I (like you) struggle to come up with topics to blog about sometimes. I have been doing this a long time, and occasionally it seems like I’ve covered every topic there is when it comes to small business web design, development and management.
What works for me is taking some time away from writing, and letting topics come to me. As with writing in general, when you push too hard, you just come up blank. For me, I like to go for a walk, and not even think about writing. When I stop pushing, I tend to have ideas.
I was recently at RooSites’ Dunedin Florida location and was walking along this beautiful old street by the Gulf of Mexico. The street consists of all these gorgeous homes, many of which are over 100 years old. Almost every single one is meticulously maintained. Whenever you walk by, someone is either tending to the homes or to their outdoor space.
So it got me thinking, what can I learn from these beautiful examples of Florida architecture?
Then it hit me!
What is beautiful for one location, may not work for another. These houses are so beautiful as they really fit the neighborhood, they reside in. However, take one of these homes and try to stick it in Boston, New York or other Metropolitan areas, they will look out of place.
So you ask, what does this have to do with web design and development?
Good question!
I was recently working on a new site for an attorney who specializes in helping families with special education. The attorney asked me for some examples that she could look at in order to put together her content. This is when it hit me. Showing her great sites that have nothing to do with her field of endeavor really aren’t helpful, and although some sites are beautiful to look at, they won’t work in her area of expertise.
So as with those gorgeous homes which fit so nicely along the Gulf of Mexico in Dunedin, Florida, they wouldn’t look too good in the Beacon Hill area of Boston or in my current hometown of Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Meticulously Maintained
Then as I mentioned, the properties were meticulously maintained. This of course made me think of website maintenance, which as you know is a specialty of RooSites. Although these homes are quite old, their care and maintenance have allowed them to remain standing through numerous storms and other factors which typically destroy homes of this age. Well, I am here to tell you that this is the same with websites. I manage and host many sites which are several years old. Because we never miss a beat in terms of updates, the sites remain viable and have saved their owners a lot of money that they would’ve needed to suspend to build a new website. As with those old homes, a newer replacement would NOT have been an improvement. In my blog post: Sometimes it is better NOT to build a new website we covered this very topic. Don’t get me wrong, there is a point where your site has outlived its usefulness and new technologies allow you to do things better, faster and more efficiently. But you should get years out of a new website, before needing to do a total redesign. Proper maintenance will allow you to have a long lifespan for your website.
Bottom Line
When you are thinking about a new website, you tend to look at sites that you like for inspiration. This is fine, but make sure that design also fits your type of business. I typically recommend looking at your competitors, but also look at companies who are similar to yours throughout the county for inspiration. In terms of maintenance, make sure you work with a company who not only will build you a nice site but will also maintain your website, so you can be sure your site is up and running and secure. Unfortunately, a lot of companies like to design sites, but few want to do the maintenance. This is where RooSites can help. We specialize in website maintenance and have service plans for every company’s budget and needs.
Still cannot come up with an idea? Here are some articles to help:
- How to come up with great blog post ideas, every single time
- 47 No-Fail Ways to Come Up with Blog Post Ideas
- How to Come Up with 93 Blog Ideas in 10 Minutes
As always, we are here to help. If after reading this blog post, you still can’t come up with any ideas, contact us, I am sure we can help.