as that strips away a company's right to maintain a proprietary product under the General Public License (GPL); we didn't spend this type of time and money to lose control over our intellectual property.
As we've learned, the journey from a concept to a finished product is rarely straightforward. We've been all over the road! Since announcing IronMaps™ earlier, our small team has been laser-focused in a "development bubble," tackling the technical challenges of building a mapping solution that addresses the real operating needs of North American businesses first and foremost.
We live and work here, we know this culture, and we've had the opportunity to gain strategic insights into business needs since we opened our doors for freelance work in 2017. If I were doing this myself, it would take me a few years, but now that I have a local team behind me, we can finish it in a reasonable amount of time.
Where Sold
I know it's a touchy subject for many right now, but we're only selling this in the United States to start with. We'll move to Canada's marketplace after the product is refined. From a tax and legal standpoint, this is a far easier way to accomplish market penetration by talking directly with the user groups that we know are not happy with their current offerings. Regional and specific country regulations also need to be adhered to. Therefore, foreign sign-ups and transactions will not be honored or considered; we simply can't. We have technology in place to ensure that outcome, so for those outside of the United States, our apologies, but you'll need to be patient. We're too small to register with various countries right now, and we'll do what we can here first and expand outwards.
Tech Stack Changes
We've shifted our core technology stack for now, migrating from TypeScript and Angular to React within the WordPress plugin container. This wasn't a decision we made lightly. Still, for now, it ensures better compatibility with the WordPress ecosystem while maintaining the performance and reliability we demand. Our original plan was to use this as the foundation for the government and NGO version later, which we still intend to pursue. However, the shifts in national economic priorities in the US have made investing in county and state government projects "risky business" for smaller firms at this time. Nevertheless, the migration is nearly complete, and most features have been successfully implemented in the new framework.
User Interface Development
Our interface is taking shape with a Bootstrap/React combination that ensures proper mobile responsiveness – this is critical since over 60% of map users search on phones. We've completed the primary admin interface, configured visualization libraries for easier graphical reporting, created location management screens, and created category configuration tools with an intuitive design that doesn't require technical expertise.
We didn't want to use an unstyled and bland WordPress interface like most solutions. Considering that React and Gutenberg exist on this platform, this makes for a great combination to develop a more intuitive workflow for site admins that uses real-time updates of tables versus the refresh method. It's our first shot at this, but we'll improve on it over time with user feedback and continued testing.
Initial Pricing
We're maintaining our target of a May 2025 launch with early adopter pricing ($199/year instead of $249/year), and our testing process begins next month. Yes, we're going to try to break it before you do! We've analyzed all potential competitors, market conditions, and calls for features that went unanswered. Our price point is super competitive for a solution that quickly matured in the trenches as client needs were being addressed on the fly.
It was stressful, but we learned a lot. While many SMBs (Small to Medium-Sized Businesses) cannot swing larger projects and custom development work like they used to, they can invest in a small veteran-owned and certified company here in the Pacific Northwest that won't leave them out to dry. The $249/year will be the temporary standard pricing for those who miss the early adoption sign-up. Then, it will go to the regular price of $299/year once all other features are added over the coming months. This transitional approach helps early adopters and assists us in gathering feedback and making course corrections based on user needs.
The pricing for the pro version will be higher, and we will announce the specific features later this year. This version will include advanced real estate and online commerce tools, such as store and product locators. On the other hand, our lite offering provides a broad range of features to meet basic needs without the risk of technical debt or frustration. Over the coming weeks, we will share more examples of how it can be effectively implemented.
Other Platforms
WordPress was the best place to start with this, as it has the most users in need, including NGOs and related municipalities. Some are on Drupal, while others are on standard JS or PHP sites. That's okay, too, because we plan to expand into a standard JS or PHP integration through Composer in those situations and develop a Drupal module. If there is demand, we could look at Shopify and/or Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento), but we need to crawl before we walk or run. I need to ensure that quality testing is done before we release anything.
Distribution Challenges
Believe it or not, the craziest part of this hasn't been the actual application; it's been the distribution system. To avoid losing our legal rights by distributing in the WordPress plugin repository with GPL licensing, we've decided to use our infrastructure, proxies, and CDNs to distribute the plugin and push out updates.
While (for security reasons) I can't share exactly how we're doing this, the distribution system will be behind multiple layers of security and verification to allow for seamless integration with WordPress's native update mechanism. This way, users can receive update notifications just like any other plugin, and site admins can take action on it. We'll focus on the app and the distribution system this month.
We also wanted to keep a clean presence and keep users safe, so instead of a login, all account management will take place within the plugin. This way, credentials can be entered and verified, and keys can be placed securely from the app's admin panel. This reduces the risk for us, our customers, and third parties where transactions are brokered for the initial purchase, recurring purchases, upgrades, and eventually downgrades when we have more tiers.
If you want to join our waitlist, head to our product page here. If you have specific mapping challenges you'd like to discuss, reach out to our team directly through our contact page.
