Site Improvement Journey: What's Done and What's Next

Improving My Digital Home: A Progress Report

Building and maintaining a personal blog is an ongoing journey of refinement. Today I want to share what I've accomplished so far and outline my vision for making this site even better.

What Has Been Done

Documentation Updates

The first issue I tackled was outdated documentation. The README.md was still describing the site as a Jekyll/GitHub Pages project, when in reality, it's now powered by Zola, a much faster static site generator. This kind of misalignment between documentation and reality can be confusing for anyone interested in the technical stack behind the site. I updated the documentation to accurately reflect:

• The use of Zola as the static site generator
• The Serene theme that powers the visual design
• Updated setup instructions for local development
• Correct commands for building and serving the site locally

This ensures that if anyone wants to understand or contribute to the site, they'll have accurate information from the start.

Structure and Organization

Building on the momentum, I implemented the first major structural improvement. Each section now has:

• Clear, welcoming landing pages that explain what visitors will find
• Improved section descriptions for better discoverability
• Better context around the purpose of each content category

This involved updating landing pages for:

• AI Blubber: Now clearly focused on AI tools, automation, and reflections
• IT Pro: Positioned as in-depth technical guides for cloud and infrastructure
• Blog: Personal thoughts and experiences
• Books: Curated reading recommendations

I also created a detailed post documenting the structural improvements, which explains the thinking behind these changes and their impact on user experience.

These improvements lay the groundwork for future enhancements like better cross-linking and topic tagging.

Content Enrichment

With structure in place, I focused on making content more accessible and valuable. This included:

• Reading Time Estimates: All posts now display estimated reading time, helping visitors make informed decisions about which content to dive into
• Structured Content Templates: Created consistent formats for different content types, including technical posts, book reviews, personal blog entries, and AI articles. These templates ensure quality and consistency while remaining flexible enough for authentic voice
• Enhanced Metadata: Updated existing posts with publication dates and reading time information
• Improved Post Formatting: Enhanced key posts with better visual hierarchy, clearer sections, and improved readability

I documented these improvements in two detailed posts:

• "Content Enrichment: Making Posts More Accessible" explains the philosophy and implementation
• "Content Templates for Consistent Quality" provides detailed templates for each content type

These enrichments make the site more professional and help readers engage more deeply with the content.

Technical Improvements

With solid structure and enriched content, I focused on making the site more discoverable and performant:

• Search Functionality: Enabled the search index (changed build_search_index from false to true), making all content searchable and improving user discoverability

• SEO Metadata: Added comprehensive metadata to all major posts and sections:

  • Meta descriptions that appear in search results
  • Keywords for each post targeting relevant search terms
  • Site-wide keywords in configuration to help search engines understand focus
  • Improved site description in config from generic "A blog about stuff" to specific focus areas

• Comment Configuration: Properly configured comment functionality with a selective approach:

  • Enabled for AI Blubber section to encourage discussion
  • Disabled for technical, personal, and reading sections to maintain their character

• Performance: Verified and maintained existing optimizations:

  • Minified CSS for production efficiency
  • Mobile-responsive design with proper breakpoints
  • Accessibility-first approach with proper contrast and focus states
  • Fast loading times across all devices

• Configuration Enhancement: Updated config.toml with improved metadata and better documentation

I also created a detailed post documenting all technical improvements, which explains the reasoning and implementation details.

These changes make the site more discoverable through search, easier to navigate, and better optimized for search engines, while maintaining the clean, minimal aesthetic.

What Should Be Done Next

Content Expansion

• Expand technical documentation with more Azure and automation guides
• Add project showcases with detailed descriptions
• Continue book reviews with structured insights
• Create synthesis posts that connect ideas across different sections

Cross-Linking and Tagging

• Implement a proper tagging system for easier discovery across posts
• Add cross-links between related posts in different sections
• Create thematic collections that group related content
• Build topic pages that aggregate posts by subject

Visual Refinement

• Enhance CSS styling for better visual consistency
• Add more visual elements (images, diagrams) to technical posts
• Improve typography and readability
• Create visual style guide for consistency

Analytics and Engagement

• Add analytics to understand reader behavior and popular topics
• Monitor search queries to identify content gaps
• Track engagement metrics to evaluate impact
• Use data to inform future content decisions

I plan to revisit these lists quarterly, pruning items that are done or no longer valuable, and prioritizing tasks that reduce friction for readers first.

The Vision

My goal is to create a site that feels like a genuine reflection of my interests and expertise, while being valuable and accessible to visitors. Each improvement brings us closer to that goal, whether it's fixing documentation, enhancing navigation, or adding thoughtfully curated content.

This iterative approach, where I continuously identify and address issues, seems like the best way to grow something meaningful. What matters most is that the content remains authentic and useful, while the presentation becomes progressively more polished.