Recently, I decided to pivot the content on WriterSanctuary to highlight the platforms that are most vital. Part of this was because the Textbroker content took a nosedive. And I’d love to know what topics I generally cover most.
Hence the need for accurate tags for the website.
In the past, I really didn’t put much thought into the structure of the tags on the blog. I just used what felt right to help visitors find certain content.
Today, I really wish I would have had a better tag strategy in the beginning. It would have saved me a great deal of effort to figure out how to pivot.
But no, today, I am only 13 pages into 43 of all 771 posts published on this blog reworking every single tag. While that might sound like a lot of effort, the ends will surely justify the means.
Especially if anyone decides to use the tag cloud in the right sidebar of the blog.
Why Not Use Categories to Pivot the Content?
I could use the categories to see how many posts each major topic contains. But that wouldn’t account for the topics that fit into other categories. Not to mention the specific brands I highlight.
For example, I have a category for monetizing the blog that contains various ways to make money from your content. However, I would like to know how many of those articles feature “Buy Me a Coffee.”
That’s where tags come into play.
I don’t necessarily want to create a category specifically for Buy Me a Coffee. Once you start adding categories for everything you write about, WordPress becomes a mess of links and disorganization.
Plus, there are several plugins and WordPress features that utilize the tag structure to help promote content. For example, I plan on adding a “similar” post function within content that will show posts according to shared tags.
So, if someone is reading a review about “Canva,” they’ll also see the most recent posts regarding “Canva.”
Why Pivot the Content in the First Place?
The Textbroker content made up roughly one-third of the traffic to this website. On May 2nd, nearly all of that exposure on Google disappeared. Needless to say, I lost around 100 visits per day because of that.
It also happened on YouTube at the same time. I’m still trying to figure it out, but I have a few working theories.
As I haven’t really used Textbroker for a couple of years now, I wanted to pivot the primary focus of the blog and YouTube channel, anyway. Google is just forcing me to do it sooner rather than later.
I guess that’s not entirely a bad thing. But it is kind of disheartening when you lose a ton of progress on the blog overnight.
This has happened a couple of times to me on various websites, mind you. Google is a fickle mistress.
In any case, I’d like to see if I can get a few more branded tags to surpass the Textbroker content. That’s why I’m retagging all of the posts.
Sure, I have a lot of blogging tips. But when it comes to specific tools, nothing compares to the sheer amount of content I have for Textbroker.
That’s one of the biggest reasons why I was the Textbroker authority in a Google search. Well, that and making tens of thousands of dollars using the platform.
In other words, I want to be identified as more than just a go-to source for a platform I don’t use today.
What is the General Plan to Pivot Content?
Ok, let’s break down the plan for the blog so you can follow my thought process, here. Perhaps it can help you create your own blogging strategies down the road.
Finish Restructuring Tags
First, I need to finish restructuring all of the tags for all 771 posts. This is probably going to take a couple of days as I still have other things I need to do this week.
Luckily, you can do a “Quick Edit” from the Posts list in WordPress to change tags. Still, it takes quite a bit of time to change several hundred posts throughout the entire life of the blog.
The sad thing is that I know I’ll have to go through the list of tags again just to make sure everything looks right. I don’t want to retag something on the wrong topic.
Identify the Primary Topics I Want to Cover
Once all of the tags are changed, I can use the list in WordPress to see which one has the most content. Currently, Textbroker is the most outstanding brand topic among all of my various writing tips.
There are several brands I’d like to see reach the top 10 of total content on the site. For example, I’d like to do more on Amazon KDP, Canva, Reedsy, and Buy Me a Coffee.
So, it’s not like I don’t have a shortage of primary topics available. The hardest part for me is deciding which one to start with first.
Wow, I just realized how often I say that with everything I cover throughout the week.
Create Enough Content to Surpass Textbroker
Once I settle on a few of the primary topics, the plan is to create enough content to push the Textbroker tag off of the top 25 tag cloud on the sidebar widget.
Currently, Textbroker has 43 blog posts and the closest is Amazon KDP with six. But I still have about 400 posts to retag still.
Yet, I know that no other brand will come close to the number of posts I’ve written about Textbroker.
In this case, it’s more about how I’m going to pivot most of the content away from content mills and more toward blogging and self-publishing. That’s because these two are where most of my interests are held at the moment.
I’ll still whip out the occasional freelancing post. But right now, self-publishing my book series is the next stage of my writing evolution.
Well, that and perfecting my blogging prowess. If I can get the blogs to generate more than $3 per day, I could afford an office and eventually retire from freelancing altogether.
But that is a LONG way down the road. For now, I need to still focus on making sure my mortgage and credit cards are paid.
What About the Other Blogs?
This little project for WriterSanctuary has actually given me quite a few ideas about managing the other blogs. Luckily, I already started properly tagging articles for the newest site.
However, I still have two that need some serious TLC. And I think I’m going to do something similar that might help organize the content while giving me ideas for fixing some of what’s broken.
Can you imagine if I became the go-to source for all things Halo Top on CrossingColorado.com? Eh, I doubt that would generate a great deal of traffic, but you get the idea.
I became a success on Google with Textbroker content because of my experiences and the quality of my articles. That means I’ll have to put in the same level of effort to expand my expertise in a lot of different areas.
It’s not something that is going to happen overnight. And I’m patient enough to keep things going until one of the other primary topics brings in as much traffic as Textbroker.
Though, I’m not going to start re-tagging the other websites until I finish the job with WriterSanctuary. I’m tired of having half-finished projects laying around everywhere.
I’m Actually Kind of Excited to See the Results
I can almost create a case study out of this adventure. Does a certain number of posts regarding a primary topic help with SEO and search visibility of your site as a whole?
You can probably guess what’s about to happen…yep, time for another spreadsheet!
Actually, I already have one set up for revamping CrossingColorado.com. So, I am going to create a similar sheet for WriterSanctuary including the primary search phrases detected by Search Console.
Previously, “Textbroker” was the most clicked for the website. It’ll be interesting to see the changes made in search while I pivot the content to other brands.
According to the last three months, AdSense, Reedsy, and Buy Me a Coffee get the most clicks after Textbroker. Maybe I’ll start there and see what I can come up with.
Still Looking to Break Visitor Records This Year
Before May 2nd, WriterSanctuary.com was well on its way to absolutely shattering its record for the total visitors for the year. Now, it feels like I’ve been reset back to 2018.
Even though the Textbroker content was the main driver of the blog, I still have several posts that are performing quite well. They just need a bit more expansion.
I’m not sure if the pivot will work in my favor, but I’m excited to see what happens overall.
Regardless, I’m confident I can still surpass the traffic numbers of 2021.
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