The Freelancer’s Dilemma: Content Creation and Website Woes

As a freelancer, especially one providing digital services, your online presence is everything. But between client projects, admin, and actually having a life, keeping up with content creation and website maintenance often falls by the wayside. Recently, I faced this head-on while working on Construct Digitally and launching a new side project. The goal? Streamline content creation and scheduling.

Phase 1: The Hosting Rollercoaster

It started with website hosting. I’d been using a free hosting provider, Googie Host, but the constant downtime and slow loading speeds were a killer. Speed and uptime are critical for SEO (Search Engine Optimization); if your website is constantly down, Google won’t rank you well. That means fewer potential clients see your services.

I initially tried using a CDN (Content Delivery Network) like Cloudflare with Googie Host. CDNs cache your website content on multiple servers worldwide. This means visitors get content from a server closer to their location, resulting in faster loading times, which helps SEO. However, Googie Host remained unreliable. The instability and limited functionality (like no API access for automated blog posting) forced a change. I switched to Infinity Free to resolve the downtime issue, but this meant I lost API access to post blogs on WordPress. A tradeoff to be sure.

Phase 2: The Automation Revelation

I realised I needed a better way to manage my blog content. The goal was to automate blog posts, a feature not available on Infinity Free without API access. I decided to upgrade to Hostinger’s premium account.

Phase 3: Content Creation with AI

Next, I turned my attention to content creation itself. I leveraged AI-powered tools to generate video scripts for Instagram and TikTok. This was a game-changer! I suddenly had a backlog of scripts with engaging hooks and solid content, which was a huge win. The AI content creation agent was doing its job!

Phase 4: Video Production Setup

Inspired by content creators like Ali Abdaal, I refined my video layout: screen capture in the background with a smaller video of myself in the foreground. Since I often demonstrate work on my computer, screen recordings are essential. I used OBS Studio to record my screen and OBS Ninja (or VDO Ninja) to live stream video from my phone (the camera quality is far superior to my laptop’s). A white-masked filter added rounded corners to my video frame. I also implemented a mouse-to-zoom script, which allowed me to zoom into specific areas of the screen and follow my mouse movements, which made it easy to explain concepts and processes clearly in the videos. OBS and OBS Lua made this integration very easy too.

Phase 5: DraftedDaily.com is Born

I recognised a broader need: a simple, effective tool for freelancers and professionals to schedule social media posts. That’s how DraftedDaily.com was born. The site explains what the product is, what it does, who it benefits and how it works.

I conducted market research, pricing analysis using Gemini’s “Deep Research” function, and settled on a freemium model, with a basic plan starting at £10 per month. A “Get Started” page with a form collects user contact details, preferred note-taking platforms, and target social media platforms—valuable data for understanding market fit. I got the page tested by a few friends who were all very impressed by how professional the site looks but really that was all just a WordPress theme!

Finding the right domain name was tough. Every obvious two-word domain was already taken! I finally chose DraftedDaily.com. It conveys the message of creating drafts and scheduling content, and it had a slightly better feel to it than “post-in progress”.

Actionable Advice for Your Digital Journey

Don’t Skimp on Hosting: Reliable hosting is crucial for SEO and user experience. Free options might seem tempting, but the limitations can hinder your growth.
Embrace Automation: Identify repetitive tasks and explore automation tools. They can free up significant time for more strategic work.
Leverage AI for Content: AI can be a powerful ally in content creation. Use it to generate ideas, write scripts, and even create entire drafts.
Streamline Your Workflow: Optimize your video production and other creative processes. Small tweaks can make a big difference in efficiency.
Solve Your Own Problems: Turn your own challenges into product ideas. There’s a good chance others are facing the same issues.

How Construct Digitally Can Help

This entire journey, from hosting headaches to AI-powered content, highlights the importance of a streamlined digital presence. At Construct Digitally, I specialize in helping engineering, architecture, and construction firms like yours overcome similar challenges.

Whether it’s building custom web apps to automate workflows, integrating CDEs like SharePoint, or designing dashboards to track project progress, I can help you digitize your operations and reclaim valuable time. If you’re ready to explore how digital solutions can transform your construction firm, I’d love to chat! Contact me today to schedule a consultation.

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