Alex’s journey into the WordPress world started back in 2012 with a simple observation: most website owners wanted faster sites — they just didn’t want to mess with complicated tools to get there. That insight led to the birth of ShortPixel, a popular image-optimization plugin now used on millions of websites.
Over a decade (and a lot of speed tests) later, Alex and his team launched FastPixel, tackling performance from a broader angle with the same goal in mind: make speed improvements as easy and effective as possible for real-world WordPress users.
In this profile, Alex shares what motivates him to keep building, the hard lessons he’s learned along the way, and why he still believes performance is the biggest overlooked advantage on the web.
What got you into WordPress and how long have you been using it?
I first got into WordPress in 2012. I was running a screenshot service at the time, and after experimenting with an image optimization API, I realized it was too technical for most users. WordPress had a massive user base and a plugin ecosystem, so I built a plugin version of the API. That’s when ShortPixel was born.
What part of the website creation process is your favorite to work on and why?
I enjoy leading product development, especially creating tools that solve real problems and make websites faster. It’s rewarding to take user feedback and turn it into something tangible that improves site performance.
What motivated you to start your own business, and what keeps you going when things get tough?
I started ShortPixel from a mix of curiosity and extra server capacity. I’ve always loved building things online, and this was a chance to create something useful. What keeps me going is knowing we’re helping people—millions of websites now load faster because of the work we do.
Later, we launched FastPixel.io as our take on WordPress speed optimization. Just like with ShortPixel, the goal is to make performance improvements as simple and effective as possible, with minimal hassle. Seeing both products evolve based on real user feedback keeps me motivated and excited to keep building.
What’s your biggest frustration with running your agency or with our industry?
My biggest frustration is that website speed is still undervalued in the industry, even though it directly impacts everything from SEO to conversions to user retention. Too often, speed and good performance scores are seen as a nice-to-have rather than a competitive advantage. I see site owners investing heavily in design and features, but overlooking performance until their site is already losing traffic or rankings. In reality, speed should be a core part of the development process from day one.
If you could snap your fingers and change one thing in your business, what would it be and why?
If I could snap my fingers and change one thing, it would be to simplify the WordPress ecosystem so site owners don’t have to juggle dozens of plugins just to keep their site running well.
This is also at the core of our business, simplifying and making things a lot faster.
What’s a book every agency owner should read?
They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan
What’s your favorite podcast to listen to?
What’s a WordPress plugin more people should know about?
Probably FastPixel, which is fairly new 🙂
What’s your favorite tool, accessory, or gadget on your desk?
My laptop, of course!
What’s your favorite non-WordPress tool or software?
