Mostly, I work with corporations but I love working with creatives. Because they burn with a passion that’s rare in the corporate world. And I think creatives struggle with this stuff more.
I have two websites actually, my author site and my blogging site. However, neither one is driving sales very well. I would love tips on making it better if you post those in the coming year. Thank you!
Ugh. I have a Wordpress, but couldn’t figure out how to configure it well, so it’s just there. Last year, or two years ago, I paid for a domain, but have done nothing with it! I wanted to either set up an author page or use it for my Wordpress as an author page (but that costs money I don’t have lol). I don’t know the first thing about putting up a website. I used to know how to configure my blogger site, but it’s been way too many years to remember any of that, and Wordpress wasn’t similar.
Yes, I have a Wordpress website and I own the two domains that lead to it (janmflynn.net and janmflynn.com), and I use MailChimp to track who opens my blog posts (the same tiny # of people; most people read my stuff on Medium or Substack). But that's it. I hired someone who shall remain nameless over a year ago to redesign my site for me and I don't know WHAT I was thinking, because I hate the result. Hate. It. With the power of a thousand . . . you get it. I am even now in the throes of trying to make it look MUCH more welcoming and light & modern, leaning on my husband for help. Wordpress makes me tired . . .
I had a writer website for several years and did all the right stuff with content, SEO, stats, etc. And I used to build Wordpress sites so this piece resonated. But I found that building a presence first on Medium, then here on Substack was far more effective and far less trouble. And I’m very happy to have minimal formatting options. Ultimately readers want to read our stuff if it has any value and they don’t care about the other stuff, as long as getting there and reading is easy. Btw, the sites I built and maintained were B2B corporate marketing sites so they were important to the bottom line. As you know there is a lot involved in managing that stuff! Don’t miss it.
My eyes cross when I look at my stats, I'm food with design and programming, but not so much with copywriting and stats are the devil. I would love to have someone who knows this stuff to look at it and tell me what to change where to make it better 🙈
Add me to the Ugh replies. I have two websites and they are floating in the ethos. I don't know what to do with it. I'm finally at a point where I have the time, but I don't know what to do, or what is important.
I started a Wordpress showcasing my work 5 years ago when I was a parenting writer. It's still there but I don't know how. I cancelled my domain. https://lifewithlittleandlula.wordpress.com/ It was useful at the time. I actually sold almost every single article on there to print magazines and it landed me a long term writing job with one of the magazines. I had good traffic. I used my stats page a lot and wrote more of what was popular. But it was such a lot of work and I got exhausted of it. I could never figure out how to monetize it or make it worth the work once the print magazine world died.
I have a website running wordpress and Exactmetrics, but I haven't looked at the metics since I got ill two years ago. The whole things needs a makeover. I might make time and energy when I finish the next draft of my memoir.
I have a website as of last week. It's a bare minimum, I think, Wordpress with a Divi theme. It's attractive, informative, with links to read & buy my book. But not from my site. I do know what stats are and used to monitor them when the website was my primary source of contact. I may get into them later with this one.
I ran a webpage about Peru when I lived there. It kind of worked for me in a number of weird ways. First, I put it on blogger because I always pick the wrong platform when I start out. I did a daily article with a photo. A lot of the expat community got to know me that way. Also, many of my English students subscribed because it gave them something funny and relatable to read to practice their English. I also got occasional emails from retired people who'd send me their credit card numbers and ask me to book them a trip to Machu Picchu. For a while, I had a relationship with an advertiser that made me about $1,000 a month. That was my main source of income when I started my retail shop. Since then, I've had decent earnings through intellifluence (another link sales site), but I don't write for that page anymore. I had a decent email list through feedburner, I think it was at around 150 or so regular readers, but I doubt I ever sold a book through that page :) So, to answer your question, yes, it worked for me, no I didn't understand the stats page.
Nice, I can see why your site provokes interest--- it's enjoyable to navigate and read.
I do not feel like my website is working for me! And it kills my soul every. Single. Day. It feels totally useless to me. 😆
I have two websites actually, my author site and my blogging site. However, neither one is driving sales very well. I would love tips on making it better if you post those in the coming year. Thank you!
Ugh. I have a Wordpress, but couldn’t figure out how to configure it well, so it’s just there. Last year, or two years ago, I paid for a domain, but have done nothing with it! I wanted to either set up an author page or use it for my Wordpress as an author page (but that costs money I don’t have lol). I don’t know the first thing about putting up a website. I used to know how to configure my blogger site, but it’s been way too many years to remember any of that, and Wordpress wasn’t similar.
Can I just cut-n-paste this and use it for my comment?
I have a Wordpress, and a theme I like, and that's...well, that's about it.
Hahahaha! I got so frustrated setting up my Wordpress!
Same! As soon as it was functional, that was good enough for me.
Yep!!
Yes, I have a Wordpress website and I own the two domains that lead to it (janmflynn.net and janmflynn.com), and I use MailChimp to track who opens my blog posts (the same tiny # of people; most people read my stuff on Medium or Substack). But that's it. I hired someone who shall remain nameless over a year ago to redesign my site for me and I don't know WHAT I was thinking, because I hate the result. Hate. It. With the power of a thousand . . . you get it. I am even now in the throes of trying to make it look MUCH more welcoming and light & modern, leaning on my husband for help. Wordpress makes me tired . . .
I had a writer website for several years and did all the right stuff with content, SEO, stats, etc. And I used to build Wordpress sites so this piece resonated. But I found that building a presence first on Medium, then here on Substack was far more effective and far less trouble. And I’m very happy to have minimal formatting options. Ultimately readers want to read our stuff if it has any value and they don’t care about the other stuff, as long as getting there and reading is easy. Btw, the sites I built and maintained were B2B corporate marketing sites so they were important to the bottom line. As you know there is a lot involved in managing that stuff! Don’t miss it.
I wish you could have helped me when I set up my pages at WordPress and Ghost.
To be honest, I mostly end up at a lot of the places I end up writing or posting because people tell me that it's the place to be. Yeah, for THEM...
My eyes cross when I look at my stats, I'm food with design and programming, but not so much with copywriting and stats are the devil. I would love to have someone who knows this stuff to look at it and tell me what to change where to make it better 🙈
Add me to the Ugh replies. I have two websites and they are floating in the ethos. I don't know what to do with it. I'm finally at a point where I have the time, but I don't know what to do, or what is important.
Thank you Linda. I have time, but not the expertise.
I love how you felt that in your bones - you've obviously earned those feelings.
I started a Wordpress showcasing my work 5 years ago when I was a parenting writer. It's still there but I don't know how. I cancelled my domain. https://lifewithlittleandlula.wordpress.com/ It was useful at the time. I actually sold almost every single article on there to print magazines and it landed me a long term writing job with one of the magazines. I had good traffic. I used my stats page a lot and wrote more of what was popular. But it was such a lot of work and I got exhausted of it. I could never figure out how to monetize it or make it worth the work once the print magazine world died.
I have a website running wordpress and Exactmetrics, but I haven't looked at the metics since I got ill two years ago. The whole things needs a makeover. I might make time and energy when I finish the next draft of my memoir.
I have a website as of last week. It's a bare minimum, I think, Wordpress with a Divi theme. It's attractive, informative, with links to read & buy my book. But not from my site. I do know what stats are and used to monitor them when the website was my primary source of contact. I may get into them later with this one.
I ran a webpage about Peru when I lived there. It kind of worked for me in a number of weird ways. First, I put it on blogger because I always pick the wrong platform when I start out. I did a daily article with a photo. A lot of the expat community got to know me that way. Also, many of my English students subscribed because it gave them something funny and relatable to read to practice their English. I also got occasional emails from retired people who'd send me their credit card numbers and ask me to book them a trip to Machu Picchu. For a while, I had a relationship with an advertiser that made me about $1,000 a month. That was my main source of income when I started my retail shop. Since then, I've had decent earnings through intellifluence (another link sales site), but I don't write for that page anymore. I had a decent email list through feedburner, I think it was at around 150 or so regular readers, but I doubt I ever sold a book through that page :) So, to answer your question, yes, it worked for me, no I didn't understand the stats page.
Linda, Do you offer a course, or guide how to set up effective author sites?