I created MichaelBrockbank.com as a way to highlight all of the things I do online. Mostly, it was used as a way to boost the SEO for my name during a search in Google. Plus, someone from one of the WordCamps I attended told me that I should condense everything into one location to make it easier to find. Well, it accomplished my goal, but I think it falls short when looking at it from a reader’s perspective.
That means I’m planning on doing a bit of revamping so that it looks more like an author blog than just a list of things I do on the Internet. Besides, I have a slew of other blogs where I can post content. It only makes sense to use my named URL as an official blog of the author in me.
Why the Change in the First Place?
My end game is to be an author. I love writing in every form, but I am happiest when hammering out a new story. Now that I’ve been putting in maximum effort to be such, I need a better home for my work.
Sure, I could use WriterSanctuary.com for some of the content. After all, that’s why I built WriterSanctuary in the first place; to document my journey as a writer and help others find their own path. However, I think it would be more effective, from a marketing perspective, to use MichaelBrockbank.com as a platform for my books and upcoming creative projects.
Now, this doesn’t mean that I think people are Googling me non-stop as fans of my work. I’m still north of being a nobody, in the grand scheme of things. But it’s never too early to start promoting yourself as an author. And now that I have two books under my belt, it’s time to really start putting in the effort to showcase what I can do and what I’ve done.
Not to mention that I often see people visiting MichaelBrockbank.com from my other blogs. While it may be more of a curiosity of who I am, it still demonstrates that there is some kind of interest to know who created the blog post or YouTube video.
What Kind of Changes Do I Have Planned?
First, I plan on removing the pages for everything I do. Instead, I’m going to highlight the projects on the About Me page. I really don’t need an entire page about working on CrossingColorado.com or my charity work with ColoradoPlays.com. Besides, those sites already mention me in the About sections. Well, at least they should. I have to fix up those blogs as well.
Second, I am working on the homepage to highlight the books I have completed and published. These will include links and descriptions of every book available online, such as everything on Amazon as well as Wattpad and Inkitt. That is as soon as I have those stories completed.
Third, I am changing my perception of the type of content that I post on the site. It’ll be focused more on the writing projects I’m working on, what sites I am using as an author, and more topics that are centered on fan service. It's kind of like what I do with Substack, but from a more professional standpoint. In other words, it’ll be more focused on SEO and promoting my book titles than anything else.
Fourth, I am debating on setting up WooCommerce to sell my books directly from the site. Since I am not using KDP Select, I can push the books anywhere I want. While I don’t have a lot of traffic to the site at the moment, it’ll be a locale where people can get the book without using Amazon. This will include printed copies if I decide that is the best route. Currently, the book plugin I use has links to my books on their respective platforms…which is Amazon at the time of this post. However, I am setting up various accounts to sell my books.
What Does That Mean for Substack?
I created this Substack as a way to connect with my readers. It’s more of a personal journal than an actual professional outlet. As such, I’m not really thinking about SEO or trying to hammer out tutorials or whatnot. I have other blogs for that kind of information.
Sure, I’ll share successes and failures that I come across while using certain apps or services. And believe me, I have a fair share of both during any given week. But this Substack is more of a personal outlet as a self-published author.
It’s less promotional and more interactive, I think.
Perhaps I can help another author find their path, or maybe a fan of my work feels more connected to who I am as a creator. In any case, this Substack is for you to see the trials and tribulations that a self-published author goes through, especially one who has very little time available.
Yes, it’s a nice little slice of hell I’ve carved out for myself.
I Have My Work Cut Out for Me
Revamping MichaelBrockbank.com is something I’ve been wanting to do since I created the site a few years ago. And now that I focusing more on being an author, it’s time to make those changes. That’s perhaps one of the biggest downfalls of diversifying your content.
What blogs get what posts, especially if they are somewhat related?
At any rate, I’m looking forward to seeing the finished results of my author blog. Perhaps it’ll help highlight being an author and showing up in the search results under “denver authors.”
That’s my next Google goal.
Sounds like a good plan, dude.