Welcome to another edition of Sites Weekly.
In this week’s edition, you will find links to articles about the following:
- Content. 3 false beliefs about conversational copywriting that make good copywriters want to scream
- Design. Create better design with a content-first approach
- Technology. Why you should have a good WordPress backup solution
- Strategy. How to know when to install a plugin, or when to avoid it
- Bonus. How to say “no” to opportunities in a way that is gracious and empathetic
But first …
Last week on Sites
Recently, we discussed three key components for adding opt-in incentives to your website. But an opt-in form is only going to be as effective as the incentive you are promising. So last week, we discussed three questions you should be asking yourself to make sure your opt-in incentive is irresistible to your audience.
Listen: [48] 3Q for Making Your Opt-In Incentive Irresistible
And then here is the second part of our interview with Chris Garrett, Chief Digital Officer of Rainmaker Digital, on the best messaging for your site’s opt-in forms so you can build your subscriber base as big (and attentive) as possible.
Listen: [49] The Right Way to Add Opt-In Forms to Your WordPress Site, Part Two
And now, on to this week’s links …
Content: 3 false beliefs about conversational copywriting that make good copywriters want to scream
Nick Usborne has been working as a copywriter, and training other copywriters, for over 35 years. He’s seen it all. And he’s a big proponent of conversational copywriting, which he describes as “the zero-hype, no-BS antidote to the hard-sell approach.”
But there are some myths floating around about conversational copywriting that he doesn’t like — because he thinks they show that a lot of present-day marketers and copywriters just don’t get what is truly at the heart of good, effective conversational copywriting.
Do any of these myths apply to your thinking … even if you may not realize it?
Design: Create better design with a content-first approach
This is a fundamental concept that is too often ignored. I covered it in a recent episode of Site Success.
How do you know what your design needs to be and do if you don’t know what kind of story you’re trying to tell, who you’re trying to tell it to, and how you’re going to tell it? That is why a content-first approach is really the only way (outside of dumb, blind luck) to end up with an effective design.
Two of the most important decisions you will make about your WordPress website are your theme and your hosting. Wouldn’t it be great if they worked together to make your website more powerful?
Now they can.
Discover why over 213,675 website owners trust StudioPress.
Technology: Why you should have a good WordPress backup solution
You might not expect a worthwhile summary of the need for a WordPress backup solution to come from a technology blog, but this article fits that unexpected bill.
An important note to remember: “WordPress with its simplicity and ease of use has made possible for anyone to have a blog or set up a website. And this can sometimes pull you in a false sense of security. So one of the most important thing in running any website is to have its fresh backup.”
Don’t get lulled into a false sense of security. Make sure you have a solid backup solution in place. The article lists five good ones at the end. You should also, of course, consider hosting your WordPress website with a host that has a backup solution already in place for you.
Strategy: How to know when to install a plugin, or when to avoid it
As I’ve said many times in many different forums: plugins are one of the greatest strength of WordPress … as well as one of its greatest weaknesses.
Plugins offer incredible power, customization, and potential for good, but they also carry with them risk, the need for ongoing attention, and the potential for trouble.
So it’s important to take the install-or-not question seriously with each plugin you consider. This post from Torque highlights a couple of essential questions to ask yourself before installing any plugin. I especially liked the second question, because it’s not a piece of advice I usually see on this topic.
Bonus article: How to say “no” to opportunities in a way that is gracious and empathetic
Here is a post from Paul Jarvis that provides advice on a topic that can be especially thorny for so many of us who work online, and who endeavor to build something on our own: how do we assess new opportunities that crop up, and how do we say “no” to the ones that just aren’t the right fit?
It’s so important to remember that “a lot of the time, the cost of an opportunity actually outweighs the opportunity itself.” Paul shares how he assesses opportunities, and some methods he’s used to “kindly” reject those that aren’t right for him to take on.
So …
Which of the ideas in these posts will you put to good use immediately?
I’ll be back with a new edition next week.
Keep building.