Author Archive for Les
Blog Content Drives Traffic – Plain And Simple
There are two posts that stand out today and both reinforce our message that content, regular content, is one of the surest ways of gaining a decent rank in organic search results. Blogs and blog content is one of the easiest ways of publishing that content. Hiring a blog writer makes the task even easier. So what are those two posts?
The first one almost screamed the message – The Most Amazing Sentence On The Internet. And it was. What was the sentence?
No other marketing piece can do what adding fresh content to your web site can.
Do you view content as a marketing tool? It is, in fact, almost everything you do to a website or blog has some sort of marketing effect. Adding fresh content, particularly content that users find helpful is very definitely marketing. I repeat my earlier statement – blog content is one of the fastest and easiest ways to add that content. You don’t need any special programming skills; if you can open a word-processor then you can open a blog and create content. If you don’t have the skills or talent to create content, think again. Almost everyone can. Of course, if quality is your benchmark, then by all means hire a professional content creator.
That leads me to the second post that stood out today – Do you need a website content writer? This type of post is starting to appear quite frequently across the net as more and more people realize they have writing skills and can sell their services. As a website or blog owner, the key is to weed out those who are not as skilled as they profess and to find writers who are skilled. This is where a professional blog content service comes into play. They have proven track records and experience in not only providing the content, they can also provide a range of blog services such as comment moderation and blog maintenance.
If you’re running a business, can you afford to not use the services of a professional blog management team.
Becoming A Blog Content Provider To The World
If you are a good writer and you’re looking to make a little extra online, or perhaps or looking to boost your inbound links, becoming a blog content provider could be the answer. Blog content providers, as the name suggests, provide content for blogs – blogs that they don’t own. There are several ways to approach this. If you are approaching this from a business perspective, then you need to ask, How Big Does Your Online Business Need To Be?
I suggest starting of as a small player and letting your reputation help you grow your business. There are several good articles around that can advise you on How To Be A Web Content Provider! Essentially, you can:
Be a ghost writer for other blogs. As a ghost writer, you remain anonymous to the world. The blog content appears as if the blog owner had written it themselves.
Be a guest writer for other blogs. Ghost writers are generally paid while guest writer provide blog content for free, apart from a link at the end of the post. Guest writing is a good way to gain inbound links, traffic, and to develop your reputation.
Be an ebook creator. Perhaps the hardest is to write ebooks. You can often use content that has been compiled from your own website and put it all together as an ebook. Alternatively, you can create fresh content. You will need to learn how to put together an ebook including Ebook Design (PDF). You can then use other blogs to promote your ebook gaining both links and income. Using other blogs to sell your ebook on a commission or affiliate basis has become very popular.
Transcription services. Whilst not proving blog content, becoming a transcriptionist is another area where those good at English can excel. It’s not for everyone, however if you know What Differentiates a Good Home-Based Medical Transcriptionist From a Bad One? and you fit into the mold of a good one, then there is certainly a good living to be made.
If you can write content such as this, Private Schools and Education Itself a Luxury for Some then you should consider a career as an online writer. Being a blog content writer is just one area that you may find lucrative.
Blog Ghostwriting Lets You Get On With Business
Search engine optimization is a slow process, a process that can take months to see results. You can speed that process up by adding a blog to your website. You can speed the process up even further by creating a self hosted blog on a separate server to your website. The one argument we frequently hear is that time is a big issue. It needn’t be. Get someone else to do the ghostwriting and you can get on with building your business.
If you are going to build your business’s online profile then you need to invest in your future. The small cost you pay today to create a blog and have a ghostwriter create the content will pay huge dividends in the future when your main business website starts to rank highly in search results. More importantly, a blog can help you add hundreds of long tail keywords, long tails that individually only provide a small amount of traffic, but collectively account for a large amount – and it is often more targeted.
What makes a website popular? Why does one online entrepreneur make more money than another? What Makes Home-Based Medical Transcription Lucrative? They all have one thing in common. They promote what they do well. For a business, a blog is the start. Add a social bookmarking and social media marketing regime to your regular posting and your blog will rapidly climb the search rankings. I read where one blog wondered “Is Social Search Just Getting Its Diapers?” It probably is – however the future is bright for social search and if you can take advantage of it now, you will be well placed when social search does advance.
If you are wondering where to start when it comes to creating a blog, I suggest you read Why Develop Your Own Blog Platform? first. There are plenty of good blog platforms around so don’t try and reinvent the wheel – go with what works. A post that reinforces everything we have said in the past describes How writing for the web differs from writing for print. There is a big difference between the two.
Blogs are an important tool for any business if they want to build their profile and increase visitor numbers. If you need a ghostwriter to get your blog off the ground and sending traffic to your website, contact a professional blog manager. They can develop your blog while you develop your business.
Can You Make Money Blogging – With Search Up 46%, Of Course You Can
With reports that Global Search Grew By 46% In 2009 you know people are looking for something. If you are wanting to make money blogging then the trick of course is to tap into the topics that people are searching for. Easier said than done but there are ways to succeed.
First, making money through a blog requires a commitment. I won’t say it’s hard work, but it does take that daily commitment to develop your blog and to work at ways of delivering traffic. How do you find what people are searching for? If you’re a first time blogger then let me suggest you start by looking at yourself. What do you have a passion for? What do can you write about right at this very minute with very little in the way of research? That should be your starting point.
If you have a passion for clothing, and you are a plus size, then think about what you can write about that area. Clothing covers such a wide range from pants to tops to dresses and that’s just the outer layer. Do you like capris? Can you write a post such as – Plus Size Capris are Hot. More importantly, can you monetize it? You can even if it is through ads such as Adsense or similar.
Adsense is just one method of monetizing a blog. Other sources of income include affiliate earnings and selling your own products. Can you teach others how to do something? Could you teach something like – How to Excel in Medical Transcription? If you can, take the time to create a first class ebook – they are becoming popular again.
There are many different ways to monetize a blog. Start with areas that you have a passion for. Do a search for affiliate programs that match that niche or settle for straight out pay-per-click advertising. the choice is yours. Write to your blog everyday using keywords that you want to target. Use social media to promote your blog together with article marketing to gain inbound links. You can make money blogging - just read through some of the posts on this blog for more in-depth information on each area.
Are Blogs Still Relevant To Today’s Online Businesses?
If you listen to some people on the internet you would start to believe that blogs had gone past their ‘use by date”. I rather think they are missing the point when it comes to business blogs. Blogs in general are communication tools. They provide a pathway for businesses to communicate information to the public while providing a means with which the public can communicate with a business – in a very public way – comments are open to all to read. From an SEO perspective, blogs are still valuable tools when it comes to link building, particularly if the content is of value to someone. That last is the most important. You may not find this content valuable, but others may. Here are a couple of examples of where blog content is providing useful information to others.
Taker the The Plus Size Clothing Blog. Okay, so you are as skinny as a rake. But half of the western world’s population is said to be overweight and a great many of them require plus size clothing. A blog like this is in a position to provide information to these people whilst, hopefully, leading readers through to purchase plus size clothing. Since blogs are easier to rank in search results than, say, a sales site, it makes good business sense to create this blog. The latest post (at the time of writing) – Plus Size Style for the Apple Figure – looks at a particular body shape. Do you know about apple figures (not Apple Corp sales figures) and where to buy clothing to match? Probably not but a search may show this blog in the results – that is the aim.
Blogs go beyond sales. They are also valuable for distributing information. Are you parent considering sending your child to a private school? Are you in the New York area? The NYC Private Schools blog publishes information on private schools in the New York area. As a parent, you may find this blog a valuable resource when trying to determine which private school (if any) you want to send your child too. Their latest post – NYC Private School Focus on Beekman School - provides valuable information on the Beekman School, information parents will find useful before making any final decisions.
Is the business blog dead? No, it’s far from it. Providing good quality content over an extended period of time can help a business achieve their goals much faster than if they ignored the power of blogs. Add social marketing to the mix and you have a very powerful tool.
Need help establishing a powerful business blog? Ask a professional blog management team for more information.
Content Is Never Far Away If You Run Private Ads
Many bloggers try to make money blogging and they do this in a number of ways. If you have affiliate advertising or sell private ad space then you should never be stuck for blog content.
Affiliates are a prime example. You will only earn an income if your visitors click on the links and actually deliver the required action, normally make a purchase. As a publisher you can help to boost your own sales.
If you are a little stuck for content, write about your affiliate – sell the product. You are the sales person and unless you tell your visitors about the product, they will most likely not even register the existence of an affiliate banner – known as banner blindness.
Likewise, whilst you may not earn any commission, promoting any of the paid advertisers on your site may prove to be good PR. The advertisers of course will not mind at all. The more promotions they can get the better.
If you are comfortable with the product or service then chances are your readers will be as well. There is nothing wrong with a little promotion and over time, your sites ability to make money blogging will grow – you have added extra value to their paid ad – this adds to your reputation as a professional blogger – overtime you can increase the return from running ads.
When writing reviews or recommendations, use the nofollow in the URL’s to ensure that none of the search engines accuse you of paid links. Private ads and affiliate programs provide a ready source for content whenever you feel a little blank.
Let Your Writing Set The Tone
As writers we sometimes get caught in writing to an expected style, this can be detrimental to the current piece you are writing. Often you are better just sitting down and letting the words flow and worrying about categorizing the post once you have completed it.
Even those with a reputation for serious informative writing styles occasionally break out with a humorous streak, or vice-versa. Even professional writers understand the need to write in a natural and unforced way. The moment you start to force your writing style you can lose focus and the flow of words becomes stilted and uncomfortable for the reader to read.
Letting the words flow onto the paper is a natural way to write. You do not have to publish your post immediately. If you are not happy with the way you have written the post, save it and come back later. A re-read will often surprise you.
Writing is an art that comes naturally to almost everyone. When someone says they are not a writer and have difficulty in putting words onto paper, the reality is that they suffer from lack of self belief – if you can talk you can write. Writing blog posts is not about writing to college standards, it is about writing for the average everyday reader.
Write naturally without trying to force the words. If the words are not there just now, come back when they are. Your natural writing sets the tone – your knowledge establishes your credibility. There are many bloggers who have English as their second language and it is quite obvious at times. It doesn’t make their writing any less valuable – it does make it a little more natural.
Do You Write For Differing Reading Styles?
One of the things that makes life interesting is that every human is different. Different likes, different dislikes, different attitudes and different opinions. Believe it or not we all have different learning and different reading styles.
Over the years these reading styles have been refined to four basic ‘learning styles’ and those learning styles affect how you absorb what you read. The four styles are:
Active:
Active readers are the people most likely to comment on your post. These readers prefer to see things in context and in a discussion. You will often find active readers in forums. Write to create a discussion and you will engage these readers.
Reflective:
Reflective readers are the least likely to comment. They prefer to read and ponder your point. They will often seek out other opinions so providing links to associated content either within your blog or on other blogs will appeal to them. Reflective readers are more likely to comment on posts when they appear as a series.
Visual:
As the name suggest, visual readers like pictures, graphs and videos. They like to ’see’ what you are trying to tell them in words. Include visually suitable content in your posts to catch their attention. If you cannot use pictures or graphs, use text enhancements like bold, color or size.
Verbal:
Verbal readers like the facts so posts that are written in list format will appeal to them. Verbal readers are also attracted to summaries. Short paragraphs that are to the point will also appeal to this type of reader.
Those are the four reading styles. The trick now is how to write in such a way that you can capture all four reading styles in the one post.
The inclusion of graphs of pictures will take care of the visual reader. Keeping your paragraphs short and concise and to the point will capture your verbal readers. Write your posts either as a series or with links to related content and you have your reflective readers covered whilst creating content that stimulates a conversation will appeal to your active readers.
Of course, what is also important is having content that is actually of value to your readers. That’s your job – find the content, write to connect with those four reading styles, and you will have a very satisfied reader base.
Put Your RSS Feed To Work
If you are blogger then you no doubt include an RSS feed of all your posts. If not – you should and while you’re at it, include an option to receive the feed via email. Once you have your RSS feed in place, don’t waste it – put it to work for you.
Your RSS feed can offer a lot of opportunities to increase the value of your blog – to both your readers and your self.
If you are looking to monetize your site, including advertisements in your RSS feed is fairly easy to setup. If you use Feedburner then you can include Adsense ad units in your feeds. An alternative, particularly as your blog becomes popular, is to sell advertising space on the feed. You may never make a fortune from advertising on your RSS feed, but every dollar helps.
Aside from advertising, your RSS feed is a terrific opportunity to promote your blog. In this day and age your RSS subscribers will be continually dropping off with new subscribers joining every day. Including links to related articles may encourage those new readers to visit some of your older posts. If they like the content and find it helpful, you may even earn a link or two to that post.
One of the most important additions to an RSS feed is a copyright notice. You can include your name, the name of the website or blog and any other relevant information. If your content does get scrapped, this information, including a link back to your site, gets scrapped as well. Search engine spiders will see this information and often classify the scraped post as duplicate and not return it in search engine results. One way to thwart scrapers and protect your content.
If you create e-books or have products of your own for sale, the footer of your RSS feed can be an ideal place to promote them. Ensure the promotion has a clickable link through to more information on the e-book or products to make it easy for your readers to take action. This may increase sales more than any other single activity – and its free promotion.
RSS feeds are very popular. If you have 100 subscribers to your feed, you have an audience of 100 to promote your blog, your products or services, or the products and services of others. Use your RSS feed wisely without abusing it and your readers will welcome some of the changes. In the meantime, your blog is receiving free promotions – more so if you submit your feed to the RSS feed submission sites.
Let us help you with your blog configuration to ensure maximum results
Will A Quick Glance Catch Their Attention
If you check your blogs statistics you can see whether or not your content is holding your readers attention. If you have a high bounce rate and a low page read, your not selling your content and quick glance doesn’t hold their attention.
Your blog should be set up in such a way that a reader can quickly see what is on offer. Most visitors scan and if the scanning shows value, they will either bookmark to come back later, or settle back and start reading. The key to catching their attentions is a simple as black and white.
White Space
The first key is white space – not plenty of it, but carefully balanced. The idea of white space is to enable the important information to stand out, particularly paragraph headings. White space around graphics can also be important. To get white space around your graphics, include the vspace=”x” and hspace=”x” at the end of the graphics code: the number in brackets represents pixels. For example, your code may look like the following (I have omitted the opening and closing < >)
img src=”http://yourimageurl.jpg” alt=”suitable alt tag” align=”alignment” vspace=”10″ hspace=”10″
That code will place a white space of 10 pixels around your image.
Black Space
Black space of course is your text. You need to highlight the important sections, such as paragraph heading by using bold or a strong color. If there is sufficient white space, the ‘black’ section should stand out. Another example of using ‘black’ within whitespace is by using bullets or numbering. These work particularly well for short sentences as their use creates plenty of white space.
The use of black and white space has been a technique used successfully over the years by marketing consultants, particularly when it comes to flyers and business cards. Used carefully, a quick scan of your content should be enough to sell the opportunity to stop and read. Let us check out your white space with a free blog consultation.
