What the Flu and Bad WordPress Sites Have in Common

Feb 17, 2011 Posted by Judith in Musings, WordPress Tips

I lost all of last week to the flu. Man, that was one darned resilient bug that kicked my butt!

While I was here plugging away at this keyboard for most of the week, it did get me thinking about how, in my flu state, I found I was behaving like so many who want success but just never achieve it.

The points below are using my last week of feeling yucking as an opportunity to help you understand some of the nuances of what have a real Web site is about. Without this information you may find yourself feeling a bit sick over lackluster results.

What does having the Flu and Bad WordPress Sites Have in Common?

I had no energy — I mean no energy whatsoever. I had to push myself to get client requests addressed and my stuff, well — I had no energy! I was the proverbial lump on a log and just could not get going. Bad WordPress sites without any energy, passion or emotion with content that is nothing unique won’t get going either. You have to be like the Energizer Bunny and work harder than your competitors. You have to work your site every day — and I mean work it!

I looked a wreck. I barely made it though my morning shower every day let alone doing my hair and makeup. When I looked at myself in the mirror all I could do is gasp — but I had no energy to do anything about it. The same goes for WordPress sites that look like crap and have no personality or have been modified so much they end up looking like bad HTML sites. They won’t impress. They won’t build the confidence that the site is credible and trustworthy. They won’t be anything anyone wants to look at! Perception is everything and a clean professional design with all the right features makes you look great! And that is good for business!

I had a bit of a fever and the chills — one minute roasting, the next shivering. It was like my body couldn’t make up it’s mind to be warm or cold. Bad WordPress sites don’t have a clear focus either. It’s like they can’t make up their mind what their goals are or what they want to be about. You want to be an authority site, community site, edgey blog, eStore — what!? Make up your mind and stick to it!

I had no appetite. That’s how my husband knew I really didn’t feel good. I could care less about eating and actually had to force myself to have soup! Bad WordPress sites really have no appetite for success. Because if they did they would do what they needed to do regardless of what is required — to get things done and make them happen! This includes investing, learning, honing skills, participating.

My house was a mess. I like my house orderly and clean. Last week — the hell with the house! My puppies were upset I wasn’t taking them out like clockwork and my husband, while he never said a word, picked up the slack as guys do. Bad WordPress sites are a mess. Old, outdated or irrelevant info, links that don’t work, profiles that a generic dribble or haven’t been updated in years. E-mails go unanswered and visitors wonder if anyone is home who actually “gets it”. You need to keep your site clean — updated and up-to-date and… You can’t answer site e-mails or comments fast enough!

While I was thinking about writing this post, I realized how having the flu really made me into someone I wasn’t. It literally turned my life around 180 degrees. Nothing like having the flu to make me appreciate how energized and well I felt — before and now after the flu!

Sadly, however, I see bad WordPress sites every day. Even after working with clients, training and mentoring them so they are empowered with all the information they need to reach their goals and succeed — they get the flu. I know hand-washing can’t prevent it and am not even sure, if for some, the flu can be avoided.

I guess the difference between the men and the boys is that folks like me fight that darned flu every step of the way and then when we spit out the other side we are stronger and even more energized. And, we learn from the experience and do what we can to not let it happen again. Next year I’m getting a flu shot!

The flu sucked but unlike the flu, Web sites that suck don’t have to sit around and let things run their course. If your WordPress site has the flu — there is no shot to remedy the situation and make your site strong and capable. All you can do is fight complacency, the hype, the it’s easy “gurus”, the packages and the “systems” and do what you know to be right. Work harder than the day before to keep your site fresh, current, niche and… healthy!