Feeling overwhelmed. What should my next steps be?
I am absolutely loving everything I have learnt at WA so far but today I seem to be feeling a little overwhelmed. I have realised how much content I need to get on my website to get it looking good which is going to take a long time. I am also trying to understand google plus, deciding whether to create a separate Facebook page for my website, how best to get links for my website and articles and out there, not to mention trying to create a good layout and design.
I am definitely not giving up but feel a little lost for direction at the moment! I have got up to course 3, lesson 7 and am reluctant to carry on much further as I feel my website needs to look a lot better and have a lot more on it before I do.
Can I ask what approach some of you took? Did you plough on through the courses even when your website was looking fairly sparse? Or did you take some time out from the course to just concentrate on content, design and research for your website?
I don't know if some of the things I'm worrying about or having trouble understanding will come out later in the training or not?
Any advice gladly received!
Thank you very much :)
Recent Comments
6
Hey Louise,
In most cases, content is going to be more important than the look of your website. Unless your website is about website design or graphic design, then you would probably want to have a better looking site. But, overall, people are seeking information about your niche or market.
This is not to say that design doesn't matter at all. But, that is something you can tweak as you learn more and get more experienced.
Hope this helps,
Jim
Hi, Louise. I'm about to the same place you are, so I totally understand what you mean about the overwhelm. I have my five static pages (plus the About and Privacy Policy) but just a couple of posts, so I don't feel like my site is strong enough to start applying for affiliate status. Especially since you have 90--120 days to start sending traffic to them. The Google + lesson where we exchanged links and joined each others' networks made me feel like I'd just gotten caught in a riptide!
So I'm focusing on building content and exchanging comments/feedback with other members for now, but also studying ahead so I can keep learning. I do the tasks IF I feel ready and have time, and if not, I just come back to them later. Then I reserve a small part of the day for social media.
For me, it helps to have a limit on what I'll do in a day, or I get sucked in and scattered. This is what I'm trying to do now:
Log on every day
Write and publish 1 post (2x or 3x a week)
Give one feedback
Give comments to one person OR answer one question
Ask for feedback/comments if I have enough points
Study one lesson (do the tasks if there's time & I feel ready)
Answer any direct messages
Follow any new followers
Spend 15 minutes doing social media (like +1s on Google +
Except for the post, his doesn't take a lot of time. If I have a bunch of time, I can do more.
I do plan to make a FB page for my business and just link to my posts there and share any relevant posts I just happen across.
Your list will be different, but whatever you pick, just make sure it's a small enough list that you can succeed at it every day.
Hope this helps a little.
Best,
Beth
Thank you Beth - it sounds like we are in a very similar position! I'm glad you are mangling to progress and feel like you are able to manage your time effectively.
I am trying to do something most days as well. Overall, I am very happy with my progress but just feel I have tried to do too much too soon! You're right though - reading, commenting on other posts/websites and asking for feedback does help in itself. This is probably a really silly question but is a +1 on google plus the same as a 'like' on Facebook?
Thank you Jim as well - you are right, I think I am probably worrying a little too much about making my website look professional! I will continue with my content as and when I get time.
Good luck to you both, thanks for taking the time to reply.
Louise
Hi, Louise. Yes, a +1 on Google + is like a "like" on Facebook.
I wouldn't say I'm managing my time well. I'm trying to launch a career as a mystery writer and got into WA because so few writers actually manage to make a living at it. So my focus is kind of divided. I like my W.A. niche (children's books and educational materials) because of my background in special ed, but I kind of wish I'd focused on something that would complement my author site and blog rather than being a completely different thing. So I'm juggling several things and trying to make a living at the same time. I guess we're all in that boat though, LOL. For me, the biggest challenge is that I try to do too much too soon and then get too overwhelmed to do any of it!
Please keep me posted about your progress. I think we both have the same tendencies.
Jim, thank you for that reminder. Very good advice.
Best,
Beth
Hi Beth.
Yes, it definitely sounds like we have the same tendencies!
I have realised that I was worrying about trying to make my site an authority site when I don't in fact need to do this and should just focus on keeping it simple. I actually feel a whole lot better for having realised that was my problem!
Yes, keep me updated about yours too. Good luck with it all :)
Louise
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The best practice is keep writing,