The latest blog I ripped into was a Page Rank 4, Alexa 20,000 website. Now I have moved the website, I have no rankings, only the exceptional content still exists.
I am not saying you should go to this extreme, but I am saying that sometimes it is better to trash your ideas and start again.
Here are some good reasons to rip the guts out of your blog and go for broke!
#1. If You See a Wall Move It
You might want to call this wall a road block or simply something that is holding you back. I had this feeling in the back of my mind, that if my house was in a different street, I would be happy with the house I was living in. This is why I moved my website to a new domain.
Stumbling upon a road block of any sort can kill your passion and delay success. Do not dwell on the road block and let it bring you down. Move it out of the way and go forward.
#2. Success Is In Another Direction
If you taste some success you should always follow it like a starving dog. (Well not exactly like that.) Do not try and re-invent the wheel and try too many other avenues when the success is right under your nose.
Success is not what you think, it is what you see. It simply does not exist until it happens.
If you see success, get your torch out and investigate further. Look under bushes and behind trees to see how it happened and do it again.
#3. Your Gut Feeling Says Something Else
You know that gut feeling that people say they get? Well if you have it, don’t ignore it.
If you hear a voice saying “I’m not sure I should be doing this, I think this way might be better” Well it usually is right for me. I always follow my gut feeling.
The unfortunate thing is that some people do not have the guts to follow their gut feeling. I always like to weigh up what I could lose if I failed and to my surprise, it is usually not much. Well usually nothing that I cannot fix.
#4. If Failure Follows You
I have written many articles about why your blog is not making money. I know this is not the be all and end all of blogging, but people need money to live. Failing to make money is a common occurrence as there are so many people trying to become successful by blogging.
One good reason for failing though is because they stay on the wrong path. Some Webmasters stick to a sinking ship too long, and by the time they realize this, they have no determination left to carry on. Constant failure can drain every ounce of confidence, determination, and everything else you need to build your successful blog.
This is not one of the reasons I decided to move my website but it is still common one. I just hope you move before you go down with the ship.
#5. You Have Bigger Plans
If you’re hitting brick walls and seeing success on another path, hopefully you can see the right path to continue on with your plans. Stick with your dreams and believe in yourself. That way when you do rip the guts out of your website and start again, it will not be such a big deal. Having big plans and looking forward to them will take you on the path to success quicker.
There is always something to look forward to when you have goals to work towards.
- 50 Traffic Sourcs To Milk Like Crazy.
- Where to get free traffic
- How to get traffic without spending a dime
- How to drive consistent but free traffic to your site
- ..and more!
I had a MNS that was a total fail for me. I dumped it. I didn’t wanted to waste my time on it and moved towards more better stuff.
Divas Chitkara recently posted..Airtel Free GPRS Trick | Free Airtel Internet Settings for June 2012
First off, love that picture in the beginning!
I particularly agree with the 4th point. If its a sinking ship, abandon is ASAP before it takes you down with it. Start afresh. Its a struggle at first, but you made it through the last time too right? When you start off for the second time with a clean slate, you’ll do much better since you know have experience on your side!
Leo recently posted..How to be Seen as an Authority in Your Niche
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
Yes starting out again with the experience you have is a good thing sometimes. the website comes together quicker the second time around.
Mitz Pantic recently posted..Building A Million-Dollar Business from A Mere $100 Investment
Twitter: bellyfatlost
says:
One great way to avoid having to start over is to implement a reader-centric strategy. Write for your readers, build relationships, and avoid over dependence on search engine traffic. Failing here means you’re but an algorithm update away form devestation.
Steve recently posted..Get My New Healthy Eating Cookbook and Delicious Nutrition Secrets Guide Free on Amazon – Limited Time
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
Sometimes it is not always possible to do things perfectly the first time. I personally develop my ideas on the fly if I need to.
Mitz Pantic recently posted..10 Tips to Sell Affiliate Products the Right Way
Yes but what’s the point in just shutting it down if it has high PR and good Alexa.. why not sell it on and get something back?
Andreas recently posted..Biodiversity Survey Rediscovers The Bururi Long-Fingered Frog
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
Unfortunately I wanted the content for myself and I did not want to sell it..
Also PR and Alexa is not that hard to get… and I am very patient.
Mitz Pantic recently posted..Quality Content? WT Fudge Is It?
Twitter: makemyblogmoney
says:
Yeah, I agree, I love the pic! That was funny! On the other hand, I believe that I would be too chicken to totally rip the guts out of my blog. If it wasn’t working, then I would just start all over from scratch! I did this with a PR3 blog myself. I didn’t use the same domain, just cancelled the hosting and started over…too much work!
Wade Harman recently posted..Make Money Blogging with WordPress
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
Yes sometimes it is better to do it that way..
Mitz Pantic recently posted..5 Reasons Why I Will Only Tell You How to Make Money and NOT Show my Income Statements
Twitter: GeekandJock
says:
Oh too true.
My own relationships site had been running under Drupal for 2 years.
Worked well and piles of functionality BUT the theming was kinda crap and I was unhappy about the social sharing and commenting side of things.
That was my gut feeling.
So last Christmas I completely ripped the guts out. I converted hundreds of posts and forums and migrated the entire site over to WordPress. Now that was a huge step.
And guess what? With the proper planning, I retained all URLs and traffic and the site didn’t miss a beat.
Take a trip over and check things out yourself. Beautiful well functioning theme and things are rocking on. It’s never too late to take another direction – for your site or your life.
Martin Cooney recently posted..Entrepreneurs Can’t Get Out Of Their Own Way
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
Yes I know what you mean there Martin.. Years ago I transferred a html site into WordPress and it was the best thing I have ever done!!! I am glad it made that move…
Mitz Pantic recently posted..Quality Content? WT Fudge Is It?
Twitter: GeekandJock
says:
Oh my, I remember HTML sites ….. Just
That’s so 1980s, Mitz hahaha
Martin Cooney recently posted..Top 4 Relationship Post Reviews for the Week
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
I know don’t tell anyone I know about them! It might show my age!!
Mitz Pantic recently posted..Building A Million-Dollar Business from A Mere $100 Investment
Twitter: makemyblogmoney
says:
Well I’m doing it! You have got me to thinking about it, and my site could use better stuff, so I am doing it!
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
Hi Wade
What are you doing? Moving or changing direction?
Mitz Pantic recently posted..Move a Website to a New Domain
Great article Mitz
I totally agree with you that if something doesn’t go as expected, we must not hesitate to make drastic changes! I think that what you did needs a lot of courage, it’s not easy to sacrifice a page ran 4 and a 20.000 alexa!
Thank you for sharing your inspiring experience!
Sara recently posted..How to Grow Berries
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
Yes it is all part of learning for me and I almost enjoy the experience because now I can say I have “been there and done that”.
Mitz Pantic recently posted..Outsourcing Tips – Five Things I Bought on Fiverr
Twitter: healthy_start_
says:
Nice article Mitz. I have had blogs that I constantly ripped apart and rebuilt, and they were more a learning experience for me than a success. Each time I rebuilt them I learned something new about what I wanted and what I didn’t want in terms of content, style, and monetizing. Then eventually, I sold them and their content because I became bored with them – only because they were not proving to be successful!
In fact, I have demolished and rebuilt my blogs for all 5 reasons you talked about, but the most painful was the ‘sinking ship’ that I held onto for years because I thought it just might do something, sometime. It was hard to admit that it wasn’t going anywhere, and I did feel defeated after that website. It took a few months to bounce back and try again. Lesson learned: Don’t hold on to sinking ships!
Bellaisa recently posted..5 Relationship Myths That Could End Your Relationship
Twitter: buildwebsites1
says:
I love the fact that you bounced back even after a failed website. Very cool! that’s what makes a true blogger..Getting over that failure and coming out the other side!!!
mitz recently posted..Link Building Tutorial – What Is Link Building
Twitter: supsampust
says:
I agree with all of your points. If you see a greater path and it calls you there, don’t hesitate to go for it.
This is success. You will need to make adjustments in order to get to the next step. Take a step back and the see the view brighter I always say.
Samuel recently posted..Types Of Entrepreneurs. Which One Defines You?
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
I also think that when you step back…get someone elses advice too! Get their opinion about your website and listen carefully.
Mitz Pantic recently posted..Link Building Tutorial – What Is Link Building
Twitter: raajtram
says:
Mitz, totally agree with you on this. I mean, how long could you resist the most irritating teacher in the school? You need to get rid of her within some time! Same is with websites. If you’re not getting anything out of it, either sell it or just let it expire.
I have one more idea! – Donate it to your friend and let him/her handle it! Could be a good feeling, right?
Raaj Trambadia recently posted..Giveaway – Free Ad for 1 Month!
Twitter: buildwebsites1
says:
good idea!! I was actually thinking of giving away a few to lighten my load… Might do that!!!
mitz recently posted..Building A Million-Dollar Business from A Mere $100 Investment
I can also understand some of your points. I personally don’t think I could ever start over though XD
Twitter: mysportsmans
says:
Sometimes I got a good niche and idea finding a good keyword for my SEO work but when I stuck on getting a new idea and dunno what I suppose to do then I drop all my works for a while going to refresh my mind or if necessary I will go out for hanging out with my friends or my kids….and when I’m back I feel I got a new fresh brain installed in my head.
So I can make an important decision for my project and work, taking a new drastically concepts or changes the main idea sometimes really makes me breaking a big wall in front of me and then grabs some nugget behind the wall but I before I do that I have to take some calculation on what is the main risk and what will I get ….simply it has worth or not to take.
Hendarto recently posted..How to Choose Fishing Rods and reels
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
You could keep yourself on track with a plan or a check-list. I have the worst memory and forget what path I am on.
Mitz Pantic recently posted..Successful WordPress Website Checklist
Twitter: Ileane
says:
Hi Mitz, you are so brave and I admire how you have the confidence to move your site like this! I wish you tons of success. How are you redirecting all the links to the new place – is there a plugin for that? Cheers!
Ileane Smith recently posted..The 4 Ingredients Affiliate Marketers Need To Cook Up Solid Sales
Twitter: buildwebsites1
says:
Hi Ileane
I wrote an article about how I did it all. Very detailed of course. (link below) The next article will be on how I get my rankings back!!! LOL
mitz recently posted..Move a Website to a New Domain
Twitter: lisapatb
says:
Wow, that does take a lot of courage to start over like that. Is it just a gut feeling when it’s time to make a change like that? I always say to give things some time because too many quit right before they reach success.
Lisa recently posted..What Do You Tweet In 20,000 Tweets?
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
Maybe its just the fact that I am crazy!!
Mitz Pantic recently posted..Building A Million-Dollar Business from A Mere $100 Investment
Twitter: lifeofcray
says:
Some things here.
1: How do you properly identify a roadblock? Saying “move the roadblock” might be easy but it gets harder if you don’t know what that blockade is.
2: This made no sense whatsoever. You don’t define what “Success” is and the whole thing is just pish posh really.
3: “Gut feeling” is mostly a collection from previous expereince. Someone with no or inadequate experience can get a “gut feeling” that’s exactly the oppoiste from what they want due to fear or inexperience.
4: What is the “right path”? Some times it’s not even about what or how you write but how you market your blog. Some times it’s just pure luck i.e something you write just happens to go viral.
5: How do you “see” success? What is “success”? The thing you should tell people here is to have a goal and strategize to reach that goal. Use the SMART model. Google SMART model if you don’t know what it is.
This is Cray and I run an awesome blog.
Michael recently posted..Che Cigarettes
Twitter: buildwebsites1
says:
I am sorry I cannot spell out what the “right path” is for 10,000 different bloggers reading this article..Only wish I could!
Success can mean something different to everyone!! Who I am to define what you think is success. You can simply be happy with what you are doing and be successful..It doesn’t always mean money..
This article has been written to get people thinking about their own situation, I am not here to solve the worlds problems.
mitz recently posted..Successful WordPress Website Checklist
Twitter: str8photography
says:
Great Inspirational Information here for entrepreneurs
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
Thanks Mark. Glad you liked it!
Mitz Pantic recently posted..Building A Million-Dollar Business from A Mere $100 Investment
Twitter: JamesMartell
says:
Great article! I see way too many people beating their dead horse. It’s difficult to start over or even to remove content for many people, but in so many cases and for the reasons you’ve mentioned above it is the best thing to do!
James Martell recently posted..Affiliate Buzz #253 – A Day In The Life Of An Award Winning Affiliate Manager
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
Thanks James
I agree there are too many people “beating a dead Horse” LOL! Wonder who made up that saying?
Mitz Pantic recently posted..Building A Million-Dollar Business from A Mere $100 Investment
Twitter: smuggecko
says:
Funny I stumbled onto this post. I am quite literally purging my entire site and rebuilding everything from the ground up. I am expecting a huge dip in my traffic, but this particular blog is just for fun so no big deal. I would imagine it takes great trust in yourself to rebuild your money site.
Good luck to anyone rebuilding their site
thegecko recently posted..Dangerous SEO – Fiverr SEO
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
Yes I never thought of it like that…But I do have a few money sites so I could afford to wreck that on for while.
Great post you have there “Fiverr Dangerous SEO” That is so true!!
Mitz Pantic recently posted..Building A Million-Dollar Business from A Mere $100 Investment
Twitter: SuperBlogga
says:
Hi, Mitz:
One trend I am seeing lately is a lot of bloggers turning the homepage of their blogs into a landing page of sorts and putting the blog on a separate page – even at the cost of losing their PR. I swear I’ve seen at least 5 blogs this week alone, have done this.
Not exactly what you’re referring to above, but similar idea I think.
Thanks for the good tips and inspiration.
Missy recently posted..100 Blogs To Visit Before You Die
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
Yes I have seen this too!! But it bothers me because I visit for the content and I have to look for it now!!! I hate having to go to the blog to see what I want!!
Mitz Pantic recently posted..5 Reasons Why Nobody Reads Your Blog
Twitter: Elena__Anne
says:
I really agree with this! Sometimes, it’s really hard to start over again. However, in the long run, you’ll realize how productive it is to start up again.
Elena Anne recently posted..My Live Superfoods Review And Coupon Codes
Twitter: JetSetBags
says:
This may also be a challenge for yourself to be creative again. Sometimes, it isn’t just the wall or the hindrances that will make for change, I sometimes hear that when it gets too comfortable, move on, well could that be also true?
Hannah Hamilton recently posted..Best Places to Stay in Yosemite
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
Yes that could be true… Now you have me thinking..:)
Mitz Pantic recently posted..Making Money While You Sleep – Is This True?
Twitter: AgcToPenicillin
says:
I know exactly how you feel Mitz, a few months ago I installed my blog on a new site/domain and I created my blog as a sub-domain, because I knew that I would eventually create a static main site for my domain and I wanted to have both a static site + a blog.
The problem was that as I started learning about SEO and I found Search engines treat sub-domains as a separate site of their own, which means if I had content on my static similar to my sub-domain blog, Google would count it as double content.
So I took down my blog changed it’s address to be just a folder under my main website and started all over, the only thing I had was my database and posts, I lost my ranks, but I did a 301 permanent redirects to the new location for every page.
Eventually everything got sorted out in Google and I’m very happy that I did this move, it was a risk but I took it because I knew it was the right thing to do.
Thanks for sharing.
Jacky Moore recently posted..Eyelash In Eye?
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
That’s great that everything was fine in the end! That’s all that matters.
Mitz Pantic recently posted..Making Money While You Sleep – Is This True?
Twitter: dutapreneur
says:
I agree with you. It is like burning the ship and face the enemy in front, so that there is no way to turn back.
rak toko
tope recently posted..Rak Toko
Twitter: wordpresswb
says:
LOL yeah that’s right tope
Mitz Pantic recently posted..Outsourcing Tips – Five Things I Bought on Fiverr