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Our colleagues at TheCodeCo suggest that, just because your original site was instrumental in bringing you to the person you are today, that does not mean that it will never be an ideal choice. This article is made available with permission - check out the original piece here.
Your trusted publishing platform have been through many things together. It's a bond that is deeply felt. This is why you want to try all possible ways to recreate nostalgia for the glory of old days.
While your initial, customized website made you an accomplished writer today, that does not mean it's going keep you going for a long time to come. Like every relationship that's been around for an extended period breakups are difficult to break up. But don't let sentimentality stand in your way of progress.
Is it time to break off from your site?
Sometimes, it's simply essential to confront the truth. You've changed. The market has changed. The time has come to change. In your heart, you know this. But somehow, it feels more like rummaging with your creaking CMS and hoping for a solution, button, or magic to aid you in escaping the ever-growing chaotic.
Why? Because it involves a tech project. A majority (even online publishers) are uncomfortable with technology. In fact, a research conducted from Chapman University revealed that technology is for Americans their second-leading source of fear. That's right, digital disruption is more terrifying than death (and just a little less frightening than being in an earthquake). But, if you're trying to be successful as a professional working in digital media it's time to face the fears you have and to review the most crucial relationship you have with.
The tech stack you have may be hindering your progress
Do any of these scenarios seem similar to yours?
- The editorial team of your website is being overwhelmed by admin tasks for your website and other processes.
- It is expensive for things that appear to be easy.
- The majority of your budget for technology will be spent on keeping the lights on for your site
- Your developers have told you they can't achieve something "because of the way it's built"
- Your audience is growing but your profits are stagnant.
- Marketing agencies want data on your audience that you aren't capable of providing
- You're short on advertising inventory , or you have the feeling of being uneasy that you're not maximizing revenue
- How you conduct business has significantly changed since the time when you first started
If you are in agreement to any or all of these suggestions, it is an ideal time to consider an overhaul of your technology. If you're a business owner who has grown tired of their site and is in need of replatforming, it's often the most effective method of creating lasting and significant changes. This can be a way to get results within seconds.
The reason why publishers are fearful of technology-related projects
It's fair to say that it's not only the technological anxiety that's holding you back. It's the fear that technology is going wrong. For most digital publishers, the reluctance they have to come up with new ideas is caused by one (or several) of the following "nightmare situations':
- Cost blow-out
- This never-ending pursuit
- The wrong agency
Your fears are totally normal. Your organization is currently that is digital, in one of the largest times of disruptions the world has ever experienced. That's why you're not so excited about significant overhaul of the internet. But, the waiting-and-see method doesn't work out well, as recent McKinsey research entitled 'Digital Strategizes in the Age of Crisis' shows.
MCKINSEY, 'DIGITAL Strategies in the The Age of Crisis'
What are the technologies publishers should be making investments in?
If now is indeed the time to invest in technology, it is important not to over invest. Tech debt is easily accumulated, but much more difficult to determine. Publishers are overwhelmed by technology alternatives. That's why we begin every new project with the thorough exploration procedure. This gives those who own media the opportunity to thoroughly look into their options, establish priority, and avoid costly errors.
Achieving success in media depends on knowing the best technologies to make investments in. According to Steve Jobs famously acknowledged, technology can be described as tools used to aid in the activities of great people. It's the actions you take when using the tool that make the biggest difference.
The truth is, technology shouldn't be complicated or confusing.
Prior to launching any new device or new technology, take a moment and ask "How can this help me in my work?' In the event that it doesn't increase the confusion. Working with the media corporations, our strategy was always "anti-complexity'. How can we create a profitable and effective commercial outcome in the most simple possible way? To avoid distractions, such as blinking lights or excessive equipment, we can ensure that client budgets are utilized only on those areas really essential. So, your work is finished, you won't have any unexpected charges and with all most likely scenarios have been eliminated.
The most successful changes are typically simply an outcome of changes carefully executed and in line with the business's core objectives.
The reason why traditional goals for publishing do not work
The first step for determining the requirements for your tech is to determine your business objectives. The following is what editors typically say about their objectives:
- More traffic
- More advertising
- Extra time
In the past, this would have been a sensible ball to chase. However, the rise of data has transformed the process of publishing.
Check that your system is aligned with your goals in publishing
The focus on traffic doesn't mean you can scale your online publishing website. Advertising prospects don't pay attention to the number of people who visit your website. They'd like to be aware of the people who visit their site, how they engage in their posts, and what value they add for their brand.
With the ever-growing data-driven customer base the vanity measures like traffic don't even get to the point. The key is to not focus on selling advertising and instead focus on ways to harness technology to establish profitable relationships with the brands you work with. If you can get the right stack then you'll be able to have more time to work.
Here's what your goals should be:
Goal 1: Improved statistics about the audience The more information you know about your visitors and their needs, the better you are in a position to improve and optimize the contents of your website. This could lead to increased engagement (see Goal 2.) It also gives you the ammunition to create exciting opportunities for your customers (see Goal 3.)
Objective 2: Greater audience engagement: An engaged audience is a valuable audience. That's why it's an ideal time to become an editor who is focused on a specific niche. An active and small group of readers is where the best possibilities are for editors.
Goal 3 A more engaging and dynamic marketing opportunity for clients: If you've achieved Goals 1 and 2then Goal 3 is bound to happen. If you're able to provide smart, personalised marketing solutions to your clients, you're an increasingly attractive potential candidate.
Technology for publishing is a game changer.
When you've decided on your goals and set your goals, you can begin reviewing your tech collection. In working with digital publishers, trying to scale this is the first challenge we take on:
Content Management System
Your business is based on content, which is why it's not difficult for someone with a genius to recognize the importance of your Content Management System (CMS). An effective CMS is the foundation of every successful digital publisher. It's (or it ought to be) the only source of information and should be capable of adapting to every needs for advertising and editorial.
If you're a developing media operator, you can't ignore WordPress. Well you could, but you'll likely regret it very quickly. A variety of other platforms have attempted to challenge WordPress but none has actually come even close to its versatility, reliability, or capability to integrate.
Read More: Drupal Vs. WordPress: What's best to publish digitally?
If you're part of an enormous publishing empire, there's still an excuse to not build the platform you prefer. Custom CMS's can be stifling and costly and could become obsolete if (or in the event that) technology evolves in the speed of today.
What people often don't understand is that WordPress can be customized to manage intricate workflows. It's what we do every day. The problem is that the publishing platforms are complex beasts and it is rare to locate developers who have the capability (or time) to answer all the questions you have on the specific questions you have. Thus, through various ways of working, it's a complex architecture to publish.
What are your opinions on SaaS publishing platforms such as Substack and Medium?
If you're a blogger or trying your hand at the publishing business, SaaS platforms are great. However, plug-and play tech stacks pose a major problem for publishers who want to be dedicated. Are you willing to let the whole company to depend on a plug-in that is priced at $50? A large part of what we do here at The Code Company involves 'rescue operations' for publishers that learned this experience the hard way.
Read More: The three biggest mistakes made by publishers when developing or replatforming their sites
Hosting Platforms
A slow website is the most effective method to lose viewers and advertisers. That's why selecting the correct hosting system is crucial. When selecting a server, you have two options:
- Hosting that is self-managed
- Platforms that manage hosting
In the past, as a result of the difficulty of what they needed, most enterprise publishers opted to develop their own hosting infrastructure. But managed platforms have advanced so that the requirements of the growing publishers are being met.
Learn More: What is the ideal hosting service for digital publishing? Managed hosting choices are especially straightforward when you're using WordPress. When it comes to safety, reliability as well as backups, caching and upgrades, the features of platforms like WordPress Engine and WordPress VIP over all the others. It is likely that you will save money. The benefits of hosting services when we were working with a new publishing client. By changing their hosting platforms to managed service and saving approximately $200,000 annually!
AdTech
Our team recently spoke with a small-scale publisher that had created such an engaging crowd that advertisers started knocking on their door to offer their services. A publishing dream come true? You'd think. But there was a problem. They had run out of stock. They were short of ads on their site to accommodate client requests. Their profit margins were decreasing and the site was denying customers.
The first step we took to turn the situation was to hire our AdOps personnel to be successful in implementing Google Ad Manager and build a smart WordPress connectivity. This gave editorial and advertising departments complete control of campaign management and their targeting. In addition, it contributed to an immediate ROI and an opportunity for a substantial growth in revenue.
Publishing's focus is shifting rapidly to targeting and traffic. It's therefore inevitable that customers will require increasingly complex advertising solutions. In order to maximize future revenue opportunities, now is the perfect time to design your AdTech for maximum success.
Data Collection Tools
Do you know where you are in an abundance of information? Probably. Many digital publishers are yet few realise that. They're also unaware about what they could do by using data in order to improve their profits. is the name of the AUNZ division of WPP. CEO Jens Monsees's statement during the 2020 Mumbrella 360 when he likened the digital world to sexual activity.
"Everybody says it is a good thing," but few are practicing it and none is doing it correctly. In addition, you have to understand the topic. Where is this data? Where can I find it and understand it at a moment's notice? What proportion of customers have the right data strategy in place along with the IT infrastructure to extract and understand out of their information?"
If you have the proper technology It is possible to get an understanding of the behavior that will tell users exactly what they're doing for a long period of time. The most effective place to begin is to set up your ESP (email service provider) to get a better understanding of the categories of content that users click on. It allows you to personalize your users' experience as well as provide an extremely specific advertising opportunity to clients and users.
"Behaviorally targeted ads are twice as effective and beneficial as advertisements that are not targeted"
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is also worth your consideration. GTM is a name that's appropriate, GTM allows you to modify the tags you use on your site. GTM has changed the way that publishers operate since it gives more control over the tags you place on your website meaning that you do not require constant interaction with programmer to implement minor changes. The GTM event tracking tool. It's an efficient tool to monitor interactions between visitors and specific elements/features within your site.
READ MORE Tags for Server Side using Google Ad Manager What does this mean for publishers?
Some thoughts on the way to go
If you're an online publishing firm and you're a digital publishing is a long-term relationship with the technology. Is your site giving you all the tools you require to be successful? Are you restraining yourself from changing your site due to the fact that it's comfortable and familiar? Remember, no great accomplishments can be accomplished within the confines of a comfort space.
However, innovation doesn't need to be difficult. If you have the right technology partner and a simple mindset the publishing platform could well live happily forever.
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