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Poor Steve ... he's got a real headache on his hands at the moment. Not that he's complaining about it because it's the sort of headache that a lot of people would probably want to have but it's a headache he really didn't need to have.

Some years ago Steve started a blog about an industry that interested him using WordPress and he chose the very basic and default Kubrick theme to run it. At the time there wasn't much else available but even though that's changed over time Steve never bothered to look for a new theme. After all he only ever saw it as something to play with and maybe earn a little bit of money through Adsense.

Over time he's added new posts fairly regularly, he's picked up thousands and thousands of search engine hits every month and he's made more than just a few dollars from it ... but it's never been big money so it's never been a priority for him and he's never been interested in taking it to the next level. In fact, to visitors who look at the blog today will see it pretty much as it looked on the day he made his first post.

It's got the standard two column layout with a few affiliate ads spread here and there plus the usual Adsense ads and about the only way that it's different to most other blogs is the huge number of categories and sub categories running down the right hand column. Steve hasn't actually counted them (I think he's not brave enough to count them) but there are a lot because Steve's blog deals with a subject where there are many different things he can talk about.

So what's giving Steve such a headache? Well suddenly the blog has taken off ... suddenly Steve is getting invites from manufacturers who are asking him to test their products ... suddenly this could become a big income earner for us ... and the site/the blog looks like crap.

Now I should explain that we're not going to make money from being paid for favorable reviews. That's not the way it works here ... instead we'll be paid for CPM advertising on the blog and that's where the big money is.

So now Steve is on the hunt for a new magazine style WordPress theme that can cope with all 163 categories and sub-categories ... yes Steve just plucked up the courage to count them. And of course once he's found a theme that can handle all those then he's got to integrate it into the site.

While he's looking at that he's also thinking about sharpening the focus of the site and trying to develop a unique selling point that makes this site different to the only other site/blog that's dealing with the same subject plus he's got to put together a media package of potential advertisers.

It's going to be interesting around here for the next week or so.

Of course this all could have been avoided if Steve had only kept an eye on what was happening ... not just with the blog but with the industry that the blog deals with. Steve could see all those search engine hits but he totally missed the fact that the industry ... which had once been so adverse to bloggers ... was suddenly beginning to be very interesting in supply us with information.

If he had kept up to speed with what was going on then he would have kept the look of the blog much fresher than what it is and he wouldn't be running around trying to find a theme that can cope with all those categories. And if he had dreamed a little more ... back at the start ... he might have seen this coming.

And the lesson here for you guys? Well hopefully it's obvious ... if something is working for you then keep on top of it. Don't just keep on updating it but keep on refreshing the design ... the look and feel of the site ... and stay on top of what's happening in the industry.

Both mainstream and adult online is a dynamic industry and it's changing more and more every day. Businesses that once shunned the Internet are now keen to get their marketing message out there on the Net and they're looking for sites that can carry their message.

Some are even looking to buy fully developed sites so don't be afraid to think in terms of flipping a site some years down the track.

Above all don't let your dreams be small ones. Steve went into his site thinking in terms of what was really just cab fare and now, suddenly, he's looking at serious money ... and he's not ready for it. Oh he will be in a much better position in a few days but right now he's losing money because the site looks so dated that serious advertising is passing him by.

Dream about making big money from your sites and build them to expand and you won't find yourself in the same situation that Steve is in at the moment.