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Our colleagues at TheCodeCo suggest that, even if your first site was the basis for the person you are today, it doesn't mean it will always be suitable. This post is reproduced by permission. check out the original article here.
Your trusted publishing platform have been through a lot together. You're deeply attached. It makes sense that you'd want to attempt all you can to bring back nostalgia for the great old days.
But just because your original web design made you the successful publisher you are currently, that doesn't mean it's going to last in the near future. Just like all long-term relationships, breaking up is hard to handle. However, don't let your feelings stop you from making advancement.
Are you ready to give off from your site?
Sometimes, it's just necessary to face the facts. You've changed. The market has changed. It's time to move on. You already recognize this. However, you feel like a more relaxed stumbling around in your old, creaking CMS and hoping for a workaround, button or miracle that will help you get out of the ever-growing chaos.
Why? Because it involves a tech project. Most people (even those who publish digitally) are uncomfortable with technology. Indeed, a study conducted by Chapman University revealed that technology is Americans' second biggest reason for fear. That's right, technology is scarier than death (and only slightly less scary than the experience of being in an earthquake). If you're looking to succeed as a contemporary media entrepreneur is the right time to face your fears and review the most crucial relationship you have with your customers.
Signs your tech stack is holding you back
Does any of these scenarios seem similar to yours?
- The editorial team of your website is becoming overwhelmed by admin tasks for your website and processes
- It costs a lot of money in order to accomplish seemingly easy tasks.
- The majority of your budget for tech will be spent on keeping your site's lights on
- The developers you've hired have informed you that something cannot be achieved "because of the way it's built"
- Your audience is growing but the profit is flat.
- Advertising agencies are asking for audience insights/data that you're not able to deliver
- You're running low on advertising inventory or have a nagging suspicion that you're missing out on revenue opportunities
- Your business model has shifted significantly since you first launched
If you agree with any of these statements, you should seriously look into a tech upgrade. For any publisher that's overgrown their site Replatforming can be the most efficient way to bring about an impactful and durable transformation. This can be a way to see immediate results.
Why publishers fear tech projects
It's fair to say that it isn't just the fear of technology that's holding you back. It's the fear that technology is going wrong. For most digital publishers, their reluctance to innovate centres around one (or several) of these "nightmare situations':
- The cost blow-out
- Never-ending projects
- The wrong agency
The fears you have are completely normal. Your company is already an organisation that's digital in one of the biggest period of disruption that the globe has ever experienced. It's no wonder you're feeling uneasy about the idea of an enormous web rebuild. The wait-and-see method is no route to success in the current McKinsey research on 'Digital Strategies in the Age of Crisis' demonstrates.
"Early use of technology in the early stages and at a scale, combined with a heavy allocation of resources against digital projects, as well as M&A are strongly associated with creating value" MCKINSEY, 'DIGITAL Strategy in a Time of CRISIS'
Which technology do publishers need to be investing money in?
While now is definitely the moment to invest in technology, it's crucial not to overinvest. Tech debt is easy to accumulate but far harder to clear. Publishers are increasingly overwhelmed by technology choices. That's why that we begin every project with a an detailed discovery process. In order to give owners of media the chance to thoroughly look into their options, determine priorities and prevent costly mistakes.
The art of succeeding in the field of media is knowing what technology to invest in. Like Steve Jobs famously acknowledged, technology is simply tools to help facilitate the work of great individuals. It's the actions you take with that tool, that's what makes the difference.
It is the truth that technology should never be complicated or overwhelming.
When introducing a new tool or technology, you should take a moment and ask "how can this help me streamline my business?' If it doesn't make sense, you're adding to the chaos. Working with media owners, our model has always been "anti-complexity". We must be able to provide an impactful and profitable business outcome with the least effort? In avoiding distractions like flashing lights and useless devices, we make sure the budgets of clients are used only on areas that are truly required. So your project always ends with no surprises and the nightmare scenarios are avoided.
The most effective transformations are usually caused by simple modifications, smartly executed and aligned perfectly with the business's core objectives.
Traditional publishing objectives are wrong
The first step to determining your technology needs is to establish your company's objectives. This is the kind of thing that publishers generally tell us is their main goals
- More traffic
- More advertising
- Time to get it done
The past was when these were considered to be balls to pursue. The advent of the digital revolution has changed the game of publishing.
Align technology to your publishing goals
The focus on traffic isn't the route to scaling your website's digital publishing. Advertisers don't really care the number of people who visit your website. They want to understand the people who visits, how they engage with the content they are reading and how valuable they are for their specific brand.
With the ever-growing data-driven customer base the vanity metrics such as traffic don't even scratch the level. Now is the time to stop selling advertising and instead focus on how you can harness technology to form positive relationships with brands. When you have your strategy right, you'll automatically have more time to work.
These are the goals you should be:
Goal 1: Better understanding of your audience The more you know about your readers and their preferences, the better you are able to improve and refine your website's content. This can lead to greater engagement (see Goal 2.) and provides you with the ammunition to create exciting opportunities for clients (see Goal 3.)
Goal 2: Deeper participation of the audience: An engaged audience is a valuable audience. This is why this is an ideal time to become an independent editor. Having a small, active community is where the future possibilities are for publishers.
Goal #3: More powerful marketing opportunities for clients: If you've achieved Goals 1 and 2, Goal 3 is likely to happen naturally. If you can provide innovative, personalized marketing services to clients, you're suddenly an attractive target.
Technology for publishing is a game changer.
Once you've set your goals, it is time to begin looking over your technology system. If you work with digital publishers trying to grow this is the initial challenges we take on:
Content Management System
It's a business that relies on content so it doesn't take an expert to appreciate the significance of the content management system (CMS). A top-quality CMS is the backbone of any successful digital publisher. It's (or it ought to be) the only source of information, and should it should be able to adapt 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 quite soon. Many different platforms have attempted take on WordPress but none has ever really been able to match the flexibility, reliability, and ability to integrate.
Read More: Drupal vs. WordPress: What's best for digital publishers?
Even if you're a large-scale publishing enterprise, there's an excuse not to develop your own platform. The CMS's that are proprietary are inflexible cost prohibitive and could be a threat to completely obliterate you if (or most likely if) technology develops in the current speed.
The thing that people aren't aware of is that WordPress can be customized to handle complex workflows. We are doing it every day. The problem is that the publishing platforms are incredibly complicated and it's rare to meet developers who have the capacity (or enough time) to completely answer your particular request. In the end, after various workarounds, the result is a wildly complex architecture for publishing.
What do you think of SaaS publishing platforms like Substack as well as Medium?
If you're a blogger or trying your hand at the business of publication, SaaS services are fantastic. However, plug-and-play technology stacks are a major red flag for serious publishers. Would you want to have your entire operation to be dependent on a plugin that costs $50? The majority of the work we do at The Code Company involves 'rescue operations' with publishers that have learned this through the process of trial and error.
Read More: The three biggest mistakes committed by publishers while building or replatforming their websites
Hosting Platforms
A slow website is the fastest method of losing viewers and advertisers. This is why choosing the right hosting platform is crucial. In selecting a server you basically have two options:
- Hosting that is self-managed
- Host management platforms
In the past, due to the complexity of their needs the majority of enterprise publishers chose to develop their own hosting setup. However, managed platforms have developed in such a way that nearly all of the key demands of expanding publishers are being met.
READ MORE: What is the most effective hosting option for digital publishers? Managed hosting choices are especially straightforward when you're using WordPress. In terms of the reliability, security backups, caching, backups and updates, the options of platforms like WordPress Engine and WordPress VIP surpass all others. And you'll most likely save money. We discovered the benefits of hosting platforms when working with a new client for publishing. By simply switching them to a managed service, we saved them over $200,000 per year!
AdTech
Our team has recently met with a small-scale publisher that had created such an engaging audience, that brands were banging down their doors to promote. A publishing dream come true? You'd think. But there was a difficulty. They had run out of stock. There were literally not enough advertising units available on their website for client inquiries. The company's profit margin was declining, and yet, they turned customers away.
The first thing we did to turn the situation around was the hiring of our AdOps team to successfully set up Google Ad Manager and build a smart WordPress connection. This gave editorial and advertising teams complete control of campaign management and their targeting. And crucially, it led to immediate ROI and the possibility of a significant increase in revenues.
Publishing's focus is rapidly shifting from traffic to targeted It's therefore inevitable that customers will require more complex marketing solutions. In order to maximize future revenue opportunities, now is the perfect time to design your AdTech for success.
Data Collection Tools
Do you have a goldmine of data? Probably. Most digital publishers are, however, few realize it. They are also less aware of what they can do with the data to boost their profits. The WPP AUNZ CEO Jens Monsees made this point during the 2020 Mumbrella 360 when he likened digital information to high school sex.
"Everybody speaks about it," but only a few people are actually doing it, and no one is doing it correctly. More than that and you must understand the subject. Where is this data sitting? What can I do to get it to me and understand the data in real-time? What percentage of clients have a solid data strategy and the IT infrastructure in place to harvest and make sense out of the data?"
When you've got the right technology you can gain profound behavioural insights that show the user what they are doing over a longer time. The best place to begin is to configure your ESP (email service supplier) to gain insight into what content categories an person clicks. This lets you customise your visitors' experience, and offer highly relevant information and marketing opportunities to clients.
"Behaviorally targeted ads are twice as useful and as efficient than non-targeted ads on the internet"
Google Tag Manager (GTM) should also be on your radar. Like the name implies, GTM allows you to manage tags on your website. It's transformed the way publishers work because it gives you more control over the kinds of tags that you run on your website as well as ensuring that you're not always contacting programmers for trivial updates. The GTM Event Tracking tool can be a very effective method to track interactions between users and certain features/elements of your website.
READ MORE Tags for Server Side with Google Ad Manager: What it means for the publishers
Some parting thoughts
If you're a digital publishing company You're in a long-term relationship with the technology. But is your current website offering everything you require to be successful? Are you restraining yourself from making changes because it's familiar and comfortable? Be aware that none of the greatest achievements have been achieved from a comfort zone.
However, innovation doesn't need to be stressful. With the right technology companion and an uncomplicated mindset both you and your publishing system could be happily ever after.