Become a Better Blogger Part 1: Plan Your Website

Chuck Lockhart (Zavose) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 04:39:38 +0000

This is the first post in (what will become) a series that will outline the steps you need to take to become successful in the online world, and not just become another site that fades into internet oblivion. These tips apply to online businesses too (we’re just big fans of the whole “Become a Better Blogger” alliteration thing we’ve got going), and following these tips will help to ensure you get noticed in the online community.

Okay, so as far as boring goes, this first post is pretty much the absolute epitome of monotony, and believe us when we tell you, the most important stuff usually is. But don’t worry, we’ve tried to make our maiden post as compelling as we can, but be warned – making “blog planning” sound exciting is kind of like trying to assassinate a cockroach with a toothpick (It’s hard, in case you didn’t pick up on the analogy).

Remember your career counsellor back in high school? The one that always gave you the “you’re-wasting-my-highly-valuable-and-precious-time” look? The one that always told you that you’ll get nowhere without a career plan? Well, as much as we all hate to admit it, there’s not a lot of denying that they’re right. Planning is actually important if you want to succeed at something, and when it comes to starting a profitable website, if you don’t have a plan, you’re not going anywhere.

Without trying to sound like a motivational speaker, the advantage of a website plan means that you know where you want your website to go, and you know the goals you want your website to achieve. It doesn’t have to be elaborate (in other words, no need for a multilayered, color-coded mind map) – all you need is a list answering a few basic questions. The perfect plan should set out in your mind exactly what your site is, what the goals of your site are and how are you going to achieve those goals?

What is your site?

Probably the most important aspect to your plan – what is your site? Is it a blog, a business website, a membership site? What are you going to write about, or what are you advertising? Many online entrepreneurs mistakenly begin with a unclear view of what they want their projects to be, and most often, they’re the ones who fail. By setting out the basis of your site on a sheet of paper, it provides a clear foundation for you to build everything else upon, and acts as a framework you can return to in order to ensure your blog is fulfilling its initial purpose.

What are the goals of your site?

By starting a website or blog, what are you hoping to achieve? Are you spreading information and contributing to a specific online community? Do you want to monetize your online venture? Set goals, short term and long term, to keep you motivated, and to give your site a direction. For example:

-In the short term, I want to attract 500 visitors a month from online advertising
-In the long term, I want to be accepted into an advertising network (e.g. BuySellAds – review here), so I can monetize my website.

How will you achieve these goals?

How are you going to make your site a success? Will you drive traffic through social networking predominantly, or will you guest post on relevant websites in your area to attract visitors? What steps are you going to take to put you plan into action?

It’s easy to dismiss the idea of website planning as pointless and unnecessary, and we can’t blame you – planning is seriously dry. But the truth is that by creating a solid future plan for your website, you are already a step ahead of any other startup, because you know what needs to be done, and how it’s going to get done. Of course the website plan is by no means concrete – it will change as the goals of your website change, but in the short term a reliable plan provides you with actionable steps to help you grow your website – an absolute essential for anyone who wants to be successful online.

Website Breakdown – the guide every startup should read

Chuck Lockhart (Zavose) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:58:03 +0000

Just what is important in starting and maintaining a successful website? Why think about it yourself when there’s a list here waiting for you…

Website Content – 50%

We’re not going to lie to you. That would be bad. But no matter what other tutorials may or may not tell you, at the end of the day, despite all the fancy marketing tricks you have up your sleeve, your website will go absolutely nowhere without good, quality content. Hopefully that statement is not too much of a slap in the face.

While marketing is essential to drive people to your website, it is ultimately quality content that will ensure those same visitors return again and again. To put it less technically, good content allows your blog to be “sticky”, meaning people will always want to come back. It always comes down to content, and writing / collating your website content should be your top priority. Contrary to what many think, however, is that website content, while important, is not the only element necessary for a successful website. In fact, people who are of the opinion that content is the only important aspect to creating a successful blog could not be further from the truth.

No doubt you can guess what’s coming up next, however consider how you prioritize the following, and if you have enough information in a particular area to properly succeed in it.

Marketing – 20%

Next up is marketing, which really should be occupying 20% of time and planning. Of course this figure isn’t set in stone, as it all depends on the level of exposure your online enterprise already demands, and is of course subject to change as your website receives more visitors.

Good content is useless if no-one is around to see it, naturally, and it’s surprising that so many startups have a poorly formulated marketing plan. Ensure that you have an SEO strategy in place so that your content will benefit search engines.

Design – 15%

Then there is design, and we’ve split this area up into two sections, the first being physical website design, and the second being how the design will complement your marketing strategy, both areas that can be greatly overlooked by website creators.

Successful website design is something that must be considered, especially if you are entering an area that is already well developed and content rich. At the end of the day, the sites that are easier to use are the successful ones, and the ones that have issues fail. It really is that simple, so in order to succeed, you are going to have to have a website designed not only to complement your content, but also to make visitors want to return.

Successful design is easier said than done, of course, however with Wordpress a lot of the effort and struggle can be alleviated – do yourself a favor and purchase a premium Wordpress theme already designed with ease of use and compatibility in mind.

Site Accessibility – 5%

User experience is something that can make or break a website, so don’t let the “little” bits let down your site. Optimising your website is a very important aspect to consider, as having extended page load times can turn people off your website. There are a number of ways to optimise a website – click here for an extended review.

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