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Our friends at TheCodeCo affirm that even though your initial website was the foundation for who you are today this doesn't mean that it's always going to work. The piece was published according to the terms of permission. Check out the original article here.
Your reliable publishing platform has been through a lot together. You're deeply enamored. Naturally, you'd wish to do all you can to bring back the excitement of good old times.
Although your first personalized website was instrumental in helping you get to the successful publisher you are now, doesn't mean it will carry you to the next level. As with all relationships that last for a long time, breaking up is a difficult thing to handle. But don't let sentimental feelings hinder your progress.
Are you thinking it's the right time to part the ties with your website?
Sometimes, you just need to accept the reality. You've changed. The business has evolved. The way to do business has changed. In your heart, you recognize this. However, you feel like an easier navigating with your creaky, old CMS in search of an alternative, button, or magic that will help you escape the never-ending chaotic.
Why? Because it's a technological project. Most people (even the digital publishing industry) do not like their relationship with technology. In fact, research conducted at Chapman University revealed that technology is for Americans their second-leading source of anxiety. That's right, technological disruptions are more frightening than the threat of death (and perhaps less terrifying than an earthquake). If you're looking to be successful as a contemporary media entrepreneur is the best time to take a stand and reevaluate the most crucial connection you've made with your customers.
Your tech stack may be in the way of your progress
Are there any of these scenarios that seem exactly like yours?
- The editorial team of your website is becoming overwhelmed by admin tasks for your website and other processes.
- You're spending huge sums for seemingly simple tasks.
- A large portion of your budget to invest in technology will be used to keep your site's illumination on.
- The programmers you have hired have told you that something cannot be done "because of how it's built"
- Your readers are growing but your profits have slowed.
- The advertising industry is requesting more information and data from its audience that you're struggling to deliver
- There's a shortage of advertising inventory or have the nagging feeling that you're not getting the best return on your investment.
- The model of business you've adopted has changed dramatically from the moment you started your company.
If you believe in any of these statements, you must seriously think about an upgrade to your technology. For any publisher who has grown beyond their website, replatforming is often the best way to make a substantial permanent change. This is an effective way to witness results quickly.
Why publishers are afraid to work with tech is due to the fact that they fear technology-related developments.
In reality, it's not only your tech-related fear which is preventing you from making the plunge. It's the fear that technology is going incorrect. For most digital publishers, their hesitation to try new ideas is caused by one (or several) of these "nightmare circumstances"
- The cost of blow-outs
- Never-ending projects
- This is the agency that's wrong.
These fears are perfectly understandable. The company you work for is an enterprise that's technologically advanced during one of largest periods of disruption that this planet has ever experienced. It's the reason you're nervous concerning the likelihood of massive website rebuilds. But, waiting and watching is no route to the success you've been hoping for, as the recent research by McKinsey titled 'Digital Strategy in a Time of Crisis' demonstrates.
MCKINSEY, 'DIGITAL Strategy in a Time Of Crisis'
What technologies do publishers need to invest money into?
While now is definitely an ideal time to begin investing in technology, it's crucial to not invest too much. Tech debt is very easy to accumulate, but it's not always clear. Publishers are becoming overwhelmed with the variety of technology available. This is one reason why each project begins by conducting an extensive exploration. So that we can give the owners of media a chance to thoroughly explore their possibilities, we set objectives and avoid costly errors.
One of the most important aspects to succeed as a media operator is having a good understanding of which technologies to put money into. As Steve Jobs famously acknowledged, technology is simply tools to help facilitate the work of geniuses. It's how you work with that device that creates the most significant impact.
The truth is that technology should not be complicated or confusing.
Prior to launching any digital tool, think about "How can this benefit my company? If it's not, you're only making things worse. Working with media companies, the method we've used for years was "anti-complexity". Can we provide the highest impactful results for business using the least amount of effort? By avoiding distractions such as flashing lights or useless equipment, we can ensure clients' budgets are used only on the areas where it really needed. So your project always ends with no surprises and the worst scenarios can be avoided.
The most powerful transformations are usually simply a result of modifications that have been carefully executed and aligned seamlessly with the business's primary goals.
A reason for why traditional publishing goals don't work is because they're not working.
The first step to determine the requirements you have in technology is to identify the goals of your business. The following is what editors typically inform us about their goals:
- More traffic
- More advertising
- Time to get it done
At one time, they could have been a sensible target for a ball. The data revolution has revolutionized the publishing industry.
Align technology to your goals for publishing
Focusing on traffic isn't an effective method of increasing the scale of your site's digital publishing. Advertisers do not really care about what number of visitors visit your website. They'd like to be aware of who are visiting their site, how they engage in content and the value they bring to their brand.
In this constantly growing data-driven clients and vanity metrics like traffic do not even scratch the surface. Now is the time to stop marketing and instead concentrate on the ways you can leverage technology to create partnerships that are mutually beneficial with the brands you work with. If you get your stack right then you'll be able to spend more time at work.
The goals that you must achieve:
goal 1: Better understanding of your visitors The more information you know about your intended viewers, the simpler it is to enhance and improve your website's content. This can lead to greater participation (see Goal 2.) It also gives you the ability to provide engaging experiences for your customers (see Goal 3.)
Goal 2: More extensive participation of the audience: An engaged audience is a highly valuable audience. It's the reason why it's the perfect time to be a publisher in the niche. Participating in a small and vibrant community is where the next potential lies for the media companies.
Goal 3: More compelling advertising possibilities for clients: If you've accomplished Goals 1 and 2then Goal 3 will occur naturally. If you're able to provide innovative, personalized marketing services for clients, you'll be an ideal prospect.
The game-changing technology of publishing
Once you've set the goals you want to achieve, it's safe to start looking at your tech system. In the case of digital publishers that are trying to grow, these are the first issues we address:
Content Management System
You're a content-based business, therefore it's not necessary to be any expert to recognize the importance of Your Content Management System (CMS). A high-end CMS is at the heart of any successful digital publisher. It's (or it should be) the only source of truth and is sufficient to satisfy all of your editorial and advertising needs.
If you're an expanding media provider, you shouldn't skip WordPress. Well you can, but you'll probably regret it in the near future. Many different platforms have tried to compete on WordPress but none of them comes close to matching its flexibility, reliability and capabilities in integrating.
READ MORE: Drupal and. WordPress What is best for Digital Publishers?
If you're part a large publishing business, there's not a necessity to develop the platform of your choice. The CMS's that are proprietary have a fixed price and are not flexible, so they're likely to be left behind if (or most likely when) technology continues to evolve in the current speed.
Many people don't realize is the fact that WordPress can be customized for handling complicated workflows. We are doing it every day. The problem is that publishing platforms can be incredibly complicated, and it's uncommon to find individuals who are able (or the time) to answer all the specific questions you have. So, after a series of workarounds, you'll end up with an extremely complicated structure for publishing.
What are the pros and cons to SaaS publishing platforms like Substack and Medium?
Are you a writer, or even just curious about the world that publishes, SaaS solutions are great. But, technology platforms that plug and play can be a problem for serious publishers. Would you want to have your entire business relying on apps that cost $50? Much of our collaboration with The Code Company involves 'rescue operations' for publishers that have learned this through the mud.
Learn More: The three biggest mistakes made by publishers while building or replatforming their sites
Hosting Platforms
In the case of slow websites, they are the fastest way to lose viewers as well as advertisers. This is why choosing the right hosting technology is vital. If you are choosing a server, basically have two options:
- Hosting that is self-managed
- Platforms that manage hosting
The past was that due to the sheer complexity of their requirements, many enterprises had to develop their own hosting systems. But managed platforms are evolving to the point that all of the key demands of expanding publishers are being satisfied.
Read more: What is the best hosting solution to digital writers? Managed hosting options are particularly straightforward if you're making use of WordPress. Regarding stability, security backups, cache, updates and backups, the options of hosting platforms such as WP Engine and WordPress VIP surpass all others. It is also likely that you will earn profits. We have been reminded about the benefits of hosting platforms in recent times when working with a new publishing client. By changing to managed hosting, the company saved them around $200,000 per year!
AdTech
The team at the moment has met with a book publisher from an area of specialization that built such an active public that companies had been pounding on their doors to announce. A publishing dream come true? You'd think. There was one issue. The business was short of inventory. There was no way to locate the right advertising unit on their site to satisfy the requirements of customers. Profit margins for the company were declining, but they refused to take clients off.
The first step we took to turn this dire scenario around was the hiring of AdOps. They were the AdOps team to successfully install Google Ad Manager and build an effective WordPress Integration. This gave editorial and advertising teams complete control over the management of campaigns and their targeting. In addition, it contributed to an increase in ROI, as well as the possibility of an rise in profits.
The publishing industry's focus is shifting quickly from traffic to targeting and focussing on the most relevant consumers is going to require more sophisticated strategies for advertising. For the best chance of increasing future revenue this is the perfect moment to plan your AdTech to succeed.
Data Collection Tools
Do you have a treasure trove of data? Probably. However, many digital publishers unaware of this. They're also unaware about how they can use data to boost their profits. It is the WPP's AUNZ Director of Operations Jens Monsees made this point at his 2020 Mumbrella 360 when he likened digital data to the sexuality of high school.
"Everybody talks about it," But very few people are actually doing the thing and none of them do the right way. More than talking it's about understanding it. What data is it sitting within? What is the best way to access the data and analyze it in the real-time? Which clients do you have a solid strategy for data and an IT infrastructure to extract information and make sense of the information?"
If you're using the correct technology It is possible to gain a deep analysis of behaviour that can determine what people are engaging in over a prolonged duration of time. The best place to begin is setting up the email services you use (email service providers) to understand what content categories an user clicks on. This lets you personalize your users' experience as well as provide an extremely specific advertising opportunity to clients and users.
"Behaviorally targeted ads are twice the efficient and valuable than non-targeted online advertisements"
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a must-have feature for your consideration. It's like the name suggests. GTM allows you to control tags on your site. This has been a game changer for webmasters because it gives you more control over the kinds of tags you use within your site and also means you're no longer involving programmers in making trivial changes. GTM Event Tracking Tool GTM Event Tracking tools can provide a powerful tool to monitor interactions between visitors in addition to particular elements or features within your site.
READ MORE: Tags for Server Side inside Google Ad Manager: What it means for publishers
A few thoughts on the way forward
As a digital publisher You're in a long-term connection with the world of technology. But, is your site providing everything you need to be successful? Do you avoid changing your website because it's familiar and at ease? Take note that none of your greatest accomplishments can be achieved within the comfort of your home.
Innovation doesn't need to be stressful. If you've got the proper technology partner and a simple mindset the publishing platform could well live happily ever after.
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