Back in the long ago world of HTML 1.0, when the Internet was just a tiny blip of a baby, we all wrote HTML code that covered everything – design and content. We’d spend a lot of time writing lots and lots of code, each time we created a new page. It was a bit of a drag, but really, we didn’t know there could be a better way.

CSS and Templates: Separation of Content From Presentation

At some point, and no I don’t remember when, the movement to separate content from presentation via the use of CSS stylesheets took hold. With the added convenience of using templates and themes in content management systems, the separation was complete. It was a tough transition for the old-timers, sure, but the rewards were many and worth it. One of those rewards involved the fact that the presentation / layout / design / style of the site could be dealt with once and then the site would essentially autogenerate that code in the future. All we had to do from then on was concentrate on writing content, and we could forget about including all the design code each time we wrote a new article.

This kind of automation (the use of stylesheets and templates) is extremely valuable because it eliminates tons of time, without sacrificing quality.

Monetization: Another Aspect We Can Separate / Automate

I think it’s important to also separate and automate the monetization of your site as well. What do I mean by that? Well, I’m not just talking about placing ads in your templates, although that counts too. That’s just another aspect of separating your content from your presentation though. What I mean is that the entire concept of monetizing your site should be a completely separate thought process, and should be automated as much as possible, once the monetization methods have been chosen.

Just like you’d spend a fair amount of time setting up the design of your site before you start adding lots of great content, you should also spend a fair amount of time deciding how to monetize the site. Make those decisions early on, implement them into the template when possible, and know ahead of time how you’ll integrate them on an ongoing basis. If you plan ahead, and automate the process as much as possible beforehand, again, you’ll be left with the ability to concentrate on the really important stuff – the content!

Why I Spend So Much Time Talking About Monetization

I spend a lot of time on this site telling you about all the different ways you can monetize your site. I don’t spend nearly as much time talking about your site’s content because I don’t have any way of knowing what that is. Your content is what makes your site unique. Whatever that content is (text, audio, video, games, web apps, etc.), it’s the meat of the site. I can’t help with that in a general way, because it’s all very unique to you. (Note: I do help with that in my one-on-one coaching, but that’s just not possible in this broad scope). So instead, I focus on the things that can be generalized, and much of that involves methods of earning money from your sites.

If I had more skills as a designer, I’d probably also spend a lot of time talking about design and CSS, because that kind of information can be generalized easily as well. Luckily for you, there are plenty of very talented designers and developers who love to share their knowledge, so I know you can find that information very easily.

The Quick Takeaway

The first and most important thing you can do for your site is provide outstanding content to your users. What that outstanding content is … is totally dependent upon you. You’re the one with the knowledge, interest, and skills to determine what you can offer to the world via your site. That content should be the one thing that is so unique and so outstanding that it can’t be automated. Only you (or your company) can deliver it, and no automation is possible in its creation. (Actually, some content can be automated ONCE it’s initially created, such as a web application, but let’s just assume that we’re talking about “most” content here).

All other aspects should be separate events, separate thought processes, and automated as much as possible. This includes design, style, presentation and monetization. Try to make decisions on all of this early on. Sure, you can and should tweak, adjust, and change as needed in the future, but the majority of the decisions should be dealt with early on, and utilized in such a way that the system automates the process in the future. You shouldn’t be thinking about monetization very often, any more than you think about your site’s template sidebars or footers very often. Once you do, you’ll find that your focus can be shifted to creating great content, and everything else follows naturally.

One Caveat

DON’T completely forget about style or monetization forever and ever and ever! While I recommend focusing mostly on content on an ongoing basis, and letting the system handle the style and monetization as much as possible, I don’t want you to think that you should never ever think about either again. Of course, you should be analyzing traffic and income, and making adjustments to either presentation or monetization as needed. The point I wanted to emphasize, however, is that the processes should be separated and automated as much as possible, so the content creation process is the main focus on a daily basis. Periodically, however, you should analyze and adjust so that your income is maximized, and your users needs are continually met.

The One Thing That Can’t Be Separated (In My Opinion)

I don’t believe you can separate marketing and promotion from the process. Promotion of your content should go hand-in-hand with the creation of the content. You should know who the content will be promoted to before you ever finish creating the content. Once the content is created, the promotion of it should begin in earnest. You may even start promoting it before it is finished, by posting “teaser messages” ahead of time to build excitement. In addition, the promotion of each piece of content may be unique to that content, so while you may be able to automate portions of it (such as automatically tweeting a blog post), the bulk of it should be unique to the individual content piece itself.

Want to know what inspired me to write this particular post? A really great post at Viperchill started the wheels churning and eventually it turned into this post. So, thanks, Glen, for getting my thoughts spinning.