Putting In Some Quality Time on Fixing the Blog!
Last Updated on March 10, 2022 by Michael Brockbank
Today, I began my experiment for updating older posts. And I quickly realized that a lot of my older content was missing screenshots and images. I suppose it’s about time I started fixing the blog. But let’s take it a bit further than just rewrites.
Especially if I want to make it something awesome in the coming months. This is on top of doing something with our YouTube channel.
How am I Fixing the Blog This Time Around?
I know I haven’t been the most consistent since creating this blog. However, I am on a roll for 2022 and plan on doing a lot with the site. Unfortunately, I’m the only one who can put work into it, so, it’ll be a bit slow for a while.
In any case, you can expect a few changes to happen in the near future.
Revamping A Lot of Old Articles
One of the most difficult parts of fixing the blog is rewriting the tutorials. A lot of them are out of date, and plenty more don’t have screenshots or images. This happened back when I moved the site from one host to another.
I lost a lot of imagery in the transfer…thanks a lot, Hostgator!
This means I’ll have to rewrite most of the tutorials on this site by myself. Good times.
It’s not just the tutorials, though. There are a few high-performing articles that need updates, such as the Raft End Game article. A lot has been added since I wrote that piece.
In any case, updating content is always good for both readers and SEO.
Reworking the Ad System
I am changing up the ads that are used on this blog including the plugins I use in WordPress. Not to mention that I am about to go into a deal with a new advertiser, so, that’ll be interesting.
Yes, I will have a sponsor for WriterSanctuary’s YouTube channel! I don’t want to go into too much detail at the moment because I don’t want to jinx it.
Apparently, they guarantee an increase in ad revenue over AdSense. I’m actually doing a case study of the new tool on my writing YouTube channel, but this blog is going to probably be the biggest beneficiary.
If it works out as I hope, then fixing the ad system for the blog will greatly improve what I can donate to Extra Life.
Researching More Content
As I am conducting a myriad of case studies and have several writing goals, I am putting in more effort into researching content for this site. This is on top of rewriting some of the much older articles.
Currently, the blog is most known for the tutorials for OBS, Streamlabs, and XSplit. But I would like to branch out a bit into more gaming content. Mostly reviews or perhaps a few walkthroughs.
I also intend on adding nVidia and a few other streaming software titles to the growing list of tutorials. Luckily, I’m adding a person or two soon to help in this venture.
Adding a New Author or Two
Speaking of adding people, I am setting up a new author to help me get that content written that I mentioned above. Because I am managing a lot of different projects in the day, it only makes sense to get some help.
I am adjusting my budget to hire the writer, and I hope it works out for the best. At the moment, it’ll be coming mostly out of my pocket.
In any case, it’ll be nice not to stress about getting at least one new article up every week. Sure, I’ll keep adding a few of my own, but having help will just improve the site overall.
Why is Fixing the Blog Important?
There are plenty of reasons why anyone would want to fix his or her blog. I’m hoping that by laying it all out, I can stay motivated to keep building onto this one.
Well, at least to make it a priority. When you have five blogs, three YouTube channels, a Twitch stream, and a novel to maintain throughout the week, it gets a bit hectic.
This is on top of keeping my mortgage paid by working with my clients.
Boosting Traffic and Engagement
First of all, the whole purpose of a blog is to reach an audience. Otherwise, you might as well just write in a journal. Making sure the site is functional and useful is a high priority.
But it’s not just the aspect of driving traffic that holds my interest. Sure, I love to see so many people use the tutorials I put out there. But it’s the interactions with those readers that floats my boat.
Yes, I have a lot of work ahead of me. Nonetheless, the thought of reaching more people and interacting helps give me purpose.
Helping Extra Life Throughout the Year
The more money this website makes, the more money I can donate to Extra Life. If you don’t know, I donate 30% of everything this site makes directly to Extra Life in addition to 100% during the 24-hour gaming event.
This includes monies that come from ads, Amazon sales, affiliates, and anything else I make from the ColoradoPlays accounts on various platforms. This also includes Twitch and YouTube.
Why don’t I donate 100%? Because I still have my own bills and expenses to cover. Otherwise, I would happily hand over everything I make.
More Income for Upgrades and Investments
Speaking of expenses, the money this site pulls in goes toward hardware and software upgrades. For instance, I used a chunk of money from ads to buy the Aluratek 4K webcam.
The next big purchases include a more mobile camera for videos, an upgraded computer for rendering video, and a warehouse to set up the streaming computers.
Yes, I have a lot of big plans for ColoradoPlays this year. I know, I’ve said that before. But after publishing my first book last year, I’ve been far more empowered to get more done.
Collaboration Opportunities
Something I’ve learned from my other blogs is that quality content attracts quality visitors. And sometimes those people want to set up collaborations in exchange for free access to apps or direct cash.
In fact, I’ve made more money from WriterSanctuary’s blog in the form of sponsored posts than I did with AdSense in 2020 and 2021. In 2019, I received about $500 in goods thanks to my reviews of products.
Not to mention collaborating with some awesome people on videos and an offer to co-write a book.
I’m not sure what kind of collaborations I can get with ColoradoPlays.com, but I’m looking forward to finding out.
I Find Fixing the Blog Fun!
Lastly, I enjoy fixing up the occasional blog. I took one of my client’s websites from 25,000 visits per month to 200,000 in less than six months. The only thing we really changed was the content.
In one instance, we boosted the traffic to a single post by more than 8,000% just by adding about 400 words and fixing up the headings. In this case, I’m talking about thousands of visitors per week.
I love collecting data and coming up with new strategies. For me, handling a spreadsheet is just about as fun as my favorite video games.
Let’s Make This Year Epic While Fixing the Blog!
Today, I just spent the morning rewriting and fixing a lot of blog content, and I plan to do more tomorrow. It’s my goal to make this year something amazing for the website.
The trick is to make sure I’m staying focused and putting in some quality time for the site.
What kind of things would you like to see on the blog in the coming months? I am open to most suggestions.
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- Extra Life: What We’re Doing for 2023…Hopefully - January 13, 2023
