I hear a lot of people say, “I’m not creative enough to build an interesting site (or blog).” And while I believe creativity comes easier for some than others, there are ways you spark creativity into your site or blog whether you feel you have that special gene or not.
1. Get Involved In Your Niche
What I mean is you need to go where your audience goes. If your site is about golf, you should have several golf-related forums, blogs, sites, etc. bookmarked that you frequent.
You need to know about the questions, problems, and concerns that your audience face so you can write about them and provide help and resolutions for them. The more connected your site is to your target audience, the more successful it will be.
The world is forever changing, so you should continue to read and research the latest topics and developments in your niche. That’s your responsibility as a Webmaster if you want to keep your audience interested and hungry for more.
2. Be Funny, Relax & Admit The Boo-Boo’s
Too many Webmasters take themselves too seriously. You’ll be amazed at how a joke or two can lighten up your site and give your audience a glimpse of your personality.
And don’t be afraid to admit your mistakes. It shows people you really are human and are not afraid to admit you can be wrong.
When I launched my book Untold AdSense Facts, I posted the wrong download link on my blog. I corrected it, but followed up with another post that included a light apology.
Not only was the follow-up post a very subtle and creative way to promote the book again, but it showed my audience I’m not afraid to admit I goofed up. 😉
3. It’s Great to Admire Other Successful Webmasters, But…
Many Webmasters spend so much time trying to mimic other successful people in their niche, they don’t allow themselves to tap into their own creativity.
Coming up with your own ideas and implementing them is what makes being a Webmaster so rewarding. So if you find yourself copying off others, you’re robbing yourself of one of the greatest pleasures of owning a site or blog.
Hopefully you chose your niche because you are passionate and interested in it. So while it’s great to get ideas from books, articles, your competition etc., use them as a launching pad to help develop your own.
Don’t just take someone’s work and rephrase it. Use the general idea and make it better in your own words. I bet you’re more creative than you give yourself credit for.
4. Move Around
I rarely write from the same location. Sometimes I’m sprawled out on the couch, other times I’m lying in bed. One day I could be at my local Starbucks sipping a Caramel Frap and another day I might be sitting in front of a window in my Lazy Boy recliner letting the sunlight pour into my soul.
I’ve found that different places inspire different ideas. And just like with anything else in life, you need change. So don’t be afraid to switch things up. You’ll be surprised at how it influences your creativity.
5. Check Your Email
A lot of my content is inspired by questions I receive via email. I figure if someone is emailing me about it, there are probably others who have the same questions.
One question could spark an idea for a very useful and informative article. Not to mention it could be a timesaver down the line. Instead of answering the same question over and over again, simply point the curious party to your article.
6. Take Five!
I’ll be the first to tell you I can spend hours in front of a computer. But I do notice I get sluggish after a certain amount of time, so I make a point to take frequent breaks.
If I have writer’s block I may go workout at the gym or watch TV for a bit. It’s amazing at how 15-20 minutes of doing something else can recharge your batteries. You’ll come back to the computer refreshed and ready to write again!
7. Need An Attitude Adjustment?
How do you feel about updating your site or blogging? Does it feel like it’s a chore all the time? If so, then you’ve either chosen the wrong topic or perhaps this Internet thing is not for you.
If you’re just getting started and are already complaining about all you don’t know and have to learn then you are setting yourself up for a mental failure.
Part of being creative and successful is believing you can be!
8. Just Do It!
Sometimes I’ll have an idea for an article, but I’m not sure what direction to take. I’ve found the best cure for that is to just start writing. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how you’re going to end the article, just get your ideas down.
You begin piecing, cutting, pasting, re-wording and before you know it, your article is nearly done! Sometimes getting started is the hardest part, and once you begin, you realize you’re half way home. 🙂
Lisa,
Thanks for your thorough insight and detailed responses. I am slightly sympathetic to “androids” comments but also think he is being a bit harsh. I’ve been working in the online space for several years and ultimately it does come down to the individual and how inspired they are to work.
I hate “content” and the value that’s being placed on “content” “content” “content”, like it’s a cure all to everyones marketing woes. However, I admit, content is incredibly important, but not everyone can be a content marketing powerhouse. Sometimes a more nuanced, niche oriented approach to content building/site creation/etc can help to avoid the stress associated with taking on a bootstrap approach to making money online.
Thanks for all the great stuff, Lisa. Keep it coming!
Wow you found an old post of mine, I see! When I look back on content I wrote in 7 years ago, it’s interesting to see the evolution. What’s interesting though is I would still say much of the same today with regards to success. But I totally agree on the whole content emphasis. It’s a buzz phrase that’s been beaten to death.
Back when I wrote this you could just write more volumes of content and get ranked fairly easily but today you need to sit down and develop a plan. A lot has changed and since Google isn’t that easy to rank for you need a plan for traffic. Thanks for coming by and causing me to re-visit this one from the archives.
Speaking of #4 on the list, I’ve started programming in bed! I set my alarm nice and early and when I wake up I can spend a couple of hours coding and feel more creative because I’m so physically comfortable in the bed!
That’s one of the benefits of a Windows Home Network – whatever I do wherever I do it, it all gets saved to the same HDD
Android,
This was not by any means a blueprint for success, but some tips people can use if they have trouble coming up with ideas. You are right. There is sooooo much more than meets the eye to website creation. There’s effective MARKETING and I think that is what separates the people who succeed and fail. It’s not just about creating sites. It’s about understanding who your audience is and find out how to reach them.
It’s learning how to master SEO and developing creative ways to market your site via social marketing, paid advertising, guest article writing, writing (giving away) e-books, or whatever works for you. These are some things that have worked for me but doesn’t mean it’s the same approach someone else should take. It’s also about getting people to like and trust you through your content.
It’s a collection of things that contribute to one’s success and it’s difficult to just sum it up in a blog comment.
To be honest, I built most of my traffic through search engine optimization back in the day. Then once I got the traffic, I kept them there by providing content they wanted to read so they bookmarked, returned and told their friends. You would be surprise how much “word of mouth” traffic I get. Today, I continue to market myself through sites like Twitter, YouTube, etc. The majority of my traffic is SEO and links from people who link to me voluntarily. Lately I’ve been really building up my blog to generate a second stream of traffic.
Someone asked me today how I got 24,000 backlinks. I honestly didn’t know I had that many and don’t spend time counting or trying to collect backlinks or doing link exchanges (waste of time). In 2009, I really spend most of my time creating YouTube videos and writing content I know people want to read and my success just sort of blossomed and snowballed over time. But in the VERY beginning the search engines were my #1 traffic source.
I know you’re frustrated but most people who struggle are missing that audience connection piece and/or the unique spin on their topic. You didn’t leave your website so I can’t see what’s going on with it. However, I don’t want you to give up.
A lot of people ask me what I did and to be honest what I just wrote above is pretty much it in a nutshell. I didn’t spend a lot of money on advertising. But you also have to remember I got started a lot earlier and had a HUGE advantage getting started early. It definitely is much more difficult now because there is so much saturation/competition. But there is still room for anyone to succeed.
You make another good point. This is NOT for everyone. You’re right. Content does NOT flow for everyone. Part of that is because writing is not their cup of tea. The other reason may be they’ve chosen a niche they aren’t as invested in.
Ok, I totally disagree. Lisa, being a webmaster is not for everyone. Creativity does not come easy. Content does not just flow. And I totally disagree with how easy you try to make it sound. I’ve created many websites, so many I can’t even count how many. I love this website. I’ve been coming here for over 2 years. But, there is sooo much more than meets the eye for website creation. There is so much more i wish you would expand on. Expand more on your success, what you do from the time you start working on your site till you finish. The only success I see is that it will take you an extremely long time to create a stable success. Honestly. If you create a website, no matter what the topic, you have to give it a while for you to establish yourself. And establishing yourself is really how to become successful in website creation. So what I’m saying is…how do i take my website to the next level. One cannot interpret what you have here on your site in their own words. I need to know clearly. I know I’ve followed all the rules, I’m boiling over with ideas and I have a really focus niche. Tell me what to do to take my site to the next level. I’m willing to do the work; honestly. I’ll do much work. (not trying to sound feindish or desperate, just really frustrated) Thanks…if you can help.
Great article Lisa, your articles on how to write better has helped me a lot.
I write all my articles out on paper before I type them into my blog. I found out I write better at nights when I am all relaxed just laying on my bed lol.
Thank you Lisa,
You are great and give me lots of inspiration!