At the end of my last post, I had a list of questions that would would help sort out the what to do in SEO and creating a internet presence. If you are just starting, or thinking of starting to get on the web your first question would be why? While I know there are many reasons why someone might want an internet presence, this is aimed at authors and artists who are self promoting their product.
Are you selling a one time purchase product? Or are you selling yourself as a creator who has multiple products?
This is not a one time question. This is actually a question that you might want to keep in mind every time you create content. An author with a new book might be focusing on selling that one book. They may have a back list and other works, but the sale of the new book takes priority. I might want to sell you a large original painting to hang over your couch, but think the better approach is to market myself as a creator. What ever you decide, the next step is to find a home.
Do you want to rent or own?
This is not so much a question of what you pay or do not pay, but rather of who owns the URL.
What I mean in terms of renting, is setting up shop on someone else’s site. There are pluses and minuses to this. The plus side is they are usually easy to set up, and come with an advantage of being part of a recognized internet presence. WordPress, Livejournal, Etsy.com, DeviantArt and Blogger are a few of the commonly used sites. One of the downsides, is that the url gives you away as a renter, and there are limitations on getting the site exactly as you want it.
My blog started out at the URL https://rennata.wordpress.com, a rental. It is now located at http://rennatatropeano.com/growingunique, an URL that is clearly mine.
Do you want the upkeep that comes with the larger mansion, or do you want the simplicity and ease of a studio apartment?
One of the main reasons I brought the two together is that I did not want to have to promote my blog at wordpress, my website, and my online gallery. I could have just run my entire website on wordpress under my own URL, I think of this as the studio apartment. Easy, with everything all together in one place. I had reached the point where the blog was just not big enough to do everything I wanted it to do. I wanted a full searchable online gallery, and I wanted all the functionality of the blog, and I wanted something to tie them all together. The gallery, the website and the blog each have their own controls, and require a bit of maintenance in each place. It is a tradeoff that I chose for the increased functionality.
As I move forward with series of posts, I am going to explore my options on each choice, so I am sure that I will be making changes to each. This is where they are today, the starting point.