This is a guest post by Matt Hooper.
Every successful website needs to have a plan and, as we all know, a plan comes long before any action ever takes place. This is why I always find it odd when someone comes to me saying they want a website but they don’t know what to put on it. Before you can even start thinking about the design of your website, you need to start thinking about the content that is going to go on it.
The Rule of Fives
I believe a good strategy is derived from the rule of fives.
- Five Pages
- Five Categories
- Five Posts in Each Category.
Five Pages
Let’s break this down a little bit starting with the first bullet point above, five pages. A WordPress website is usually broken up into pages and posts. Posts are the articles that you publish on a regular basis on your website and pages are the static content that doesn’t fall into the regular publishing schedule of your blog. This might be your about page, for example.
There are many different types of pages on your website. Use the following as a starting point as to what to include on your first five pages.
- About: A page introducing what you can do for your visitors and more about yourself, your business or your organization.
- Start Here: As your site grows, a lot of your best work is going to get lost in the archives. A start here page gives your visitors a place to start if they are new to your site. If your site is new, this a place for your to describe the different categories on your site.
- Contact: Clear details on how your visitors can contact you.
- Resources: A listing of a few products or services that will be valuable to your visitors. These are often a good opportunity for you to present affiliate offers.
- Products: A detailed look at the products that you offer. Your product may be an actual product or a service that you provide.
Five Categories
During the planning stages of your website you should identify five key categories that relate to your website’s overall theme. I often tell the people I work with to think about categories as chapters in a book.
If your website is about dogs, what are five chapters that you would find in a book about dogs? As an example, you might find chapters on training, grooming, diet, vets and breeding. These categories are a little too general for most websites but I’m sure you get the idea. You’ll want to drill down a little further within the overall theme of your website.
Five Posts in Each Category
Now that you have decided on the five key categories that apply to the theme of your blog, you want to start creating content. It’s a good idea to come up with five posts that you would want to include in each category before you even start building your website.
This might sound like putting the cart before the horse but it’s an important exercise. Creating 25 posts for your website will determine whether or not you have selected the right theme for your site. If you are unable to write 25 posts for your site then it’s a good idea to find this out before you spend time, effort and money on a site that you don’t have much interest in, even if you think you do.
When you eventually build out your site, you’ll need seed content on your site for launch day. With 25 posts pre-written, you can publish half of them on your site for the launch and schedule the other half to appear on your site over the next few weeks after your launch. This ensures a depth of content for your visitors and saves you from playing catchup all of the time. These posts can also be added to your Start Here page over time.
When A Good Plan Comes Together
It’s important to approach a new website with a solid plan and a clear definition of what you hope to achieve. Even though the rule of fives above is a good starting point, don’t worry if you deviate a little. The point is to clearly think out the content for your site before you even move forward on the design and layout.
Do you have a plan for when your site goes live?
- OR -
Did you have a plan for when your site went live?
Matthew Hooper helps people, small businesses and individuals build an internet presence. Don’t forget to get his free report, “A Beginner’s Guide To Building An Internet Presence”. He has also just launched a step-by-step video training course called “The WordPress Course” so that you can learn WordPress in a single weekend.
Image by woodleywonderworks
This is excellent Matt. Definitely one of the biggest things that stops people from doing anything is the sense of overwhelm. This makes it nice and easy, and totally do-able. If this is too much work, then I think someone would seriously need to reconsider their whole plan to be in business after all.
I also really like the idea of writing 25 posts, or at least ideas before you even go ahead with a blog. I hadn’t thought of it in those terms before because my background is in writing, so that’s not usually the issue for me.
Great job!
Cheryl Pickett recently posted..I Don’t Have Time to Market. Oh Really?
Thanks Cheryl,
Whenever I work with anyone, one of my goals is to break everything down into simple processes. I like to get to the point where the whole process can come down to a simple check list. It removes the feeling of being overwhelmed.
- Matt
Matt Hooper recently posted..Why I’m Switching to Headway Themes and Why You Should Too
Love this clear, concise “getting started” guide. I’m often asked what someone needs to do to get started blogging and my answer always is: you’ve got to have a plan and know what you want from having a blog for your business. Your 5-5-5 plan is the perfect complement. Thanks and blog on!
Denise Wakeman recently posted..How to Package, Promote and Profit from Your Expertise #BWELA
Hi Denise,
Thanks for leaving a comment. If you do start recommending the Rule of Fives, let me know how it works out for your.
- Matt
Great resource post… one I hope a lot of a.) new to the scene bloggers take to heart, and b.) people like me who are doing a relanuch strategy for their blog take to heart.
I must be on the right track because I am using this EXACT strategy. I mean, even the #5 works out which is great b/c I was so tempted to do 6 but I shall resist haha.
When it comes down to it, your blog is kind of like a never-ending book… and a book needs a plot, it needs a character, it needs a story, and it needs a catalyst for events, changes, etc. Planning out your content schedule, posts, categories, start here page is like creating the skeleton – the foundation – of a solid, page-turning, omg this is the best book ive ever read NY TIMES BEST SELLER, blog basically
Great post! Good advice! Gracias
- LAUREN (@LaurRAINS)
Laur recently posted..The Only Book You’ll Ever Need to start a Passionately Curious and Successful Business
Hi Laur,
Great points! I agree that when a site is first launched, it is basically a skeleton of what it will become. Clear definition and focus will ensure that whatever gets added later will add to the site’s overall value.
Good luck with your relaunch!
- Matt
Hey Matt,
This is an awesome general strategy for any website. I’ve found when you don’t plan your sites, they become like one of those movies that starts at the end, then goes back to the beginning, then jumps to the middle, and back to the beginning before finally concluding.
Way too confusing to follow!
Derek Blandford recently posted..Text The Romance Back Review: An Insider’s Look At Michael Fiore’s Texting Program
Hi Derek,
You’re right about that. I guess it’s like anything else. Whenever you don’t have a plan, it never usually ends well.
- Matt
Matt Hooper recently posted..Why I’m Switching to Headway Themes and Why You Should Too
Hi Matt,
I love your post!!! I agree with you, if you want to come up with a blog, you really have to have a plan. Before getting started, coming up with a checklist is a way to go. This rules of fives is perfect. Two thumbs up to you!!!
Hi Elizabeth,
Glad you found the post useful and thanks for leaving a comment.
- Matt
Hey Matt,
Being a newbie in this blogosphere. I am searching for a an article which gives quality tips and guides for my on going blogs and articles. I am so glad to have tackled this article of yours cause I had gained a lot of strategies. Gonna check for your future posts.
lacarpet recently posted..How to Select the Right Flooring Material!
Hi Lacarpet,
It’s always great to help out a newbie. We were all newbies at some point so I do what I can to help out.
- Matt
* Five Pages
* Five Categories
* Five Posts in Each Category.
This means to basically start with 25 articles and 5 pages? Isn’t it a bit too much just from the beginning instead of building the gradually and letting google index them slowly ?
Amanda Hughes recently posted..Pacsun Printable coupons
Hi Amanda,
The point isn’t to just blast out all of the content in one day. The idea is to have 5 basic pages on your website that you’ll visitors will be expecting.
Next, 5 categories is a rule-of-thumb that isn’t etched in stone but gives people boundaries. Too often people have too many categories and sometimes people need a lot more than five. Generally speaking, five is a good place to start.
As I mentioned in the article, you don’t need to publish all of the posts on the first day. However, it is good to have some seed content on your website otherwise your initial visitors are going to stumble across a ghost town. I usually suggest publishing around half of the articles (you decide the number) before you launch the site. After that, you will be able to take advantage of the scheduling feature built into WordPress and have your articles trickle out.
Keep in mind, strategies vary depending on the type of website being built. The rule of fives is directed more at an authority style site and less at a mini-site or a niche site.
- Matt
Matt, when I first started blogging I jumped in, both feet, blindly. (ActiveRain platform). I also started playing around with WordPress (free version). When I decided it was time to have a grown up WordPress site I had a great deal of posts already. What I have done recently is to scale down the out of control categories I had and focus on making it more organized.
I find I am always learning, changing, evolving. I do always hope that the consumer will find what is on my site relevant.
Great post! I wish I had a plan when I first jumped in!!!!
Andrea Swiedler recently posted..New Milford CT Colonial for sale, price reduced!
Hi Andrea,
Sometimes the best way to learn is to just jump in. I think most of us started that way. With that said, hindsight is a beautiful thing.
- Matt
Matt Hooper recently posted..Why I’m Switching to Headway Themes and Why You Should Too
I’ll be changing my about page to reflect your advice. My current page is about….me! Of course, it should be about who I am and what I plan to do for the reader. Thanks for saving me from myself!
Hi Randy,
It’s true that a lot of new website owners start with the word “I” and proceed with a series of “I”s all the way through their about pages. It’s a good idea to talk about what you can do for them before you talk about yourself. Another good take-away!
- Matt
Great post!!! I appreciate how concise you were with outlining the strategy prior to launching or relaunching a website. I am planning on launching my own site soon but started to feel very overwhelmed about the content and coming up with continuous content. This strategy was VERY helpful.
Hi Penelope,
Sometimes it’s not about getting from A to Z. You just need to focus on getting from A-B and then from B-C. Then before you know it, getting from Y-Z will be easier. Big projects can be overwhelming but smaller goals are much more attainable.
- Matt
This made blogging and how to structure my website so much clearer for me. I’m redesigning my website now and I will be using your post to help set a foundation for my blogging efforts. I’ve been reading about blogging and attended a couple workshops but this just makes so much more sense. Thanks!!
Hi Sonya,
I often compare building a website to building a structure and you’re right about building a solid foundation. Anything built on a weak foundation won’t last long. Good luck on your redesign!
- Matt
Search for the domain name is a factor and it is well-known fact. Domain keywords.com is relatively easy to come by rating the “keyword”. Even without the effort over time, that you have probably noticed yourself. Because we are all trying to obtain such a domain. This was the main reason why some domains have come to the first position even though the competitive domain significantly stronger in the eyes of search engines. The domain has played an incredibly strong role.
That has now changed. Not exactly today, yesterday, last month but a year ago, maybe even more than that. Search for the domain name is no longer playing even close to such a role it played before you can breathe more easily and choose the domain where you will build a brand. Importance of keywords in the domain name to me, is now sided with the strength of the brand. Build a strong enough brand domain will be completely normal to be able to rank the search results. You will not still be easily bypassed by a domain with the exact keyword in the title, but chances are you are now much better. Especially if it comes to new domains and the first position by the domain with the exact keyword in itself still does not hold. Here are your chances even more.
Thanks for the information Bigbedwolf!
- Matt
I’m actually in the middle of redesigning my site so this information comes at a great time for me. Now to rethink how I want my site to work.
Mr Magician,
Glad that I could provide some timely advice.
- Matt
Matt Hooper recently posted..WordPress Backup: Do it Today or Lose it Forever
I have a strong background in writing and this post hits home – not in the most pleasant of ways lol. I’ve always planned out my blogs before I got started on them until recently. Now I find myself playing catch up as the day to day grind online can become pretty hectic and somethings struggle to find room to fit in!
Nice post Matt, actually one of your comments proved the importance of your whole article -
“November 20, 2011 | 1:11 pm
Hi Sonya,
I often compare building a website to building a structure and you’re right about building a solid foundation. Anything built on a weak foundation won’t last long. Good luck on your redesign!
- Matt”
You can probably build a porch without the blue print but it sure won’t be easy lol.
Likewise, James, having a plan for your ongoing content is like having a maintenance schedule for your house. Much better than reacting to things after the fact (Oh, crap, it’s cold! I need to put plastic on the windows!).
For writing and publishing, this is the editorial calendar. See here: http://remarkablogger.com/2011/09/14/life-cycle-business-blog-post/
Michael Martine recently posted..Why You Should Get Headway before November 25
Hi James,
A good foundation is needed but, like Michael also said, you do need to make sure you keep going in the right direction. A good plan sets you on a good course but don’t just start thinking about putting plastic on your windows in December.
- Matt
Matt Hooper recently posted..WordPress Backup: Do it Today or Lose it Forever
Hi,
Yeah, i agreed your rule of five strategy. It is give a better plan when write a new post and content in my website. What i like with your post is, you give a good explanation and write-up for me easy to understand.
Regards,
Azali
Azali recently posted..What is Super 8 Movie About
Hi Azail,
I’m glad that you were able to find it useful.
- Matt
But why five, why not four or six categories, posts etc? In visual arts there is the rule of thirds, is this something similar? Is there something to do with human psychology?
Hi Quantum,
My rule of fives is kind of a sweet spot for content creators but it is still a little bit arbitrary. A website with too many categories usually looks unfocused. I selected 5 since it is neither too few or too many. Creating 5 posts relating to each of those categories presents an exercise on whether or not a new site owner can create content based around those categories. Same with the idea of having 5 pages, it’s arbitrary.
I find that a lot of time new site owners need numbers.
“How many posts do I need?”
“How many pages should I have?”
“How many posts should I have on my website to start?”
The rule of fives rounds everything off and sounds better than the rule of 3-8.
- Matt
If I may chime in, here, I believe there is a very primal reason why the “Rule of Fives” works so well:
We have five fingers on each hand.
It’s simply such a basic biological concept for us that thinking in fives “feels right.”
Thank you for the article. I will take these five rules into consideration once I get my new blog website up and running.
Hi Lewis,
I’m glad that you found this useful. Thanks for leaving a comment.
- Matt
Excellent info Matt. I especially like the idea of a “start here” page. I have never considered one for my site, but thinking it through I am surprised more sites don’t employ this.
Daphne recently posted..Life Is A Beach
Hi Daphne,
I’ve seen the idea of a “Start Here” page in a few different places so I can’t take all the credit for it. I created one after getting emails from people that said they liked my site but had no idea where to start on it. It just makes sense to give people a place to start.
- Matt
Matt Hooper recently posted..Cyber Monday WordPress Course Sale!
Great post! I will keep this rule of fives in mind. Thanks for this article Matt!
Hi,
Glad you found it useful!
- Matt
Matt Hooper recently posted..The Definitive Guide to Moving a Static Site to WordPress
I feel something is missing here, to make it complete “Rule of Five” since there are only three steps. With due respect, I suggest remaining two, Five Social Networks and Five Readers. Pardon me, if it sound awkward.
bahubali patra recently posted..Send Hindi sms 140 and save money
Hi Bahubali,
The idea of rounding out the Rule of Fives with 5 fives instead of 3 fives is something that I have considered. I like your idea of adding social networks and readers since both are vital to building a successful website. Since my rule of fives focuses on creating content, I’ve tried to make my rule apply just to content creation.
I really like your additions but they focus more on the promotion of the site and that is a whole other topic on its own. Perhaps your two additional rules would be better suited to the “Rule of Fives for Promoting A New Website.” Something that is worth exploring!
Thanks for your comment.
- Matt
In visual arts there is the rule of thirds, is this something similar? Even without the effort over time, that you have probably noticed yourself. It just makes sense to give people a place to start.
Nita Carroll recently posted..Cancer Tattoos Tumblr
In the beginning, five was just a number I picked. Like Michael pointed out before, five is such a natural sounding number. It gives people a place to start and it feels natural.
- Matt
Beware creeping categories!
Rule of 5 is definitely the right way to think. The temptation to add a category, or two (or three, four, five more) can be very strong. Category creep is seductive. My lesson is that when I’m tempted to add more categories, I have either 1. not created the correct categories, or 2. I’m trending off-topic, or 3. both.
Dave Doolin recently posted..WordPress SpeedDating in San Francisco (you know you want it)
Hi Dave,
I think many people land on #3.
I like how you called it “Category Creep” because that is exactly what happens. I’ve even been guilty of it in the past. The next thing you know is you have 20 categories and no two posts are even on a similar subject.
- Matt
Yeah I agree with the “category creep” this term should get coined lol ! Internal linking is also very important !
Dorothy Stuart recently posted..Fixodent Coupons
Hi Dorothy,
I agree that internal linking is also very important. Thanks for leaving a comment.
- Matt
Matt Hooper recently posted..The Definitive Guide to Moving a Static Site to WordPress
This is a great beginner guide, but how could it be applied to a more established site?
Kate recently posted..The Legend of Zelda: Lanayru Mining Facility
Hi Kate,
The way that you could probably apply this to a more established site is to keep your focus tight. Make sure that you are staying within the five categories (+/-). As websites grow they often are guilty of “category creep” (as Dave commented) which lends to a very unfocused website. The idea is to make sure that site visitors know what your site is about within the first few seconds of visiting your site.
- Matt
You have share informative post here and also helpful for writing good website content. Also you should remember to update your content on regular basis because visitor wants something new every time so if your site have fresh and updated content than visitors will love to visit your site again and again.
Hi New Barcelona Jersey,
You are correct. It is important to make sure new content is always coming out.
- Matt
I must agree to the fact that this is really an informative article that one must read to get started !
The best part is 5 Posts per categories , this is the place where one should including me should really work upon !
Mj recently posted..Way2SMS Offering & Providing Free Recharge to Indian Mobile Users !
Hi MJ,
Glad to see that you found it usefull!
- Matt
Hail Mr Hooper ! If i have 5 + categories , then what happens?
Shohag B. recently posted..Nicki Minaj – Roman In Moscow Lyrics
Hi Shohag,
If you have 5+ categories the internet breaks.
Actually, the idea of having five is just a starting point. The idea is setting a goal and trying to define what you are presenting to your visitors. Do what works best for you and your visitors.
- Matt
[...] His rules of five are a great starting point for anyone looking to start up or improve a website. Click this link for the article Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. Tags: eMarketing, set k [...]
[...] Plan Your New Website Content Strategy Using The Rule of Fives [...]
My goal was to have about 12 posts wrapped up, and about 3-5 pages, before I started promoting – I had no reason for it, I just picked a dozen, because I wanted to have 10 plus a couple.
Now I see I’m half-way to being right on the 5-5-5 plan, which makes me feel pretty good! I have a few other post ideas, but after reading this I’m going to make sure I have the full battery at least planned, if not written.
Thanks for the post – really helpful info.