That’s my motto for the year.
And it should be yours too.
Because the time of overcomplicating and overthinking things is over.
Let me explain.
As of writing this email to you, it has never been quicker, cheaper or easier to get started with a website.
Serious.
For less than $100 and in less than 24 hours, you can setup your online presence.
You could be stacking bars a lot sooner. But you’re not. Because you’re getting in your own way.
We think we’re trying to keep it simple but it’s all tangled.
This has to stop.
And it starts with me first. Here’s how:
I used to write blog posts that were an incoherent, convoluted mess.
Then I discovered Hemingway.
The online app, not the human author.
Hemingway forces you to write better by highlighting issues in your writing.
From using too many adverbs or passive voice, to writing in a way that’s hard to understand; it helps fix that.
I use that now to write blog posts and the weekly SEO emails I send out to the cool kids club (get your free weekly SEO email here).
My writing has improved exponentially.
This doesn’t mean I’m some rockstar copywriter (that award goes to my friend Nabeel Azeez).
It just means I no longer write like I’m doped up on painkillers.
So do yourself a favour and start using HemingwayApp.com (not an affiliate link – just a damn good site to help you level up your writing).
Here’s another example of keeping it simple and not complicating things:
A mate of mine got in touch recently for help to market his plumbing business.
He said he needed help as a matter of urgency and had no idea where to start.
After figuring out he had a domain name but no website, I got to work.
I set his domain up on my hosting, setup GA GSC and GTM and then had a look through WordPress themes.
I figured a WordPress site would take an hour to setup and customise. It’s what I know and it’s simple enough, right?
Wrong.
Even base level WordPress themes are bloated and don’t load quickly enough (for our impatient generation anyway).
So I took a gamble.
Why not go back to my roots and go basic? I mean, how hard/bad could it be?
I created a static HTML site with just 1 page, no inline CSS and no framework, template or CMS.
Yeah, it’s gutsy alright.
But get this, these stats are hard to beat!
Upon launch, file size was just 2.28kb
Page load was just 1.1s
And I got a perfect 100/A score in PageSpeed Insights and GTMetrix.
Oh I should add that I used tables instead of divs.
AND THE SITE IS RESPONSIVE BY DEFAULT.
No mucking around with media queries or user agent detection or any of that.
I know my friend’s site needs a lot more than this to succeed. Don’t @ me.
But the push for mobile friendly, quick loading sites free from code and content bloat HAS NEVER BEEN STRONGER.
Compared to everyone else in his industry, he’s already in the fast lane.
I’ve since added more pages, a logo and some very basic CSS.
Page speed has gone from 1.1s to 1.6s – big deal!
Site is still responsive, ranking and set to kick some butt in 2020.
MY POINT HERE IS THIS:
Simple solutions are right there in front of us.
Don’t jump to the latest framework or shiny tool JUST BECAUSE.
It’s really not hard to keep it simple. Seriously. Don’t give me excuses. It’s 2020, give up on that ish already.
And don’t be afraid to be bold like me, taking on the insanely competitive plumbing space with a static HTML site. HAHA.
Sometimes you just gotta have FAITH.
Stay tuned for updates on this because if I’m the baller SEO I tell you that I am, then my friend should be printing paper soon.
Comment below and tell me what you think.
I want to know what’s good in your hood and what’s your big plans for 2020.
Let this be a year where we big each other up and we ditch that crab in a bucket mentality.
You know it makes sense!
