great starts,...so I thought!?!?

by M.L.
(Naples, Florida, United States)

I'm brainstorming content pages for my SiteSell site without any sort of control for making progress.

I have counted ten notebooks filled with fleeting "brilliant" thoughts accumulated since last April, eight months ago!

Experiencing the excitement at the moment the idea strikes was a great feeling but didn't last too long,...I always critique how it may be interpreted and my opinion winds up negative.
I've attempted many outline templates but I produce the same results,...gibberish! I've tried every technique I could think of or has been suggested countless times,..reread the AG, the forums, etc....

I've had to work hard at maintaining a positive outlook to learn and overcome my obstacles, but that positive determination is fading now,....
I've been at this eight months now and beginning to feel like a failure,....

I'd pay for a tutor but, surprise, I'm unemployed,....this is my last effort in hope for a technique that would click for me, something I overlooked.....if anyone out there has a moment to share advice,...I'd be most appreciative....even if the advice is to give it up.
Thanks,
M.L.

Comments for great starts,...so I thought!?!?

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Jan 23, 2010
 Three Cheers!
by: Audrey

Good for you!
Jan 23, 2010
 great starts,....so I thought!?!?
by: M.L.

Audrey,

Thank you for the shake!!! You've renewed my spirit to try again and I truly appreciate it.
I will print out your advice and just DO IT! Even if I feel dopey reading it back,....I'll just do it anyway,....right? right,....
Jan 23, 2010
 Continued
by: Audrey

Can't believe I got cut off by my own software!

This is what I ended with in my previous comment...


Now here's a little-known secret: I'm not in love with most of my first pages. I've tried fixing them up, and I've never felt satisfied. My home page in particular leaves me cold.

BUT: I make a living from this site.

If I were waiting until everything felt fantastic, I'd still be without a site.

I still say, "One day..."

But in the mean time, people hire me, and only a few complain. The complaints do hurt because I know they are justified and I haven't been able to fix the problems I acknowledge. But I keep coming back to the fact that I make a living from this site, ugly as it is.

Now, close your browser and write a few pages.

Send me your URL when you have something up so I can gurgle and coo at your baby.
Jan 23, 2010
 Encouragement
by: Audrey

Hello MJ

Sometimes it truly is best to shut up shop and move on, but I don't think you are at that stage.

Since you are considering content pages, I assume you have a domain name and have at least some idea of some keywords.

Here's what I suggest you try. By the way, I strongly suggest you just do what I say because you have nothing to lose at this point. If your problem is overthinking, just obeying me instead of your overthinking mind will boot you out of the rut. So just try this, even if you think it's not working.

1. Write a home page. It can be the ugliest baby of a home page ever made. Just write it. Do it in a text editor and save it. You aren't going to post it yet. If you already have a home page up, skip to the next step.

2. Write 1 or 2 Tier 2 pages. They can be even uglier than the home page if necessary. Just get them done. Save each one. You aren't putting these up yet, either.

TIP: When I write a page in a text editor -- which is what I always do now -- I begin with the keyword(s) on one line.

Then I put the description on the next line(s).

The I get on with the text below that. That way, when I'm ready to launch the page, all I have to do is copy and paste those features into the correct boxes in the page builder.

3. Write 3 more pages. These and be other Tier 2 pages or Tier 3s that link from any Tier 2 page you have already written. You guessed it: these can be even uglier than their sisters. Just write these pages and save them.

Now go back to the home page you wrote and saved. Read it out loud. You may NOT throw it away! You MAY improve it if you can do that in less than half an hour. If not, put that ugly baby on display. Don't worry. The world can't see it yet unless you phone people up and tell them to have a look. It takes a while for spiders to find you and then to rank you anywhere near where others will discover you.

Move on the the first Tier 2 page and do the same thing. Just make it as good as you can in about half an hour. DO NOT THROW THE PAGE AWAY! Yes, I'm yelling. I have you by the shoulders and I'm staring with steely blue eyes right into your soul. These eyes say, "Do this OR ELSE!"

Keep going in this way until you have all 5 or 6 pages up.

At this point you should have shaken the despair out of your system. If you think everything is a mess, go to Site Review in the forum and bare your soul. Ask for help.

Oops! Out of space. To be continued...

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