Case Study: Consolidating Multiple Websites Into One

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When I posed the question “Do You Want to Consolidate Multiple Websites?”, I didn’t expect such clear lines to be drawn between people who strongly believe in maintaining separate niche sites and those who themselves are dealing with whether or not to combine WordPress blogs into one main site. While everyone wasn’t in total agreement, most everyone agreed that there can be situations where consolidation is the best route to go.

Was my post controversial? Yes. Not everyone agreed with our strategy. Some readers felt that clearly defined niche sites are the route to go. Other readers were considering the same strategy. The thing is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy for deciding if you need one website or multiple sites. This week, let’s take a closer look at the thought process behind the decision to merging multiple blogs into a new cohesive brand.

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Do You Sell Online? Want To?

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(c) Can Stock Photo

Building an eCommerce website or simply adding an online shopping cart to an existing site can seem like an overwhelming task. There are so many options available including: selling on popular online marketplaces (like eBay, Etsy or Amazon’s Handmade Marketplace), adding WordPress plugins to an existing site, using services such as PayPal, or creating an online store using eCommerce software. Many of  the eCommerce solutions available today will handle many (if not all) of the components you need.

In addition to an online storefront (or simple shopping cart), you need: payment processing, website building & hosting, inventory management, marketing and even CRM (customer relationship marketing) tools. Given the wide variety of options, you should be able to find a solutions that requires either zero technical skills or build-it-yourself options. With the right solution, you can get a store up quickly and easily.

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Do You Want to Consolidate Multiple Websites?

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Do you have multiple blogs and struggle to maintain them? Have you ever thought about rebranding and combining your websites under one brand? How would you begin? Could it have a negative impact on your SEO efforts?

These are interesting questions and consolidating multiple websites into one is not a strategy that should be taken lightly. It is also a journey that I just went on with Doreen Pendgracs (a published author, travel blogger, speaker and freelance writer).

Over the years, Doreen found herself with four separate websites. Not only was it time consuming to create content for each site, she also found herself torn between which site the content belonged on. Was it about chocolate, travel, writing, lifestyle or one of her books? Sometimes, the answer was yes to all.

So, how and why did Doreen and I decide that the best strategy would be to consolidate her sites? Come along with us as I show you how we made the decision. Hopefully, you’ll gain some insight by taking a look behind the scenes.

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Do We Really Need Flat Design?

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In 2013, flat design became the newest trend. The idea behind this concept is to focus on function rather than form. Reducing visual noise and putting the focus on content is meant to improve the user experience. The idea is to eliminate distractions and focus on links and navigation. So who is using this, why and is it a trend that’s going to stick?

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Is GoDaddy Really Bad for Website Hosting?

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This is not another website hosting review. If you’re interested in a review of GoDaddy, I suggest reading this GoDaddy Review. What I want to share with you today is this great infographic of 5 reasons that you should not use GoDaddy for hosting (which I found on Tom Jamieson‘s blog). Years ago, I hosted with GoDaddy (before they became famous for their Super Bowl ads). So, I also felt compelled to share my personal experience with you too.

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Are You Ready for Business Black Friday Weekend and Cyber Monday?

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The holiday season is a great time to sell products and services. According to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, the average person will complete about 39.5% of their holiday shopping online. (up from 38.8% last year). Additionally, Shop.org, (the digital division of NRF), is forecasting that online holiday sales will increase between 13% and 15% to as much as $82 billion during the months of November and December. So what does that mean to online marketers? How can we make the most of our websites to gain a piece of this eCommerce?

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Mobile Website Design, Facebook Contest Rules and EdgeRank #FridayFinds

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Did you know that a poorly designed website that causes “faulty redirects” and “smartphone-only” errors could potentially hurt you when it comes to where Google places your website in the search engine results? Are you aware of the recent changes to Facebook contests that could make it easier for you to run a contest or special promotion? Are you interested in what your Facebook EdgeRank is? Find out more about these topics and check out an article that highlights 7 impressive mobile website designs in this week’s #FridayFinds.

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Enhancing your Online Customer Experience & Logo Designs #FridayFinds

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This week’s #FridayFinds focuses on the importance of creating the ideal online customer experience. What is important to your customers? This article highlights some of the statistics gathered in a LivePerson.com survey of nearly 6,000 consumers. Also featured, is an article on TheRealTimeReport.com that discusses live chat software with a focus on Chatwing. My last fun find showcases 40 minimalistic logo designs that could get you thinking differently about how effectively a simple logo can communicate a brand.

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Design Tips for Social Entrepreneurs – 5 Ways to Maximize your Impact

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Social entrepreneurs occupy a middle ground between non-profit aspirations, and for-profit accountability. As such, their design needs aren’t met by either a traditional business template, or a site built for an entirely donation-based model. Designing a site for social entrepreneurship should hybridize the best of both worlds; here are a few tips to make it happen.

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Less Obvious Landing Page Conversion Killers

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As a marketing strategist with a digital focus, I’ve spent a lot of time analyzing, tweaking, testing, and generally thinking about landing pages. The topic of conversion optimization is one that’s been widely written about and discussed. And yet, I continue to see landing pages from businesses that are falling short in critical—and familiar—ways.

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