CTO Coach Website

A professional static website for CTO coaching, fractional executive services, and technology consulting built with Pelican static site generator.

Features

• Professional Design: Clean, conversion-focused design with compelling service pages
• Substack Integration: Automatically imports blog posts from your Substack RSS feed
• Static Security: Zero server-side vulnerabilities with static hosting
• SEO Optimized: Meta tags, Open Graph, schema markup, and sitemap
• Mobile Responsive: Mobile-first design that works on all devices
• Fast Performance: Optimized for speed with CDN-ready static files

Quick Start

1. Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Customize Configuration

Edit pelicanconf.py to customize:

AUTHOR = 'Your Name'
SITENAME = 'Your Site Name'
SUBSTACK_FEED_URL = 'https://yoursubstack.substack.com/feed'

3. Update Content

• Edit service pages in content/pages/
• Update your bio in content/pages/about.md
• Add your contact information in content/pages/contact.md

4. Build and Serve

# Development server with live reload
make dev

# Build for production
make publish

Customization Guide

Personal Information

1. Update Author Info: Edit AUTHOR in pelicanconf.py
2. Social Links: Update SOCIAL tuple in pelicanconf.py
3. Contact Details: Edit content/pages/contact.md

Service Configuration

Edit the service pages in content/pages/:

• services.md - Overview of all services
• cto-coach.md - CTO coaching details and pricing
• fractional-cto.md - Fractional CTO service details
• consulting.md - Consulting service details

Substack Integration

1. Set Feed URL: Update SUBSTACK_FEED_URL in pelicanconf.py
2. Configure Import: Adjust SUBSTACK_IMPORT_LIMIT and SUBSTACK_PUBLIC_ONLY
3. Test Import: Build the site to import latest posts

Styling

• Colors: Edit CSS variables in themes/cto-pro/static/css/style.css
• Fonts: Update font links in themes/cto-pro/templates/base.html
• Logo: Add your logo to content/assets/images/

Analytics

Plausible Analytics (Recommended)

# In publishconf.py
PLAUSIBLE_ANALYTICS = {
    'domain': 'your-domain.com'
}

Google Analytics

# In publishconf.py
GOOGLE_ANALYTICS = "G-XXXXXXXXXX"

Deployment Options

GitHub Pages (Free)

1. Push to GitHub: Create a repository and push your code
2. Enable GitHub Pages: In repository settings, enable Pages from gh-pages branch
3. Automatic Deployment: The included GitHub Action will build and deploy automatically

Netlify (Recommended for Custom Domains)

1. Connect Repository: Link your GitHub repository to Netlify
2. Configure Build: Use build command pelican content -o output -s publishconf.py
3. Set Environment Variables: Add any required environment variables
4. Custom Domain: Configure your custom domain in Netlify settings

Manual Deployment

# Build the site
make publish

# Upload the output/ directory to your web server
rsync -avz output/ user@server:/path/to/webroot/

Content Management

Blog Posts

• Manual Posts: Create .md files in content/blog/
• Substack Import: Automatic import from your Substack RSS feed
• Post Format: Include title, date, category, tags, and slug metadata

Service Pages

Each service page should include:

• Compelling headline and value proposition
• Clear description of benefits
• Pricing information (if appropriate)
• Call-to-action buttons
• Client testimonials or case studies

SEO Optimization

• Page Titles: Use descriptive, keyword-rich titles
• Meta Descriptions: Write compelling descriptions under 160 characters
• Headers: Use H1, H2, H3 structure for content hierarchy
• Internal Linking: Link between related pages and services

Development Commands

# Install dependencies
make setup

# Development server with live reload
make dev

# Build for production
make publish

# Clean build directory
make clean

# Run with debugging
make html DEBUG=1

File Structure

├── content/
│   ├── blog/              # Blog posts
│   ├── pages/             # Static pages
│   ├── assets/            # Images and static files
│   └── extras/            # robots.txt, favicon, etc.
├── themes/cto-pro/        # Custom theme
│   ├── templates/         # Jinja2 templates
│   └── static/           # CSS, JS, images
├── plugins/               # Custom Pelican plugins
├── .github/workflows/     # GitHub Actions
└── output/               # Generated site (git ignored)

Troubleshooting

Build Errors

1. Template Errors: Check Jinja2 syntax in theme templates
2. Missing Dependencies: Run pip install -r requirements.txt
3. Plugin Errors: Verify plugin configuration in pelicanconf.py

Substack Import Issues

1. Feed URL: Verify your Substack RSS feed URL is correct
2. Network Issues: Check internet connection and firewall settings
3. Content Parsing: Some Substack formatting may need manual adjustment

Deployment Issues

1. GitHub Actions: Check Actions tab for build errors
2. Netlify: Review deploy logs in Netlify dashboard
3. DNS: Verify domain DNS settings point to hosting provider

Support

For questions or issues:

1. Documentation: Check Pelican documentation at https://docs.getpelican.com/
2. Issues: Create an issue in the repository
3. Professional Help: Contact for consulting assistance

License

This project is open source. Feel free to customize and use for your own CTO coaching website.

Sun Oct 19 23:06:05 NZDT 2025