Strategic Website Revamp Plan: sandeepchivukula.com

Date: December 13, 2025 Objective: Elevate digital presence from “Senior Technologist” to “Executive Thought Leader.”

1. Executive Summary

The current site serves as a functional blog for a senior engineer/lead but fails to convey the gravity, scope, and “canonical authority” required of a Senior Executive in 2025. The content is authoritative, but the packaging undermines the message.

Core Goal: The site must answer three questions within 5 seconds:

1. Who are you? (Identity)
2. What is your unique value? (Proposition)
3. Why should I trust you? (Credibility)

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2. Gap Analysis

A. Discoverability (SEO & Reach)

• Current: Functional technical SEO (jekyll-seo-tag), but weak semantic SEO.
• Gap:
  • Missing dedicated About page creates a void for “Name + Bio” search queries.
  • _config.yml description is generic (“working with people”) rather than targeted (“AI Leadership,” “Organizational Strategy”).
  • Social sharing cards use a generic logo instead of personal branding (headshot).

B. Credibility (Design & Tone)

• Current: so-simple-theme signals “hobbyist” or “individual contributor.” Homepage is a raw feed of posts.
• Gap:
  • Lack of a “Hero” section establishes no immediate context.
  • Absence of “Social Proof” (logos, speaking engagements, press) leaves credibility to be inferred rather than demonstrated.

C. Viability (Executive Presence)

• Current: Read-only navigation (Posts, Search).
• Gap:
  • No clear pathways for high-value connections (speaking, advisory, networking).
  • Zero lead capture (newsletter/subscribers) to build an owned audience.

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3. Actionable Roadmap & Checklist

Phase 1: The “Must-Haves” (Credibility Baseline)

Focus: Content structure and fundamental SEO.

• Create about.md Page
  • Professional Bio (3rd person for press/intro usage).
  • “Personal Mission” (1st person).
  • Career Timeline/Highlights.
  • High-res headshot.
• Refine about.md Bio Content & Integrate High-Res Headshot
• Update Navigation (_data/navigation.yml)
  • Add: About, Philosophy (or Projects), Contact.
• Enhance _config.yml Metadata
  • Rewrite description with executive keywords.
  • Update social_image to a branded personal banner/headshot.
• Spam Protection & Contact
  • Switch public email to blog@ alias.
  • Obfuscate/Encode mailto: links.
  • Create dedicated /contact/ page with inquiry types.

Phase 2: The “Executive Upgrade” (Design & Layout)

Focus: User journey and visual authority.

• Re-architect Homepage (index.html)
  • Remove: Raw blog feed from above the fold.
  • Add: “Hero” Section (Photo + 1-Sentence Value Prop + CTA).
  • Add: “Featured/Start Here” Section (Curated best posts).
  • Move: Latest Posts to a secondary section.
• Implement Social Proof
  • Add _includes/social-proof.html (Logos of past companies, talks, or media features).
• Audience Capture
  • Add newsletter signup form (Footer/Hero).
• Visual Polishing & Infrastructure
  • Styled social buttons on About & Contact pages.
  • Feature Flags: Implemented toggles for Curated Posts, Social Proof, Newsletter, and Management Toolkit.
  • Branding: Upgraded to Font Awesome 6.x and rebranded Twitter to X.
  • Hero Redesign: Implemented flexbox layout with circular profile image (left) and text (right).
  • Newsletter Form: Fixed flexbox alignment and responsiveness.
  • Management Toolkit: Created scaffold page and navigation entry.

Phase 3: Content Expansion & Authority

Focus: Filling strategic content gaps.

• Write Core “Manifesto” Posts
  • “Leading with AI: Navigating the New Frontier” (Placeholder link exists).
  • “Building High-Performing Product Teams” (Placeholder link exists).
• Populate Social Proof
  • Replace placeholder logos with actual company logos (Google, Yelp, LG, etc.).
• Setup Newsletter
  • Connect form to actual provider (Substack/ConvertKit/Mailchimp).
• Clean up existing post content to support Tables of Contents
  • Ensure consistent heading structure (H2, H3, etc.).
  • Verify YAML Front Matter for TOC settings (e.g., toc: true, toc_label).

Phase 4: The “Polish” (2025 Standards)

Focus: Experience and refinement.

• Visual Refresh
  • Implement light header image overlay for text readability.
  • Ensure Dark Mode consistency.
  • Refine typography for readability.
• Curated Content Paths
  • Group content by “Executive Pillars” (e.g., “Strategy,” “AI,” “Culture”) rather than just chronological dates.