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Our friends at TheCodeCo suggest that, simply because your initial site was the basis for the person you are today, this doesn't mean that it will always be suitable. This piece is published under the terms of permission. look up the original article here.
You and your trusty publishing platform have been through many things together. It's a bond that is deeply bonded. It's only natural that you want to try every trick to revive the joy of good old days.
However, just because your initial, custom website made you the accomplished publisher you are now, it doesn't mean that it's going to last into the future. Like all long term relationships breakups are difficult to handle. But don't let sentimental feelings hinder your growth.
Do you think it's time to part off from your site?
Sometimes, you need to face the facts. You've changed. The market has changed. The time has come to change. Deep down, you already are aware of this. Yet somehow it still feels more comfortable scrambling around your old, creaking CMS, hoping for some solution, button, or magic to help you escape the ever-growing chaos.
Why? because it is a technology project. And most people (even digital publishers) are uncomfortable with technology. In fact, a 2015 study by Chapman University revealed that technology is Americans their second-leading reason for fear. That's right, digital disruption is more terrifying than death (and just a little less frightening than experiencing the midst of an earthquake). But if you're trying to succeed as a digital media professional, it's time to face your fears and review the most crucial relationship you have with your customers.
Your tech stack may be behind you
Does some of these scenarios sound familiar?
- Your editorial team is constantly overwhelmed by admin tasks for your website and process
- It costs a lot of money for seemingly simple tasks.
- A quarter of your technology budget has been spent just to keep the lights on for your site
- Your developers have told you that something can't be done "because of the way the system is constructed"
- The number of people who visit your site is increasing, but the profit is flat.
- Advertisers are requesting audience insight/data that you're struggling to provide
- You're running low on advertising supplies or you have a nagging suspicion that you're missing revenue opportunities
- Your business model has shifted substantially since you started your company.
If you are in agreement with one or more of these assertions, it is time to seriously consider a technology change. For any publisher that's outgrown their website Replatforming is usually the fastest way to create an impactful and durable changes. It can literally yield results overnight.
How do publishers avoid tech projects?
In reality, there's more than just tech-related fear that's holding your back. It's the fear that technology is getting wrong. For most digital publishing companies, their resistance to innovate centres around one (or more) of these "nightmare situations"
- The cost blow-out
- Never-ending projects
- The agency that isn't right
This is completely understandable. You're currently leading a digital organisation during one of the largest period of disruption that the globe has seen. That's why you're less than enthusiastic at the idea of an enormous web rebuild. But, waiting and watching does not lead to success according to recent McKinsey research 'Digital strategy in a time of Crisis' demonstrates.
"Early adoption of digital technology at an early stage and on a large the scale of massive allocation of resources towards digital projects, and M&A are strongly associated with creating value" MCKINSEY, 'DIGITAL Strategies in the Age of CRISIS'
What technologies do publishers need to consider investing in?
Although now is the perfect moment to invest in technology, it's crucial not to over invest. Tech debt is easily accumulated, but much more difficult to get rid of. Publishers are increasingly overwhelmed by technological options. That's why each project begins with the detailed discovery process. In order to give owners of media an opportunity to look into their options, determine goals and stay clear of costly mistakes.
Success as a media operator is knowing which technologies to put your money into. As Steve Jobs famously acknowledged, technology is simply a tool to facilitate the work of brilliant people. It's the actions you take with that tool, that's what makes the difference.
Truth is that technology should never be complex or confusing.
So before introducing any brand new technology or tool, think about "How will this improve my business?' If it doesn't add to the mess. Working with media owners, our model has always been "anti-complexity'. What can we do to deliver the most effective business outcomes with the least effort? by avoiding the distractions of flashing lights and ineffective equipment, we can ensure that the client's budgets are utilized only on areas that are they are truly required. Thus, when your project is completed with no unexpected costs, and all nightmare scenarios are avoided.
The most powerful transformative processes are often the result of simple changes that are executed with care and linked effortlessly to the main business goals.
Why traditional publishing goals are not the best
The initial step in deciding your requirements for technology is to define your business objectives. Here's what editors usually tell us about their objectives:
- More traffic
- Advertising more
- Additional time
In the past, these could have been a sensible ball to aim for. But the advent of data has revolutionized the publishing industry.
Make sure that your technology is aligned with your publishing goals
Focusing on traffic isn't the method to increase the size of your website's digital publishing. Potential advertisers don't care about the number of people who visit your website. They want to understand who is visiting, how they engage with the content they are reading and how valuable they are for their specific brand.
To this ever increasing data-focused customer base the vanity metrics such as traffic don't even scratch the top of the iceberg. It's time to think beyond selling advertising and instead focus on the ways you can leverage technology to build positive alliances with companies. And when you get the right stack, you'll automatically have more time to work.
Here's what your goals should be:
Objective 1: Better audience data: The more you understand about your audience, the more you can improve and refine your website's content. This leads to deeper engagement (see Goal 2) and provides you with the opportunity to develop exciting opportunities for clients (see Goal 3.)
The second goal is More audience engagement: An engaged audience is an important audience. It's the reason why it's an ideal time to become a niche publisher. Having a small, active community is where future possibilities are for publishers.
Goal #3: More engaging advertising opportunities for customers: If you've achieved Goals 1 and 2, Goal 3 is likely to happen naturally. If you're able to provide smart, personalised marketing solutions for clients, you'll be an increasingly attractive candidate.
The publishing tech game-changers
After you've decided on your objectives, it's time to begin looking over the technology you have in your system. When working with digital publishers who are looking to scale, these are the first game-changers we tackle:
Content Management System
Your business is based on content, which is why it's not difficult for someone with a genius to realize the significance of the content management system (CMS). A rockstar CMS is the foundation of any successful digital publisher. It is (or it should be) your single source of truth, and be adaptable enough to accommodate all your editorial and advertising requirements.
If you're a growing media operator, you can't go past WordPress. Well you could, but you'll likely regret it quite soon. Dozens of different platforms have attempted to compete with WordPress but none could ever even come close to its flexibility, reliability and integration capabilities.
Read More: Drupal Vs. WordPress: What's best for digital publishers?
If you're part of a huge publishing empire, there's still no need to create your own platform. Custom CMS's are stifling costly, and they're likely to leave you behind if (or even more likely, if) technology evolves with the speed at which it is currently.
What people often don't understand is that WordPress can be optimised for complex workflows. It happens all the time. The problem is that the publishing platforms are incredibly complicated and it's rare to find developers that have the capability (or the time) to answer all the questions you have on your particular request. So, by a series of workarounds, you end up with a complex publishing architecture.
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 platforms are great. But plug-and-play tech stacks are a major warning for serious publishers. Are you willing to put your entire operation to be dependent on an app that costs you $50? The majority of the work we do at The Code Company involves 'rescue operations' with publishers that learnt this the hard way.
Read More: The three most common mistakes made by publishers when building or replatforming their site
Hosting Platforms
Slow websites are the most effective way of losing audiences as well as advertisers. That's why your choice of hosting infrastructure is so important. When selecting a server, you have two options:
- Hosting that is self-managed
- Platforms for managed hosting
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 at such pace that almost every one of the essential needs of publishers growing are now taken care of.
READ MORE: What is the best hosting solution for digital authors? Managed hosting options are particularly straightforward if you're using WordPress. In terms of the reliability, security as well as backups, caching, and updates, the capabilities of hosting platforms such as WP Engine and WordPress VIP can be compared to the best. They will also help you reduce costs. We were reminded of the merits of hosting platforms when we worked with a brand new client for publishing. Simply by switching to a managed service they saved over $200,000 per year!
AdTech
The team we work with recently had a meeting with a niche publisher who had built such an engaging audience, that companies were knocking at their doors in order to place ads. A publishing dream come true? You'd think. But there was a difficulty. They were out of stocks. There were literally not enough ads on their site for client inquiries. The company's profit margin was declining, yet they were turning clients away.
One of the first things we did to turn the scenario around was bring in the AdOps staff to properly install Google Ad Manager and build a smart WordPress Integration. This gave editorial and advertising teams full control over the management of campaigns and targeting. And crucially, it led to a rapid ROI as well as an impressive increase in customer revenues.
The primary focus of publishing is rapidly shifting from traffic to targeting and focusing on the right clients will demand increasingly complex marketing solutions. For the best chance of maximizing future revenue, now is the perfect time to design your AdTech for success.
Data Collection Tools
Do you have a goldmine of data? Probably. The majority of digital publishers are yet few realise it. They are also less aware of how to make use of the data to boost their profits. is the name of WPP's AUNZ CEO Jens Monsees made this point at the 2020 Mumbrella 360 when he likened digital data to high-school sex.
"Everybody is talking about it, but few are doing it and no one is doing it correctly. There is more than talk and you must understand it. What data is it sitting in? How do I access it and understand it in real time? How many clients are using a good data strategy as well as the IT infrastructure to extract and understand out of the data?"
With the right technology, it's possible to gain deep behavioural insight that tells the user what they are doing over a longer time. One way to start is by configuring your ESP (email service supplier) to get a better understanding of what content categories an person clicks. This will enable you to customize your visitor's experience as well as provide highly targeted content and client marketing opportunities.
"Behaviorally targeted advertisements have twice the efficient and valuable than non-targeted ads on the internet"
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is also a must-have on your radar. It's a name that's apt, GTM allows you to control tags on your site. It's transformed the way publishers work as it provides greater control over the kinds of tags that used on your site as well as ensuring that you're not always contacting programmers for minor changes. GTM Event Tracking tool GTM event Tracking tool can be a very effective way to monitor interactions between visitors and certain features/elements of your site.
READ MORE: Server Side Tagging in Google Ad Manager What does it mean for the publishers
Some parting thoughts
As a digital publisher You're in a long-term relationship with the technology. But is your current website offering everything you require to succeed? Do you hesitate to change because you're comfortable with it? Keep in mind that no major achievements have been achieved from the comfort of a zone.
Yet innovation needn't be stressful. If you have the right technology companion and an uncomplicated mindset the publishing system could be happily ever after.