How are you Going to Make Money with a Blog?

How are you Going to Make Money with a Blog?

The one thing that always seems to be floating around in a bloggers mind is how to turn their blog into something profitable.  Wouldn’t it be great if you were able to take your love of writing your blog and make a great deal of money from it?  What if you were able to turn it into something so big that you ended up living very comfortably off of your blog?

I have had this dream a dozen times.  I love my blog.  Writing is all I want to do.  I could spend hours every day on my blog and feel incredibly lucky, if I was making enough money for that to be a viable option.

Regular Maintenance is Critical for your Blog

Regular Maintenance is Critical for your Blog:

Do you take a day every week, month or a few times a year to make sure you are doing all you can to maximize your blog?  I believe a successful blog should be treated like a business.  Every so often you should schedule time to regroup and refresh your blog.

Let me give you an inside peek into what I do to stay on top of my blog.

1.  I sign out of my blog,  then I go to my blog site to see how everything looks from a reader’s perspective.  I want to make sure that things pop up correctly, that the page loads quickly and I will leave a comment, to make sure the process is easy.

Free Critique of your Blog

Free Critique of your Blog:

I have gotten so many requests to look over my reader’s blogs that I have decided to create a special opportunity.

I will be putting up another page on this blog.  If you would like your blog critiqued, please place your link on the critique page with a sentence about what you would like me to look at.  It’s fine if you just want me to look over your blog in general because you are just starting out.  If you have a specific question, just write it in the comment section with your link.

Some Secrets I’d Like to Share About Blogging

Some Secrets I’d Like to Share About Blogging:

I would like to try to help those who are either starting out blogging or feel like they have hit the wall.  It’s great to write about how great blogging has been for me, like I did in my last post ways/ but I realize that the article could feel frustrating to read if you feel stuck or overwhelmed.

Below are the best tips I can think of to help you move along in the blogging world. 

1.  Authenticity is everything.  Be true to yourself and do what feels best.  No matter how much advice you read, a blog will take a while to gather steam.  Use this time to learn what you are passionate about.

Tweaking the blog comes with the territory.  You might decide to not continue to write poetry for example, but are loving writing about trips you have been on.  Listen to your heart and follow what makes you feel happy and it will show through to others.  You will also feel more invested and will want to stick with your blog instead of giving up.

Typography 101 For Bloggers

Typography 101 For Bloggers

Do you want to get more readers to your blog?

Of course you do.

There’s thousands and thousands of tricks on how to do that. And just as many blog posts out there.

But this one is easy, but it’s also pretty much overlooked. I’m talking about some basic information design and typography 101 for bloggers.

Interested?

Accept Your Limitations And Get With It

Now, let me tell you right off the bat: I’m no art director. Actually, I’m pretty far from being good at web design myself.

I know this because I work with some very talented web designers and boy, they have talents I’ll never have.

But I’m not talking about highly creative skills here. And if I can learn basic information design, so can you.

Let me highlight this with a short story:

When I studied at the university, I took a 10 week course named Information Design. And I sucked at it.

At the very end of the course, we voted for who had produced the most beautiful information designs during the course. I don’t remember the name of the girl who won, but from what i could tell—she was talented.

Of course, some fellow douchebag thought it was a good idea to also have a vote on who had done the most terrible design.

A case study in sham SEO

A case study in sham SEO

How do you know when you’re not getting your money’s worth?

A couple of months ago, I was speaking with a prospect about his current web marketing, and it became clear that what he was getting from his current agency had little to no value.

Meet Mike

“Mike” had been paying his agency for months but had seen zero results. A website he’d made for himself on the side was ranking better than the business website he was paying his SEO agency to promote. Having no knowledge of web marketing or SEO himself, he was paying hundreds of dollars a month to this agency for their expertise – for nothing.

How to get more website visitors with SEO Tools?

How to get more website visitors with SEO Tools?

Introduction to SEO and SEO Tools SEO stands for Search Engines Optimization. This is a systematic process by which one can improve the visibility of a website in search engines. Search Engines follows a definite procedure to search and rank each and every website. The magic of SEO is that it can make one site popular and high ranked page even if it is not. Many organizations now hire SEO Agencies to promote and popularize their website. There are many tools are available that helps in the SEO process. Those tools are usually known as SEO Tools. There are many SEO tools are available from different Search Engines. Google SEO Tools, Bing SEO Tools are more famous than others. If one can handle those tools successfully, improved visitors statistics is just a matter of time. Different part of SEO Tools There is no one singular SEO Tools are available who can handle each and every issues regarding SEO Management. So,

The brain as the original SEO instrument

The brain as the original SEO instrument:

I’ve always thought of the Eric Clapton/George Harrison guitar duel tale as an important parable that transcends both love and music.

As the story goes, Clapton had fallen in love with Harrison’s wife (who ultimately became the muse for the song “Layla”). Harrison challenged Clapton to a guitar duel with her love as the stakes. Despite being drunk and using an inferior guitar, Clapton won both the duel and the woman. Clapton’s exceptional ability as a guitar virtuoso transcended any temporal challenges facing him.

The guitar duel story came quickly to mind as I was faced with the challenge of writing this guest post for Raven Tools. (Editor’s Note: We did not challenge Todd to a duel, only because we did not think of it.)

Battle of Blogging Titans: WordPress vs. Blogger

Battle of Blogging Titans: WordPress vs. Blogger:

WordPress and Blogger – if you have been an ardent blogger, you probably have heard these two names zillions of times. And you might be aware of the battle of these titans as well. Being posed with two of the most popular blogging platforms, bloggers are at time perplexed with the big question- which is superior of both the blogging platforms? Both platforms offer a plethora of benefits but if you have recently ventured into the blogging arena then probably you are awaiting for an answer to choose a favored platform to write upon.

SEO Isn't Magic - So Stop Doing SEO Tricks

SEO Isn't Magic - So Stop Doing SEO Tricks:

Hi everybody! My name is Ruth Burr and I’m the new Lead SEO here at SEOmoz. I’m super excited to be here! I’ll be posting on SEO here regularly going forward, but for my first post I wanted to tell you guys that when it comes to SEO, this is how I roll:

I know a woman who’s recently lost about 30 pounds. She looks great, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone compliment her on her new look and then ask, “What’s your secret?” “Just eating right and exercising,” she replies – and their faces invariably fall. Eating right and exercising? BO-RING! Sounds hard!

I Want to Fire My SEO!

I Want to Fire My SEO!

Here is an example of an imaginary conversation that a “good SEO” may have with a “bad client”.  This post is not real and is meant to be humorous! although this [fake post] does address some real issues that we have encountered when dealing with clients.  If you have a bad experience with an SEO or if you are an SEO who has had clients similar to this one please feel free to share your stories in the comment box below.

About 3 months ago I hired an SEO for my company, John’s Quilting. Right now I am not even sure what in the world I was thinking when I wrote that check as I am so disappointed in the service I have received, or should I say what I haven’t received. I am not even sure where to start I am so upset. The SEO and I talked about my business site for an extended period of time and I was very clear about some things like what keywords to use, where I wanted my site to be in the search engine result pages and what the design of John’s Quilting should look like. I’m wondering if he is just deaf or chose to ignore what I asked him to do.

How Does Google reward creativity?

How Does Google reward creativity?

An idea is born. The juices are flowing, and you can’t wait to unleash your newest Internet adventure.

The marketing process starts with the first line of code. Correction: It starts before the first line of code.

Combining great content, a diverse search engine optimization strategy, a creative website and many other aspects of online marketing is what brings success in the long run. But you’ve got to have the missing ingredient: Creativity.

Google has an absolute spooky knack for finding quality on the Internet. And here’s a big clue: “quality” is usually answering a question to somebody’s problem. In this post, we’ll look at how to define creativity in marketing and discover how Google rewards that creativity.

5 top tips to a smooth SEO-client relationship

5 top tips to a smooth SEO-client relationship:

It seems like everyone has an idea of what ‘SEO’ means these days – whether it’s correct or not.

It used to be that an agency needed to explain SEO from top to bottom to a potential client, but lately clients at Summit Web Solutions are more often coming to us with a pre-formed idea as to what SEO is.

With the myriad Internet marketing blogs, websites and affordable SEO tools out there, it seems like most business leaders now can grasp just enough information to understand the basic principles of SEO.

Why SEO certification is a horrible idea

Why SEO certification is a horrible idea:

Most people don’t know this about me, but I have a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, and I even had a private practice for a few years. While I think I was pretty good at it, I wasn’t cut out to listen to people’s problems every day (and maintain a professional demeanor). Throughout that short career I was always bothered by industry certifications and their dual-relationship with state and federal politics.

I recently read about a survey meant to see if a third-party certification for SEO is feasible. I can only hope the answer is no, and I’m going to tell you why.

Top 10 Reasons Why People Blog

Blogs today have become an essential part and need of the most part of generation worldwide. It’s raining blogs. Life was never so tech savvy before this. Whether one needs advice, needs to share a personal experience, be aware of the views on any topic, all one needs is to gear up and punch in a few keys and write a blog. With the birth of blogs conventional writing has taken a back seat. Ink is replaced by the keyboard and readers are targeted globally.  Blogging gets you the reactions from worldwide. It provides a place to say it and be heard.

In general, ‘blog’ used to mean a personal online diary, typically concerned with boyfriend problems or techie news. But after September 11, a slew of new or refocused media junkie/political sites reshaped the entire Internet media landscape. Blog now refers to a Web journal that comments on the news — often by criticizing the media and usually in rudely clever tones — with links to stories that back up the commentary with evidence.

How to Find Guest Bloggers to Write Guest posts on your blog?

This is a part of Question and Answer round. If you have any question on Blogging, WordPress, SEO, shoot me an Email at admin[at]shoutmeloud.com.

This question is asked by Rahul:

Hi harsh, I want guest bloggers for my blog. Can you suggest how I may get guest bloggers?

Guest blogging has it’s own advantages and disadvantages. Though the no. of advantages outrun the disadvantages and many bloggers have started offering guest posts on their blog.  By guest posting, most clear advantage for guest author is they will get free backlinks, free traffic and subscribers. Here I’m sharing few points which work for me and should work for you to appeal bloggers to guest post on your blog.

Where to find guest bloggers for your blog?

Build a community:

How to Write a Simple Blog Business Plan in Nine Easy Steps

Have you developed a business plan for your blog? Does your blog need a business plan? Of what relevance is a business plan to a blogger? If these are the questions running through your mind, please read on as I will provide the answer in details.

If a survey were to be carried out with respect to the topic above, it will be observed that over 85% of blogs are being run without business plans and I can also bet that as at the point of you reading this article, you don’t have one.

It is well known that one prerequisite to successfully starting and building a business is a business plan. Now if a business plan is an ingredient to business success, why can’t it also be utilized for a blog?

Writing a business plan for your blog is definitely not mandatory but if you intend to treat your blog as a business, then I will advice you put down a business plan for your blog.

Why you need a Blog business plan?

a)    Your plan will help you maintain focus

How to Get Targeted Traffic Without Google

We all knew how importance is getting traffic to a blog or a business page. Most of us also knew how much it`s important to get targeted traffic to blog than untargeted one. Without targeted traffic you can`t make a single dime out of your blog. Major traffic for many blogs comes from search engines, of-course from Google. But from last 12 months we`ve seen drastic change in Google`s nature which forced all the blog owners to bind them to Google`s rules. Anyway I don`t have hard feelings with Google. I agree they`re striving hard to give relevant and quality content to users.

If you`re thinking that without Google you can’t survive your online business then you’re wrong.

Best example is JohnChow.com, site earning increased even after Google penalized it.

So, I too started thinking how can I start a business without relying on Google. This paved me to write this post. Here I’m sharing few traffic generation tips for Websites or blogs without being dependent on SEO or Search engines.

How to get traffic without Search engine Optimization?

List of Websites & Directories to Submit Your Blog

Here is a quick list of Websites, directory and places where one should submit their blog. Most of the sites listed here are free and if you are creating a new blog/Website or have not submitted your existing Website to these places, you should go ahead and create one.

This also includes many social networking site and social bookmarking profile. It’s not an extensive list like 1000 sites or something, but I’m creating a list of those sites which are important and will be helpful in either search engine ranking or tracking your site report.

Where to submit your Blog?

Let me start the list with Webmaster tools as it will be first step to get your site on search engines. Submitting you blog to other sites will help in better indexing and crawling of your blog. Specially when you create a new blog, it takes time for search engine bots to find your blog and crawl it, by submitting your site to these Websites which is listed below, it will help in faster indexing. Though if your sole motto is to let your site index in no time, here is a quick guide : How to index your site in 24 hours.

Six Ways You’re Cheating Your Blog’s Readers

Hey there Mr. Bigshot Blogger, it’s time for a few home truths. You might think you’re successful, authoritative and devilishly handsome. But you’re not. No, what you are, is a cheat.
Why? Because, whether you know it or not, you’re cheating your blog’s readers. They’re giving you adulation, adoration and probably a lovely wad of cash too. And in return you’re boring them, ignoring them and leaving them dazed and confused on the sidewalk.
<Image Credit>
So here’s the deal. I’m going to tell you how you’re cheating your readers and how you’re going to change. And in return, you’re going to make your blog even better.
How you are cheating your readers?

Where To Spend Money For Your Blog Growth

I’m a strong believer of proverb “Money makes money“. You need to spend money to make money. Be it blogging or any business, money which you spend is always an investment. We all know, blogging is also a business, if you are making money and if you are not doing anything to promote, grow your blog, you are not doing justification with your blog business. To start a blog, there are few initial investments, which are necessary but after a time, you need to do few things to take your blog to next level.

6 ways to earn money from Internet without investment

Few years back, when ShoutMeLoud was growing, and I had enough money to spend on my blog growth, I was stuck. I had no idea, where should I start from. I had a handful of money, and I wanted to invest it on the best ways possible. That’s like 2 years back, and since then I have spent money on daily basis, and some of them are still giving me best return of the investment. If you are one of those blogger, who is working hard on your blog and now looking to take your blog to next level, here are few ideas which will help you to grow your blog.

What Kind of Content Drive Traffic and Natural Backlinks

Traffic is the most desired thing that unites all bloggers, whether beginner or expert. But the question is : which kind of articles should you write in order to get a high number of backlinks and increase traffic to your blog?

Questions like this are a classic in the daily work of a blog writer and owner : the vastness of the web and the overabundance of content in it produce a cut-throat competition, ensuring that only the most interesting and noteworthy content can generate a significant traffic. Therefore, you can take inspiration from these different ways to receive traffic, backlinks and online visibility : provided, of course, that you follow the correct rules.

How to increase traffic from Email subscribers

3 ways to increase traffic to your Website

Content which drives traffic and Backlinks:

1. Increase Blog Traffic with Collection of Resources

How Much it Cost to Start a Self Hosted WordPress Blog?

Everyone knows that hosting your own blog is a costly affair and this question comes to everyone who just started with Blogging or plan to start with their own self hosted blog. How much it’s going to cost to create a self hosted WordPress blog. In this post, I will point out some of the cost which is involved in the process of set up a WordPress blog.

Cost to starting a self hosted WordPress blog

WordPress is one of those platform, where you can start at minimal cost. WordPress software is free and you can download it for free from WordPress.org page. Though, there are some requirements like a domain name, a hosting space which you have to pay for. after that it depends upon your requirement, how much you wish to spend on customization, SEO and other factors.

If your interest is just to start a blog on WordPress, you can start with minimal cost of $60 for an unlimited hosting and domain with Bluehost and Dreamhost. You can learn about all such hosting which is best for WordPress here.

Domain: Cost: $10

Why You Should Not Migrate From Blogger To WordPress ?

WTF! read the title again.

Doesn’t it sound unique, the heading is just opposite to the ones you might have read on other blogs. In this article we are going to discuss the benefits of  Blogspot platform. We will go through the points in which blogspot is better than WordPress.

Ask a professional blogger, which platform should I choose?

Most of them will suggest you to choose self hosted WordPress. I don’t want to say they are wrong but with all due respect they are not totally right.

If you blog for fun or you are just a beginner then choose blogger but if you want to go professional then choose WordPress. We have already got the reasons covered and if you missed it, here are few articles to help you:

Why WordPress is better than BlogSpot platform

Why WordPress is best Blogging platform at this moment

Most bloggers live with the above thought. WordPress is an open source CMS (content management system) for blogging which is used by millions of bloggers and it’s everyone’s first choice but BlogSpot platform has its own benefits. Before going through my favorite features let us see a few facts about Blogger.

Number of blogs = 100 blogs per account.

Number of labels = 2,000 unique labels per blog, 20 unique labels per post

Number of pictures = Up to 1 GB storage and all the images are stored in Picasa

Number of posts = Unlimited.

Static Pages = 20 stand-alone pages.

Authors = 100 per blog.

Size of pages = Individual pages (the main page of a blog or archive pages) are limited to 1 MB

Size of pictures = Pictures are scaled to 1600px

Migrating from Blogger to WordPress

Hey everyone! 

This all feels so strange. After 4 years of dedication to Blogger, I have decided to make the leap (..slow, tedious dragging of my feet) to WordPress. It was extremely agonizing at first – mostly because I was so terrified of losing content but also because I didn’t want to lose any my followers or my SEO rankings.

But I put my big girl pants on and here we are! Starlit Corner* on WordPress. HOORAY! 

First things first.

Content transfer is pretty easy because both Blogger and WordPress allow for easy export/import. So if you’re thinking about migrating like me, don’t worry too much about that. When it comes to picking a theme, remember that you can’t customize the width of your columns in most themes so pick carefully! Especially if you’ve uploaded photos – I found that some themes would cut off my photos or change the image size and distort the picture.

Step by step.

1. Open a WordPress account and set up your profile and domain.

2. In your dashboard, navigate to ‘Tools’ and select ‘Import’.

3. Select the ‘Blogger’ option and authorize permission for WordPress to collect and copy your files.

4. A list of your Blogger blogs should appear and you select which you would like to import.

Now the difficult part. Obviously when you transfer your blog, your links change and you lose your stats and Google rankings.

I have found a couple websites showing me how to redirect traffic from my Blogger page to here but I want to be sure about it before I start fiddling with the HTML template. So if anyone knows of a reliable site to direct me, I would reeeeally appreciate it.

5 SEO IDEAS FOR WORDPRESS.COM BLOGGERS

I live a life inspired. That is my self-governing mantra. (Om.) I recently thought, ‘Hey, why not live like…I’m freshly pressed?’…Then after that, I just chuckled, rolled over and went back to sleep.

Honestly, though, this idea of living freshly pressed isn’t actually a bad one, or even a bad concept for that matter. Okay, so it’s a bit cheesy, but for those who write and write and write only to achieve deafeningly silent rooms, those who feel they can dig their way out of that hole with their pencil, keyboard and shovel in hand yet still to no avail–it’s a laugh-less and unfulfilled dream…is that you? That’s certainly me. (Ouch.)

Here is a fun statistic to summarize two or three unnecessary paragraphs that I could have chosen to write about your woes but won’t:

As of 2011, neilsenwire.com reports that there are over 181 million blogs from all around the world.

This sounds like a lot of eyes, but this also means even more foreshortened attention spans.

I came across this post about manually maximizing SEO for WordPress.com blogs. I got to thinking about the world of WordPress, having finally understood that WordPress.org is where the big kids do their fancy BMX bike tricks; and I realized that there is nothing to be ashamed of about my training wheels. It all just comes down to the mere fact that you and I-we share something, we have a VOICE. And with that human capability that is so common and trending in the blogging community, that fact further reduces itself to your necessity to be heard. Now that’s something worth pressing about. 

Don’t ditch your tricycle just yet. Here are 5 things that I would recommend for my fellow WordPress.com bloggers:

1. Interview other reputable figures in your area of interest. You would be astonished at the inspiration, insights, and wisdom you would acquire just by having your questions answered. Derek Halpern of Social Triggers also recommends doing this because having the face of someone well recognized appear beside yours in a sense builds your blog’s esteem and its credibility for both the blogger and the blog reader. I look at it this way: when people see you are connected, they want to stay connected to you.

How to Google-proof Your Website in Six Steps

Are you frightened of Pandas and Penguins? If your business and website was severely affected by Google's algorithm changes in 2012, you might be. I have talked to numerous clients who have lamented how much their traffic dwindled as a direct result of those changes. Many have told me how they're scared to do anything with their website for fear of future issues, and not a few have refused to ever speak to an "SEO Expert" again.

Fortunately, there are definitely steps that a business can take to not only improve their ranking within Google search, but also avoid potential issues with the next major algorithm change that Google will inevitably release.

1. Follow The Rules

Perhaps this goes without saying, but any attempt by a business to "outsmart" Google should be considered ridiculous. Do not do anything with your website that you even think, maybe, just might, be contrary to what Google wants you to do. A good rule of thumb for the average business owner might be, if you're thinking about Search Engines instead of Customers with whatever it is you're doing, do your homework first. There certainly are optimization techniques that can and should be implemented, that are perfectly acceptable. For that, you're going to want to talk to a reputable internet marketing agency (I will blog about how to identify a great SEO company another time).

If you're interested in learning for yourself, start by reading some of our Search Engine Optimization articles here, and then head over to SearchEngineLand.com, where Danny Sullivan has put together an amazing team of writers. SearchEngineWatch.com is another resource for information that I would recommend without question.

2. Do Not Buy Links

Some time ago, Google thought it would be a good idea to monitor how many times other websites chose to create a link to your website. These are called backlinks, and the rationale was that if a website was willing to link to you, they must like or support you in some way, so Google considered that a vote of confidence. The more links you had, the better your site must be, right?

Which Do You Prefer: Blogger Or WordPress?

I have friends on WordPress   who also have blogs on Blogger. I would like to know, which one do they prefer?

I will admit that when I was over on Blogger, it was very easy to navigate around the features. I didn’t need to know much about programming and it was very easy for me to launch my posts into the worldwide web.

I will also admit that Blogger  would be rather easy for those who are first time bloggers, because the account is easy to set up and it can be up and running in less than five minutes’ time.

In regards to WordPress, it would take the newcomer a little while before they can manoeuvre themselves around WordPress’  settings. I must add that it took me awhile before it all sank in.

The truth is: I never regretted making the transition from Blogger   to WordPress; the migration was worth it; Renard Moreau Presents   said, “Goodbye,” to Blogger   and said, “Hello,” to WordPress.

I am also curious to know if it is a regular occurrence for people on WordPress   to bring their blogs over from Blogger  via importation. I doubt that I am the only one who removed their blog from Blogger  and planted it firmly in WordPress.

I know for a fact that many of you on WordPress  who once held blogs on Blogger  deleted them or simply ignored them and started new blogs from scratch.

I had no intentions of throwing Renard Moreau Presents   in the figurative trash-can; it would have been crazy of me if I made a move like that. After all, it was filled with great articles — articles that I wrote and started compiling in the year 2009.

I must say that the themes on WordPress  are professional-looking.

The themes on Blogger   are nice too, but I prefer the look of WordPress’   themes.

How to Schedule A Post in Blogger

How to Schedule A Post in Blogger

Well I think now you already know how to make a sticky post in blogger and importance of a sticky post. So I decide to show you another basic blogger tip. That is “How to schedule a blog post”. Under this topic I will discuss about the importance of scheduling blog posts and how to do it.

First you should know what is meant by scheduling of a blog post. Just imagine that you are going to a faraway place for few days for your vacation. At that particular place you are staying, have no internet access. What will happen to your readers? The visitors are coming to your blog regularly to check whether there are any new posts to read. But if they don’t have to read any new post they will forget your blog. So it is important to post regularly to retain your regular visitors.

Then the question is how you can post regularly if you don’t have internet access for few weeks or months. The solution is simple. You can schedule your posts with blogger. That means you can write a post and schedule it to be posted on your blog in a future day.

Well now let me explain how to do this. I have used some screenshots to explain it very clearly.

1. First visit your blog Dashboard >> New Post

2. Then give your post a title and write down your content of the post

3. Now go to the bottom of the page and press on “Post Options” as I shown in following screen shot.

Add a tweet button in your blog.

Add a tweet button in your blog.
Adding the Tweet button to your blog is a very simple process. Just navigate to the Tweet button page, and then follow these steps:

Step-1
There are three options for button layout, two of which include the tweet count. Select anyone one button for add blog.



Step-2
This is completely new – after people use the Tweet button on your site, they will see who you’ve recommended they follow. The first account you should list is your own Twitter account; then you can also add another account to recommend. Perhaps in this space, you could add your company’s Twitter handle, an official blog Twitter handle, or a coworker/mentor. Or leave it blank.



 Step-3
Copy this HTML code

 

21 SEO Leaders Share Their Best SEO Career Advice

One of the best ways to achieve your goals in any field is to learn from those who have achieved success in your industry. I asked some of the top professionals and leaders in the SEO field to share their best advice for being successful in the SEO field. Here are their responses:

"90% of the information you need to know about SEO is available online and in books. Once you have figured out that much (you will know because you will start to feel like you aren’t learning anything new from reading and attending conferences) spend the rest of your time innovating and trying out completely new tactics. That last 10% might be findable through the right connections but honestly your time is better spent coming up with your own ideas."

-Danny Dover, writer at LifeListed.com, a bucket list blog.

"Intellectual honesty. Which is somehow different from plain honesty. Intellectual honesty is what makes you say no when no must be told... and not just in the case you are dealing with a pushing client, but also - and maybe especially - when you don't say 'No' to yourself and accept deals that you maybe you should have not have taken. That is an horrible mistake I did and I wish to not do again.

Intellectual honesty, and humbleness, is what makes you stay with your feet on the ground, even though you maybe are living your 15 minutes of fame. 'I know that I don't know', I like to repeat to myself, and that is why I try to learn one new thing every day and that is why I consider everyone in the field as a potential teacher.

But Intellectual honesty is also what makes you defend your values, also in this field. And defend your point of views... maybe that is what should be called 'ethical SEO'."

-Gianluca Fiorelli, SEO Specialist at I Love SEO.

"Don't just learn by reading what other people write. Learn by doing - test tactics out on your domain; test new things, not just what people are talking about. Try to take a tactic and do it better or try to scale it. Have test domains to try out tactics that may have an adverse affect on your site."

-Geoff Kenyon, SEO for Distilled.

"Never stop learning. Data visualization, language processing, search in general, writing skills and your general marketing savvy have to continuously mature and improve. The best SEOs I know are mental sponges - they soak up information, all the time."

-Ian Lurie, Founder and CEO of Portent.

"Run a number of projects & test what works. To learn the algorithms does not make one a tainted person (it is ignorance that is bad, not knowledge). Do not allow others to influence what you are willing to test by inserting suggestions aligned with their own business models as though they are moral clauses/code."

-Aaron Wall, Founder of SEO Book.

10 SEO Trends You Can’t Ignore If You Want High Rankings

The age of SEO being simple is over. You’re responsibilities have been massively upgraded by a flood of new SEO trends. So how do you keep up?

I thought I’d give you what I see as the ten most important changes you should not ignore if you want high rankings… hopefully allowing you to keep up with this fast-paced SEO world.

Panda/Farmer/Scraper

Google makes a lot of changes to its algorithm, but most people don’t notice the changes. However, you probably almost immediately noticed changes when Google rolled out its Panda/Farmer/Scraper update.

In fact, Google said that the change actually would impact about 12% of search results in the U.S. It negatively impacted low-quality pages and content farm sites and awarded those sites that provided high-quality content.

For example, Mahalo.com ranked for 33,875 keywords before the update to just 9,740 keywords after. That’s a decrease of more than 70%. It’s important to see that the keywords were like these: Zealand air, digg or tax check. Before the update Mahalo.com ranked in the top ten SERs for those keywords. They fell out of the top 100 results.

The Scraper update, which came a little later in the year, targeted scraper sites. Matt Cutts said, “we’re evaluating multiple changes that should help drive spam levels even lower, including one change that primarily affects sites that copy others’ content and sites with low levels of original content.”

12 Things That Will Kill Your Blog Post Every Time

Blogging is a lot like fishing. Some people do it all the time and never catch anything…while others catch everything.

Why is that? You know better than to say it is luck.

So let’s call it what it is…when you look around at successful blogs…whatever industry or topic…there are several undeniable basics to success.

And it starts with blog posts that kill it…rather than get killed. But what kills a blog post? Here’s a list of 12 things…ignore them and you will have a tough time being successful.

1. Crafting cute, clever or confusing headlines (or really bad ones)

Your headline is going to appear in many places. At the top of your post…



In search engine page results…

Easy How to create a Blog using blogger.com

Blogs are another kind of website. You can create it and also organized it’s content. If you are looking to create your own personal blog using Blogger.com, here is a step by step introduction to get you started & learn how to register for an account, pick your blog name, design your page and create blog entries with photos, hyperlinks and various fonts.

Follow the next step and create a blog.

Blogging Basics – Tweet With Style

Most bloggers want their posts to stand out and become a shining example of whatever topic they are writing about. If a blogger wants their message heard, amplification is the name of the game. When I began blogging I immediately began reading everything I could find on what amplification is and how it works.

Amplification:

 

A statement, idea or narrative expanded beyond your website.

The basic idea of using various amplification techniques is to help get your message into the “sight” of more people.

Twitter is one of my favorite amplification tools but a tweet does not do any good if no one ever reads it. Any blogger knows that there is never-ending stream of tweets. Learning to use twitter effectively is one of the blogging basics.

Why blogs aren’t suited for discussion

Over at Rands in Response Michael Lopp makes the case that after BBSes and forums in the  1990s there has been little innovation and newer tech, like blogs, Facebook and Twitter don’t lend themselves to discussion. I particularly like his  “simple rules of communication among a digital population”: Add something to the conversation. Stay on topic. Don’t be a jerk.

But more on topic: there is a reason why blog posts and comments don’t create the discourse we are used from forums: In forums the initial post is just a spark and all subsequent posts are presented as equals. After a while there is little that sets the initial post apart from following posts.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU NOT UPDATE YOUR BLOG

As you all know that, sometimes the bloggers need to take break from blogging. If blogger are taking short break, then you have a option for creating schedule posts in advance. But sometimes its not possible to make schedule posts, so what happens to your blog when you stop blogging.

You will notice the following things on your blog.
1. Traffic coming from search engines will be decreased slightly.
2. Increased in spam comments.
3. Request from your RSS feed will be decreased.

How to create blog using blogger

How to Create A Blog with Blogger.Com

By Helen Mongan-Rallis and Bruce Reeves. Last updated: September 16, 2011

If you don't have a person gmail account (must not be your education gmail, such as University of Minnesota gmail account), go ahead and create new gmail account now. It's important that you don't use your official education account as it doesn't have all the features that personal gmail accounts do.

IMPORTANT: When you use your personal gmail account and your personal blog, you should use a different browser than the one that you use for your official education/university gmail, otherwise this causes problems. e.g. I use Firefox for my University of MN gmail, and Chrome for my personal gmail and personal blog.

Once you have created a personal gmail account, link to the https://blogger.com/start website

Click on the orange arrow that says "create your blog now."

On the "Create a Google Account" screen enter in the information required, namely:

Enter your personal gmail email address, which should be the one that you want to use to be paired with your blog that you are going to create [must not be your official education one. You'll have to retype your email address in the second box.