Blog Basics 101 - Basic Blog Tips

Anchor Text Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:03:00 +0000

When you want to link to a website, not only to allow your readers to be able to click through and visit the site, but also to increase ranking in Goolge search, remember this: Google is a robot, your readers are not.

Now, your readers may search like a robot - for example, if he is looking for a local plumbing company, he may type in the search bar, "plumbers tyler tx" but if you are link building using that term, it may not sound right in a blog post, so you may want to change it to. "plumbers in tyler tx" - adding the word in doesn't throw Googlebot off and it reads easier to your audience.

Get Your Name Out There

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:20:00 +0000

BloggingTips.com is looking for guest bloggers (free, not paid writers) who want to get their name out there and generate exposure and quality back links to their site.

BloggingTips.com is a PR5 and Top 15,000 Alexa ranked blog that covers everything from the basics of blogging to wordpress themes, plugins and tips.

The submission guidelines are simple:

- ONE link per post, which is to be listed in the author bio at the bottom of the article. (your site or link)
- Within the first two thirds of the article, you must include TWO links to a live BloggingTips.com article. (keyword and url of your choice, not main page)
- The post/article should not be reproduced anywhere else on the web including your own blog (neither party benefits from duplicate content)
- All guest posts must be a minimum of 500 words in content and written in proper English.
- You may include links within the article, but they must be relevant resources to the article and topic discussed. Do not submit or write articles around a topic just to get a link placed within the article. Maximum of two outbound resources per post.
- No affiliate codes or referral links are allowed in posts.

Read the guidelines at:
http://www.bloggingtips.com/write-for-us/

Submit your requests at:
http://www.bloggingtips.com/contact/

Response time is within 24-48 hours.

Republishing Important Entries Without Creating Duplicate Content

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:10:00 +0000

As I mentioned previously, it is beneficial to keep important entries up to date so when someone finds your blog looking for particular information, they get accurate information. If you do not want to keep a running list on your site's sidebar of popular posts, you can always republish old posts.

Do not copy and paste an old post as Google will see this as duplicate content on your site and that is a red flag. Instead, edit an old post, making it current and update its accuracy, if need be. Then simply change the date/time stamp on the post. This insures that the post will show up on your homepage, but the post itself and the permalink would still be the same, thus avoid having duplicate content.

Website

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:03:00 +0000

Guest post written by my buddy Royce Heath

My best friend has just helped me create a website for my business. He is so technical savvy it is sick. I went over to his place and he just showed me the site and I was blown away. He has services with t1.xo. He showed me his final product for me, and it was so wonderful. The design, layout, and organization was perfect.

I had given him a ton of info to put on the site, but he explained to me that less is more when it comes to sites. You don’t want to overwhelm the costumer with too much information and words. I didn’t understand at first, but once I saw what he was talking about, I totally got it. The site is very user friendly and I think it makes a really good first impression of my business. Because we are friends, he did this for me as a swap of sorts. I’ve always helped him out with his truck repairs for his company, and never charged him for those repairs either.

Keep Important Entries Up to Date

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:01:00 +0000

Many websites have a 'must read' or 'popular posts' list and this is so new readers are sure to at least notice, important blog posts. The only problem I see with this method is that some old posts are well, old, and may have outdated information.

However, the basis for these posts may still be very relevant, so it is always a good idea to go through your blog and spot check your posts, especially the ones that get a good amount of traffic.

Backlink Analysis Tool

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:18:00 +0000

If you are looking for a good backlink analysis tool check out ahrefs.com - it is a paid service but there are some tools you can use at no charge. The process is quick, too. I typed in the URL for my Disney blog and got a report within seconds - click on the image to view:

The basic plan starts at $49 monthly, which could be worth it if you are a professional SEO or webmaster. It looks like they are constantly adding more free tools as well!

Lent

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:09:00 +0000

Guest written by our friend Mason Abbott

We did it!!! We had decided to fast from TV for Lent and we knew that if all it took was turning on the switch or plugging in the TV to watch it, we wouldn't have enough will power to not watch it. So we cancelled our cable. We had wanted to switch providers anyways, so this was a good time to end our service to make it through Lent.

It was seriously tough at first. We didn't know what to fill our time with. We had several evening in the first week where we were just sort of looking at each other after dinner like, "what should we do now?"! After the first two weeks though, we were used to it and didn't even miss it. We read some good books and played some good board games! We had wondered if we were going to continue TV free even after Lent, but we went to http://www.direct.TV/ and decided to go ahead and get service! We have enjoyed watching some shows together and are just not being too obsessed with TV!

How Fast Do You Type?

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 11:43:00 +0000

I am a slow typist - even though I spend just about every waking hour typing in my computer! I blame my phone because of its predictive text, lol. Anyway, I found a cool site to test m typing speed: 10-fast-fingers.com

You can login with your Twitter or Facebook account and the site will track all your typing tests, presenting with with an average WPM count, the highest one, the lowest one, and you can also see your ranking in relation to all the other users who took a typing test in the previous 24 hours.

Computer Germs

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

I don't mean viruses your computer can get--I'm talking about viruses YOU get. So, it's pretty safe to say that your computer's keyboard and mouse are the most germ infested items you touch on a daily basis. Dusting doesn't get rid of the ickies.

How about using 'Delete' wipes.

Use them on your keyboard, your hands before typing, and your mouse. Viola! Germs be gone! Yea, they're 'just' wipes, but isn't the box cool?

What Do Your Readers See?

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:53:00 +0000

You send countless hours setting up your website, trying to make it look good, carefully choosing colors and fonts, but are yo the only one who sees your site as you created it?

With so many browsers out there, including 'mobile' browsers, do you know that your readers do not all view your site as you do? If you want to see your site as others do from different browsers, check out: FontTester.com

The site allows you you tweak and compare blocks text. You can use a single, double or triple column layout, and tweak each one independently. Among other things you’ll be able to change the:

font
font size
font color
line height
letter spacing
word spacing

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:48:00 +0000

Thanks for the guest post by Jonathan Curtis

I visited http://www.direct.tv/ and looked into upgrading our television package. I decided to add the movies channels. My husband has recently started a new job. He only gets one day out of the entire week off of work. When he gets off, he is usually worn out. He really doesn’t feel like doing too much, just wants to relax. I decided that getting the movie channels would give us something to do that wouldn’t be so tiresome.

I am glad that we added them, because we have seen so many great movies lately. I always thought that the movie channels would replay the same movies over and over again. It is actually quite the opposite. They play movies that are pretty new releases and also some older movies too. I have really enjoyed some of the newer releases that have been on. I watched the remake of “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” with James Franco the other day. I was actually surprised that I really enjoyed the movie. It had some great computer animation of the apes.

Google Penalizes Itself

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:37:00 +0000

There was a marketing campaign that Google carried out to promote its Chrome browser. Google hired a marketing company to promote some web videos, and that company in turn hired bloggers to post the videos. The problem came to light when some SEOs noticed the campaign and found a couple of those bloggers using 'dofollow' links to the Chrome homepage, which is a violation of Google’s guidelines.

Read entire story: Google’s Jaw-Dropping Sponsored Post Campaign For Chrome

Earned Another Degree

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:05:00 +0000

Thanks to Lemuel Craft

I have been a teacher for seven years, and I love my work. I recently earned my master’s degree in education, which for our school district is a significant pay increase. One of the first things my husband and I have decided to do with the money is to upgrade our home security system through ADT jax. We are also saving for a new car. I have been driving the same car for about eight years, and I bought the car when it was used. It has been a good car, but it is time for an upgrade.

My husband and I always joke about how quickly our salaries are drained by bills and other expenses. I guess that every couple feels this way. Although the pay is not that great, I really love my job and am thankful to be working in a profession in which I can have a positive impact on society.

My husband is also a teacher, and he feels the exact same way. To me, education is one of the most important professions a person can go into because it is impacting the next generation of this country.

Marketing Strategies for Your Website

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 20:14:00 +0000

The Internet and the number of people who use it are growing at a fast rate. In fact, these days everyone seems to be competing for the same things: exposure and loyal readers/followers/clients. With competition this fierce, it is important to have an online marketing strategy to gain exposure for your website.

The first three pages of Google search are 'king' - pages after that are seldom viewed. Most people, when searching a keyword or phrase, are most likely to look at the first three pages of the search results and will ultimately choose a website found on one of those pages. Websites found at the beginning of search results are often regarded as trusted and reputable.

Search engine optimization (or seo) is one way to gain exposure. Last I read, search engine marketing in the Middle East is quite successful. If you are marketing a product or service being in the top of Google search results, digital marketing is key.

Twitter users from the Arab world have a 136.5 % growth rate since about 2009 to today, that is HUGE! An infographic about Digital Marketing Trends in the Middle East reported that 40% of these social media Twitter users are from UAE,

Branding is also very important. This is where Internet marketing comes in. Using tools such as blogging and social media helps to get your brand recognized. Without this, your website and what you want to promote may go unnoticed.

Show Off Your Blogging Talents

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:28:00 +0000

Just like every other industry, the blogging has its own yearly conventions and trade shows around the world. If you are a blogger looking to attract new clients or you run an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) company and you set up displays at some of the conventions or trade shows in an effort to attract new business, you should consider maximizing your impact.

For example, Vinyl Banners are easy to setup and can quickly catch a potential clients eye. You can even go as far as to purchase these Trade Show Displays with your company info printed on it.

The more people you can attract to your booth the better off you will be when it comes to converting new clients and subsidizing the cost of participating in the convention or trade show. Last month I attended a little trade show and I actually saw trade show exhibits a blogger had set up. Kind of 'selling' himself as a medium of sorts for people. It was something I would have thought unheard of but he was actually busy the day we were there. people were really interested in him but I really think it had to do with the exhibit he had set up. It was futuristic, like a 'marketing of the future' type set up.

To find trade hows in your area, simply type in the keyword and location and you'll find the shows in the area you want. I really think any type of publicity is good fr getting the word about about you and your business.

Advertising Today

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:04:00 +0000

Advertising is not what it was anymore, is it? The first thing I pondered when I started my own small business online was, "how should I advertise it?" Some 'old school' ways still work. I made up business cards and would leave them at grocery stores, tattoo parlors, on the pumps at gas stations, etc...Flyers work as well. However taking out an ad in the newspaper seemed outlandish to me. Years ago that would work, but I doubted it would work now.

Then I cam across an Advertising Agency that still uses the 'old school' ways as well as 21^st Century platforms, such s the Internet, social networking sites and blogging. The basic concept is that people still use older forms of media, such as newspaper and radio; they simply view it or listen to it in different ways. People are enjoying their favorite television shows, music and publications online.

This is exactly the type of advertising I need to look into to get my online business 'out there' in order to build my own client base. Times, thy are a-changing, this is true, but old fashioned ways still work, they just need to evolve a little - they need to morph into the here and now.

If you have a business, whether online or an actual brick and mortar store, keep in mind that there are still many people from the older generation who still look to older ways to gather information. Combining your advertising with old and new mediums is the best way to reach customers and clients of all age.

A Few Things You Need To Know About Outdoor Patio Furniture Set

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 23:23:00 +0000

For many homeowners, it is quite challenging to choose the right patio set for their outdoors. Many people crave to have an attractive and incredible patio set to enjoy family fun time. If you have kids, it is important to put various factors such as the age of the kids into consideration. Picking the right set is all about careful consideration and paying attention to detail. Within no time, you will have the right patio furniture set for your outdoors.

Getting the best patio set involves taking an inventory of your needs as well as those of your family. For instance, if you have very young kids, you will need to get a set that can handle spills and stains. If you have teens around the house, you will need to get furniture that can withstand rough play.
The perfect patio set must resist the effects of weather. The set will be outdoors most of the times. As such, you need to go for high quality furniture that can resist elements of weather; all of them. You can also get covers to protect your furniture.

Regardless of how perfect your set might be, you will need to regularly clean and carry out maintenance. Otherwise, it will not remain as good-looking and sturdy for long.

Being a Better Beginner Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:15:00 +0000

A friend of mine recently started blogging and asked me to take a look at her blog. She was new to the game and wanted me to tell her what she was doing right and what she was doing wrong. Since I manage a blog about blogging, I felt I should take a look. I have decided to share a few things with you that I felt she could improve on.

As a whole, she did an excellent job. She stuck to topics that she knew and understood so she was able to come across to readers as authoritative. This is very important when blogging. Blog readers are smart and can all the BS flag right away if they see you don’t know what you are talking about. If you plan to blog, blog about something you know. If you’ve never watched an NFL game, I’d stay away from blogging about Football.

One thing I did notice is that when she wanted to link to a website, she linked to the actual URL. As an example, she did this: http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Men/ The best way to link to a site is to use a keyword. This not only prevents the post from looking cluttered, it helps the website that you are linking to, provided your blog has page rank. As an example, if I want to link to the excellent company that I listed above, I'd do it like this: healthcare uniforms. Now, if you hover your cursor over "healthcare uniforms" you will see that it is a hyperlink that takes you directly to the website I am talking about.

When indexed, the keyword and the link will help the website you write about. This is called a "backlink" and is very important for beginner bloggers.

Time to Think Outside of the Box

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:39:00 +0000

Many bloggers venture into other areas of money-making opportunities that stay within the realm of working from home. For example, many set up profit sharing tee shirt websites and design graphic tee shirts. Some people set up drop-shipping websites and sell a product they are familiar with. For example, I have a friend that sells aftermarket guitar parts for anyone interested in customizing his guitar or bass.

One thing I came across recently and thought was a great idea is custom wall stickers. With super hero, sports icons and pop culture growing in popularity on an hour by hour basis, you can take advantage of this by designing great wall stickers. With a bit of SEO work and some thoughtful designs, you could be on your way to adding a bit of supplemental income into your bank account to help supplement your blogging.

With the world of blogging becoming difficult to earn a living in, it has become very important to venture outside of your comfort zone to help make additional income. An outside of the box idea such as this could help you remain self-employed and working from home.

Wearing Your Business

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:59:00 +0000

Now that you have you very own little business, how are you going to advertise? Maybe by handing out business cards, posting an advertisement in local papers, posting flyers at local businesses, or utilizing social media.

How about wearing your business on our sleeve, literally? It is an excellent idea! Once you have a logo designed and copyrighted, get that logo on shirts, sweatshirts, t-shirts, even jackets. Any kind of apparel you can think of is a great place to put your logo. (Well, almost any kind!)

The best way to get your logo on apparel is with custom embroidery - done by a reputable company. Once you have items embroidered, you can offer them to employees, family members, and even friends. The more people you have 'wearing' your business logo, the more advertising you get!

Think about it - it will in a sense be free advertising. Yes, initially there is an investment but compare the initial investment to the number of people wearing the clothes and the amount of times the items are worn. This is a win-win for you!

Sharing Best Practices

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:06:00 +0000

Most people would accept advice from a search engine marketing firm when it comes to enhancing the marketability of their blog because these are the people who study trends and devise ways to enhance rankings. Every blog has a topic and a point to get across and no matter how much of an expert on the topic you are, there is usually someone out there with equal or increased experience. Often, searching out those people and asking them to add a guest post to your blog is a good way to broaden your readership and validate or enhance the point of view you seek to get across in your own writings.

When you have multiple views on a single platform is sparks a collaborate effort. When readers see that you value similar and even differing views, it can promote increased responses through blog comments, link backs and even linked replies on other blogs. Guest blog posts also raise your reputation in the blogging community by allowing you the ability to build relationships with other bloggers.

Don’t litter your blog with a guest post every day, but use it to enhance a controversial topic or to introduce a new point of view. This helps to spark conversation amongst your readers. You might find that this is the key to put your blog over the top.

Expanding My Bakery

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:49:00 +0000

The article written by Alonso Kramer

Last year, I fulfilled my lifelong dream and opened my own bakery. I started off just selling cupcakes, which were very trendy at the time. I then expanded to making cakes and pastries. The location of the bakery is very convenient to my home and I had found the perfect building when I opened, but lately business has really picked up.

One of my customers recently told me that she wishes I would open another bakery near her office. That got me thinking about the fact that opening a second bakery would bring in a lot more money. I took her business card and drove to her office one afternoon and found that if I opened another bakery near her office, it would be very close to a lot of businesses and I would probably have many new customers in the mornings for my pastries. I would probably have to find a bigger building for the second location. Hopefully the utilities would not cost a lot more.

Thankfully I have a friend who just told me about texaselectricityproviders, where I can look into saving money on energy. I think I’ll start looking for a building for my new bakery.

Branding

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 18:59:00 +0000

Branding is very important. Having a blogspot or other blog platform URL does not install professionalism to most readers. often, as soon as a reader sees that the URL is Joe's blog at blogspot, they immediately look for the X button and close out of the browser. You can increase the validity of your blog by purchasing a URL. Most platforms offer easy integration to make the process of moving from a platform based URL to a purchased URL very easy. When you have your own URL you can use the URL name to start "branding." Brand recognition is very important weather you sell a product or attempt to keep readers.

If they remember your blog's name, they will be more likely to pass that name off to potential readers. Many bloggers design a custom logo that represents their brand or blog's name. This type of branding is auditory and visual. If you have no artistic ability, you can have a professional create a logo for you.

Talk About Television

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:30:00 +0000

It can get very hard to write original content when you manage multiple blogs. Eventually you simply run out of ideas or rehash the same stories as you discussed previously. It is important to provide your readers with unique and genuine content.

For example, I happen to love home improvement showed and yesterday I watched a show where the homeowner’s house in Austin was hit by flooding. The whole episode was basically a “how to repair water damage Austin edition.” The homeowner ended up running to http://www.thesteamteam.com/ to help fix everything. It seemed a bit much for just the homeowner to handle.

Now I can relate to this television show because we have had a lot of flooding in the East coast over the last couple of months. Fortunately, my house as escaped this problem but I have many friends who have dealt with Mother Nature’s wrath. This is a perfect example of how you can associate your television viewing experiences with your real life blooging. Use your vegetation hours to help spark your blogging creativity.

Blogging While Traveling

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:20:00 +0000

Traveling, for me anyway, is usually a vacation. A time to get away from work and relax. However, being a blogger means there is always something to write about. I find I have more things to blog bout while on vacation. In most cases, the blog entries I create while I am away are my most interesting posts.

Since I take my work with me, having a reliable and lightweight computer is important. I recently found a nice HP Laptop that is perfect for traveling along with me. I never used to actually take a computer with me because I have a 'smart phone' and can blog from my phone. I can even add images to the blog posts from my phone. While this is convenient, it really is not practical for me because I take forever to text/type using my phone.

Oh, and yes, I do have that voice program on my phone where I can speak my thoughts aloud and the phone will type my words. I used that a few times; until I said, "Thank you, Lisa" and my phone transcribed, "you suck" wow--what the heck Hahahaaa!