I am writing this to quash some preconceived notions as to what a website should be and how it should look. Here is some information on what this website is about, or not about.
Transparency: a word that is coming into its own on the political stage, business, website, and just about any place you look. It appears that being transparent is a way to make people trust you even if all you are doing it saying it.
So… I will not be transparent, but I will be truthful. It will be my truth and you can accept or reject it as you see fit. But either way, take a moment to reflect on the why. It might just surprise you.
I have been creating website and marketing for years and have followed the rules.
So indulge me as I have a little rant, you will get to the good stuff soon enough.
Images
In order for people to trust you, you need to have a picture of yourself on the website and that picture must be one of your shoulders to the top of your head with you smiling front on and showing teeth. Take a look at different websites and see which person you are most drawn to. Interesting exercise.
SEO
You must use keywords and SEO (search engine optimisation) in order for your website to be in the search engine and for people to find you.
People try for years to get to the first page of Google only to have someone else do a better job at SEO and replace them. I have done it, anyone that runs a blog does it, but really when you think about it, that’s a lot of time, effort and in some cases money to focus on trying to beat someone out of first place.
I’m going to relax and take what may. Others can juggle for first place, but in knowing my place in the universe, I don’t need to know my spot on Google.
Topic
In order for your blog to be successful, you must pick the right topic. A topic that has just the right number of keywords that falls within a certain parameter. Your posts must be so many words long, have the right mix of keywords and of course you want to avoid keyword stuffing.
No wonder so many people stress about building a business online. What I want to know, is who created the rules and why when you just got them figured out, someone ups and changes them. Which goes along with one of my favorite sayings…
“What is true for you today, may not be your truth tomorrow”.[pullquote align=”right”]What is true for you today, may not be your truth tomorrow. [/pullquote]
So, I may write some long posts and I may write some short posts or even some in-between ones. I will go with the flow of what feels right for me, not what the “rules” say I must do.
Viral Content
Another craze is to purposely write in such a way with a teasing headline that will make a post go viral. That it will be shared with thousands if not millions of places on the web and create a huge influx of traffic to your site.
Just so you know… that’s not what I’m looking for. I’m wanting to connect with a few folks who connect with what I do. Period!
I’m looking for connection and interaction, not buzz and hype.
Social Media
I love social media and have spent many an hour down the rabbit hole of Facebook and Pinterest, my 2 favorites. Now while my main focus won’t be maintaining a Facebook page (although that might be something that I do in the future) I will create a Pinterest account to feature any quotes or pictures I use on this website.
I will have share buttons on the site and I encourage you to use them if you see something you would like to like, share, or tweet.
Email and Give Away:
I won’t be offering anything on the website to “get” your email onto my mailing list. If you want to subscribe and get updates when I post, please feel free to sign up. I look forward to each signup with anticipation as it means someone actually wants to see what I have to share.
I might at some point in the future let you know about an event or something that is happening around the web that you might find useful via email, but I certainly won’t be filling your inbox with junk.
Monetization:
What I will be doing is monetizing the website in a couple of different ways. I will be using ads and affiliate links. I think we’ve all spent enough time thinking that if you don’t conform means you have to suffer and be broke.
For this blog… I’m not following the “rules” set out by others. I’m letting out my inner rebel and following my truth.
I don’t care if the website ever gets into Google.
What I care about is if it helps one person, makes someone laugh, or opens the mind to other possibilities then it has served its purpose.
If people like what I write and share, they will share it. It’s called word of mouth and although it might be a slower process, the people that want to walk this path will find it. It’s my knowing.
