Vulnerably Asking For Help!
Hello,
I am writing this post with an overwhelmed feeling. I have no background in website development, affiliate marketing, coding, and the list goes on. I have been at this for six months.
I am a decent writer, which is one of the only things I feel is a strength. My dilemma is that I keep facing problems on my website, and I do not know how to remediate them.
I have no idea how this affects my visibility on Google, and I do not understand what the following errors and warnings are and how to fix them. I don’t even know if they are essential things that I should concern myself.
I know that I am not getting traffic right now, but is that because my niche is seasonal (outdoor patio misters) or because I am having technical issues affecting my site’s visibility on Google.
I even tried to expand my posts to include content about patio things in general, such as patio heaters, furniture covers, winter ideas for the patio, decorating the patio for the holidays, etc. Google has not indexed these posts.
If you have time and can give constructive feedback and solutions for me about my website problems as listed above and take a look at my website and give me the top 5 things you see that I could improve and change, I would be forever grateful.
I have asked for help along the way, and everyone here in WA is fantastic. Sometimes, it is beyond my knowledge base or frustrating to “read” the solution when I don’t understand it. (I have a Master’s Degree, so I just want to put it out there that I am not inept). I am just overwhelmed with all the information.
If you think I could stop worrying about site auditing, I will do that. I do, however, want to know if it is time to throw in the towel or if a few tweaks here and there will help.
I would value feedback that is specific and free of judgment. I am doing the best that I can, and it is tough to put it all out there and be this vulnerable. Thank you.
If I need to change my theme, the website set up, etc. I am open to all of it!
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I know I am asking a lot, but I am discouraged right now.
Your WA colleague and friend,
Erlene Schwartz
Recent Comments
46
Hi, Erlene!
First of all, I want to say that I really admire you for being so transparent and being willing to ask for help. I know that for me, to be able to ask as you have takes a lot of courage, so I truly feel that you deserve a pat on the back for that! Honestly, seeing that you're reaching out like this is a motivation for *me* to do so when I need to, so you're setting an excellent example.
I personally don't have any advice to give to you except to continue moving step by step and asking questions as you need to.
Thank you so much for posting this. I know it helps *me* quite a bit--if that makes any sense!
Margaret
Aww! That means so much to me that my vulnerability could possibly help others.
It’s like I told my kids when they went off to college. I said”be bold, everyone is in the same situation being new and without your usual confidence”!
Thanks so much, Margaret. Now, go ask your questions!!
Erlene
Erlene, I can sympathize - I've been at this for 12 months and have very little traffic. I do have 50 posts on one website and 30 on the other. And I use Pinterest on social media to promote as well. Nevertheless, I keep writing and posting. Do no bother about auditing your site on Semrush. Your site is fine and your writing is good - you just need more of it. So keep going and don't give up - the only way to fail is to quit! You can do this! Best wishes and happy new year, Jenni.
Jenell,
Your kind comments mean a lot to me. I appreciate your candidness and know it will all be ok as long as I stay in the game!!
Erlene
Emarla, I feel your pain. Ive had so many instances recently where I wanted to give up but didn't.
I quit WA twice. This time around though I ain't leaving!
If I had stayed the course I would be further than I am today.
The errors and gibberish you don't understand are common with wordpress websites.
Google will constantly send out fix this and fix that but its impossible to fix everything when their suggestions don't really affect your rankings.
Kyle once said that we should not view our analytics too often because it will cause you to lose focus.
Stay the course and keep writing. As much as I hate writing, I have decided to bite the bullet and just write. Even if its not my best.
You will succeed. Take your time and stick in there. We are all here to support you.
About your site: I didn't see it. Also, your niche is seasonal and could be the reason its taking long to see traffic.
Some ideas: Make sure to use Jaaxy to track your keywords.
This way you will see how your articles are moving up and down in the serps.
Try to come up with different segment/categories in this space to add to your site.
You could add the different uses of a patio. Enter them in Jaaxy and see what you get.
you can do this. I belive in you.
Wow! Thank you for your inspiring words. I so appreciate your frankness.
When you said “about your site: I didn’t see it”, does that mean you couldn’t find it or what?
Your point about not checking analytics too often is also good advice. I will abide by that advice!
Be well in 2022! Thanks for stopping by.
Erlene
You mentioned that we should look at your site. From where I am, I could not see your website.
No worries, its advisable to keep your site private.
Much success to you in 2022!
I would put your website under your profile so people here at WA can view it. I went to go check it out, but I didn't see it listed anywhere, so be sure to add it to your profile!
As other's said, you can ask for feedback through the feedback system, you just have to pay it forward by reviewing other people's websites to get credits. I think it's helpful because you can see what other people are writing and what they are up to and might find something you want to replicate on your website!
My website is posted on my bio page on the right side. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It was so great that you stopped by! Take care,
Erlene
See more comments
I have only bee here for about 8 days so my opinion is on the level of a grain of salt. You have more experience than I do with 6 months of dedication. However, some of the training videos mentioned things like google alerts to track your pages, an analytics to track content usage. I would also do a google search to see where my content sits on the first 5 pages of goole. Then, as some have commented, write more content and use the tools at your disposal so request lots of feed back on not just the site but also each article. try to spark and maintain conversations on your content or use comments from others to develop your next article. If you have current articles referring to content from previous articles instead reiterating lengthy details simply reference briefly the content then tell your reader to read (linked article here) for more information. Also, here in this post you are doing a call to action style post requesting assistance, however you did not put a link to your site anywhere in your post. SO practicing linking where you want people to go into the current topics might help keep the engaged reader reading and looking for new content from you. Another thing that could help. I did this by accident so I am still learning how to do this, but when you are in the writing spirit write more than one article. then you can either not publish them right away or schedule a delayed post date. If you have content automatically posting when you are busy or not in the mood to write then you will never loose steam on updated content. You can also do this on your comment requests page. schedule multiple comments for all the pages that are not receiving enough heat to bring fire back to your yard. Then check often to reply to any comments that arise.
Let me know if this helps
Rev Alexander
My website url is posted on my bio page for all to see. I guess I could have pointed that out. Thanks for your comments and blessings to you in the new year!
Erlene