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Our colleagues at TheCodeCo suggest that, simply because your initial site helped you become what you are today, it doesn't mean it will always work. This piece is published with permission - see the original here.

You and your trusty publishing platform have gone through many experiences together. They are deeply connected. It's only natural that you'd like to do all you can to bring back nostalgia for the great old days.

Although your first, custom website made you the accomplished publisher you are now, it doesn't mean that it's going to carry you into the future. Like all long term relationships breakups are difficult to do. But don't let sentimental feelings stand in your way of advancement.

Do you think it's time to part the ties with your website?

Sometimes, you just need to face the facts. You've changed. The industry has changed. It's time to move on. Deep down, you already know this. But somehow, it feels more comfortable scrambling around your creaking, old CMS in search of a solution, button, or magic that will help you get out of the ever-growing confusion.

Why? Because it's a tech project. Most people (even digital publishers) do not like their relationship with technology. In fact, a 2015 research conducted by Chapman University revealed that technology is Americans' second biggest cause of anxiety. That's right, digital disruption is more terrifying than death (and only slightly less scary than experiencing an earthquake). But if you're trying to succeed as a digital media professional It's the time to confront your fears and reevaluate your most important relationship.

Signs your tech stack is behind you

Do any of these scenarios seem similar to yours?

• Your editorial team is increasingly bogged down with website admin and process
• You're spending huge sums to achieve seemingly straightforward actions.
• The majority of your budget for tech has been spent just to keep your website's lights on
• Your programmers have advised you that something can't be done "because of how it's built"
• The number of people who visit your site is increasing, but profit has flatlined
• The advertising industry is requesting data and insight from their audience that you're not able to deliver
• You're running low on advertising supplies or you have an uneasy feeling that you're missing out on revenue opportunities
• The business model you have adopted has changed substantially since you started your company.

If you're in agreement with any of these assertions, you should seriously look into a tech upgrade. If you're a publisher who's grown tired of their site Replatforming is usually the most efficient way to bring about significant and lasting change. It can literally yield results overnight.

 Read how Private Media increased front and back end performance of their journal Crikey 200%.

Why publishers fear tech projects

To be fair, there's more than just technological fear that's keeping you behind. The real issue is the fear of technology going wrong. For most digital publishing companies, their resistance to experiment is due to one (or several) of these "nightmare situations':

1. Cost blow-out
2. The never-ending project
3. The agency that isn't right

This is completely understandable. You're already leading an organisation that's digital in one of the largest period of disruption that the globe has ever experienced. That's why you're not so enthusiastic about the prospect of a major reconstruction of the web. The wait-and-see method is no route to success in the current McKinsey research  entitled 'Digital strategy in a time of Crisis' demonstrates.

"Early the adoption of digital technology in the early stages and at a scale, combined with a large allocation of resources to digital projects, as well as M&A is strongly linked to the creation of value" MCKINSEY, 'DIGITAL Strategies in the Age of CRISIS'

Which technology should publishers consider investing in?

While now is definitely the right time to start investing in the field of technology, it is important not to over-invest. Tech debt is easily accumulated, but much less clear. Publishers are overwhelmed with tech options. It's one of the reasons that we begin every project with a the detailed discovery process. In order to give owners of media an opportunity to examine their options, establish the priorities, and avoid costly errors.

Success in the field of media is being aware of which technology to make investments in. According to Steve Jobs famously acknowledged, technology is merely a tool to facilitate the work of great individuals. It's what you do using that tool that makes the biggest difference.

 It is the truth that technology shouldn't be complex or confusing.

When introducing a new tool or technology, you should think about "how can this help me streamline my business?' If the answer is no make sense, you're adding to the chaos. Working with media owners, our model has always been "anti-complexity". What can we do to deliver an impactful and profitable business outcome using the least complicated method? By ignoring the distractions of flashing lights and useless devices, we make sure that client budgets are spent only when they are truly required. Therefore, your project will always be completed, there are never any surprises and the nightmare scenarios are avoided.

 The most powerful transformative processes are often caused by simple modifications that are executed with care and linked perfectly with the business's core objectives.

Traditional publishing objectives are not the best

The initial step in deciding the technology requirements you require is to establish your company's objectives. And this is what publishers usually tell us about their objectives:

• More traffic
• Advertising more
• Time to get it done

The past was when these were considered to be balls to chase. But the advent of data has transformed the publishing game.

Make sure that your technology is aligned with your publishing goals

It's not the best method to increase the size of your digital publishing site. Advertisers don't really care the number of people who visit your website. They'd like to be aware of which users visits, how they engage in content, and the value they bring to the particular brand they are advertising with.

In this constantly growing data-focused client base, vanity metrics like traffic don't even scratch the level. It's time to think beyond the idea of selling ads and focus instead on ways to harness technology to form positive partnerships with brands. If you can get the right stack and you're able to make the most of your time.

Here's what your goals should be:

Goal 1: Better understanding of your audience The more information you have about your target audience is the easier it will be to optimize and enhance your website's content. This results in greater engagement (see Goal 2) and gives you an opportunity to design compelling client opportunities (see Goal 3.)

The second goal is More participation of the audience: An engaged audience is a highly valuable audience. That's why now is such an ideal time to become an independent media publisher. A small and active community is where future possibilities are for publishers.

3. More compelling advertising opportunities for customers: If you've achieved Goals 1 and 2, Goal 3 will occur naturally. When you're able to offer smart, personalised marketing solutions for clients, you'll be an increasingly attractive candidate.

The game-changing technology of publishing

Once you've set your objectives, it's time to begin looking over your tech collection. When working with digital publishers trying to scale, these are the first challenges we take on:

Content Management System

Your business is based on content, therefore it shouldn't be a genuis to realise how important your content management system (CMS). A top-quality CMS is the foundation of any successful digital publisher. It's (or it ought to be) the only source of truth, and be adaptable enough to accommodate all of your demands for editorial and marketing.

If you're a growing media provider, you shouldn't go past WordPress. Well you can, but you'll probably regret it very fast. Numerous other platforms have tried to challenge WordPress but none has ever really come close to matching its flexibility, reliability and ability to integrate.

READ MORE: Drupal and. WordPress: What's best for digital publishing?

If you're part of a huge publishing empire, there's still no need to create your own platform. The CMS's that are proprietary are inflexible, prohibitively expensive and threaten to leave you behind If (or even more likely, if) technology continues to evolve in the current speed.

The thing that people aren't aware of is that WordPress can be customized to handle complex workflows. It happens often. Publishing platforms are incredibly complicated and it's not easy to meet developers who have the capabilities (or the time) to answer all the questions you have on the specific questions you have. In the end, after a series of workarounds, the result is a wildly complex publishing architecture.

What about SaaS publishing platforms such as Substack and Medium?

If you're a blogger or simply dabbling in the world of publishing, SaaS services are fantastic. But plug and play tech platforms are a red flag for serious publishers. Do you really want the entire company to rely on a $50 plugin? A large part of the work we do here at The Code Company involves 'rescue operations' for publishers who learnt this the hard way.

READ MORE: The three biggest errors committed by publishers while building or replatforming their site

Hosting Platforms

A slow website is the fastest way to lose customers as well as advertisers. This is why choosing the right hosting technology is vital. If you are choosing a server you basically have two options:

• Self-managed hosting
• Host management platforms

Historically, due to the sheer complexity of their requirements the majority of enterprise publishers chose to build their own hosting infrastructure. However, managed hosting platforms have grown in such a way that nearly every one of the essential demands of expanding publishers are now taken care of.

READ MORE: What is the most effective hosting option for digital publishers? Managed hosting is a good option if you're using WordPress. If it's about the reliability, security as well as backups, caching, and upgrades, the features of hosting platforms such as WP Engine and WordPress VIP surpass all others. They will also help you save money. We were reminded of the merits of hosting services recently while working with a new client for publishing. Just by changing them to a managed hosting service and saving them over $200,000 per year!

AdTech

Our team recently met with a small-scale publisher who had built such an active audience that advertisers were knocking on their door to advertise. A publishing dream come true? You'd think. However, there was one issue. They were out of stocks. There were literally not enough ads on their site to meet the demands of clients. The company's profit margin was declining, but they refused to take clients away.

Our first step to turn this unfortunate circumstance around was to call in our AdOps group to correctly install Google Ad Manager and build an effective WordPress integration. This gave editorial and advertising departments full control over campaign management and their targeting. In addition, it contributed to immediate ROI and a sizeable increase in client revenues.

The primary focus of publishing has been shifting rapidly from traffic to targeting, so it's inevitable that clients will demand increasingly complex advertising solutions. For the best chance of maximizing future revenue, now is the perfect time to design your AdTech for success.

Data Collection Tools

Are you sitting on an information goldmine? Probably. Many digital publishers are yet few realise this. Even fewer are aware of how to use it to increase their revenue. is the name of WPP's AUNZ CEO Jens Monsees made this point at the 2020 Mumbrella 360 when he likened digital data to high school sexuality.

"Everybody speaks about it," but few are doing it but nobody is doing it properly. There is more than talk it is important to comprehend it. What is the location of this information? How can I get it to me and interpret the data in real-time? Which clients do you think have a solid data strategy, and an IT infrastructure to harvest and make sense out of the information?"

When you've got the right technology It is possible to get deep behavioural insight that tells that you how your audience is performing over a longer period of time. One way to start is by configuring your email service provider (email service company) to get a better understanding of the categories of content that an user clicks on. This allows you to customize your visitor's experience as well as provide highly targeted information and marketing opportunities to clients.

"Behaviorally targeted advertisements have twice the efficient and valuable as non-targeted online ads"

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is also a must-have considered. As the name suggests, GTM allows you to control tags on your site. It's transformed the way publishers work as it provides greater control over the tags you run on your website which means that you don't have to continuously involving programmers in making small changes. GTM Event Tracking tool GTM Tracking tool is a powerful way to track events. Tracking tool provides a reliable tool to track interactions between users as well as specific features or elements on your website.

READ MORE: Server Side Tagging in Google Ad Manager What does it mean to publishers

 Parting thoughts

If you're a digital publishing company, you're in a long-term partnership with technology. However, is your website offering everything you require to succeed? Are you restraining yourself from making changes because you're comfortable with it? Keep in mind that no major achievements have been achieved from the comfort of a zone.

Yet innovation needn't be stressful. With the right technology partner and an anti-complexity mindset the publishing system could be happily for the rest of your life.