So I've been blogging for a while over on Weebly and recently decided that I wanted all of my content to filter out from one
source (my website) to keep things more manageable, but I was still left with a blogging conundrum - should
I have a Blogger blog, or not?
My reasons to have one:
It integrates nicely with some of my favourite writing and travel related blogs
Greater exposure
Top SEO
My reasons against:
Weebly blog is well established and I want all of my content to feed from my website out to various social media streams
Having another blog in another location to look after will be too much to maintain
However, I have noticed some distinct disadvantages with Weebly blogs as follows:
You can't copy or save an archive of your blog posts to any where. So,
you will not be able to migrate. If you need to move to Blogger or
WordPress, you have to manually copy and paste all of your posts and
comments.
There are
no post tags. Post tags tell precisely what the post is about in five or six
words and search engines give priority to them, treating them as
subjects rather than words. With the post tag facility absent in Weebly,
it leaves your blog posts treated as generic content.
Thinking
about all of the pros and cons above, I finally decided to have a
Weebly blog and a Blogger blog and to copy and paste my Weebly content
to Blogger. It's definitely not efficient, but it's an adequate
compromise for now. I reasoned it was better to be a part of the growing
Google social media network, than to miss out altogether.
Friday, 14 June 2013
Wednesday, 12 June 2013
Website interaction
 |
| Drive the spark within your website |
Time is precious so I have to admit to not being a fan of forums or chat
rooms. I also don't have enough time yet to prepare and send out my own
ezine.
If you feel yourself agreeing with me, what can you do then to make your website more interactive for your audience?
Here are 5 suggestions which are very easy to implement if you have a basic website already in place.
1) Star in and post your own YouTube videos with a direct link to your YouTube Channel so people can check out your additional content. Talk about anything writing related. Give advice. Discuss the themes of your latest book. Make your content come alive.
2) Include a blog so people can leave comments and subscribe to your posts via an RSS feed.
3) Post podcasts so your content can be downloaded and listened to as audio files.
4) Link up Facebook and Twitter to your website, so when you post new content, people using social media are instantly notified.
5) When you have enough of a following, prepare and email exclusive content to them using an autoresponder.
If you feel yourself agreeing with me, what can you do then to make your website more interactive for your audience?
Here are 5 suggestions which are very easy to implement if you have a basic website already in place.
1) Star in and post your own YouTube videos with a direct link to your YouTube Channel so people can check out your additional content. Talk about anything writing related. Give advice. Discuss the themes of your latest book. Make your content come alive.
2) Include a blog so people can leave comments and subscribe to your posts via an RSS feed.
3) Post podcasts so your content can be downloaded and listened to as audio files.
4) Link up Facebook and Twitter to your website, so when you post new content, people using social media are instantly notified.
5) When you have enough of a following, prepare and email exclusive content to them using an autoresponder.
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Building your blog's readership
As we wrap up this series of posts on developing your author platform
and online presence, here are some tips on building your blog's
readership.
- Publish regularly so your readers know when to visit for fresh content.
- Stick to your niche. Mine is writing, travel and photography and occasionally I chat about other things, but I always bring it back to these three.
- Write meaningful titles for posts to announce what they're about and to help your reader's navigate your blog. Good titles also help your search engine rankings!
- When people start commenting, make sure you interact with them. This is what being a writer is all about these days.
- Something I don't do - but should - is highlight my best posts. At the moment, they're lost in the archive! Create a "Best Posts" category on your blog page or homepage and link back.
Monday, 10 June 2013
Notes for a good blog comment
Here's how you can maximise your chances of getting traffic back to your
website by leaving quality comments for other bloggers. Basically it
boils down to common sense and a bit of a balancing act...
1) Don't be too eager to be first to comment, but don't be last either.
2) Read the whole post!
3) Pick a part you want to comment on and write no more than a paragraph.
4) Add some value to the discussion.
5) Stay on topic.
6) Use an example from personal experience.
7) Don't self promote!
1) Don't be too eager to be first to comment, but don't be last either.
2) Read the whole post!
3) Pick a part you want to comment on and write no more than a paragraph.
4) Add some value to the discussion.
5) Stay on topic.
6) Use an example from personal experience.
7) Don't self promote!
Sunday, 9 June 2013
Building blocks of blogging
Building blocks of blogging - try and say that after a few drinks!
Today we're going to talk about what you should be doing to take your blog to the next level. I'm still at the stage of blogging 4 to 5 times a week and not really looking beyond that, so I'm learning here too...
First and foremost - you're writing great content and getting hits, you also have a plan of action for future posts. Now, spend some time going through your most popular posts and figure out why. This will be the foundation for the rest of the advice I'm about to give you.
Search out a handful of writing blogs you really like and do two things - guest post and comment. Think of each blog post as a magazine article. You need to be pitching your most popular content to similar bloggers, just like you would when pitching to an editor of a magazine. This is the best way to broaden your online audience and build relationships with other bloggers. Also comment on these blogs and include a personal life experience to bring their advice back to how it's helped / or is helping you.
To enhance your guest posting experience, come up with 10 blogs relevant to yours and find ways to link your content back to theirs. Try to substitute one of your blog posts for a guest post each week.
Finally there is the matter of monetising your blog. Of course, you have to have a product to sell first. If you have a niche within your writing, or your day job (which you blog about) provides a basis for a product, then the product will most likely come from this. The point is you need to do some hard graft "behind the scenes" to build your product portfolio, so eventually you can regularly introduce these when blogging - and make money.
However, one step at a time and it really is up to you how fast you go with all of this. The important thing is to enjoy your blogging and forge lasting relationships where you can support each other.
Today we're going to talk about what you should be doing to take your blog to the next level. I'm still at the stage of blogging 4 to 5 times a week and not really looking beyond that, so I'm learning here too...
First and foremost - you're writing great content and getting hits, you also have a plan of action for future posts. Now, spend some time going through your most popular posts and figure out why. This will be the foundation for the rest of the advice I'm about to give you.
Search out a handful of writing blogs you really like and do two things - guest post and comment. Think of each blog post as a magazine article. You need to be pitching your most popular content to similar bloggers, just like you would when pitching to an editor of a magazine. This is the best way to broaden your online audience and build relationships with other bloggers. Also comment on these blogs and include a personal life experience to bring their advice back to how it's helped / or is helping you.
To enhance your guest posting experience, come up with 10 blogs relevant to yours and find ways to link your content back to theirs. Try to substitute one of your blog posts for a guest post each week.
Finally there is the matter of monetising your blog. Of course, you have to have a product to sell first. If you have a niche within your writing, or your day job (which you blog about) provides a basis for a product, then the product will most likely come from this. The point is you need to do some hard graft "behind the scenes" to build your product portfolio, so eventually you can regularly introduce these when blogging - and make money.
However, one step at a time and it really is up to you how fast you go with all of this. The important thing is to enjoy your blogging and forge lasting relationships where you can support each other.
Saturday, 8 June 2013
Engaging your readers
It sounds corny to say "write from the heart", but really, isn't that
what it's all about? There are people out there in cyber space searching
for the exact words you're about to pen and when that connection
happens, it's going to be magic.
You are going to make a difference to someone's life.
Basic writing skills and good knowledge of topics make a successful blogger, but a deeper connection with the reader will bring them back to your blog time after time.
With each blog post, start afresh every day. Write like you're talking to your friends. Be outrageous once in a while. Challenge the norm. Exude a little vulnerability. And above all - have fun.
You are going to make a difference to someone's life.
Basic writing skills and good knowledge of topics make a successful blogger, but a deeper connection with the reader will bring them back to your blog time after time.
With each blog post, start afresh every day. Write like you're talking to your friends. Be outrageous once in a while. Challenge the norm. Exude a little vulnerability. And above all - have fun.
Writing a blog
To complete our quartet for building a successful author platform and
online presence we come to the world of blogging - and I have to say I
LOVE blogging.
It's "writing freedom", a form of escapism, pushing the boundaries and saying things the way you want to say them without having to worry about RULES.
Keep this foremost in your mind as we discuss how to go about becoming an expert blogger over the next few days.
I've got 5 pointers I would like you to consider in today's post:
1) Write about what you love and write for YOU.
At least to begin with to ease you into the blogosphere.
2) Treat blogging as a writing exercise.
Especially if you're trying to write some words every day.
3) Keep it short and punchy.
People don't have a long attention span when they web surf. Get to the point quickly and do it in a way that grabs the reader instantly. Research shows you've got 5 seconds...
4) Freestyle your writing.
The beauty of blogging is nobody is going to judge you, and if they do - who cares! Blogging is a personal thing. It's showing who you are - to the world. But don't be scared about that. It's actually wonderfully refreshing. Imagine - your work being read around the globe. I bet you never dreamed it. Blogging makes it happen. Just like that.
5) Share writing wisdom.
Between blogging and Twitter, I've learned so much and got my writing buzz back on track. There are millions of writers out there all reachable through blogging communities, and if you can't get to a writing group and you desperately need some inspiration and human contact, this is a godsend. So don't be afraid to network and share thoughts and ideas.
It's "writing freedom", a form of escapism, pushing the boundaries and saying things the way you want to say them without having to worry about RULES.
Keep this foremost in your mind as we discuss how to go about becoming an expert blogger over the next few days.
I've got 5 pointers I would like you to consider in today's post:
1) Write about what you love and write for YOU.
At least to begin with to ease you into the blogosphere.
2) Treat blogging as a writing exercise.
Especially if you're trying to write some words every day.
3) Keep it short and punchy.
People don't have a long attention span when they web surf. Get to the point quickly and do it in a way that grabs the reader instantly. Research shows you've got 5 seconds...
4) Freestyle your writing.
The beauty of blogging is nobody is going to judge you, and if they do - who cares! Blogging is a personal thing. It's showing who you are - to the world. But don't be scared about that. It's actually wonderfully refreshing. Imagine - your work being read around the globe. I bet you never dreamed it. Blogging makes it happen. Just like that.
5) Share writing wisdom.
Between blogging and Twitter, I've learned so much and got my writing buzz back on track. There are millions of writers out there all reachable through blogging communities, and if you can't get to a writing group and you desperately need some inspiration and human contact, this is a godsend. So don't be afraid to network and share thoughts and ideas.
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