if you want to leverage the power of the internet to make money online then read this guide to internet marketing for beginners...
Thinking of starting an online business from home or are you looking for online business ideas from home that you can start right now? Then look no further ...
Starting a video blog? Do you want to know the best vlogging equipment for beginners? Then read this post for the essential vlogging equipment you need to ...
Looking for ways to turn your skills into profit? Do you want to transform your expertise and experience into a profitable business? Then read this post...
While 2020 Black Friday is officially a few days away a lot of companies have already opened their doors for shoppers to take advantage of several special ...
You can write the most helpful, interesting content in the world and make no money from it if the content is not written with the bottom line objective in mind.
Ever wondered how the super affiliates make huge commissions from their promotions? In this post I'm revealing the super affiliate secrets..
When I started this blog back in 2009 the subject of making money blogging was just at its infancy. A lot of people back then were jumping in and starting ...
Communication is key in every aspects of our lives. In the business world it is crucial. In this post I'll share with you how to choose the right telephone ...
In the past few years the internet has revolutionized every area of our lives. Statistics already show that more and more people spent their daily hours online ...
Without being “full of it”? Can’t really get you there. Do you mean acting haughty? Please can you offer some explanations?
Hi Iroko, thanks for this great article. You’ve just re-assured me of the fact that I’m a millionaire blogger because I’ve everyone of those traits! 🙂
Ok, I think you should have added “Persistence.” I believe millionaire bloggers all have the spirit of persistence. They never quit no matter the odds against them.
Hi, thanks for the comment. But note however, that I decided to approve this comment at least for once. Please note that kewywordluv is installed and you can use your name plus your keywords in the name field. Any comment without a personal name will no longer go through approval. Take note!
Hi Jeffrey,
I’ve looked at your auction and compared it with the first one you linked to, the $3.53 a day for 107 Blogs! 🙂
I must say if you’ve read carefully my responses in the post you will agree that I’ve touched everything that has to do with the issues raised. You may not agree with that “product” but what I’ve said in the post is that, to sell a product you should be able to create a market, or a demand for that product. And that is done in your sales copy.
Do you noticed that his auction sold in 2 days while yours, though it remains just a few hours to expire, is yet to reach the reserved price listing?
Ok, it’s clear that, as you earlier said, this is not your market. But I’m one who believes that marketing is everything about succeeding in business. Though you may not agree right now because you have a lot of orders waiting to be fulfilled, you’ll definitely need to market sometime later.
So read this post again. I think you will get some ideas from it. But not minding that, you can decide that later, when you’re making the money big time and wants to increase your market reach, you may have to “dish” out some $2500 for some copy writer to write your sales copy! 🙂
Btw. your last comment has given me an idea for another post. I may just be doing that very soon!
@cane furniture,
Except one or two software I use for daily planing I don’t really use goal setting software. I’m sure if you do a search on Google you will be able to found some useful ones. When you find one simply do another search for reviews. I hope that will help.
@cane furniture,
Don’t quite get you there. Do you mean these ideas make you think “online money making is a mere fake and it is only for persons who are scamming the web?”
Will love to hear from you so we can get this straight.
@cane furniture,
And that is why we must determine to be different. Let’s learn these lessons from Rev. King and be a blessing to the world!
@Leon,
It’s really clear that many more bloggers are thinking in this line also. Bloggers have seen that collaborating is better than trying to outwit the other person. Get it right and your blogging business will indeed be a thing of joy! Thanks for the comment.
@Boca Raton,
It’s a pleasure that the post resonate with you. Thanks for stopping by.
I agree with you there on building quality backlinks. Do the wrong thing and all your hardwork will go down the drain! Thanks for the comment.
Truth is that the entrepreneur is a dogged personality. Whatever comes, he/she will be ready to push through.
This is a sample comment used by Thank Me Later. It is not displayed on any blog posts.
@James Frost,
I’ve never questioned the power of quality content. The point I tried to make clear in the post however is that, writing quality content is not REALLY the key to success. You need to know how to position that content to achieve your purpose. That is why I pointed out that you needed to first define your blogging purpose in the first place and then work to achieve that purpose.
Unfortunately many bloggers really do not have clear-cut purpose for their blogs. When this is the case no matter how much quality content you create you might just end up broke!
Or, what do you think?
You’re right on point Tim. Promoting affiliate programs that offer recurring commissions is a great way of putting in the work once and reaping the gains for years to come 🙂
Thanks for adding your voice to the piece.
Hi Nathalie,
Thanks for your comment.
It’s really not about tactics. Before you talk of tactics you should know what you want and then develop a strategy. Tactics grow out of your strategy.
Glad to hear that Stuart 🙂
Hi Lalti,
You’re correct about that. And that is the purpose of this post. If you use the tips in this post you can overcome this problem. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Hi Donna,
Great to hear from you again. Wishing you a glorious and fruitful 2018!
Hi Reji,
I cannot agree with you more. Unfortunately, many business persons today are still locked in the competition mindset. They only see others are “competitors” instead of “collaborators”. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Robin,
Thanks for the comment. Yes, these tips may indeed be great for newbie bloggers. But the truth is any experienced blogger can take these and turn his/her experience into a lucrative business. And, in my estimation the target audience for this post is actually the middle to advanced bloggers, or don’t you think so?
Hi Meenakshi,
There are actually many great places where you can purchase your domain. Do a simple Google search or visit the website I referenced in the post:
http://www.register.com/register-domain-names.rcmx
Great to hear that. Can you send me the link after the translation? Will like see how it looks in your language 🙂
It’s a pleasure to know that this was helpful. Thanks for the comment Dhaval.
You’re definitely right Louis.Thanks for joining the conversation.
Hi Yulia,
Really don’t understand what you mean when you say, “how to make some money tomorrow!” I’ve always advised that we treat everything as a business. Making money online is not get quick rich adventure. If you treat this as a business you will want to take some time to make a list of businesses to approach, draw up a plan of how to approach these businesses, what to say when you contact them, etc.
Commit yourself to approach 10 – 15 on your list and you will definitely have one or two respond positively to you. Frankly, even if you’re able to sign up only one client in a month it will more lucrative than creating content on your blog everyday waiting for advertisers to come to you. From what I have seen on the blogosphere many bloggers hardly make any thing for years. But simply doing this can bring in result beyond expectation.
Any way thanks for the comment.
Hi Arpit,
it’s really a sad thing to see many labor year to year on the blogs and at the end throw in the trowel because they couldn’t make things work. I truly believe if they work on their mindset from the beginning things could be better. Thanks for the comment.
Indeed Google readily rewards you for frequent updates. This is one of the algorithm changes they implemented a couple of years ago called the freshness update. If you see a spike in ranking because of frequent update of your site you shouldn’t surprised.
It’s glad to know that this content resonate with you.
It’s a pleasure to hear that. Thanks for stopping by.
It’s really a pleasure to hear that. Thanks for joining the conversation 🙂
Hi Mairaj,
It’s a pleasure to have add your voice to the conversation. Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Jack,
It’s a pleasure to see that the post was of help to you. On boasting about your product, I really do not understand what you mean by this. But it is worth noting that the prospect really do not care about you or your product. Instead of “boasting’ of what your product is, it is better to show what your product can do for the prospect. this way you can ‘arrest’ her attention and bring her to taking action!
You’re welcome Recomandat(?)
Of course, it it Valentine. This allows you to have traditional mails sent to you digitally 🙂
Thanks Arpit for the comment.
It’s great to know you find this interesting. Can you let us know your experience of it after trying it out?
There’s actually nothing like enough traffic 🙂 All I will say is keep at it. Test and track what you are doing and when something work for you improve on it!
Thanks for joining in the conversation.
Hi Robins,
Fact is, if you are not putting in efforts to impress your site visit and that on their mobile devices, you are leaving money on the table, as they say it!
Thanks for the comment.
You’re definitely right Liam. Customers now demand more transparency and quick response to their questions. A live chat on your site is a good way to meeting this demand.
There’s actually more benefits in having a live chat on your business websites these when customers desire immediate response to their inquiries. Thanks for joining the conversation.
Hi Adarsh,
I totally agree with you that improving user’s experience is the way to go. And this is really the focus of the article. Every point raised actually helps you to improve the user’s experience. When you optimize your sites to increase pagespeed score you’re actually improving the user’s experience. No one user loves a website that loads very slow.
The same goes for clean coding. All of these one way or the other helps the user to enjoy your site the more.
Thanks for putting your voice to the discussion.
Hi Robin,
Thanks so much. I’m glad to know you love this post also.
Hi Faizan,
I totally agree with you. Opimizing images is one other thing I also implement all the time. Thanks for adding your voice!
Hi Dan,
Glad to have you add your voice. Truly love your explanation about the difference between a website and a blog. Many most times confuse the two especially since most people only have a blog as their online marketing tool. But for a business, you definitely will want to make a definitely line between the two so as to understand your focus.
BTW, I understand you want to say, “It’s almost unthinkable for any business to NOT have a website in this day and age.” 🙂
Regards.
@vella di, Pinterest is indeed a great traffic driver for brands that knows how to do social media marketing. From what we saw in the first part of this series, Pinterest traffic is more valuable than most of the other social media sites. You can read that post here:
http://www.webincomejournal.com/13013/leveraging-pinterest-for-business.html
@Pankaj, That’s exactly the way to go. Those who are already in your niche will be more willing to connect with you and of course when they do you gain more exposure.
@Pankaj, Indeed, promotion tactics is actually the target of my next post which will publish in very soon. On businesses that have problems with Pinterest success, it usually the problem with social media marketing.
Most businesses are actually approach these things the wrong way and then when they don’t see good results they complain. I passionately believe that any business that will implement what we have laid out in this series on Pinterest will definitely see results if they implement them.
@Pankaj, You can say that again! May be there being “weired” is just a way of getting the attention. 🙂
@Kristina,
Thanks for the comment. it is a pleasure to have stop by and share your thoughts with us. Hope you make good use of your online writing adventure 😉 Look forward to seeing more or you.
@Emmanuel,
Great to hear from you once again!
Now,is that not really funny? The truth is that many of us really do not know the purpose of schooling. They are condition to believe that getting an education is about taking up employment, get a fat pay check and then spend the rest of your life “slaving” to make someone else rich while they go on complaining about the government no taking care of us!
Btw, why not muse the idea of starting something online to him? That might save him wasting his life looking for what is not there!
Really glad to hear from you.
@Harleena Singh,
What a joy to see around! Yes, it’s really been a long time and the changes are just part of the deal to change with the changing times 🙂
I agree with you completely that spending money on Facebook ads when you don’t have a product will amount to wastage of money. Of course, if you have plans to put a product in the market in the new future, you can use this strategy to build a list now and start building the relationship that will pay you later. In that case you can consider your spend on ads now as an investment for the future.
On people moving to G+, I’ve always preferred G+ to facebook but the when you are marketing online you need to consider your target audience. If your target audience are more on facebook moving to G+ because of the new changes is really not a good business decision. This is why finding some ways around these “harsh” changes comes to play. And of course, who knows what Google may be introducing in the new future!
Thanks for the comment and it’s really a pleasure to see you once again!
@Emmanuel,
That’s really good news! The fact is simply knowing what really works and then focusing on it. To know, you will need to test and track. Taking the initiative is really what matters.
I hope you achieve your dreams and thanks for the comment.
@Huntington Beach Chiropractor,
You’re definitely correct on that. If you are not ready to put in the sweat you mustn’t expect any good out of email marketing.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Mitch,
It’s obvious why email did not work for you. You must understand that email marketing is not the same as “mass email broadcasting.” Email marketing is about permission marketing. You will need to build a list and nurture it to be responsive. Buying email contact from some email merchant and sending out email broadcast with the hope that some will click and buy your offers is a recipe for failure. That is not what I’m advocating here. You will need to learn the basics again before you can really say if email works or not.
@joue si,
That’s great to hear. Frankly, I’m only trying to practice what I’m preaching! 🙂
Indeed, valuable content is what drives the internet. Make your content valuable and you can be sure of reaping the gains!
Thanks for the comment.
@Sagar Nandwani,
It’s good to hear that Sagar. Wishing you well in your endeavours!
@joue si,
Thanks. It’s a pleasure to see that the post resonate with you.
@Emmanuel,
That’s good to hear!
But if given the opportunity to use get a paid job as a blogger will you give up your blog business and take that opportunity?
@Emmanuel,
Frankly, it’s something that has gotten many bloggers thinking. Just earlier today while writing this post I simply did a Google search to see what others are saying about this and you will be surprised. Many bloggers are really concerned. It is truly an evolution and only those who make the proper changes on time will survive it.
Thanks for coming around to put in your voice to the conversation.
@Theodore Nwangene,
I agree with you that many bloggers make these mistakes. At a time I actually fell into the same mistakes because I was trying to conform to the blogging mold. Why I have decided to write about them right now is that I have realized that that road is really not the right one follow. I only hope enough bloggers out there will care about these things as you are.
Thanks for the comment.
@Shiv Saroya,
Yeah, Google Authorship is the sure way that Google associate every content on the internet with its author and so claiming your every one of your content through authorship will help you when your content is scrapped. Thanks for the comment.
@vanessa,
You can say that again Vanessa! It’s a pleasure to know that the article resonate with you.
Thanks for the comment.
@Susan Velez,
Yeah! I think Jetpack is one plugin that is really misunderstood by many bloggers. Using it has helped me dish many other plugins and frankly I found it to be “light” considering the many different plugins incorporated into it.
@Reginald,
Thanks Reginald. Frankly, Google authorship is great. Ignoring it is throwing away a good opportunity to drive more traffic!
@daksh,
Frankly, profiting from your your social media marketing efforts start with targeting the right persona. Unfortunately, this is the area where many businesses have challenges. From your comment it appears you are really having challenges in this area. I’ll suggest that you look again at what your business is about and use that to figure out the type of people you want to target. There are few questions that you use to do this. Questions like, what is my product or service designed to achieve? Who will benefit with it? What pains are these people really having and how can I present my message to get across to them? Etc.
You can do a Google search for information on how to design a customer persona. Once you have designed one, you can then use the information to create your social media content to appeal to the right people. Once you are able to connect right with the right target group, your social media updates will begin to drive leads and loyal customers for you.
Hope this helped!
Thanks for the comment.
@Vincent,
Thanks for your comment. For information sake, Google keyword tool is no more. Keyword Planner has taken its place a few days ago!
Now, if Google’s keyword tool is just enough for your keyword research efforts, I’ll say it depends on what your target is. As an SEO Copywriter I’m sure you doing this at enterprise level which means you deal with different clients at different times.
If that is the case, I’ll suggest you get some paid tool in conjunction with the Google keyword tool. This will help you with bigger research needs and also you will be able to get things done right on time. However, if you don’t want to invest in such a tool for now you can download a free copy of a good one here: http://bit.ly/16F1J1s.
But. like I mentioned in the post all of these tools can only make a meaning to you if you apply your knowledge of the market to it. No tool can do all the work for you.
Regards.
@Kevin Carlton,
LOL! That is what I call real keyword research! You have just given a clear reason why you need some understanding of how to do SEO as webmaster. Leaving that aspect of your online in marketing in the hands of a third party could most times turn out very unpleasant. I have realized that most of the keyword results we are working with are not what the customer is really using to locate us. The best way to get what others are using to locate you is by looking at your website stats.
@Jennie,
That make it about 8 days! Well, you may not believe it that sometime ago, my blog was actually down for about two weeks because this same issue 🙂 Today, I really don’t care whether my host is there to help or not. When I was moving away from the VPS host, I simply searched online for another host, purchased the package I wanted and then proceeded to moving the blog without any need to inform the previous host. I was only after moving and they were reaching out to know how far about the problem I was having with my account that I informed them I’ve moved my blog from that servers.They were surprised and simply had to let me go! 🙂
@ebimablog,
The pleasure is mine. I’ve to do this because I know many bloggers find it really difficult to move their blogs. I’ll appreciate it if you will help promote this post to your friends when they need to move their blogs. Thanks for the comment.
@Amrish,
I must say I very much aware of the “export” option in wordpress dashboard. I’ve used it a couple times. But I must say you cannot use that and get your site up within ah hour or less!
This post may be very long but that is because I wanted to give every detail so that anyone doing it for the first time can know what to do at every point.
Now, about using the “export” and “import” tool in the dashboard, you must understand that if you are using that option, you will need to upload or re-install all the plugins you were using in your blog one by one after importing the blog files. Again, if you want to keep your blog as it was before, you will need to work on the customization and if you are like me who most times customize my themes about 70%, that will take you another day or two!
But the method I have on the post here is so simple that if you work with it, you can get the blog back within an hour everything about the blog will be the same and anyone who is familiar with your blog will never know that the blog has changed hosts!
In fact, yesterday after publishing this post, I went on to try it again on one of my blogs and within 30minutes I backed up the files, deleted the old blog and then re-installed it, load up the files again, deleted the database and uploaded the old one, and the blog was back without any stress! 🙂
When I said this is the simplest way to move a blog, I can tell you I have tried different methods and I’m saying this from experience.
I can say the only way of using the wordpress export tool is better is,if your database is corrupted either because of hacking activity and you don’t have a backup.
Any, thanks for the comment. It’s a pleasure for you to bring that up.
@Amrish,
The keyword planner is designed to work differently but you can still search for “exact match”. Simply enter your keyword and perform the search then from the results page you will see a pencil icon at the right hand corner. Click on it and you can then modify your search either broad, exact match or phrase match.
You can check and let me know!
@Caleb,
I actually did not leave out the traffic part. This is a series and I’ve talked about the traffic strategies in another post. This post is all about setting up the niche site. You may want to read the post where I mentioned my traffic strategy here:
http://www.webincomejournal.com/7492/niche-site-strategy-duel-2-0.html
Of course, I’ll be going into more details about this later in the series.
Thanks for adding your voice to the conversation.
@Saanvi,
The Easy Privacy Policy plugin is just that, EASY! It helps you add the privacy policy without you struggling to know what to put in the page. Besides, it gives you a page url which you can either add to header or footer of your blog. If your theme has a custom menu that automatically adds the pages, it will also be added automatically.
For Google Analyticator, if you have already added Google Analytics, you don’t need it again. The purpose of the plugin is to help you add Google Analytics and since you have that every added there is no need to for it.
Thanks for stopping by.
@Phil,
Glad to hear that. Frankly, the MWR is one strategy that many bloggers are not aware of. The good thing is that you can avoid of whole lot of mistakes from the beginning if you apply it to your blog setup. It’s a pleasure that you were able to overcome the challenges of choosing the right theme.
@Tom Nardone,
Hmm, must say I’m really amused by this! Since the towers came down never watched, listened or read a news story? That is a tall standard you set yourself. Why I do not agree with you that we’re all on a collision course to hell, I do agree that yes, there are lot of things that are wrong with our society. Besides, if you only stopped listening or watching or reading the news stories since the towers came down, I want to believe that you’re only responding to what must have happened then. And if that’s the case, don’t you think that there is more blessedness in letting go and helping to heal the world?
@Tom Nardone,
I truly appreciate your position. All of us are motivated by different things in life. But come to think of it, being rich or famous what is really the difference? When you make some people feel good and by adding value to their lives and they in return give you the high applause is not the same as paying you for what you are doing? (Remember riches is not just about money.) That of course is your own reward!
Again, that you will never follow any blog with advertisements because you would question its integrity or motivation, does that mean you will never listen to a radio station or tune in to a television station because they carry advertisements? Of course, they are there to entertain, educate and inform which is just what blogs are about. That is why blogs are today called the new media. And I hope you never follow any of the news blogs out there because they all have advertisements!
All the same thanks for adding your voice to the conversation.
@Sally Brown,
Thanks for the comment. Niche Site Duel 2.0 is a niche site building challenge being hosted by Pat Flynn of http://www.smartpassiveincome.com. Presently, over a thousand bloggers are participating in that challenge. The purpose is to start a niche site from scratch and then build it up until you start making money with it! All of us will be giving our progress report as we go on.
This is a challenge that most of us are really taking seriously and we hope to see good results not long from now! 🙂
@Phil,
It’s really good to see you around! Besides, it great to know that you are also taking this challenge.
Yeah, personally I cannot wait to see how things will turn out. For now we just have to put in our best hoping that it come out great! About my backlinking strategy, I’ll talk about that as we progress.
I’ve really noticed that many of those who are taking the niche site duel are focusing on building authority sites. Even Pat himself has come out to say that is what he is also building. I can understand that with the recent challenges in Google algorithm, authority sites will have some more advantages. But I don’t really want to take that route. Niche site is niche site while authority site is authority site! My time is already being taken over by this blog and other of my businesses and will not want another addition for now. I want to focus on real niche sites and hope to add more within the year!
I hope we will be able to monitor ourselves as we go on and of course make suggestions on what to do and not to do!
Thanks for the comment.
@Amrish,
Yea, choosing the right keyword is very important. But i don’t think that choosing a keyword with high volume of search is bad. Actually you should go for such keywords because that is where the traffic is! it’s only the high competition that may be a problem. However, in building niche sites you can beat this by simply picking long tail keywords.
thanks for joining your voice to the conversation.
@John Barton,
It’s really a pleasure to see you around and thanks for the good words. i truly want to make this series as useful as possible. I’ll appreciate it if can let me know your thoughts after going through the ones you have “filed” away, if there is any other area you want us to discuss more fee free to point it out in your comments.
Wishing you well with your niche site.
@Ryan,
I agree with you Ryan. But as you know not everyone is on the social media sites with the same purpose. Of course, with more companies turning to social media for customers these things will continue to happen. But we do hope that they do it the right way.
Thanks for the visit and comment. Appreciate!
@Michael Cordova,
Thanks for the visit. Glad that you are not disappointed. It will be a pleasure to see you around more!
@Rajendra,
it’s a pleasure that you found the post useful. Thanks for the visit.
@Ehsan,
Hi, glad to see you again! it’s really good of you to visit. I’m running this series as part of my participation in the ongoing Niche Site Duel 2.0 being hosted by Pat Flynn. I’m sure you did enjoy this post?
On linkbuilding services, I personally do not use those services. I believe in natural link building. By building relationships with other bloggers or webmasters in your niche you can develop a system where these people will begin to link to your content. Also once your content is good others will freely link to them.
Even link exchanges are not in my books. Many have contacted me to exchange links but I always turn them down. You must be careful these days with the what Google is doing with SEO. Don’t fall for any person who want to promote any link building services to you with the promise that it is legit. If Google has not done anything about them very soon they will be touched and you will be the one who is the loser. They have nothing to loss.
Beware!
Sorry for the late reply. Been busy with some other projects. Glad to see you around 🙂
@Fabrizio,
From the report on Pat Flynn’s blog, thousands really took this challenge up. To me, it’s really an opportunity to up my game! I know many, like you are doing this niche of a thing for the first time, but from my experience people like you are more open to implement the lessons that will be learned! For someone who has done this before, I have my own style of setting my up but I’m looking forward to learn a few new ideas. I only hope that my knowledge will not debar me from seeing most of the good points that will come of this! 🙂
I look to seeing how you are progressing also. I’m doing a series that will also help me stay focused. You can also them you will learn a few things from them.
Have you been able to pick a keyword for your niche?
@Iain,
Yeah! Domain name already registered and blog installed. However, I’m still structuring the site, customizing the theme and a few other things. Hope to reveal it at the appropriate time.
Thanks for asking.
@Iain,
Glad to know you are into the niche site duel. Yes, I really have a lot of things in my hands right now but thinking of what one stands to gain both in knowledge, experience and of course the money 🙂 I had to push myself to be part of it. It’s glad to know you have included me in your round up. Thanks so much.
@Daniel Adetunji,
Yeah Dan, these are not new ideas. They are what most niche site experts use every time. Sharing them is so that those who are new to them can gain something useful and run with them! 🙂 And I’m glad that you have also gained something you can practicalize in your own way.
Thanks for the comment.
@Theodore Nwangene,
It’s really great that you love this post. I do this every time I want to build a new niche site. It’s a simple strategy that when used properly can become a gem. About paid and free tools, I totally agree that they make things faster especially if you want to do a whole lot of niche sites in a matter of time. I only mentioned these tools in the post because I’ve heard many talk about them as if it is these tools that does the work for you. If you have these tools but have no idea of the basics as I laid it out here, there will be problem using the tools.
The Spyful.com tool I mentioned in the post also has a paid version but with the free version I think any one can get real good information for building niche sites.
Thanks for the comment my man. Hope you are set to put up your niche site for the Niche Site Duel 2.0?
@Aasma,
Thanks for the good words. I’m only trying my best to help the community and the best way to do that is share from my experience and not just what others are saying.
@Aasma,
You’re right on point, Aasma! Providing the right content is what brings success. The problem is that most people think becoming an expert is a big deal but the truth is that with a little research and knowing how to create your own content from what you have seen online, you can become another expert in the subject. Like Squidoo would say, every one is an expert! 🙂
Thanks for the comment.
@Lisa Niver Rajna,
It’s my pleasure Lisa. It’s really good to know that the post resonate with you. Hope the knowledge benefit you and your business!
@Theodore Nwangene,
Yeah, I truly look forward to seeing some good results. I’m pushing myself to see that I stay up with the challenge! 🙂
@Lara,
I don’t think it is too late already. The contest is just beginning and from what I know so far, Pat has made easy for everyone to be part of it. Of course, if you want to join those who will be working personally with Pat during the challenge, that part has been closed but you can still be part of the challenge by setting up your blog and working on the sidebar! Most of us will be doing just that so you still have the chance if you want to.
Thanks for the comment.
@Karina,
Well, Penguin 2.0 is already here and we don’t have to prepared for it now! If you have not done what is right before now, you definitely will be hit. That is ugly truth! We all don’t have to be on the same page on this, but one time that is sure is that Google is doing a good thing for the web. Cleaning up the webspace is helping us to get more useful content right now. A few years ago, a whole lot of programs were released into the market which does nothing but scrap the internet for content and then post those content online for all of us. Most times when you use the search engines the type of content you are presented with makes one really angry. But all that is changing now.
I believe what we need is co-operate with Google on this or don’t you think so?
@Fabrizio,
Frankly, whenever I hear of bloggers getting hit by these updates, questions always go through my mind. Where is the problem really coming from? Is it that Google is messing up some where or the problem is from the blogger? This is because bloggers are actually those who create original and fresh content all the time.
But then, we must make the distinction between Google’s war against content farms (Panda) and the war against webspam (Penguin). Though webspam cover a whole lot of things the most prominent is linkspam. And so, in this latest release (Penguin 2.0) while Google is admitting some flaws in the earlier Panda updates (that is the reason for relaxing the panda smack!), which affected some genuine content publishers, the Penguin update is targeting link building tactics that are not “natural.”
it is expected that links should be natural since they are regarded as “votes” of confidence from other webmasters. But where such links, from all indications shows they are not so, then Google’s Penguin hammer will definitely fall.
So, my reasoning (I may be wrong on this) is that bloggers who are hit by the updates may be having this problem of “un-natural” links. This is why in my response to Adrienne above I mentioned her checking the links to her blog and also links from her blog. If you are also having the problem of being hit by the updates, looking into this area is necessary.
About looking into other areas for traffic apart from Google, of course that is a good thing. There are a 101 other traffic sources we must explore. But one thing that is still sure is that search engines are still the most valuable traffic sources any day any time. Getting traffic from Google is not really about Google but search engine traffic. So, overlooking Google entirely is not a good decision. I’ve found this to be true especially as a blogger. We could have traffic from other bloggers who visit our blogs, post comments, connect with us and do other things, but the fact is that most times, this type of traffic is not really “valuable!” You can read a post I did on this sometime ago:
http://webincomejournal.com/7086/traffic-generation-get-it-right.html
Thanks for the valuable comment.
@Adrienne,
I can understand your position here. Even Matt acknowledged this in the video. This is one of the reasons why in the new update it’s more about link building (webspam) rather than content (panda). They realized that the panda update affected a whole lot of innocent people while most content farms were minimally affected.
Indeed, it is clear that Google is using programs that could also make “mistakes” but for me I think Google is really trying in its bid to rid the internet of webspam. There is so much of it out there that, if not for Google’s efforts, we don’t know where we would have been right now.
It’s really said that you were hit in the last update. But since you’re very sure that the problem is not from your end, it will be a good thing to look into the sites that are linking to you. One big thing that Google is taking into consideration right now is “relevancy.” If there is too much links from un-related sites, Google could interpret that to be a “manipulative” attempt on the side of a webmaster.
I’ve always noticed that any time Google releases a new update, my blog gets a little push up the SERPs! Well, I’m still waiting to see what will come out of this latest update.
Thanks for the comment.
@Theodore Nwangene,
Go to hell indeed!
Personally, I’ve learned to make my own rules. I believe we all have our different reasons for blogging. I’m an entrepreneur those who make those rules knows who they are but ultimately, the end justifies the means!
Thanks for the comment, mate.
@Oluwaseun Babajide,
I agree with you, no one is perfect! We’re all learning in one way or the other. What we must not forget in our learning is that there is so much advice online. It is our responsibility to choose what to work with. Thanks for the comment.
@shafeeq,
You’re very correct. Blogging can be really tasking and it demands patience. But as a blogger you can always use your experience in building niche sites that can become passive income streams along the way.
Thanks for the comment.
@sapna,
Thanks so much for the mention. I tried making a comment on the post but then the site returned a 500 server error. I will try and do that again.
@Theodore Nwangene,
This really a good analysis of the situation. I personally also believe in the idea of building relationships with other bloggers. But like I mentioned in the post, business relationships goes beyond social connections, You must understand that business networking is not a new thing. It has been an age long concept. But one thing that is sure is that such relationships is aimed at more business.
I advise such relationships but you need the skills to turn those relationships into your own good. In fact, from the beginning you need a plan to make the best use of those relationships.
BTW. Yea, I noticed that for sometime now. It was a result of a plugin. I have taken care of it.
@Ryan Biddulph,
You have made this real clear enough. I’ve always wondered what is going on when a spike of traffic and yet nothing is happening in terms of ROI. Of course, money is not the only thing but like I said, if we are in business then every relationship should be handled in that light.
I quite agree that social media traffic is one that any business should aim for especially in these days. I also did a post sometime ago on how to combine SEO and social media sites for traffic generation.
Thanks for the comment.
@sapna,
I can’t say how happy I am to hear this from you. Frankly, this is something that has been a pain in heart for some time now. I know there are many who are blogging for fun but most of those people are using free blogging platforms like WordPress.com or blogger. But as some one who entered the blogosphere with the mind of building a business, my interactions have been with bloggers of similar interest. Unfortunately, what I’m seeing around leaves a lot think about.
How can you be paying for webhosting, domain name, one or two premium plugins here and there, autoresponder etc. and then you tell me you are only blogging for fun? No, no, no! Most of those people are only using that as an excuse to cover up their low ends! It makes me mad and I had to talk about it.
Right now, this post has caused a whole lot of debate on one of the groups I posted it on LinkedIn. While those who are entrepreneurial in mind are defending the post others are short of calling me rude for daring to tell them what to do!
Of course, I expected such reactions but I know for many its only a cover up. Deep in their hearts they know some day this post will come back to them as a turning point.
I’m glad for you that you are already working on something. I’m a believer in the fact that when you sow you should reap and enjoy the fruit of your labor. I’m wishing you well.
Thanks for the comment.
@sapna,
That is a great idea. I’ll definitely look around if I can get one and when I do, I’ll make that another post. Thanks for the comment.
@Aman,
That’s great to hear. But I must say I’ve been using some facebook groups for sometime now but have not really had any much success with them. Thanks for the comment.
@Susan Harjehausen,
Its really glad to hear from people like you. Yes, this post was really intended for entrepreneurs who are blogging and not anyone who is playing around in the name of blogging. Every entrepreneur has an eye for ROI if it is not there then something has to be done. And that is why this post.
I’m glad that the post is really a wake up call for you. Thanks for the comment.
@Rajkumar Jonnala,
It’s a pleasure to see that you love this post. Thanks for stopping by.
@John Barton,
You will be surprised the kind of dust this post has created on LinkedIn! Many are short of eating me raw for having the audacity to want to dictate what blogging should be.
Of course, I do agree with them that many blog for different reasons which I made clear in the post but these people wouldn’t accept it that if you spend so much time on your blog then it is also a wise thing to get something out of it. It’s really unfortunate but my joy is that there are people like you who understand these things. We are entreperneurs and no matter what, we want some returns for our inputs.
Thanks for the comment.
@Matt Wilkie,
I agree with you that these social networking sites are becoming more conscious of their income potentials. But we have to also agree that social media sites have gone beyond just networking with our peers and and colleagues. Since businesses have realized that these sites are big avenue for connecting with possible clients and customers, it is not out of place for the site owners to find ways of making money with their efforts.
While Facebook is always of changing its settings now and then is because they are still trying to find the right setting that will pay them the more. Its a matter of testing and implementing what they test.
Thanks for the comment.
@William Jones,
Thanks for the comment. It’s nice to know the post resonate with you.
@Denny Mickelson,
Try it and you would be able to attest to its usefulness. Thanks for the comment.
@Theodore Nwangene,
You are right on spot my man. Chinua Achebe has impacted most of us in a very special well. I’ve read not less than 5 of his works and he really never cease to fascinate me with his insight. Thanks for coming around to put in your piece.
Happy Easter and looking forward to hearing from you again.
@King,
I agree with you 100%! If you don’t know what the readers want you cannot give it to them and there is no better way to know that than listening to what they saying either in their comments or through their contact with you.
Thanks for the comment.
@Adrienne,
I quite agree that the free classifieds can really be frustrating sometimes considering the number of ads that get posted each day. But not minding that I can testify that I’ve had some success even with free classified. May be the sites you are using also matters. If the site allows graphics, your choice of graphic will tell how much you get from it.
Thanks for letting us into your experience.
@Ansh,
That’s surprising to hear. Did you use any of the ideas presented in this post when you tried classified ads? Did you concentrate only on free ads or you did a few paid ones also?
I know that with the volume of ads that those sites get in a day you need to be more targeted and creative with your ads. Any way, hope when you try it again you will have more success this time.
@Aasma,
It’s glad to know that this post resonate with you. Frankly, I testing this out and so far the results have been encouraging. I think why many people have overlooked classifieds is the fact that there are thousands of ads most times in a free classified site. But if you know how to target your ads and how to craft catchy headlines, you can make great impact with your ads.
Thanks for the comment.
@Sarah Lamb,
The picture is now much clearer! And, I look forward to that Google analytics post because this is one tool I’ve really been trying to understand for my marketing promotions! Apart from the basic things like knowing how many people visited and what the bounce rate is, I really do not know much about reading those results! 🙂
@sarah,
Ok, that makes things a little clearer. But is there a particular software for building agile websites? That is, one to make things easier? And if you are using wordpress how easy can this be?
Btw. I’ve made your link “dofollow!”
@Rudd,
I agree with you Rudd. When I started hosting sites, I used FTP but since I began blogging I simply use file manager and most times upload files from wordpress dashboard! I don’t really see the need for FTP right now.
@Ansh,
well, Ansh, I think that is a hard way to put it. Ok, they may not be able to get it right for now but there is room for improvement. If they can understand what they are doing wrong and then work to improve nothing is impossible, or don’t you think so?
@Aasma,
You are right on target Aasma. Anytime I read piece of content on a blog or any website, that is the first thing that comes to my mind, what is the purpose of this content? I doubt if many of the bloggers out there really understand this. Most simply publish a blog post because they need to meet up with their publishing schedule. I think every blog post should have a definite purpose, which is, helping the reader solve a pain while helping the blogger get her piece of the cake! 🙂
@Theodore Nwangene,
You are not alone there. It took me about 4 months or so to learn about promotion tactics. Of course, even till this day, I’m discovering new tactics for promoting a blog post. Can you believe that a few posts which I wrote when I started and had not even a single comment then, I recently republished them and they pulled in nothing less than 20 comments? That is just the power of promotion!
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Sarah Lamb,
From your explanations here, agile web design is much the same as split testing, where you test different elements of the web page and make changes in order to improve results, or am I getting it wrong? You said it’s not about the software but what you do in response to user interaction. And this is what split testing is about,right?
@sapna,
Glad to hear that Sapna.Frankly, if you are not able to settle on what your purpose is from the beginning,getting the best from your efforts will be a problem. In everything I do I always want to get my bearings right so that I do not flounder in my efforts.
Thanks for the comment.
@Sandeep Kumar,
That is great to hear. To most of us it’s simply some new concept. Thanks for stopping by.
@sapna,
This is really a new concept that we have to watch out for. Only hope Sarah will be kind enough to throw more light on this topic for us!
@Aasma,
I really don’t know if it’s the name really, but I know that web designers have over the years tried to put some form of interaction on website to make connecting with site visitors easier. I think this is taking that concept further. Of course, in these days when online interactions has become a must, adding things like this to your site make your business more “social” kind of!
Thanks for the comment
@Sarah,
Does this have anything to do with the dynamic websites and salespages that are becoming very common these days?
@Theodore Nwangene,
Frankly, when I first saw the title I couldn’t make any sense of it until I read it over and over again and when the meaning dawned on me I had no option to leave it as it is! 🙂
Thanks for the comment.
@Ansh,
Yes, inbound marketing is truly a good thing for bloggers especially if you know how to do it and monetize your content. Today bloggers produce a whole lot of content but most of these is not really put to the right use. I hope you will be able to use this information in your blog marketing.
Thanks for stopping by
@Roger Weavers,
I’m really glad to hear that you are making money from SEO. Unfortunately, many online marketers thinks that it is a dead tactic not understanding what SEO really is.
And for inbound marketing, it is really the best marketing strategy for marketing online. Once you know what it is how to go about it making money from your content becomes much easier.
Thanks for the comment.
@TradeXL,
Indeed, the various Google updates are aimed at giving the human searchers content that is not only relevant but fresh. This is where blogs beat other forms of websites. Updating your site constantly will help in this area.
Thanks for the comment.
@Smith,
That is really great! Would you also advocate renting a blog (if there is really anything like that!)?
@sapna,
I agree with you there. i also advise business persons who wants to get into blogging because of the gains to get some career bloggers to help out if the money is there. Running a business and managing a blog is not really easy.
Thanks for the comment.
Btw. keep on giving us those funny and insightful infographic posts of yours! 🙂
@Theodore Nwangene,
That’s really the truth. Most blogs on the blogosphere today are actually business blogs being used by savvy entrepreneurs to power their online businesses. Setting up only a static site these days is nothing. Only thing you have to be careful if not the blog will take your whole time!
Thanks for the comment.
@David Tucker,
You get the idea very clear indeed! It’s simply about you taking your blog readers as “customer” and as they say, the customer is king. Your part therefore is to package your content is such a way that the “customer’ is the king is satisfied with what you are offering.
Thanks for the comment.
@Lexi,
That is really the truth. One sure force on the blogosphere is the friendliness and comraderie amongst bloggers. But I must say this is one of the things that is also making it more difficult for many bloggers to make anything.
I must say, I got into blogging as a business and not just about friendship. I know this is hard to say but the truth just need to be said. Now, you will understand that when you begin to treat a business like some social gathering or when friendship now takes over the main aspect of business, making anything from that business becomes a problem.
Most bloggers who I interact have now come to take the friendship aspect of blogging as a bigger part than the business part. But I don’t really know how long they will be able to carry on with that.
For me friendship is not about making some profit so when I build only friends around my business it is going be difficult to sell anything to them. I don’t know if you understand my point here. But the fact, is that when you take blogging to be only about building friendships then you are not really in business. Or don’t you think so?
@Tim Bonner,
I really like your angle there: building relationships with your blog. I am sure that many bloggers will say this is one of the things they do on their blogs. But come to think of it, did you start the blog simply because you want to build a community? I mean, is the community the be all of the blog? Is the community you are building a means to an end?
Now, whether the community is the main focus or it is just a means to an end, I will say you are definitely treating your posts as products even when you do not mean to. I’m sure in every post, you definitely want to give something that your readers will read and come out saying,WOW, you’ve just made my day!
Even when they did not pay to have access to that post, but you have just given them what they truly wanted. Approaching your posts as products don’t really mean you will want give them something that answers the all time question: what’s in it for me! Fact is, it is when you take your post as a product (which if the need arises they will be willing to give their money for it) that your post can go beyond the average in the community.
@Joe Hart,
For sure when you have your own product you can always earn more than selling ads on your blog. But the fact is that not every one who is blogging has a product or will be able to put together a product. If you can find some ways of getting more advertisers to buy ad spots on your blog, I think it is not much of a problem.
Well, I was wondering how affiliate marketing can give one a bad reputation, but then I think your reason is clear. This is why is important that before you promote a product try as much as possible to know what the product is all about. If possible try it out.
Thanks for the comment.
@Katerina,
Well, I cannot really say if that is true but from experience it does appear that clients that are targeted in b2b settings are more in the know about email marketing and therefore better equipped to handle issues with maturity. That not withstanding, with more people getting involved in buying stuff online, b2c customers will readily be open to email marketing.
Thanks for the comment.
@Theodore Nwangene,
Exactly so. The fact is, when you part with money something in you is touched creating an attachment that will become a motivation. I discover that many bloggers who are quick to quit have not really invested anything into their blogs. Most of them were using nothing but free blogging platforms and free resources. Some do this with the mind of testing the waters before plunging in but if not done well that can really become a problem.
@Joe Hart,
You made a valid point there. In these days when we are bombarded with so much information of every side, knowing when to send your email messages is important. Post too often and you risk too many unsubcriptions. Post too less and you risk your subscribers forgetting about you.
@Tim Bonner,
Pagelines? I’ve really not heard about that theme. But from what you have just said, it will definitely be easy to customize. I think a drag and drop responsive theme is just the right theme for someone who is not very skilled in these things.
Thanks for stopping by.
@Theodore Nwangene,
Yea, I completely agree with that reason of being seen as an authority in your field when you create a product. But don’t forget that that authority actually start with your blog content. If on your blog you have not being offering valuable content and you go on to create an info product, no one will take a look because you have not been able to establish that authority in your blog. This is why I advocate that you must start with your blog posts.
No to worry my man, I’ll get across to you. My end has also been hectic.
@Jack Milgram,
You really captured it the right way. When someone willing opt into your list it is clear that such a person is interested in what you are offering. Such a person is more open to becoming a customer than the one who simply took a look at your site and went away.
The actual problem why many thought email marketing was going away was that of this aggressive and annoying email promotions. Of course, many are still doing it today but if we want to succeed with it, we just need to learn the right things.
Thanks for airing your views on this.
@Felix Lee,
Well, I think it’s now more easier for many to really believe that email is not dead because content marketers are now pushing it to be one of the tactics you must use if you want to succeed as a content marketer.
Thanks for the comment.
@tressa knight,
I agree with you that depending on one source for your traffic needs is wrong. However, what we are really looking at in this post is the question of which of the social media sites drives more traffic? As we have seen from the different answers we know that it depends on different things. So, can you give us some insight into the one that is working best for you?
@David Croft,
Do you mean that we shouldn’t sell with our content? I will appreciate your answer.
@Dev,
It’s really great to know your take on this. I’m sure that all of us are getting results based on our target audience and also how much we put into it. This is really clear from the various answers to this question.
Thanks for the comment.
@Khushal Rao,
That is just so and we must make our content useful to the readers. Thanks for commenting.
@Chimezirim Odimba,
Another great point, Chimezirim. I must say I was fooled at the time but now I really see the power of email marketing. The difference is clear.
Thanks for this insight.
@Sue Neal,
It’s really great that you were able to find something you could work with. I have of Flexsqueeze but have not really used it.
I think the beauty of any wordpress theme is the simplicity of customizing it. Many of these theme coders take it that when you have the theme it is ok to use that way but they do not understand that you need to separate yourself from the million other blogs out there.
Thanks for the comment and wishing you a great weekend.
@patrick,
Of content is what the internet is all about. Without content the internet ceases to be what it is!
Thanks for the comment.
@Matt Hayden,
Hi Matt, you have made a valid point there. I have also observed this. If you notice, apart from Facebook, most of the other social media sites are mainly populated by marketers promoting their wares. You may have thousands of these people as followers but the truth is, they are not there because of you or your product, they are in it for their own gains.
Your target niche really have a lot to do with the traffic from social media sites. Thanks for point this out and for the visit.
@Theodore Nwangene,
That really is the problem of email marketing. From the beginning it has always been that way. You must remember that it is carried over from the days of direct marketing. The list was mainly a marketing tool and nothing else. In those days mailing out to a list was not about building relationships but for the purpose of selling some thing and this is what they have taken into this age of the internet.
Personally, I was subscribed to different lists but one of the things I am doing right now is unsubscribing from everyone that have not added any value to my life and business. But even with that I must say there are many that I have learned from.
So, the wisdom is being able to decide if a list will be useful to you or not. Don’t just subscribe because the person behind the list is a big name. Many of them are in it for the business of selling those list. That is why you sometimes start getting emails from someone you never remember subscribing to. Most of those giveaways where they do nothing but collect your email address are worst. The simple word here is, be careful.
Thanks for the comment.
@Chimezirim Odimba,
You’ve just hit that loud and clear! In fact, this is one of the things many of us a struggling with – simply copying what someone is doing. Like this issue of networking you raised, I’ve discovered that not even every blogging model needs it.
For example, if you are promoting some network marketing product it is really a good thing to build a large following of fellow bloggers who might turn around to join you seeing the success you are building.
However, if your focus is a product that is a B2C target, you may network with fellow bloggers and see a large following on your blog but no real returns because most of those bloggers are not looking to purchase such a service or product.
So, I really think as a blogger you must understand what your focus is and find the model that suits that market. Like I said, many have come into blogging with the mind of using it to promote a business but along the way they have abandoned their business to concentrate on blogging because of what is involved.
Thanks for joining your voice to this.
@Chimezirim Odimba,
I agree with you on this point of building a list for your affiliate promotions. Promoting affiliate products without building a list for yourself is not just a wrong tactic bu one of the biggest mistakes one can make as an affiliate. I did this sometime ago but now I try to find a way of building either a targeted list or a general purpose list for all my niche sites.
@Alex K,
It’s really great to hear that. Would you be kind enough to let me know when the blog goes live?
@Adrienne,
Hmm, I’m really impressed that you customized that your theme yourself. Frankly! One thing I must give to you there is the simplicity and look. From what I have seen from many of the blogs using the Thesis theme, it is one of the most customizable theme around. With the many child themes available you can do some pretty good things with Thesis. But without a child theme you have done a great work, I’m impressed.
About the offer, I knew very the beginning that it was to going to be something that could bug me down and that is why I have restricted the available slot to 5. I’m sure I can manage that number conveniently. 🙂
@sapna,
Then the pleasure is mine! 🙂
@Ehsan Ullah,
Yea, I have seen your blog theme and must say you have also done a great work with it. Like I said, I have seen different themes from Theme Junkie and when I saw yours I knew how much you have put in to make it unique. I also love Theme Junkie themes for that fact also. Many of the other theme providers restrict what you can do with the themes but not so with Theme Junkie.
About the particular theme I’m using, it is not the same with DearBlogger.org. I’ve visited that blog many times before but when I saw your comment I had to visit again but from all indication, they are not the same. I’m not using the Daily theme but Newswire!From the home page you will see that they are quite different.
Thanks for the comment.
@Theodore Nwangene,
Thanks my man. I’ve really thinking about that recent posts of a thing. I think I’ll have to take care of that soon.
@Jack Milgram,
Thanks Jack, it is really a pleasure to know that this post resonate with you. Ii is a desire that we make this best use of these tips.
@sapna,
Love to hear that Sapna. Like I mentioned in the post I referred, it really depends on what you are after. If your blogging business is making more for you than what you set out to do in the first place, then focusing more on blogging is just the best bet. However, if you are still very much interested in taking blogging as a tool to build your business, you simply need to find a way to do that without your blogging activities becoming a hindrance.
About building relationships and getting to know new friends in the blogosphere, this is really one big area where blogging can help you with your business. This community of friends and followers you create around your blog is what will turn out tomorrow to be a big business for you.
But come to think of it, don’t you think you are more of a graphics artist than a programmer?
@Kevin Carlton,
Thanks for pointing this out to me. =Fact is, I consider the comments section of a blog as the real community area where readers and the blogger can interact. I really love it when a reader say it makes them feel good whenever I reply to their comments.
Once again thanks!
@sapna,
I can understand your position there. In fact, a few days ago I wrote about this situation where many who got into blogging as a business marketing tool turned out to focus more on running their blogs than the business.
But anyway, do you now consider yourself a blogger than a programmer? Are you getting more from blogging than your programming business?
@Jack Milgram,
You are correct there. Like they say, the only constant thing in the world is change! If so, we must be ready to use change for our own good. Thanks for the comment.
@Cudjoe,
You can say that again. It’s really pathetic to see that many online business persons carry in their minds the picture of competition in every thing they do online. I really believe that collaborating with other businesses is the quickest way to getting what you want.
Thanks for the comment.
@candice michelle,
That is simply the truth. Without the traffic you cannot expect to make any useful impact. Thanks for commenting.
@Mohammad ismail,
Thanks Mohammad. It’s really a pleasure to know that this blog has given you something worthwhile. Just knowing that your visit was not a waste of time gives me great pleasure. Looking forward to seeing more of you!
@Diane Clark,
Oh it’s good to know that I’m being able to do this very well.
It’s hard as hell to give readers what they want? Yes, it’s really difficult but I think it’s simply about knowing your target audience first of all. When you know what they want and give it to them from your own experience it becomes much easier to achieve your aim.
For example, in your niche you simply need a knowledge of what those who wants to write essay truly want to achieve. Begin with some basic questions and then take it gradually to a higher level. As you focus on writing content that provides answers to those questions, you will be able to provide value to your readers and connecting with you will be a pleasure for them.
Thanks for the comment.
@George Nieves,
It’s really great to hear those good words 🙂 Yea, they are music to my ears but most importantly it is good to know that the little effort is making good impact. Thanks for connecting.
I must say also that you have a good way of expression and what you aim to do on your blog is something worth emulating. To be a guide for those who are lost in this internet jungle is worth a hug! Looking forward to seeing more of your.
@Dan Sumner,
It’s truly about your target audience. If your blog readers or clients/customers find your content useful then you have truly won with that content. But in a situation where you simply post what you want and not care about what the audience wants, you’ll simply be putting yourself up for failure.
I love that idea of putting yourself in the firing line. I think that makes it much easier for your audience to connect with you as they are able to relate with what you write.
Thanks for commenting.
@bjohn,
I truly see more and more useful content on the net. I think the time when you could just put up some lifeless site and post some piece of content hoping for the traffic to flow in is gone. Thanks for the comment.
@sapna,
It’s really great to know that the post resonate with you. I look forward to seeing you put these tips to work. Thanks for the comment.
@Sai Kumar,
I also agree that Matthew has given us a whole of lot of tools to work with. Since he posted this article I added these tools to my arsenal and must say they just superb.
@Kevin Carlton,
You truly got the vision of this post! 🙂 The internet is nothing but connectivity and collaboration. It’s about give and take. But many people look at it only on what they can take from others. I really think that why blogging is becoming so popular and successful on the net is because it has the spirit of the internet at its heart. It’s really about collaboration and sharing.
Thanks for joining your voice to the conversation.
@Raaj,
Does that mean Facebook and twitter are the one working for you? You we want your opinion on which is really driving traffic to your sites.
@Theodore Nwangene,
You can say that again! Frankly, it’s been years of fun and satisfaction. I must say blogging is one great thing where you decide to hold up your head no matter the situation or get sucked in by the current and be drowned. The lessons of life I’ve learned as a blogger are truly more beneficial to me than the financial gains so far. I count them more beneficial because I know they will definitely be of great help to me in life.
I agree with you so much about that wise saying. You are true African teaching great lessons with a few words! May 2013 be great for you!
@bjohn,
And more than that, this is why you must put your business online and use the right tools and strategies so you can take a piece of the cake, or don’t you think so?
@Theodore Nwangene,
Oh yes my dear friend. I just wonder what those who advocate posting everyday have to say in their posts if not some of those ramblings you see on most blogs. When I did the 23 days of Christmas inspiration series, I know how much it took me to write those inspiring posts every day. Coming up with something worthwhile in every post is not easy and if you must be a helper then pushing out just your ramblings in the name of blog post is nothing. All the same it all bears down to your readers if they love those ramblings and feel good about them, while not. But if you must add value to the blogosphere, set a good time for your blog and give us something we can work with!
Wishing you all the best in 2013!
@Diane Clark,
Oh yes, nothing on the net is really easy. You’ll need to master the art if you want to make any head way. And come to think of it, you must understand that the more difficult it takes the better the results. You may want to go for those easy ways like clicking on ads every and I wonder how many ads you will need to click on every day to earn a living wage!
But that does not mean affiliate marketing is really hard. You simply need to have your own strategy and not concentrate on doing just what others are doing.
Thanks for the comment.
@Robert Koenig,
Oh you can say that again. Fact is, many are falling by the wayside even when they clearly see this note there! What do we do man? For me such comments simply get trashed!
But frankly, value is really the king. It has always been no matter what people have thought. People don’t just want content but value and so if anyone says content is king it is simply misunderstanding of the way things work.
Thanks for the comment and pardon me for this late reply!
@Ehsan Ullah,
Hi Ehsan, glad to see you around. It’s a pleasure to hear from you and thanks for the congratulatios!
I must say you got the flow wrong somewhere. I never said looking for new strategies is wrong. The point here is not to be always on the look out for new tactics when you have not done anything with the ones you know. For clarity here again is what I said:
“Now, if you are asking that question because you are already experiencing good success in your present blogging business and wants to expand, it is a good thing.
However, if you are asking that question only because you are seeking for the next tactic or strategy you want to try out in your present business, then my advice is, please DON’T!
Instead of looking for the next thing, take a second look at what you are already doing and do more of what worked for you in 2012.”
I hope that clear things up.
Once again, thanks for joining your voice to the conversation.
@Sue Neal,
I must say you have learned so much even when you have not been in the game for long. Must be honest with you many struggle for years without learning anything. Those two, taking it step by step and consistently taking action is just the sure recipe for success online. If you can steadily hit on a particular strategy, tactic or method until you make good success of it and never give up no matter the situation of things, the god of success have no option than hand you the success you desire!
It’s a pleasure reading your comment.
@Raplus,
Oh, shouldn’t wait any longer. Frankly, I’m just starting mine after much analyzing and trying to come up with the perfect offer! 🙂 But you know, there is really no perfect offer. You just have to “do it” and if need be readjust things as you go on.
Thanks for the comment.
@Sue Neal,
Hi Sue, first apologies for this late reply. Have my hands full of to do list that I’m finding it hard to keep up with things 🙂
I must say you got it right there. Hearing from a readers how your content have been helpful is something that surely gives you the satisfaction that you have not wasted your time. Lately, have been seeing a lot of bloggers simply pushing out content without caring to know what their readers truly want.
I must say may be I’m too fastidious but the truth is that having visited and read different blogs and sites the first paragraph of many articles gives me the idea of what anyone is writing about and if it is something I have read before, that is enough for me to know.
Of course, I know there is nothing we write about that has not been written on but if you must write on that topic, make it unique to your situations and how it will be useful to the reader. Simply changing a few lines and phrases and thinking that you are creating content for people to read is simply a put away!
@Aasma,
You are right there Aasma. Affiliate marketing is really about the affiliate positioning his/herself as someone ready to help others get what they want. The affiliate works by recommending the product and not coming outright to sell. The affiliate merchant does the selling. And so, the affiliate must work to gain the trust of the target market if they are to accept his recommendations as something worthwhile.
Thanks for the comment. Wishing you a great weekend.
@candice michelle,
Promoting affiliate products is one of the biggest ways that many bloggers are using to earn some extra income from their blogs. In fact, many do nothing but affiliate marketing and so if you are not yet utilizing it i think it is time to look into it.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Jack Milgram,
it’s really glad to know that many like you agree with this line of thought. Personally, I really think the idea of laying out a business plan before ever starting is nothing but a textbook one. Many of the successful entrepreneurs agree with this also. You see running a successful business is not something you can study in school for 3 – 5 years and then you say you now know it. In fact, when you are just starting out there are areas of the business you may not know anything about. Saying you have to write a business plan before starting will only keep you perpetually stranded!
We can leave that for the textbook entrepreneurs. Yes, when you have a business idea, look around, do some form of research of those already in the business. Get your own strategy in place and then hit the road. After you have some knowledge and experience about the business, you can now sit down and make those lengthy business plans.
Ok, sorry I’m not planning to go to anyone for loan, so may be that is why I just think this is the right thing to do. Of course, except you know what you are doing I don’t advise taking a loan to start a business. Start with what you have and build from there without anyone breathing down your neck.
Thanks for the comment.
@Adrienne,
I think a whole lot of content publishers truly know this. They must have heard it one way or the other. But the problem is that with the all the information flying around the net many simply lose track of what they should be doing. There is a competition to keep pumping out content without really caring to gauge what impact that content is having on the target audience.
Just as you said, even before I started blogging I knew valuable content is the route to making an impact with your target audience because that was the training I had. When I was doing article marketing, all my articles were “loaded” with benefits and I have always enjoyed big success with that. Most of my articles published in article directories then were picked up by ezine publishers.
I think bloggers as content publishers should really be the ones who should champion this call for valuable content. But if one does not know what it is all about, then championing that cause is out of the game. But like I mentioned in this post, the content publishing and content marketing game is changing and only those who will be prepared to go with the change will see good returns. I don’t know what Google will come with this year, but from all indication, the users experience will continue to be on the top rack!
@Chimezirim Odimba,
I agree with you Chimezirim. I’ve always looked at content as a vehicle to convey your value or solutions. But what I see online every day are content publishers and marketers who thinks content is the all in all. You could write a good content devoid of any grammatical error but if that content is not doing anything for the reader, it is nothing. So, all in all, it is the reader or your audience that truly determines if you are providing that value. It doesn’t matter what you think.
Thanks for joining the conversation and Happy New Year! Wishing you every success you deserve.
@candice michelle,
Glad to hear that Candice. Hope Brett would find time to follow up on this! Thanks for the comment.
@STEVEN J.,
You’re correct there Steven. This is just the biggest problem that many people are facing with social media promotions. My suggestion however, is this: have a strategy and plan before you ever start! Without a plan and strategy you will be lost. Decide on what you want achieve with your social media presence. Decide on how many hours a day you want to commit your social media activities and divide those hours among the different networks you want to work with. Again, you don’t have to take up all the social media networks out there. As you interact on these networks you will see the ones that are giving your good returns. You can decide to focus on them and devote less time to others. But all should start with a strategy.
Thanks for the comment.
@Michael Chibuzor,
I agree with you 100%. Affiliate marketing is not really about selling. As an affiliate marketer, you position is that of a friend helping another friend. I simply recommend products or services you know will be of great help to your contact lists. And for them to trust that your recommendations are worth it, there should be that trust element. It is therefore important to build that trust before you recommend any product or service.
However, I will like to say building relationships with your email list is only a subset of content marketing. Content marketing is a whole lot wider than just email marketing.Content marketing comprises of piece of content you will ever create. The value you create in your blog posts, site content, free reports etc. will determine the success you will produce with your email marketing campaigns.
Besides, one other thing that will ensure your email marketing efforts produce the right results, is that any product or service you recommend should be targeted. This means you don’t just recommend any product because you know you will be able to make some good commission from it. It should be something that is related to what the list is about in the first place. So, if you want to use your email list to promote an affiliate product, you should build a list that is related to that product.
@Aasma,
Good question there Aasma. I hope Michael will come around to give some insight.
@Kumar,
You are right there. Ecommerce is here to stay and there is no way we can ignore the internet any more. Any business that is still staying away from the internet is only sabotaging itself.
Btw. the post is not from me. It’s a guest post by Brett Gold!
@Raplus,
That’s good to know because I can say LinkedIn is really working for me. Thanks for the comment an Happy New Year to you!
@Srinivas,
It’s really my pleasure!
@Ravi @ Technology Blog,
Hi Ravi, thanks for coming around. We are just back from the holidays. We hope to announce the results right away. Thanks and welcome. Wishing you a prosperous 2013!
@Krishna Parmar,
Oh that’s great. Must say you were fortunate to have entered for the contest just before it ended! Alright, we are just back from the holidays and hoping to announce the winner very soon. Hope you are one of them! Thanks and wishing you a prosperous 2013.
@Ruben Corbo,
It’s a pleasure to see that around. Looking forward to seeing you feature here again. Thanks for such inspiring post.
@Diane Clark,
Rightly said, Diana. In a crowded market place like the internet simply comforming to someone else rules is the worst way to find your voice. It is better to observe very well what others are doing and then find a way of making yourself heard.
Thanks for the comment.
@Sapna,
You are definitely right there. With split testing only one element is taken into consideration at a time but with multivariate testing, just as the name indicates (multi-) you can take two or more elements at once. What this means is that you can arrive at a conclusion much quicker than when using split testing.
Thanks for the comment.
@Martin Casper,
Thanks for the comment. It’s really a pleasure to know that you agree with the points raised. Wishing the best of the season.
@Brady Partridge,
I want to agree with you there. Lately, I have been looking at most of the freelancing sites and must confess that what many freelancers are asking for their works really makes one to raise an eyebrow. Besides, a lot of employers now want to give peanuts for their jobs but the terms they give are really laughable.
Like you suggested, creating affiliate sites and putting up your content there could really be more profitable if you know what you are doing. I really do not visit freelancing sites for jobs anymore. Positioning yourself as the go to resource can make the difference. You can see my content writing site here as an example – http://www.seowebcontentscribe.com
@Neamat Tawadrous,
Oh thanks Neamat, it’s really a pleasure to have come around. I know the challenges of being new in a field where there are already so many big fishes. But the truth is that all of us are still learning in one way of the other. I sincerely wish you the best of success as you seek to implement what you learn from the blogosphere.
Once again, thanks for visiting.
@Theodore Nwangene,
I resonate with you on that, I’m one who has tried many times to do this but have not really brought it to a conclusive end! However, what Ruben is talking about here is not split testing. Like he said in the post, A/B testing (split testing) takes care of one element at a time but in multivariate testing you can handle different elements in your test at time.
Btw. the post is by Ruben Corbo and not Martin 🙂
@Martin Casper,
Hi Martin, I must agree with you there. When I first saw this article that was just my reaction: “this is something everyone must read!” I really do hope that more and more marketers will see this and read it. This is really different from what we have heard about tracking and testing. Kudos to Ruben.
Thanks for the comment.
@Sapna,
Oh thanks. It’s really a pleasure that most of you appreciate this little gesture. It’s so encouraging.
@Pauline,
Oh thanks Pauline, it’s really great to see you around. Yes, giving back to those who have helped one way or the other is really something worth doing. This may not be much but I do hope those who have entered will benefit with the prizes.
@Jess Brown,
Thanks, it’s really a pleasure to see you again. I truly gives me joy to be of help. It may not be much but knowing that the little you do can ultimately impart somebody’s life is enough for me. Wishing you the best of the season.
@Sandeep Chaudhary,
Thanks for stopping by and finding time to comment and also enter for the giveaway. Yes, it’s just my little way of saying thank you to all our esteemed readers. Looking forward to seeing you among the winners.
@Rusty,
It’s really a pleasure to see you around and I’m glad that you resonate with what you have seen here. I look forward to seeing you as one of the winners.
@Theodore Nwangene,
Thanks for the good words. I have always considered the readers as the reason for the success of the blog and saying thank you in my own way is not really too much! All the same I’m glad you in. Really hope you win a slot.
@Kend,
Hmm, that is really a hard way to put it! Btw. if many of us feel this bad about twitter why is it that many others have praises for the site?
@Kend,
Well said Kend, and that is really what the post has tried to lay out. I’m one who believes that if we will only listen to Google making good points with SEO is nothing really serious. Thanks for the comment.
@Chimezirim Odimba,
Wondering why many are selling those tools when you can get better versions for free? Then you will still have to learn a few things about the internet! Truth is, internet marketing is nothing but finding someone who is too lazy to do something for himself and doing that thing for him while he pays you for it. QED!
Frankly, with a little careful look you can get nearly everything free online. And like you said, over the years I’ve personally concentrated all my keyword research on Google tools. Why go for some monthly packages when Google (the biggest of the search engines and the big daddy of them all) is ready to provide you with data from their own databases? Of course, this may take you a little more time than other tools since those tools have a way of gathering and doing research on different keywords at the same time but if you are not doing SEO as a company or you are running too many searches at the same time, Google tools are just ok.
About SEO for Firefox, I have used it many times, in fact, I’ve it installed, and I can say it is ok. It has a way of giving some deep insights which can be useful.
@nikol,
Glad to hear that. Thanks for the interest, truly appreciate.
@Raplus,
That is good to know. I can attest to that also that most India bloggers are really addicted to facebook. And for one, they really know how to connect. But have you devoted some time to LinkedIn or Google plus? Or, you have just concentrated on the one that is working for you?
@lovely,
That’s really interesting. Do you know why only public persons or stars are using Twitter and not business persons? And what can you say about your personal experience, which of these networks is/are driving traffic for your business?
@Salman,
Yes, I agree with there. That is what I really refer to in the post when I said the your target niche matters in this issue. I really think if your business is a b2b business, LinkedIn is really a good choice. LinkedIn membership are truly business minded individuals unlike that of facebook that are more focused on friendship.
Thanks for stopping by and adding your voice to the conversation.
@Peter,
I’m not here talking about the theories. I’m concerned about the practicals. What is really working for you? Are you recieving traffic from facebook more than the other social networks or are you just re-stating what others are already saying?
If you can offer some practical examples here we all will be happy for it, or don’t you think so?
@Theodore Nwangene,
Hmm, that’s really interesting. I’ve heard many people talk about how they are receiving droves of traffic from these social networks but it does appear that these results does not come easy!
I definitely know the importance of targeting your social audiences and updating at just the right time. For that, I’ve tried scheduled updates on twitter but the result was just the same. I must say that because of other things that needed attending to, I really don’t want a system that I will need to spend so much time.
The results I’m receiving from LinkedIn so far has not taken much of my time. I simply submit every new post to the site and most time I really visit the site since the submissions are done using the social buttons of the site!
So, you can see why I truly love LinkedIn. With a little work on my part I’m receiving more traffic than any other social network, can you imagine what will happen when I devote my time to it?
Frankly, I think there is something about LinkedIn membership that many of us have not been able to put our fingers to. This post was really an attempt to unravel that. I do hope someone will be able to let me know, or I’ll definitely look for it!
Thanks for the comment.
@Yeremi Akpan,
Twitter? That beats my imagination. Can you give some more details on what you are doing? Frankly, I’ve tried different strategies but I have seen any worthwhile results. If a comment will not be enough to give details, why don’t you make a post on it! Hey, that’s just an idea for you, yo know 🙂
@Aasma,
I agree with you on the group thing. Most of the traffic to my blog are actually from LinkedIn groups. However, I’ve so far joined a few groups on facebook and I rarely use them. Maybe I’ll have to try that also and see which, between facebook and LinkedIn are more powerful in this area. Thanks for the comment.
@Tim Bonner,
The truth is as long as the internet remains a source of information and we rely on search engines to get that information, we will continue to hear of SEO. It’s unfortunate that many content writers are still living in the past by trying to over use keyword phrases in the content.
I agree with you that focusing on quality content should be our first priority. We should write first for the human readers before the search engines. This way, the search engines will reward us for our good works!
Thanks for the comment and I too wish you a wonderful weekend.
@Smith Warnes,
Introducing links and a ranking factor is actually Google’s biggest problem. Since adding links as a factor for ranking sites, the SEO environment has become infested with all forms of blackhat SEO. But like you said, Google is actually trying to make all see that as much as they regard links as important, we should not over do it. Links should come naturally but any act that tries to force the system is only working against Google’s terms.
Yes, I agree that guest blogging and blog commenting are good ways of building backlinks, but as I tried to point out in the post, considered critically all of these are still not natural. We just to have be careful that we do not fall foul of Google’s hammer as use this strategies.
Thanks for commenting.
@Jack Milgram,
That’s great to hear. I’m really glad that this post resonate with you. Frankly, I will appreciate your mentioning us when you talk about SEO any time and why not, you can do that even now if you will only take a minute or so to share this post with your online friends!
Thanks for visiting and for adding your voice to the conversation. Look forward to seeing more of you!
@Aasma,
Concise! Complete!! Compelling!!!
Thanks for the super summary 🙂
@Suzanne Day,
I totally agree with you that quality and useful content is the only way to survive any of Google algorithm changes. And frankly, this is what Google is actually looking for. If we all will commit to create only valuable content, Google will not have any reason to bring any more algorithm changes, except those that will improve our experiences!
What do you mean by, new content based on old content? Do you mean re-written content or spun content from old content? If that is what you mean, then of course, you don’t expect such content, no matter how “new” you may term it, to rank compared to the old!
Though I don’t really understand what you term as old original content, but I can say any content that is original, never been published any where before, will do very well any day any time if the right SEO tactics are applied. This is actually the time for originality!
@Veer Modi,
That’s my little way of saying thanks for the information you provided. You’ve added value to the post and there is no better way to recognize that than giving full credit to you. It’s really my pleasure!
@Veer Modi,
Wow, thanks for that comment! Frankly, I never knew Matt did something about Google’s view on guest blogging. I only did this post after observing what is happening in the market right now. Thanks for pointing this out. I’ve just updated the post with that video with the compliments going to you!
@Yeremi Akpan,
I frankly love your angle, make people love you and Google will have no choice but to love you too! Yea, that’s really good. I agree that creating content for people and not the search engines is paramount. For one, it is people who spend the money and not search engines.
However, we must understand that Google is not really changing the posts in the middle of the game. Search engine optimization has always remain the same with Google from the beginning. The problem is blackhat SEOs who have abused the system. The same ranking factors Google has used 3 or 4 yrs ago are still what it is still using. What is happening right now is flushing out of the chaff from the wheat!
My problem with just building relationships as touted by many bloggers is the fact that those you are building relationships with are actually the same bloggers whose purpose is also to build relationship with for the reason of trying to sell to you just as you are. There is a big flaw here which many bloggers do not see. Please understand me, but I really don’t fancy the idea of someone trying to build a relationship with me just because he/she is thinking of the financial gain out of that relationship. Relationships should be for mutual understanding.
This is one reason why many bloggers are struggling to make ends meet. You spend hours blog hopping and posting comments. Those same bloggers come around to reciprocate and the circle continues everyday. What is your ROI? Well, many will point to the joy of connecting. Good!
But, depending on your niche, if you, in conjecture with building those relationships, do a little SEO and begin to drive some more traffic from the search engines, you will be pulling another stream of ‘connection’ who possibly may be searching for a solution to a pain they have. Now if you content in any way have the solution they are looking for, you have gotten possible financial client!
This is really my logic in encouraging every blogger to never abandon SEO. I hope I have been able make my point. Or, what do you think?
P.S. You may just want to read my latest post referenced on the commentluv link below!
@Christopher Roberts,
You have totally expressed my view on this subject!. No matter what others want to believe, I still maintain that SEO is not going any where, not in the near future. Writing good content is great, but what Google is doing right now is a total endorsement of SEO best practices. Remember Google’s business is nothing but search engine. They are only strengthening this area because they know that’s only way their business can make more impact.
Ignoring SEO because of what is happening is ignoring a good source of free traffic. Like you said, SEO is common sense.
Thanks for joining the conversation and it’s really a pleasure to see you around again.
@Tim Bonner,
I’m with there on Google wanting quality content all along. What they are doing today is not just what they discovered now and want to implement right away. It has always been their business plan but the number of those who wanted to game the system were just too much and now they are coming out strong. I personally so a more humane environment after all this. Google is definitely going to invest in more of technology to fight this menace.
But may I ask why you do not focus more on SEO these days? Don’t you think this is really the time to do more of SEO seeing that the negative guys are being pushed out of the market opening more opportunities to those of us who are doing our best to stay within the rules?
@Adrienne,
I agree with you all the way! I’m an SEO frick but for one, I’ve learned from the beginning that optimizing content is not what many has made of it today. Thanks to Google and its various updates. Those who are now been affected by these updates are the ones who want the easier way (easier?) round but have realized that it is not what they thought.
Valuable content is actually what SEO is all about. The search engines don’t want to show search results that will not benefit searchers. They also want to be valuable to their users and that can only be if they returning results that benefit the searcher. But beyond writing quality content, letting the search engines know what your content is all about through implementing basic SEO elements like including keyword phrases, is necessary.
I must say on building relationships, you are doing great on that. It’s a specialty I would love to learn. Frankly! In face of the recent changes in search engine ranking factors, I think you will be doing great in the SERPs when social ranking factors are taken into consideration by the search engines.
Thanks for your insight.
@Joe Clark,
You are just a few who agreed with me on this issue. I really think that Google is doing a good thing and must therefore be supported. For too long SEOs have bastardized the search engine optimization game but Google is really out now to ensure that its business does not die and in doing that, they are helping all of us.
Thanks for the comment.
@Kamilla,
Oh, too bad! That is really understandable. But do you think your experience was nothing to do with what you did? Do you think, Google was unfair to you?
But, whatever your experience, I think this tool was specially designed for people like you who may have been hit genuinely or otherwise. You can use this tool to correct some of the bad links that may be responsible for your experience or have you tried it and there was no good results?
@Shalu Sharma,
Yes, for now this tool is a hope for those hit the previous updates. But on the area of too many updates in a short period of time, one can only say that it appears Google is really in a hurry to correct the problem in hand. Too many ‘bad’ SEO is in the market and to correct the situation, these different updates are really necessary. In the past when Google was releasing these updates with years in between, SEOs were quick to uncover loopholes in each of the updates and then push in their own blackhat tactics giving Google a lot of headache. But with these updates pushed into the market in droves, many of them are now confused which I think is much better for all of us.
Thanks for the comment.
@Aasma,
That is really an ingenious way to use the tool! Frankly, I never thought of that but I must say one had to be careful because we really don’t know how Google will be using this tool. For example, Google may be using it to know more about your actions concerning SEO activities. A case in point here is the Google Analytics tool. Remember, apart from the analytics tool helping you with your stats, it also helps Google to know more about your sites!
Thanks for the comment.
@Yeremi Akpan,
I quite understand your point here. But like I mentioned in the post, this issue of negative SEO can really be handled with this tool with ease. Remember, Google made it clear that you can ‘disavow’ a single link or a whole site. When such an issue arise therefore the simple way to go about it is to ‘disavow’ the whole offending site!
Now, consider what the situation would have been if Google has not come up with this tool. Since you are concerned about negative SEO, so if this tool is not there and you got hit, what will you do? How long will it take you to take care of the situation?
So, can you see why this tool, though it is not a solve-it solution, has its own good?
Let’s us encourage Google for the good work it is doing and I’m sure we will see more good in the days to come.
Thanks for the comment and it’s really a pleasure to see you around.
@Adrienne,
I totally agree with you there. Those who are hit by the recent Google updates are the ones that this tool is really for. Google of course made this clear in their official blog. Many of us will not need to use it.
Like I mentioned in the post, many e-commerce sites who had been using SEOs to build backlinks discovered all their labors had turned out to be a boomerang ready to pull down their years of labor. After spending money to build those links they had to turn to other SEOs to help them remove the offending links – spending more money.
But with this tool, what would have taken them days or weeks to do would now only take maybe hours. This is why I really believe Google should be commended.
Thanks for the comment and your sharing the post.
@Smith Warnes,
It’s a pleasure to know that this post resonate with you. Indeed, Google is doing a great job despite the fact that many want to frustrate that good intentions. I’m sure that very soon, webmasters will know the power of this tool and then the web will be the better for it!
Thanks for adding your voice to the conversation.
@Johnny,
You definitely hit it on the head there, Johnny. When you are a freelancer you just need to know how to manage time and of course be ready to motive yourself because there is so much that may want to keep you down.
Thanks for the comment.
@Tim Bonner,
I agree with totally. When I first learned of the tool and what others were writing about it, I just thought what is really in the minds of these people? I think Google actually did a great thing by creating this tool especially for those who were hit by the Penguin update. At least, with this not only these people but any other person who may be the target of negative SEO can use the tool to ignore those links.
Thanks for the comment and it’s really a pleasure to see you around again!
@Mia,
Thanks for the visit. I’m glad that you found this article useful for your needs. Unfortunately, we have not really done much on freelancing. I do hope that in the days ahead we will be able to do that. Please do stay tuned!
@AddieRonald from How to start your own Blog,
Of course, everyone wants that coveted position. But not every one can be there at the same time. Or don’t you think so?
@Gabi,
Glad to hear that. I do hope you will put what you are learning to use!
@Link Building Services,
This is what Google is really trying to make us understand with the many updates. SEO is not really a thing that is to be gamed. Do the right thing and the search engines will reward you with high rankings. Thanks for the comment.
@Lee,
I agree with you. I too would have given up after the first 2 pages! But could all the other results be rubbish? Don’t you think there was something this person was looking for which he/she did not find in the other results?
@Mohammed Abdullah Khan,
Thanks for congratulating me for ranking at #354 🙂
Frankly, I agree with you that keyword research is necessary to rank high on the SERPs. As you can see on the other two graphics, many of my pages are ranking on the first page with some at #1, #2, #3, #4 and least at #7!
My point in this post was to really know why someone will take the time to browse the results until he gets to #354! That is really what beats me in this post. I was thinking may be you will have some ideas you want to share with us. Or don’t you seeing that you are really good in this SEO of a thing!
Pardon for the late reply.
@bj @ consumer lists,
I must agree with you there. The internet has opened a whole lot of opportunity to earn through freelancing. I really find Debra’s tips helpful.
@Bhushan,
You are right there. I think a freelancer who takes his/her business seriously should be able to respond with ease. Customer service is a big part of business success. Unfortunately, not many freelancers sees themselves as being in business.
On demanding more money along the line, I think in every contract there are terms. Once these terms are agreed upon, both sides are expected to respect them. However, where there is the need to review these terms both sides will of course do well to look into them again.
No freelancer will want to just demand for more pay without any cause. Anyone doing that will only end up failing because clients will understand what he is doing and then stay away from him.
@Recruiting Solutions,
Hey, do you mean, you need not spend or waste your time in installation?
@Alison Wood,
I agree with you totally that Google is helping us with a better web experience. If SEOs will only listen and restrict themselves to whitehat SEO tactics, the internet will be a better place for all of us. Thanks for the comment.
@Bhushan,
I agree with you about self-hosted videos. As much as Bill shows there is so much to gain from that I must say not everyone of us have the capacity to host of own videos. I think turning to sites like Youtube.com can do all of us a greater good.
Thanks for the comment.
@Bhushan,
Thanks for the observation Bhushan. I actually changed the theme over the weekend. I’m still working on a few things but once that is ok I’m going make a full post on it. I’m glad that you find it attractive.
@Bhushan,
Thanks Bhushan for the comment. I truly believe that Google is helping all of us to benefit more from the internet. As a content publisher, working within the rules of Google will help you gain more and info seekers, they get just what they are looking for instead of browsing through tons of content without any any hope.
@punta cana,
Too bad really. Well, I don’t really think he has forgotten his past. Like you said, maybe the court case and other things may have taken up his time. Besides, if you truly want to connect with him again, I think you can always use the social media sites like Facebook and Google+ to look for him.
You see, if you were really close nothing stops you from going out there and looking for. And like you mentioned, he could just be a help in your new project.
@Bonnie Smith, It’s mine pleasure!
@Bhavesh,
You are welcome. And thanks for stopping by.
@business card
Thanks for the comment but I would have loved it if you let us know why this person spent time clicking to the 354th position!
@Scott Dudley,
I agree with you on both points. However, I want to make this clear also:
1. Google updates did not in any way kill SEO rather the updates have improved SEO. The search engines are still using the same metrics to rank sites and not just having good content. Where good content in is the area of social media sharing. The more your content is share on social media, the higher the reputation the content is ascribed.
But note that when the search engines is ranking the content they look for certain criteria which in most cases it is the keywords. It is the keywords that the searcher enters that will determine what content the search engines returns and not because your content was very good!
2. Yes, Google is personifying its search results returning different results for different people depending on whether they are logged in or not. But despite this, the result I’m referring to here clearly shows that the page was ranking at #354 when that person located it and clicked on it. The result is not on my end. The stat recorded the ranking of the page.
This is where I became curious. How many minutes do you think this person may have spent trying clicking from one page to the other? Did you see my point?
@neha,
I’m glad to know that the post resonate with you. Thanks for stopping by and adding your voice to the conversation.
@Eve,
Oh yes, this shows you can still drive some traffic even when you are not ranking on the first page. But, all the same the higher the better. So it is not bad if you can find a way to rank higher but it shouldn’t really be a do or die affair!
Thanks for adding your comment.
@Jess Brown,
Hey, you made some very good points there. Yes, it could right that the person is very inexperienced about using the search engines. But I must say he/she must have really have much patience prowling through that content! 🙂 And about maybe the person was looking for my content I think that sounds really flattering. But if that is true then I must give an award to this person. LOL!
But I really think there was something the person was looking for that he/she did not see in those first pages. What is really baffling me is the patience of clicking from one page to the other when we all agree that people will only spend seconds on a page and if they do not find what they are looking for, they would click the back button!
Ok, this is a rare case, I agree. Thanks for the reply and pardon me for replying this late.
@Bonnie Smith,
Good I got you there. Hope you take the necessary steps and put this to use 🙂
@Bonnie Smith,
Hi Bonnie, well sometimes you need to build up things before you start seeing the results. So if it is not working for now don’t lose heart. Learn more, act more and very soon you will be seeing the results.
Thanks for visiting.
@US Immigration Attorney FL,
You are correct. It is the internet that has given all of us this opportunity to take our stand in our little ways! Thanks for the comment.
@punta cana,
Yea, it’s true how time flies. You were just a young smart kid, right? Now that his is on top of the world, where are you? Weren’t you able to strike some deals with him?
@Kristine,
Yeah, there are definitely two sides to a coin and it’s definite that nothing is indispensable. As much as business plans are necessary they are not indispensable.
Thanks for the comment.
@Jess Brown,
Thanks for the comment. Well as a newbie to SEO with results like these would you say there is some flaws on the advice from these SEOs?
@Adrienne,
Must say I’ve personally gone up to page 10 also but this one really got me thinking. I just couldn’t figure out what made this person to go that deep and I was thinking someone will help me here. But so far no one has been able to give an explanation that I can agree with! 🙂
Of course, traffic is coming from the social sites and other blogs but these particular ones are basically search engine traffic.
@Mohammed Abdullah Khan,
The pleasure is mine!
@Mohammed Abdullah Khan,
Thanks for that. Never knew there was a problem there. Any way, it
taken care of!
@Mohammed Abdullah Khan,
Good observation there Mohammed. Actually I touched this in detail when I replied to Harleena’s comment which you can read above.
Not to repeat myself, I’m quoting a part of that comment here:
“Now, here is another thing which I did not mention in the post. As a blogger you are commenting using your name in the name section which links back to your site. Now, your name in the comment link has nothing in common with your domain name, keyword-wise, neither are you trying to optimize your blog for the keyword, “Harleena Singh.” While in the commentluv link every of your comment links back to a different post and with different keyword phrases.
You see that you are not in any way going against any of Google terms. But these e-commerce sites do not know this. If you have looked at this blog there are many of them doing this. They put their keyword phrases in the name section and because they do not have commentluv all they are having from this blog as backlinks is that link in the name section. Now, they may be posting valuable comments warranting me to approve their comments, but from these recent happenings from Google’s end I think many of them will come to understand the mistake they are making.”
I hope this answered you question?
@Mohammed Abdullah Khan,
You’re right there. And that was just what happened! You know before the Google updates many of these SEOs were really doing all kind of things in the name of link building. Unfortunately, those who had to pay for their wrong doings are the business persons who hired them.
Like you just said, Google with the penguin update made it clear that ‘exact’ match keyword phrases is only trying to push the system to favor you.
@Ehsan Ullah,
Sorry, missed this out. I’m using StatCounter for this particular report.
@Ehsan Ullah,
It is really definite that not every one who rank at number one is getting the clicks! What I really want to know from this is what will make a searcher to go down to a page in #354 leaving all the rest?
Can you really offer some explanations here?
@Md Firdosh,
It’s a pleasure to know that the post resonate with you. Thanks for the comment.
@Make It Mine,
You mean Google updates affected your blog? Frankly, that is something strange to me because understanding the nature of blogs, I believe the different updates Google launched really helped bloggers. I think you will need to rethink what you are doing as a blogger.
If you need any help let me know.
@Mohammed Abdullah Khan,
You are definitely right there Mohammed. However, the issue we are treating here is that of an e-commerce business that got knocked by Google because of the links they have acquired through different means most of which are blog comments.
Indeed, blog commenting is good for us all but from what we have seen here, it does appear, it is not good for some! 🙂
@Suzanne,
Well, I must congratulate you for joining the commentluv family! 🙂 Frankly, I think it’s a great idea. You will only learn how to use it the right way. Btw I don’t see it referenced in your comment. Are you sure it is working ok on your side?
Besides, from what we are discussing on this post, I think installing a blog in your e-commerce site is also a good idea. However, I do hope the blog is not in sub-domain because in that case Google will be seeing the two as separate sites! But linking your name to your blog instead of the main site is also a plus. You can later use the blog to link to your site in the posts this way, link juice you garner from blog comments will also be channeled to the site in your posts.
Thanks for commenting.
@Mobile Device Management,
Yea, finding related blogs to comment on can really be effective but there is a problem we are discussing here which I think you will benefit from if you take the time to read the post and the comments. I’m very sure of that. Read the discussion again if you really want to understand how this post will help you. Well, you don’t have to take my word for it!
@Bhushan,
Indeed, we all do blog commenting with the mind of getting some backlinks with some link juice! Frankly, this problem is not about blog commenting. It is problem that sites that mostly focused on link building without considering the implications are facing.
I’m not removing comments from this blog, those links were only removed because the site owner requested it. Of course, I only approve comments I judge to be ok. On average, I delete about 10 comments every day because I think they are not worth it. You are only seeing those I think have some relations with the post. Even when any comment was mistakenly approved but later I discover it is spammy, I simply delete that comment.
I will continue indeed to encourage more comments on this blog because that is what blogs are for. Without the community in the comment section of a blog that blog is simply dead!
Thanks for the comment.
@Christopher Roberts,
Really glad the post resonate with you. Of course, it is an experience that all of us can learn from. I must repeat again that I believe this will not affect blogs the way is affecting the e-commerce sites. However, because Google could be funny sometimes, I think you may just need to reconsider the use of your name in the comment link. In my reply to Harleena just before this one, I mentioned this issue.
I can see that you are using your name as your domain name though I don’t think you are trying to rank for that keyword! So it is not much of a problem. However, trying to use yourname@keyword phrase in the name section of the comments will be on the safe side.
Btw. glad to see you again.
@Harleena Singh,
Hey, must say the pleasure is mine because frankly, your comment pushed me to do some more thinking and research which resulted in the post. I too have learned from the whole experience!
About your blog losing ranking, I don’t think that will have to do with any penalty. Frankly, if it is Google will simply pull your site from the SERPs and you will notice a drop of organic traffic that is unprecedented. If is only a drop in ranking then you should look into your SEO tactics. You may need to optimize your post more.
Talking about providing valuable information in comments, that is really good on the side of the blog and the readers. But that is not really what Google is looking at. The focus is on the links and the anchor texts. Even when you are providing valuable comments but your links and anchor text are wrong Google will flag your site as being spammy.
Now, here is another thing which I did not mention in the post. As a blogger you are commenting using your name in the name section which links back to your site. Now, your name in the comment link has nothing in common with your domain name, keyword-wise, neither are you trying to optimize your blog for the keyword, “Harleena Singh.” While in the commentluv link every of your comment links back to a different post and with different keyword phrases.
You see that you are not in any way going against any of Google terms. But these e-commerce sites do not know this. If you have looked at this blog there are many of them doing this. They put their keyword phrases in the name section and because they do not have commentluv all they are having from this blog as backlinks is that link in the name section. Now, they may be posting valuable comments warranting me to approve their comments, but from these recent happenings from Google’s end I think many of them will come to understand the mistake they are making. On this blog I have tried to encourage commenters to use both their names@keywords instead of just using their keywords but many don’t want to take this. Well, for me they are the losers at the end. As usual, I love Google for all these I think they are trying to clean up the internet. if these people understand what is happening and take correction now, we will see more valuable and useful content on the net.
Thanks for that note. The problem was actually from my end. I have taken care of it.
@Nik,
You are definitely correct about the many occurences. You know one of Google’s updates was against link building networks which caused a whole lot of trouble for SEOs. What Google simply look for is too many links from a particular domain, and of course if the anchor text are the same that is another big flag. And for the fact that this site have over the period of 2 years built links from this site with the same anchor text, Google knew something was wrong.
I must say, that I’m really lucky that all this did not affect my blog because Google could have also looked at this site and thought something funny is happening here. But I know this blog has not been affected in any way because I’m actually receiving more traffic from the search engines in the recent times.
BTW, how did you handled it when you were contacted about this problem especially the ones that concerned the competition contacting you to remove them?
@Adrian,
Adrian, I don’t really understand what you mean by introducing a link in a comment has a harming effect? Do you mean posting a link to your site in your comment apart from the link in the name section?
Of course, that will have bad effect if the link is only there as a covert way of getting an unwarranted backlink. If however, the link is to some useful information that builds on the conversation, then it is not really a problem. And, I’m sure Scott Dudley was not referring to such links in comments but links in the name section.
Thanks for your comment.
@Scott Dudley,
It’s interesting to know that you have also been contacted on this issue. Indeed, most of these businesses are really over-reacting but do you blame them? Most of them don’t really know much about SEO except what the SEO companies are telling them. Frankly, if I’m the one affected by this problem, I’ll handle it a different way instead of paying more money to remove and again try to build links sometime later.
On your observation that Google don’t put much importance on links on blog comments but on links on content, I think that is not really the case. I perssonally have some backlinks from blog comments that Google count for this blog. And of course, as we all know, we all love to use blog commenting to build backlinks. If they do not matter to Google we wont be wasting our time to post comments.
I must say I don’t have authority on this but this is just my thinking. Besides, this person made it clear that his site is already under Google’s ban and his is losing money as the site is no being returned on the SERPs!
Now, as I mentioned in the post, it will be very difficult for this to affect blogs so you may not worry about this. But for this e-commerce sites they just have to find a way around it and I hope my suggestions in the post will help.
Thanks for the comment and please pardon me for the late reply.
@Agi,
Thanks for drawing my attention to that. I have re-sized the graphic and it is better placed. Why don’t you take a look again?
@Elena Anne,
Thanks Elena. For me it’s really the animation. This taking infographics to another level! I’m sure that very soon we will be seeing more animated infographics on the net. Ok, maybe that is just my prediction, Lol!
Thanks for the comment.
@bj,
Thanks for that. Please do share!
@Simmeon,
Hmm, good try there Simmeon. I can go with you on the 3D connection. And about doing business online that is sure however, more people will be accessing the internet on their mobile devices that if your online business is not mobilized, you will be losing out!
Thanks for the comment.
@Bhushan,
You are welcome! Can look forward and give us some idea of where the internet will be heading in the next 10yrs? Can you give a try? 🙂
@Martin Casper,
Oh Martin! More of content in an infographic post? In fact, my comments at the start of the post were rather too long. You were supposed to get the details from the infographic. Any way it does appear that you are for more content than this new craze about speaking in graphics! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by.
@Susan Cooper,
Yea, I too found it rather long but the message was really clear. You know things could really change in just a space of 10yrs. Now, wouldn’t that be some incentive to begin to straighten your operations looking forward to something greater in the future?
Btw. I have reduced the size to fit into the blog space. Thanks for the comment.
@Patricia Weber,
It’s really a long infographic but an interesting one if only you will take the time to digest the message. Thanks for stopping by.
@Jenni,
Yes, good luck to entrepreneurs! I indeed agree that planning is necessary but not a written business plan where you are expected to follow some specific format. Those are text book requirements!
Thanks for the comment.
@Vera,
You have a point there Vera. Integrating social media into your blog will drive some quick burst of traffic to your blog but it is SEO optimization that will ensure that the traffic continue over the years.
Thanks for the comment.
@Tim Bonner,
Hi Tim, I can also say I don’t have a plan right now though I actually know what I want. And about blogging ever changing, I’ve over the last 3 years have course to alter both the look of my blog and also the marketing plan but in all of these I have remained on what has been in my heart. This is what I’m really pointing out here. Fact is, not every person who has a business idea really knows about business plans. I think in this our type of business where most of our operations are online and you don’t really need some financing from some corporation to run your business, trying to draw up some business plan before you begin is really a waste of time.
Thanks for the comment. I apologize for this late reply. I’ve been engaged in other things all this while.
@Bhushan,
Ok, Bhushan, I got your point there. I really love that idea of building a house and having a plan for that house. I’ve always referred to building a business as also building a house and for this I quite agree with you! Thanks for the comment and please pardon me for the late reply.
@Richa,
Well said Richa. Frankly, this is really the experience of many. Most of us never had an idea of what online business was about. We had an idea of what we wanted but not how we are going to make, which is one of things you need to lay out in your business plan. Following your heart as outlined in the post will get you on your feet and when the picture gets clearer you can map out your business plan.
Thanks for the comment.
@Website Optimize,
Of course, as they say nothing great comes easy. You definitely need to put in some effort if you want to see good results. Thanks for the comment.
@Patricia Weber,
Great to have you join the conversation. I quite understand your point there. Business plans are important but the question is are they imperative in creating success in your business? Do you really need to write a business plan before you start your business?
@Rick Salas,
You’re welcome!
@Rick Salas,
Sorry about the long comment? Never! I truly love it that way!
Yea, leadership is indeed important when it comes to building a successful business. You need people to succeed as made clear from the post, “The team is more important than any idea or plan. The top three priorities should be people, followed by people, and then people.”
Thanks for the reply.
@Simmeon,
Glad to hear that. Indeed, it is not the business plan that make for great businesses. Great businesses are made of ideas; a product of the heart! How much you are able to transform that idea into something useful will determine how much success you will achieve.
Thanks for the comment.
@Paul,
Good to hear that this post resonate with you. Only thing is, did you committed to writing your business plan before you started or you started and working with what was in your heart, you then detail out your business plan? Will love to hear from you.
@Mandy Allen,
Oh what a joy to hear from someone who has tried both ends! Frankly, your experience tells it all and your conclusion? Right on spot 🙂
It’s really about you and not any business plan. Like you pointed out, you may lay out every detail in a plan yet end up with a flop but when it’s in your heart and you follow that, just as pointed out in the post, you will bulldoze your way through every form of obstacle!
Thanks for this insightful comment.
@Rick Salas,
Hmm, another lengthy one from you there. Though you have raised a whole lot of issues that has to do with the work place, I will try and restrict myself to running a business and that I want to pick up your point that, “Just because people [have] the best business plan doesn’t make them the best candidate for the job!”
And I agree with you 100% here. In fact this is the cruse of this discussion. It is not the business plan that will make you succeed it is your ability to handle the every day affairs and challenges of the business that will. And this is why focusing on trying to draw up a business before you start off will most times become a hindrance.
In fact starting off with what you know and then drawing up a plan along the way will better help you draw a business plan that is all inclusive and better designed to help you succeed.
Thanks for your input.
@Kate Brown Wilson,
Ok, Kate I agree with your point there. Yes it is crucial because the benefits are many. And yes, you will encounter a lot of problems before getting it right! Now, that is the point of the whole thing here.
So, the question is, do you need to go through all those problems and get them right before you start your business? Is the business plan your business or it is simply a document to help you with the business?
Can you now understand the point? The text book entrepreneur will tell you, you need it before you start but those who did it counter that. Who do you now follow? Want to answer me?
@business broker,
Make some interesting quotes about that business? What has quotes got to do with starting a business? Yes, you need planning but do you know planning take different forms? Let’s learn from those who are in the trenches rather than some classroom theories. In fact, I know of many who have wonderful business plans but till this day, they have not done anything about them.
Your getting up and doing what is in your heart will drive you to your success more than flexing out some business plan!
@Theodore.N,
Glad to hear from you Theodore. Frankly, we simply need to get our priorities right. That’s the point of this post! We are not saying a business plan is not necessary but you don’t need it before you can start your business. Those are classroom theories! The doing is more important than some document!
Thanks for the comment.
@Ehsan Ullah,
I quite understand your point, but I don’t know where we get the impression that it is those who make out a plan at first that have the quickest success. That of course is nothing from the text books!
Go out there and get to know from those in the trenches the story is the same. Of course, a business plan will be necessary in the course of the business but if you want to sit down at the very beginning and lay out that plan before you start you will only be wasting precious time.
Ok, you may want to say that is sharpening the ax so you could chop down the tree in record time, but that is not really the fact. The ‘sharpening’ you need is the knowledge to run that business. Take a look at those 5 points again and you will see that if you truly have that in mind when starting you will be heading in the right direction.
@Adrienne,
That exactly is my testimony! I tried to read and study a whole lot of stuff on how to lay out a perfect business plan but try as much as I could, it was all in vain. In my heart I knew what I wanted and how I was going to go about it. I knew the business model that I was going to run but I never draw up a plan.
Yes, a plan is necessary as you go on but that shouldn’t hold you back from starting!
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@port st lucie physical therapy,
Then we are on the same portal! 🙂 Thanks for the comment.
@Susan Cooper,
Very good points there. A business will definitely help you as a guide but the truth is you don’t have to wait until you have a business plan before you start a venture. This is what the findings have proved. Yes, you will definitely need a business plan as you go along but waiting until you have a business plan laid before you start is only trying to live the text book rules! If you have taken a good look at the 5 points listed in the post, you will discover that this is exactly how many started. Chances are, you even started this way! Or, you want to take a look again and dispute me?
Thanks for the comment.
@Kate Brown Wilson,
It’s a pleasure!
@praveen,
We can actually learn from every thing around us if only we will open our eyes. Thanks for the comment.
@business broker,
That’s great to hear! Congratulations to the people of India!
@Kata,
It’s a pleasure to hear that. Thanks for the comment.
@Mohammed Abdullah Khan,
Hmm, that’s great to hear. But come on, we are talking about making good returns as entrepreneurs and just about seo and traffic generation. In fact, we never inferred that in the post. don’t you think it will be good for you to let us know what you are a blogger or entrepreneur? Will want to hear from you!
@Yeremi Akpan,
This is really deep one my brother! The truth is that not many bloggers understand this. Your blog should actually be a way of you studying your readership and finding ways of pulling in some returns! 🙂
I think that word is really great, blogpreneurs! Very soon that will be going into the blogging dictionary. 🙂
Thanks for the comment.
@Simmeon,
Hmm, what an insight! Entrepreneurs focuses on Money; Bloggers focuses on People! 🙂
That’s really a good way to put it. But the fact is that entrepreneurs do focus on people because ultimately they know it’s people who matters if you must make a profit. The main difference is what you first mentioned, the mindset. The bloggers mindset is greatly different from that of the entrepreneur.
The blogger, because he is not focusing on making a gain finds it most times difficult to make a sales pitch instead he will want to share and share! Thanks for the comment.
@buy seo services,
Actually it is the entrepreneurial spirit that will carry you far. You may make some money as a blogger but if you truly want to take your online business to the next level, you need to think and act like an entrepreneur. Thanks for the comment.
@Holzprofi,
Indeed well said! Really expected some valuable and original comment from you 🙂
@Ehsan Ullah,
Got it really clear! That’s what I really expect of most of us who are blogging. There is the joy of connecting with other bloggers and sharing our knowledge but then we must also understand that we are entrepreneurs who wants to make a living online. Thanks for the comment.
@praveen,
Yea, that has always been the mind with which many took to blogging. But now that we are the wiser, it is definite that we put in more seriousness and of course do it as every entrepreneur would!
@Bhushan,
Exactly. You see, most bloggers are blogging because they want to make money with their blogs. But unfortunately not many are running their blogs like a business. Many take their blogs just as past-time or a thing of fun and yet want to make good money from it.
The post is to help us re-evaluate how we are really running our blogs. So, the question is, are you working on your blog as an entrepreneur or you just consider yourself a blogger who wants to share his thoughts with the world?
@Android App Developers,
The pleasure is mine. Thanks for stopping by.
@Geek Girl,
Glad to know that this post was helpful in a way. Wishing you good results when finally you decide to monetize your blog. Thanks for the comment.
@list of social bookmarking sites,
That is really the trick, getting good images to share with your network and more and more people are getting addicted to the site, or don’t you think so? You sound as if you are already addicted 🙂
@John,
It’s a pleasure to be of help. Wishing the best on using pinterest!
@seo birmingham,
What’s confusing about the pinterest? Is it getting the right graphics to post or you just don’t know how to use the network?
@buy seo services,
The fact is as a business online you don’t have ignore any possible avenue that will help you with your business. Thanks for the comment
@bj,
That’s great to hear! There is always a difference between entrepreneurs blogging and just any other blogger.
Btw. in your response to the post about monetizing blogs, you specifically stated you don’t go for it. Now, considering that fact that many bloggers are entrepreneurs don’t you think such a one will always want to monetize his blog?
@Kate Brown Wilson,
I agree with you. Once you’re an entrepreneur who blogs then you are automatically both – an entrepreneur and a blogger! That’s what most of us are. The only difference is that we do not focus on our blogs as unto its self. It is a means to an end!
Thanks for the comment.
@Rick Salas,
Indeed, many quit too early. But it’s just because they have a wrong perception about the whole thing from the beginning. It great to know that this is really helpful!
Thanks for the comment.
@Patricia Weber,
Glad to know that this has been of help somehow! 🙂 Frankly, the issue of monetization was discussed on this blog a few days ago and I’m still surprised that many still believe that blogs should not be monetized. May be you were in this category and that’s why you have been focusing on great content without the mind of monetizing your efforts.
Any way I sincere hope you make good use of this new insight! Thanks for the comment.
@Susan Cooper,
I truly agree with you! That’s what I tried to put in as perseverance. Of course, it is patience that will help you to persevere. And like you said, this is really the biggest reason why many abandon their blogs. You never understand that Rome was not built in a day.
Thanks for your thoughts.
@Asma Khan,
Speaking for myself I must say, I was not really scared of the change. I only stayed away until I’m sure it can help my business. Don’t you think that is why some people are not using Pinterest for now? Or, I think some other possible reason may be the fact that you need to create some good graphic to make any impact on pinterest unlike other social networks that depend on basically text!
Or don’t you think so?
@Amanda,
That’s great. Personally, I’m really finding the site an interesting place. Really good pictures and I’m sure that’s why the place is so addictive for many! 🙂
Thanks for the reply.
@Mandy Allen,
You’re definitely right. But how many people are really listening to this? Matter of fact is, many of us jumped into the bandwagon with the mind that making money with blogs is the most simplest thing anyone can do! But what a mistake. Right now we are wiser but many are still falling over heads to jump in. I only hope they are listening.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Adelaide trike tours,
Frankly, it will be very hard to find any internet marketing forum where you will not find any form of spam. The internet marketing niche is biggest when it comes to spam. But if you have not tried the warrior forum, I think you can try it. At least it has more reputation and because of the top level of moderation, it is really the right place where you can find usable information about internet marketing.
Thanks for your comment will be glad to have you around again!
@junaid,
That truly is the spirit of the Olympic games. Frankly, some of the news that is coming from the London Olympics shows that many of the participating nations and of course some of the athletes have not really imbibed this spirit. We hope things will change with time.
Thanks for your comment.
@Asma Khan,
Wow! That’s great to hear. I think you are the only one who has given a good report here so far. We’ll love to have more details from or wouldn’t help those who are still finding it difficult to find a foothold on pinterest?
@tissue microarray,
Really complex? Of course, every thing need time to master. Just give yourself to it more and more and very soon you will be making waves; 🙂
@Tim Bonner,
Frankly, the copyright issue was one of the reasons for me staying away for this long. When I first heard of pinterest early this year, that was the first thing that came up in the article I read then.
However, from my research and what I can deduced so far, if you can use these graphics in your site and give due credit to the rightful owners, pinning the graphic on your pinboard is not really a problem. And if you’re pinning a photo from the web, the site showing the photo you want to pin definitely must have also given the credit to the rightful owner. So, you can see that somehow the issue of copyright has been taken care of. 🙂
On using pinterest for business, I mentioned this on the post. I want to say it is just like any other social media site. Selling directly on the site or any thing like that will not work. I wrote a post sometime ago about using social media for selling,I think it does apply to pinterest also. Read the post here:
http://webincomejournal.com/5510/3-scientific-steps-to-social-media-selling.html
Using pinterest for business will demand you finding a way to lead the traffic back to your site and then “selling” them on your site!
Of course, I don’t know how long you used the site before you decided to look to twitter. But all the reports I’ve received so far speak well for pinterest when it comes to e-commerce sites. Of course, I can’t say much for myself for now since I’m just starting with it. But I look forward to creating some good results also. 🙂
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@love guru,
Thanks for the “definition” love guru! Would you care to let us know if you’re using pinterest right now and how much success you have achieved so far? We will want to know.
@Bhushan,
You’re definitely correct. Successfully using Pinterest to drive traffic demands some creative use of graphic on your site/blog. But I don’t really think you will need to be a great graphic designer before you can use it. All you need is to search online for graphics you can use commercially or freely. As long as you give credit where neccessary, you can always pin these same pictures on pinterest and they will link back to your blog.
Thanks for the great comment!
@lenin,
Thanks for your comment and it’s glad to know that the post resonate with. About being a newbies, all of us have been and of course, we are still newbies in many areas.
About traffic from pinterest, so far I’ve not really seen much. But as you can see I’m only just starting with the network but from what I heard from other sites it is really a good source of traffic.
@Kevin,
That’s just what I’ve found out. Thanks for stopping by and for the comment.
@LLB Coaching,
Hmm, that’s good to hear! May be you are practicing how to shoot for the stars! 🙂 Lol!
@Michael Chibuzor,
Oh thanks. Love doing this.
@Amanda@BuySellWordPress,
Glad to hear that. Can you give some insight into her you are using pinterest right now? Will appreciate it.
@Amanda@BuySellWordPress,
Glad to hear that. Can you give some insight into her you are using pinterest right now? Will appreciate it.
@Aasma,
That is true. However, it doesn’t have to be graphics on you site only. You ca also pin interesting photos from the web. The more you get involved the more people who will be following and very soon it could lead to some traffic to your site.
And of course, what stops you from using graphics on your site, even if it is minimal!
@Myra Kirbi,
The issue of copyright is really a big problem on pinterest. But this is so because we have become used to just taking any graphic online and using it on our sites.
However, the fact is, if you have been using photo from flickr.com for example on your sites and attributing credits to the owners, doing the same on pinterest is not really a big deal. Or don’t you think so?
@Quack,
That’s was one of the reasons why I stayed away all this while! But you know as business persons you just don’t ignore any little opportunity that can impact on your business. If others are reporting good traffic from pinterest why stay away?
@LLB Coaching,
Hmm, I think by your own estimation. But can you give us details why you think so? You know, we all are learning and your opinion may just help some of us. Will you care to give details?
@Simmeon,
I quite agree with you that using Pinterest demands some ‘cunning’ tactics. And I must say that automated Pin it button is truly such a cunning tactic. You know it’s use is to encourage you to pin the graphic on which it auto displays.
On the other hand, the fact is that a graphic needs to be enticing enough to encourage such interest. I’m really looking forward to using more enticing graphics in the coming days.
Thanks for the comment
@Bryan,
It’s just the way it goes most times. You hear of a tactic or strategy that can help your business but you really never care not because you don’t want to but for the fact that you may not be really ready for it. Of course, as long as it is something that will be of benefit to you, there is definitely going to a way that providence brings it around to you again.
I believe this is one of those things. Your being reminded of it again shows that it is time for you to explore it further. Will be glad to know if you will run with it this time!
Thanks for the comment.
@Grace Alex,
It’s good to know that this post resonate with you. But beyond the backlinks, the relationship you build with blog commenting can over time pay more than anything else. Thanks for commenting.
@Amit Shaw,
Oh what a joy to see you around again mate! Yea, I can understand that as the days goes by we just sort of get more busier because of more commitments.
I’ve read Michael’s posts on your blog and I can say his on this blog are still doing great also. Frankly, among the guest bloggers I have featured on this blog, his posts are only the few that I rarely edit because they simply agree with the standards on this blog!
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Ehsan Ullah,
It’s really a pleasure! Michael’s feat has been a challenge to me and that was why I decided to do this interview with him. I truly believe that many of us can learn from his story.
I’m glad that this is challenging to take guest blogging more seriously.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Giovanni Baele,
It’s really great to hear from you and your thoughts really put me to some more thinking. I truly agree with you that you don’t have to quit now because as they say, winners never quit. You must start from somewhere. You may not be there right now but you can still get there if you are ready to learn.
Having said that, Giovanni, I think I’m getting you wrong somewhere. You began by saying, “I do believe that being Self-taught can be one of the biggest advantages to succeed with social media marketing,under one condition and that is, learn from people who do excel in their domain.” Do you mean here that we should learn from those who are already a success in the field or you want us to believe learning on our own is the best? Will appreciate you will expatiate on this.
Thanks for the comment while expecting to hear more from you.
@Jessica,
Thanks for the comment. It’s such a pleasure to see that the post resonate with you.
@RC Helicopter for beginner,
Glad to hear that. I do hope you are implementing these strategies right now!
@jackotomaker,
Well, it’s unfortunate that the issue of corruption is eating deep into the fabric of many nations right now. But that does not mean your athletes cannot do well in the gains. Besides, it’s not really about winning medals, I think the Olympic games is more about the peace and oneness or our world.
Thanks for the comment.
@Scott Dudley,
Thanks for the comment and I’m really glad that the post resonate with you.
Actually, this is my first time of doing an interview. Though I’ve attempted a couple of times before now, but they didn’t really work out. I’m looking forward to doing more in the new future.
I think a podcast that is focused on interviewing guest is really a great idea. But I don’t really have any experience in that! 🙂
@Yeremi Akpan,
Hmm, can’t agree more! It’s interesting to know that you have had experience in what social media distraction can be. But like you said, there is really need to have a balance. I can say I’ve not been too involved with twitter and facebook. Though recently I’ve been on LinkedIn and discovered that it is more useful for my business. What I’m really planning of doing is have well laid out plans for all of the platforms to be better and gainfully involved.
Thanks for the comment.
@Adrienne,
Yea, I also went WOW! when I heard Michael has done 531 guest posts. Like you said, I have also been blogging for about yrs now and have never done that on my blog! 🙂
I actually think it is the business model kind of a thing. For Michael his model is really working for him and I can also say your commenting strategy is also working for you because right now you are making a great success of your business. So, one has to really consider what he/she wants to accomplish and then seek out a route that help with that.
Thanks for finding the time to comment even when I know it is your celebration time! 🙂
@Rahul,
Hmm, this is really another angle to this. Yes, I’ve heard of the issue of page rank linking amongst SEOs but using that to refuse guest blogging is actually taking it too far. This is blog is dofollow which means I’ll be losing a whole lot of page rank. But I don’t think so.
Beside, I don’t think your blog page rank reduced from 4/10 to 2/10 because of guest blogging. You just need to find other ways to increase the page rank. Produce more quality content that others will be eager to link to and you will again booster the page rank.
Any way, if you do have proof that it is guest blogging that cause the page rank reducing, you can always let me know. We are always ready to learn more. Thanks for the comment.
@Jeevan Jacob John,
I’m really glad that the post resonate with you. Even as the games are going on I’m still being impressed by these men and women. It is really a joy seeing them showcasing what they have. I know that as entrepreneurs if we put all of our mind, we also will bask in the euphoria of the same glory! Thanks for the comment.
@Amanda,
Of course, you can’t be in business for 4 yrs without some reward! The real lessons is that the dept of your preparation will determine the results you get. Thanks for the comment.
@Raaj Trambadia,
You’re definitely right. It’s actually a give and take affair! Will check out what you have and who knows, I’m might just away with some free stuff! 🙂
@Stephen Kavita,
Thanks for the comment. I’m really glad that this post resonate with you. I think that more and more people who really want to make money online are realizing that it is more than what they were told. Of course, many were too dazed that they have parked their load and left. But others, like us, know that the pudding is in the sweat!
@Loverboy,
You sure of that? Come tell us how many medals is your “a lot!” so that at the end we know if you were correct! 🙂
@Jeevan Jacob John,
I agree with you that there is so much to learn about social media. Of course, most of those who want to teach others these things really do not have much experience in them. But like you said, having a knowledge of behavioral psychology and communications is very important and this is one area that I think these training programs may be of help.
However, ultimately your real training in social media will be the experience you garner from you “doing.” This is where I have a problem with that saying that, you either get the training or ‘go home!’
Sorry about that problem, it does appear to be a technical problem on our side here because I updated to the new version last week. I do hope we be able to take of it very soon.
Thanks for joining your voice to the conversation.
@Michael Chibuzor,
This is sure a killer and I don’t see any reason they will not enjoy it. Thanks so much for your appearance!
@jacob,
Hi Jacob, it’s a pleasure to have you around. Just moderated 3 of your comments and must say, it’s your freshness here that moved me to approve the comments. As you can see from this post, we do not appreciate those who are out to post a quick comment. We appreciate a clear contribution to the conversation for that is what a blog is about. We are here to build a community.
And so, not allow us to put you in the bloggers hall of shame, we challenge you to be a better member of the community by making comments that will help others.
Will you do that or do we put you in the hall of shame?
@Kelvin Wealth,
Kelvin, I must appreciate your sincerity. It’s a good thing to know that having passed through that road some time ago, you have decided to go the right way.
I truly wish that every blogger will have such a mind and change. After running this blog for 3 years now, I know that the blogosphere is fast changing.
About pro-bloggers who still indulge in some unwholesome practices, such cannot really be termed as a problogger. All the same, I would have loved if you mention some of those things that these probloggers do. If you can please mention some of the things. I’m really thinking of doing something about this.
Thanks for the comment.
@bj,
It’s really unfortunate that after agreeing that it is the truth you still went on to conclude that it is not easy to follow.
How do you think these athletes are able to keep to their regular trainings? Do you think it is easy for them? Not at all! What you need is the determination. And instead of saying it is not easy, take a decision and make a declaration that it is the most easiest thing to do. When you do this, your whole being accept it to be so and of course, the unseen forces of the power of your WILL will take over and you will be surprised by what you can accomplish.
@Liability Insurance,
Yea, indeed we look forward to that. But beyond the winning, it’s really about the togetherness that the games bring to the community of nations. I pray that those who are war will cease hostilities and use the this period to negotiate for peace.
@Simmeon,
Absolutely! Take a closer look everyone of them and you will see that this is true. They put off everything that will hinder them make every effort to win the prize.
This is what I think we as entrepreneurs should learn from them.
@Bhushan,
Thanks friend. It’s really good to know the post strike a cord with you. Frankly, everyday my eyes and whole being is open to learn from every situation. I have found it to be a real good thing for me because with this I’ve been able to pick up a lot things from every day life situations. I really do hope that our esteemed readers will put these to use.
Once again thanks for the comment.
@Yeremi Akpan,
Must say I have been using this tactic for some time now though I never care to compile the target blogs in a list. I think I’ll need to do this from now on.Once again, thanks for sharing these tips with us.
@Kate Brown Wilson,
I’m glad that this post resonate with you. I truly hope that you’re able to use it for your future endeavours. Thanks for the comment.
@Allen,
Definitely. I don’t see why you should not go out there and get all the information you can and teach yourself. In fact, there is so much information on the net which most training institutions will never give you. What you need to decide on is, do you have more time on your hands or you have some money to spend?
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Bhushan,
It’s that part of what’s in it for me that most business bloggers get wrong from the start. Many instead of looking at this from the target audiuence’s angle they only look at it from their own angle. The secret to real success is knowing how to take care of both sides effectively and of course when you are starting out, focusing on your target audience will pay you more.
@Yeremi,
As they say, a good turn deserve another! I agree with you that reciprocating every comment with a visit and a return comment helps build a flourishing community. That’s why on this blog I try as much as possible to return every visit and comment on the blogs of readers. Of course, there are those who have ecommerce sites and therefore a return comment is not possible but still I do visit their sites and see what they have to offer.
Btw. thanks so much for this very insightful post.
@Dyke,
I understand your point but academic training is never meant to teach you everything. The purpose is simply to give you the basics that is neccessary for a good foundation. That is why learning never stops.
However, when it comes to business training like this one, what you learn by doing is much more beneficial than what anyone will teach you. I agree with you that getting someone to guide you at the beginning will definitely help you move faster with your learning and therefore your results.
As much as I agree with all of these, I still think the Social Media Marketing University knew what they were looking for and therefore targeted their research towards that which led them to the conclusion that self-taught social media marketers either go pro or go home! I don’t begrudge them though for I know they are looking for clients! 🙂
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Adrienne,
That’s really what got me thinking when I read that article. I know most of what I’ve learned online, I did mostly from my personal experiences. And like you said, a good number of those trying to teach others these things have no proof that they know better.
For example, I cannot in any way term myself a social media expert. Yes, I know a few things about social media marketing but that doesn’t make me an expert in that field. Whatever I share about social media is nothing but the little knowledge I have about that topic. Setting up a site and wanting to teach people that subject will be highest form of hypocrisy for me.
I also think that most of these academicians who are teaching social media marketing rarely knows the practical applications like the little guys out there who are using these platforms everyday.
For example, I came across a blog a couple of weeks ago and must say I’ve learned so much about facebook from that site that I just wondered how little I really know about Facebook.
All the same, I think Social Media Marketing University have a point about getting the proper education if you really want to achieve good success, but saying self-taught social media marketers should go home is really taking it too far!
@Simmeon,
I agree with you that there are open to us different ways of learning today. Apart from the fact that people don’t want to pay (financially) for their education, it’s also clear that you cannot learn everything in a classroom setting especially when it comes to running a business. Of course, what the classroom does for us is give us the basics or principles but the real learning comes from the practical experiences.
I think this is where I have problems with the stance of Social Media Marketing University.
@Yeremi Akpan,
That is really interesting. We are really getting somewhere! 🙂 Most bloggers have not realized the community building aspect of blogs. I’m really surprised most times when I see blogs with less than 5 comments and yet the blogger never cares to reply those comments. Indeed, this is something we definitely need to include in the list. Thanks for the insight.
@Christopher Roberts,
I’m intrigued by what you want included in the list. And about running with the idea I’m already thinking of doing something about it. Let’s just hope it comes out great! lol!
@Simmeon,
Do you really think that our perception of what a bad practice is differ from person to person? Don’t you think that every bad practice being perpetuated by many bloggers today is spoken against by everyone? Is only that this bad guys really don’t care. They are more concerned with their results. To them the end justify the means. But should this really be the case?
@Chris,
Yes, we can only try and be the good ones! But you know as the blogging business of a thing continues to mature over the years, I think some form of sanity should be introduced. Best practices should be set so that when some one continues with these practices we will know such a one is an odd number, don’t you think so?
@Yeremi Akpan,
Hmm, that is really touching. Many marketers don’t realize the fact that customers are becoming more and more critical with online promotions. Knowing fully that any one can claim to be a guru in any field, many people only use what you are putting out as a yard stick for assessing you.
Thanks for the comment.
@Yeremi Akpan,
Oh thanks. I had to really point him to this post when I saw his list and he was kind enough to include it! Glad that you find it worthy of the mention.
@Derek,
I agree with you that a single misspelling may not affect sales in such a high manner. But that was the result of a research. However, a page with more than 3 misspellings will lead me to asking questions.
On misspelt keywords by SEOs, this really happens. In fact, it is a tactic that many of SEOs teach as very effective. I’ve even believed it over the years until I saw this report and it came to my mind that, that tactic is faulty!
Thanks for stopping by and for the comment.
@Printing Kent,
Indeed many people are with you on this. Credibility matters and having misspellings in your e-commerce site does not in any way tell good about you. Thanks for the comment.
@Bhushan,
Yes, there is no short cut to success, everything requires time, patience and dedication.
Truth is everyone don’t have to agree with me. However, it is clear that except you are ready to give value, your efforts will one day end in vain.
@Yeremi Akpan,
Hmm, what good advice here,
“Your readers are more important than a sale. If that does not show through all your communications, then you may just as well be shooting yourself in the foot.”
Frankly, it’s unfortunate that many in the name of marketing do all kind of thing to make a sale. They never know that the purpose of marketing is not to make a sale but to create a customer who will ultimately result in a sale.
Go for the short term and your business will die very quickly!
Thanks for adding your voice to the conversation!
@bj,
Yes, giving the people exactly what they are looking for may be difficult sometimes. But, like you said taking care of the people with your marketing message is neccesary. It means therefore that you just need to know what the people are looking for!
Can you now see the connection?
It’s the most important element when marketing with web content and so even if it is difficult you just can’t ignore it. Now, the good thing is that knowing what your customers wants can be easily determined by implementing a few strategic steps.
In content marketing, this has come to be known as “listening.” And with the increase of online social media “listening” to your customers is becoming really easy if you know what you are doing.
Thanks for the comment.
@Adrienne,
Hmm, you couldn’t have said it better,
“The one thing I’ve learned about this industry is that you really have to care about people and if you don’t, I can’t see you building a lasting business.”
Thanks for the comment and this insight.
@Anton Koekemoer,
That’s really interesting but trying to pick up those digital footprints will prove tasking. However,if there is a consensus on what all of us regard as unwholesome and use these criteria, don’t you think that will help?
@Sandeep Kumar,
Hmm, that’s really going above the usual. Never heard such of things. But this clearly shows that many bloggers are now more than ever bringing in the negative side of humanity into the blogosphere.
Well it does appear that if we must succeed in stopping these negative traits, a more concerted effort must be taken. Only if some of these our highly acclaimed pro-bloggers will join this movement, then we will begin to see results very soon.
@Adrienne,
You’re definitely right that not everyone will agree on what is right or wrong when it comes to blogging. Of course, it’s this freedom that many are exploiting right now. However, as in every human relationship, there are etiquetes even when we may have our own ideas of what is right or wrong. I think the blogosphere is maturity to a point where certain standards will stand out as accepted norms.
As for getting this idea in front of everyone, I think that may not be neccesary. What could be done is may be, a group can decide to do this every year and then publish their findings of what bloggers considered as the most unwholesome practices amongst bloggers, just as I’m doing right here 🙂
I know if some popular blog or a group do this, the blogosphere will over flow with the news and other bloggers will talk about it in their posts and by so doing more and more people will come to know of it. Possibly, over time, more and more bloggers will come to know that, doing this or that is not really acceptable to majority of bloggers. And this will help to reduce most of these annoying things that most bloggers are doing today.
Again, I agree with you that spam comments top the list. I’m really surprised that even when GASP is installed which ensures that the blogger visits the site before posting a comment instead of using some software, these spammers will not care to post something reasonable. Just imagine someone coming to a blog with a “ready-made” and then copy and paste without even reading the post! It’s annoying.
But wait, did you say our list will grow over the years? Do you mean by that instead of reducing, these unwholesome practices will definitely increase? But I was thinking if we speak out against them they will somehow reduce. So, you don’t think so?
@Ehsan,
I understand that MSN is focused on those mega companies, but come to think of it, are there no wrong practices that can actually be displayed in the bloggers hall of shame?
I’m not really asking that we begin to name bloggers or point fingers at anyone, rather that we chronicle some of the bad habits of bloggers with the mind that somehow it may affect some change. Or don’t you think this can help?
@futures trading,
It all shows that all of us have challenges but how we handle those challenges matters. Google will rather go back to their drawing boards and see how they can use their market insights rather than give up. And I believe that one tool that Google has given to us which we can actually use to the same is Google Analytics. We can use that tool to understand our market and give more value which in turn will return success for us!
Thanks for the comment.
@Eva,
It’s really great to know that you find this post useful. Visited you blog but I’m sorry that I couldn’t read it since it’s not in English. I hope you make good use of the knowledge you would be receiving as you make this blogging journey. Thanks for the comment.
@sandeep kumar,
Thanks. It’s a pleasure to hear that.
@bj,
it’s a pleasure to know that the post resonate with you. Thanks for the comment.
@Simmeon,
I agree with you totally. From what is happening it does appear that from the on-set Apple Inc. set out to create a monopoly that will restrict new entrants to the game. They were very much aware of the ease of copying technology and so they “smartly” registered these patents to keep other from bringing any similar product into the market. But it is clear now that that monopoly will not stand.
@Yeremi Akpan,
Glad to see you around. Frankly, any blogger who is not using Google analytics is either new to the game is plain ignorant of the power of that tool, except of course, if he/she is using something else.
I think knowing your customer is really the biggest lesson I’ve learned from Google. I’ve have always wondered why Google will spend money on some very good tools and give them away to online users. It was only when I saw the power in what Google was doing that I realized that Google was not really losing giving away those tools!
This is what I have been applying in my business too. For example, on this blog, I aim always to give only the best. Most times one will be tempted to package the same information and sell it as special report but knowing that by giving value and using it to assess your readership will ultimately bring more dividend than the immediate gain is something I’ll like to go for any time.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@sandeep kumar,
It’s a pleasure that the post resonate with you. Frankly, I try as much possible to give the little I can. I truly do hope that this post will achieve its aim, helping as many as will put the lessons into use.
Thanks for the comment.
@merry,
I agree with you Merry. That’s why I spend a good time researching before I write most of my posts. I really try to make my posts stand out.
@Ehsan,
The gathering of the ideas from various research is what actually took me most of the time. The actual writing took barely hours. But then after completing it I had to keep it away for some days when I occasionally come around to read it over and then put in one or two things here and there. But putting all together, I want to believe it was not more than those 5 days.
@viec lam hai phong,
It is clear that your friend did not think of the search engine value of that name before going for it. All the same, I think if the name is what is keeping away the traffic then it is time to choose something else. And why don’t you let him know this?
@merry,
Of course, as a human resource management student, your communication skills some thing that must taken very seriously. How can you interact or relate intelligently with others if you cannot communicate clearly. I think you are really in a good way to educate us in this area or don’t you think so?
@Christopher Roberts,
Oh, great Christopher, it’s simply what we are talking about here. It’s really a good thing that you brought this up. Thanks for the correction. That has also added to my knowledge! I would have gone ahead and corrected it but I’ll be leaving it there so that others who care to read it later can also gain something from it as I did! 🙂
@Emily Williams,
It’s a pleasure to know that the post resonate with you. Are you using social media for selling? Can you share your experience with us?
@Anton Koekemoer,
Good insight there Anton. It’s unfortunate that very few businesses really understand this. Most of the marketing I see on social media are really unprofessional. That is why most will readily complain that social media marketing is a sham. But they don’t know that they are doing it wrongly. Without building the right relationships, selling on social media will produce nothing but frustration.
Thanks for this very insightful comment.
@Harshad,
It’s funny that you have experienced this yourself! And, I think you rightly figured out what is happening, too many SEOs getting into this game. But beyond that, I also think that those creating low quality guest posts are not really SEOs. They are simply career bloggers who doing those guest blogging services for other companies. For them any form of article is good enough. I spent too many hours trying to re-write some of the guest posts I received because I wanted to encourage some of them but since I did this guest blogging series any article that does not meet my requirements I simply ignore.
Thanks for the comment.
@Christopher Roberts,
Yea, I’ve actually seen that. Only thing is that I just discovered most of the posts in those categories really did not command the kind of attention those on “techie” subjects have! But like I said, I’ll definitely put something up for you. It will really be my pleasure!
@Christopher Roberts,
Oh, so you have taken that as Google’s darker side? That’s really funny. I did remember that post and of course the comment I made on it. In fact, I’ve just gone over to read it again and must say you don’t have to hate Google for that!
You rightly mentioned that “the story of send” was really a promotional for Google. And like I mentioned in the comment, you don’t have to expose the defective side of your products when you’re marketing. And besides, those defects you tried to point out, are not a strange thing when you talk of technology. There could be failures here and there any time. The only thing is that when that happens, there is room for improvement.
Any way, I’m really fond of Google and I just love what they are doing with their online business. I think what we should do, when we see some good point in those who are successful in their field, to find a way to incorporate those good points in our own operations.
Christopher, I must say I’ve just been considering doing a post for Technology Bloggers, frankly. You know I created an account some time ago but since I’m not really into this technology issues, I’ve not been able to bring myself to doing something in that line. I really want to write an article that will more appeal to the audience there. But not to worry I’m sure I’ll come up with something very soon.
Thanks for the comment.
@bj,
Yeah, I really saw the doggedness of Google in becoming a big time player in the social media game despite the challenges it has faced. There are definitely going to be great challenges in whatever we do, but in all we must our targets and never turn back!
@Anton Koekemoer,
Me too Anton. That’s why I spend so much time on my blog posts and every other thing about my blog. I always try to go beyond what is others are doing. Sometimes it’s really tasking but I know that ultimately, it will pay off!
It’s a pleasure to see that the post resonate with you. Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Faissal Alhaithami,
I cannot but agree with you. I’ve really seen this all over Google business products and I know its really an insight into running a successful business. Your customers are your best bet if you want to succeed.
Thanks for the comment.
@Christopher Roberts,
What beats me dry is that most bloggers want to argue that spelling or grammar doesn’t really matter especially since most bloggers do not have English as their first language. This is understandable but as I’ve always let some know, if you have decided to write your blog in English, nothing stops you from learning to use the language well.
But those are really extreme cases because even with those who have English as their first language, many do not care to proof read their work. This is bad. As it’s commonly said, first impression matters. If I come across a site with 2 to 5 errors on a page, I simply conclude that the person behind that site is not serious. And I believe I’m not alone here.
Doing business with someone who cannot ensure that his/her language carries the correct meaning is really taking a risk, especially when it comes to online dealings where, in most cases, every thing is done digitally.
Ok, never knew you are running another competition. Will just check it out.
@Sarah Mills,
It’s really funny that in one breath you say, “bad spelling and grammar will turn visitors away” but yet turn around to say, “the headline logic is flawed!” If you agree that bad grammar and spelling turn the visitor away, moving them (the customer) to ‘different’ websites, don’t you think that is losing the sale to another site? That is of course if you’re selling something on your site.
Ok, I may agree with you that spelling may not be the biggest problem, but come to think of it, don’t you think a wrong spelling will somehow affect the grammar therefore changing the meaning of a sentence?
For example, “you’re” instead of “your,” “there” instead of “their,” which are very common on most web copies as a result of automatic correction while using Microsoft Word in writing.
You need to understand that the aim here is not to put down anyone but a simple call for us to be more careful with our writing. It will not only make our readers more comfortable but also add to our bottomline as businesses or don’t you think so?
@Arbaz Khan,
It’s really a pleasure to hear that. Indeed after reading a few of the things being said online, both on blogs, news sites and on Google+, I just thought of putting it together in way that someone hearing it for the first time can really understand it. And the graphics? Truly great! Some of them made me laugh and that’s why I picked these ones to display here.
Thanks for the comment.
@Adrienne,
That’s really funny way to put it, “let the big boys fight it out!” 🙂
And I can say it’s a fight that’s giving Apple Inc. some good battering. From all sides their cards are falling apart. One thing for sure is that there is going to be more competition and who knows, that may just be a good for us all.
Besides, this another test case for the patent laws in view the changes in our today environment.
@Trixie,
Must agree that these are not good times for Apple Inc. They are really receiving hard knocks for their patent battles. With the ruling that most of those patents shouldn’t have been granted in the first place, it does appear that more and more companies will be aiming to produce products similar to Apple’s which is going to give a tight corner to fight from – I mean competitively!
@Ehsan,
Good thinking! I just had to enter this post when I saw that he changed the rules to include posting on any topic you are familiar with. What matters really is how much promotion you put into it.
@Elena Anne,
Well spoken Elena Anne. I know as humans we from time to time let slip one mistake here and there but spending time to re-read and proof-read your articles will remove most of the mistakes. Most times I spend 2 or 3 days on an article. I truly care about the impression I create. 🙂
@Matt,
The pleasure is mine. And I’ll truly appreciate it if you will help promote the article. If you find it so helpful why not share it with your social networks? Any way, just asking.
@thiqar,
And thanks for the comment. Btw. Did you help promote the article? Simple tweet or a share with your linkedin network will be appreciated or don’t you think so?:)
@bj,
Thanks bj. This issue of first impression is really very important. Creating a bad impression will only rob you of your success.
@Jamella Biegel,
It’s a pleasure to see that the post resonate with you and thanks for the good words.
On building a list, I’ll suggest that, as new blogger, the first thing you should really determine is what you want to target. What type of product/service are your eying to promote to your list? Are you thinking of providing a service or product along the way or you’re simply thinking of promoting affiliate products?
It’s when you have decided on this that you can now think of what you will give away to build a list and what type of people to target with your list.
Now, I’m supposing that you must have thought about these things before you started your blog. And if that is so, then I’ll suggest that you go through your published posts, select a few that you can repackage to produce a special report. I’m suggesting this because it is the easiest way to get your free offer ready now!
Once your free offer is ready, signup with any of the email service providers like Aweber or MailChimp and then put up the subscription box on your blog. Of course, building a list and nurturing the list is a volume of its own but if you use these tips you could be up and running in under 3 days. Remember, you should rewrite the articles to reflect your purpose in the report.
Sorry that I can’t really go too deep into details. But if you need more explanations, feel free to contact me.
Thanks for the comment.
@Adrienne,
Hmm, what an interesting addition here! I must say it’s only a few that are really using the phone to build business relationships instead of selling. And just considering it I can see so much potential in it especially in the area of putting a personal touch to the whole thing. Instead of just dealing with your prospects as some figure out there, you can relate on a more personal level thereby making the relationship more concrete.
And on the use of blogs, I can see your point. Of course, many who are just coming into the blogging arena have the wrong notion that making money blogging is about setting up a blog and running it solely as a business. This worked some years ago when blogging was in its infancy. You could build and blog and hope to earn money from ads and promoting affiliate products. But these days, doing that means you will have to compete with some of these big names in the game. Unfortunately, I was going in that direction until of recent.
Now, I see a blog as a part of the social media game. Your own place where you can have some form of control over your relationship building efforts. The blog should be a part of your over all business promotion plan. With this understanding, I now devote more of my time to other aspects of my business than I do with the blog because I’ve realized that throwing more of my time at the blog is depriving me of other things that needed to be done.
I appreciate your coming around and for this wonderful comment. Remain blessed!
@Melanie,
Hmm, I love that line about max out at a certain stage! There is no better option than to have your main hub where you can do what you really want to do. Of course, you know also that these social media sites could decide to pull the carpet from under your feet any thing if they think you are going outside their boundary!
I do hope someone is really listening! 🙂
@Simmeon,
You are very right Simmeon. Being able to lead your social media connections to engage with you on your personal site is what really shows that they are interested in you. If all you are doing is socializing with them “out in the street” without them caring to check out how your “home” looks like, it means they are not ready to take the relationship to a deeper level!
@Ehsan,
Oh thanks. Must say your entry is really a great post too and seeing I’m entering late I’ll just have to do some extra work! 🙂
Btw. thanks for bringing this to my notice!
@Trixie,
Thanks Trixie. Misspellings will continue to be a problem until we all stand up against this.
@Chris,
Hmm, “but it’s not so easy!” Yes, I agree that it is not easy. But the truth is that nothing great comes easy. What we need is to keep at it and put in all our best. Seeking to know the basics and working to put them to work is really the key to succeed with all of these. Or don’t you think so?
@kevin,
Hmm, it makes the website look less professional! I quite agree with you. Thanks for the comment.
@Romy,
Thanks for coming around to check out my entry. The promotion is already on! Let’s see how it comes out 🙂
@Ehsa,
Thanks for those inspiring words Ehsa. I truly look forward to a great second half of 2012!
@buy seo services,
That is true. A simple mistake could change the meaning of the sentence. Thanks for the comment.
@Sandip,
That is really instructive. I really did not know that Google is also using spellings to rank websites. But like I said in the post, SEOs deliberately and misspelt words for the traffic benefit. They know many people make mistakes while using the search engines and they only want to capitalize on those mistakes. But I don’t really know if those same people who make such a mistake will really see it as a mistake when the visit the site.
Thanks for the comment and that great lesson! 🙂
@Ehsan,
I like that angle Ehsan. I know that many bloggers will not really care if there are mistakes on your blog or not. However, let’s say you are blogger who promotes yourself as a freelance content writer. When someone comes to your blog and on a single post, there nothing less than 4 noticeable misspellings. What impression do you think that person will have of you? Or do you think it really does not matter?
Oh, it was really a pleasure. Must say you have a great blog there and I’ll definitely be visiting more.
@affordable seo package,
Must say spam comments is one thing I think will have to live with! I’ve tried various plugins but the spammers are growing more desperate by the day. Presently, I use the Growmap Anti Spambot Plugin which I know many bloggers use but, I must say that has not stopped the spammers. It has only reduced or given them an new style of doing it.
There are powerful ones I have tried but one thing I don’t like about them is the catpcha. I really do not want to subject my readers to all that because of some spammers. GASP is good since the spammer must visit your blog before he/she can post the comment. Only thing you have to do is simply delete it when you see. So the loser is the spammer because he/she visited and wasted time posting the comment! 🙂
@m, you’re definitely right. We are setting this to ensure that the blog have a more structured direction in the days to come. Thanks for the comment.
@Becca,
Thanks for the comment Becca. Our aim is really to promote more community interaction on the blog. I do hope you’ll take advantage of this and make contributions that will help others produce results with their business operations!
@bj,
Exactly bj. The purpose is to make sure all of us have a better view of what is happening here and to keep up with things. Thanks for the comment.
@EZ (Easy) Editorial Calendar,
It’s a pleasure to have you around. And thanks for the link. Will definitely check it out.
@Benaiah Marshall,
I agree with you Benaiah. In fact whenever there is a new update I always wait, say two to three days before updating. I think it sometimes pay to take the necessary precautions.
@Gareth Morgan,
That is definitely an experience! I think one way to avoid such a heartache is to check how long a web hosting company has been in business. If those web host have any experience at all, they would have known to deprive those with accounts from installing unallowed scripts.
@Raheel Mushtaq,
That really is what I have always said. The unfortunate thing is that not many people know what Google truly wants. That is why posts like this one are very helpful. Thanks for the comment.
@Glori,
It’s really a pleasure to be of help! Thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment. Look forward to seeing more of you.
@Restaurants in Delhi,
Your fears are also the fears of many. We know that this is not the first time Google is doing this but these big companies have always find a way around it. The difference this time is that Google is hitting them where they never expected. In fact, Google used human editors to manually removed some of the link building networks!
I think Google is sending the message loud and clear to all that they will go any length to sanitize the system.
Thanks for the comment.
@Aasma,
Do you know that of all you listed I’m very much interested in “establish yourself as an authority in your niche?” That can do a whole lot of things for you. If you aim for that in your guest post, every other thing will fall into place – other webmaster will link to your posts, readers will eagerly promote your articles on the social media sites … You can name more!
That is why in my series on guest blogging, I encourage everyone to decide on what they want before writing their guest posts.
@Car Accident Attorneys,
You are right about getting fresh and new opinion on your site with guest blogging. But for giving you a break from writing, I think that is not really it. If you stay of writing as a blogger because you are publishing guest posts, you will soon discover that your blog will lose readership. You know, guest post cannot really take the place of your own “voice” on your blog. Once your readers have come to identify with your writing style, staying off and publishing only guest posts will harm your blog. Or don’t you think so?
@Claire,
I agree with you totally about sending a ready-to-post article. When I send guest posts to blogs where there is no option to register as a user, I usually send a html format and a plain text format. This is to easy the work for the host blogger. However, if guest bloggers are expected to register (as it happens on this blog) it will be a good idea to submit your post taking the time to format it so the host blogger will not spend much time in reviewing it.
Thanks for the comment.
@FreeAgent,
It’s a thing of joy to hear that!
But the fact is, Facebook is big marketing platform because of the number of users on the social site. When your business can connect with a large number of potential customers in one place, that indeed is good prospect for your business. So when we talk about marketing on Facebook it’s actually getting your business before the large number of potential customers.
@Kate Brown Wilson,
It’s my pleasure!
@buy seo services,
Oh glad to hear that! Well, magnetic marketing is just that, magnetic marketing! 🙂 Ok, you know what a magnet is, right? When you use magnetic marketing tactics the purpose is not only to attract customers but also to ensure that those customers stay clued to your business just as the magnet will never let go! I hope you will be using these tactics in your business?
@buy seo services,
Has a solution of some big queries? Will be pleased if you can explain that.
@Robert Koenig,
You mean Google and the rest are just like the blind men in the story? Oh, that’s taking it to another level. But frankly, I think in that level we all are in the same boat.
You know, when you’re trying to achieve a result, until that result comes, you’re actually like a blind man except you have a guide, like someone who has achieved that results before and is ready to give the direction. I think this is the only area that Google and the rest can be compared to the blind men. Of course, Google has an idea of what the internet should be but because they are blazing a trial no other person has traveled before, they need, most times to move on using trial by error.
For the likes of Yahoo, I think they got it wrong when they thought everything should have a price tag! You can see that Google understands the internet better. Consider the different tools they provide for us free, all of these make them a darling of online marketers therefore expanding their potential clients base!
Yahoo expected us to get into their search engine only if we can pay them for it but Google opened their search for everyone and today Google has remained the search engine that everyone talks about.
I personally believe that there is so much we can learn from Google as internet marketers or what do you think?
@Kate Brown Wilson,
Mean you were never aware that Facebook Inc. has gone public? Well, that’s interesting because it has been in the news for the past couple of weeks. Anyway, it’s glad to know that you heard it first here! 🙂
@Amit Shaw,
Hi, Amit glad to see you again! How was your exams? Hope you had a good holiday. You’re highly welcome!
@Glynis Jolly,
Do you mean these additions make the site more easier to use or you’re just enthusiastic about the new design?
@Terra@Girls Bedding,
I agree with you. Focusing only on creating content for ones blog may be good but getting some on other blogs is a sure way of generating a continuous flow of traffic. Thanks for the comment.
@Kate Brown Wilson,
I must agree also that mohdakthar has indeed given us some very useful tools that will help us with our blog performance. I personally have not used most of these tools before, but when mohdakthar did this post, I took sometime to look them up and I’ve included them in my resources file!
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Hen Dos,
Do you mean the best Webhost or best blogging platform? Which ever of these you meant, the fact is that depending on your need, you may choose any host that best suit what you want to achieve. You can google “best webhost” or “best blogging platform” and then take the time to analyze the results you receive. I think instead of just saying this is the best, when I know that there are various options out there will amount to being dishonest.
@buy seo services,
That’s really good news. You must be doing something right! Well, I’m glad to report that the WebIncomeJournal is also doing great on the search engines since the update.
@top movies,
That really is the truth. It’s unfortunate that many big corporations who depended on these SEO companies got a bashing of their life! 🙂
It all appears that Google really want everyone to focus on natural link building instead of some of the greyhat tactics employed by these SEO companies. The unfortunate thing is that these companies have big budgets and they know their way around any of these Google updates. We definite will see them coming up with other tactics to beat penguin. But till then, some of us are already reaping the good work of penguin! 🙂
@thegrizasonline,
It’s really my pleasure! And I must say you’re right there. Over the years every update by Google has always been about one thing, quality! If only we can see this and stay within the rules, we’ll always stay relevant no matter the updates Google choose to introduce tomorrow! Thanks for the comment.
@Zara,
Just what I mentioned why replying Aasma’s comment. I’ve heard many people try to make light of it that Google is really the one who is making the money with these tools. As much as that is true, the tools help Google to know more about us all so as to better target users with their ads, but we must not fail to appreciate the fact that we are all benefiting using those tools. I cannot really imagine how much I would be dishing out every for such a tool if Google had not magnanimously provided one! Or, don’t you think so too?
@Aasma,
Tools like this provided free by Google for us are just one of the reasons I’m such a big fan of Google. Just imagine how much such a tool would have cost if provided by some of the online marketing companies out there. Can you really put a price to it? I think we must give kudos to Google for things like this!
@Rob Koenig,
That story had always intrigued me. Whenever,I consider the way some things are handled by different people in trying to make believe that they know much about those things, my always to this story.
Sarah have really cleverly made a point with this story in this article. I think we will need some de-glazing as regarding many of the subjects we read online if we are not to be like the blind men! 🙂 Nothing is more rewarding when you approach it knowing what you are doing instead of just speculatively. Or don’t you think so, Rob?
@Zara,
You’re very right there. It may interest you to know that Google is actually giving undue attention to blogs and cms based sites that are constantly updating their content.
Why the static sites are the worst hit by Penguin is because it is these sites that are actually violating the Google Code of SEO Conduct! These statics sites, most of which are sales letters without much informative content, use various link building tactics to push their ways into the search engine top positions. They use very specific keywords (exact-match anchor text) in their backlinks. They use keyword specific domain names (exact-match domains) to rank higher. Etc. So you can see that they are the ones that fail more in the points Penguin is targeting.
I actually believe that adding a blog to a static website and using the blog in promoting the static site will be a better strategy than these paid links most of them are engaged in right now.
Thanks for this insightful comment!
@Yim,
Yeah, that’s just the truth. As long as you restrict yourself to whitehat SEO tactics, Google will reward you for your works!
@Karolina,
Hmm, a big fog you say! Actually Google has always been secretive about its algorithm changes. The only way to stay within Google’s good books is to listen Google! Over the years Google has always advocated for good informative and user friendly content. Follow its suggestions and you forget about trying to clear the fog! 🙂
Thanks for the comment.
@Pete Goumas,
Must say, that bit about adding some humor in the post is really insightful! One good way of connecting with your readers is to make them relaxed while reading your post and humor can do that quite easily. Only catch is that you just need to know how to make the humor relevant to the post. Thanks for the comment.
@Maddie,
Too bad Meddie. But frankly, is it because you were hit that he updates is suck? Don’t you think there is something you did wrong? As I mentioned in the post, Google is giving everyone who thinks they were wrongly hit the opportunity to complain. Maybe you should do so using the form. On the other hand, you could just take this as a lesson and focus on some ethical ways to do it, or don’t you think so?
@Aasma,
It’s glad to hear that. If you have not seen any difference in your site rankings it means you were not hit by the update which is a good thing. Now, if you will only continue with that thing and of course implement some of these suggestions, you definitely be seeing some good results very soon because as bad sites are falling of the rankings, the good ones are moving up!
@Dr Kavita Shaikh,
Now, first we must accept the fact that Google is in business. Google is not doing this for humanitarian purposes. Yes, Google is definitely doing this because it knows that when people use the search engines, they expect to get results that will help them. As long as SEOs use different manipulative tactics to game the search engines, Google’s business is being jeopardized.
So, it’s definitely that Google is doing this because it wants to make more business but in doing that, it is also helping to cleanup the web. Or don’t you think we should give Google credit for that?
@Rob Koenig,
Call animal control? Of course not, the power to control those animals is in your hands! 🙂
But seriously, many people have always wondered how Google’s software will be able to understand anything about their site layout or design. Now, the fact is, the software does not try to understand your site layout “directly.” There are other signals that it aggregates and then gives its judgement.
Some of the things Google will look for here include, how long does your readers stay on your site? Is the interaction within the site vibrant? Is the bounce rate high? etc.
Like you said, beauty is really in the eyes of the beholder and the beholder here is the user of your site. Google reasons that if the beholder loves your site, he will spend more time there and also interact more in the discussions going on.
So, taking care of your site design is actually for the reader and not Google software. The software will only use other parameters and analyze the readers use of the site and come out with a conclusion concerning the site!
It will interest you to know that when Google Panda 1.0 was launched, most of the sites worst hit were sites that had too many ads above the fold! The software simply analyzed these sites and flagged them as low-value add to users. So to give the software the impression that your site is valuable to the user, build a beautiful site that the user will find interesting and as he spend more time on your site, Google will pick up those signals and give your site more points!
Thanks for joining the conversion. It’s really great to see you around always.
@Beth,
Oh, it’s really great to hear that! I do hope you’ll be able to use these tips to do something great. Frankly, guest blogging can do a whole lot of things for you. You can get involved right away. I encourage you to read the other posts in the series and you’ll definitely be glad you did. Thanks for stopping by and for the comment.
@Eli,
It’s a pleasure to share and I’m really glad that these tips resonate with you. Thanks for the comment.
@LM Photography,
Yes, and it also opens the reader up to better recieve what you have to say! Make the audience more receptive and you will make good of your purpose. 🙂
@Website Design Dubai,
Ok, that is really true when you’re running a blog. But remember that we’re talking about guest blogging here. Must you only guest blog on topics you’re passionate about?
@Becca,
I do agree with you that you blog about the subjects you’re passionate about. With this you’re able to more interact with readers. Nevertheless, a good writer can always do magic with just any subject. If you’re freelance writer you will understand that you will have cause to write articles on subjects you’re not really passionate about. But as a good writer it falls on you to produce something engaging. So the secret is really in your research and writing abilities. Or don’t you think so?
@Rizwan Sultan,
Yea, I do agree with you. Images actually make your post come alive especially today when Pinterest is a rave! Thanks for the comment.
@Kathrine.
Thanks for the comment Kathrine. It’s a pleasure to see that this post resonate with you. Your insights are really interesting. Google is working round the clock to sanitize the internet. We must work with it by providing good content instead of trying to game the show.
@ellipsometer,
Well, I wouldn’t really know because I’ve never used the SEOmoz tool. May be you will want to try this one out. You can download a free trial copy without providing any credit card information. Use it and see if they are the same or not. thanks for the comment.
@cmichaelsny,
Keywords is definitely the engine power of seo. Pick the wrong keywords and you will be heading for failure. Thanks for the comment.
@ellipsometer,
Indeed, it is the practical outworking of the grace of God. The Christians in Athens were willing vessels in the hands of the Lord, and He was able to reach out the Greene. My prayer and hope is that as Christians we will be open to the Lord to be used in our ailing world today.
@buy seo services,
Indeed, the story made my Easter! I was as much delighted just as you are. Thanks for the comment.
@hire seo expert,
Yea, as the seo expert, can you help us with some insight into the subject? Wouldn’t be great if you can give us some details in your comments?
@Rob Koenig,
It’s great to hear that. It all goes to prove that these tips are really useful! Thanks for the comment.
@Kate Brown Wilson,
That’s great to hear! Maybe it’s just our nature. We always restrict change. Since I wrote this post, I’ve learned a few things that have made me more open the changes!
Thanks for the comment.
@Nik,
I understand your point there. May be you need understand that most guest bloggers are guest blogging as service providers. The article may be a paid guest post in which case the blogger is expected to provide those links to the paying site!
I’ve published a few of these before knowing fully well what they are. But refusing them outright because of the “irrelevant link” is not good enough. That is by my judgement any way. Those links are definitely in the resource box and not the body of the article. So if the content is okay the practice have always been, the writer promoting himself or business in the resource box.
Of course, you have your own reasons for refusing this type of guest posts. But for me, I’ll rather judge the article by the content and the topic. Once the topic is in my target niche and the content ok, I’ll publish the article.
You may want to give some reasons why you are so concerned about the links in the resource box.
@Eric,
Glad to know that the post resonate with you. It’s a pleasure to be of help.
@Hen Dos,
If you understand your question very well, you desire to guest blog on a blog hosted on the blogger platform. If that is what you mean, the answer yes, you can make a guest post in blogger. What you simply need to do is send the guest post to the owner of the blog and he/she will publish it as a guest post.
I don’t know if this answer your question. If not let me have details.
@Rob Koenig,
Oh thanks for that! Frankly, many of the old friends here have mentioned that this is really cool! 🙂 I’m really surprised that many are saying good things about this theme. I think I’ll just need to keep it!
@Nik,
Yea, I can understand that. It’s definite that not all will stay afloat! However, if they are truly well optimized the traffic will continue over the years. This is why I personally appreciate what Google is going with their regular updates. Good content will continue to remain relevant no matter when it was published.
I also agree with you that the post should be compelling enough. When this happens some of the readers may want to reference it in their posts or share it with their friends on the social media sites. These promotions can work great for the article.
I’ve also seen some very good bloggers who will go as far as promoting their guest posts building backlinks to them so as to give the post some more seo power! I think this is really a good way of strengthening the post for the search engines.
Really don’t want to agree that guest blogging is becoming tricky. What is happening rather is that many bloggers want to submit substandard articles in the name of guest blogging. Besides, others go for niches that are not related to their niches. But I think this is not the way to go. Just today I have refused 2 requests from the emails I understand that their articles are focused on something quite different from my blog target niche.
I’ve mentioned this in the course of this series but my suggestion is always to research the blog you want to publish your guest post on to ensure it is related to your target niche. The benefits of doing this include:
1. Your request will be received more ease.
2. The traffic generated by your post will be relevant to your blog.
3. Your backlinks will be relevant (think of Pengium Google update!) and so the benefit of ranking.
There should be nothing tricky about guest blogging at all if your content is good. In fact if your content is good every blogger out there will be willing to publish the post.
Or, did you have any experience where you were refused even when your article was ok?
@Kate Brown Wilson,
Glad to have you around again and thanks for the comment.
On whether one need to have reputation before being a guest blogger, I don’t think it’s really necessary. In fact, guest blogging is a good way of building your reputation online. By the time you publish guest posts all over the web more and more people will get to know you and if your posts are really great, you’d be able to build a good standing with a wide audience out there.
So, if you’re really aiming to build a reputation, do some more guest blogging!
@buy seo services,
I can understand your point. I was once there! But it’s good thing that you can resonate with my points. I hope you will do better by implementing them in the future!
@pavithra,
Hmm, you’re not really alone even many who know about the effectiveness of guest blogging are just doing the wrong way. I’ll advise that you read through the whole series (check out the older posts in the links at the beginning of this post). I’m very sure that you will gain some useful knowledge from it.
Thanks for the comment.
@Venkat,
Thanks for the compliment. I do hope you put these tips to use!
@Dianna,
You’re welcome Dianna, it’s a pleasure to know that the post resonate with you. Thanks for stopping by and the comment.
@Aasma,
You’re just right on point Aasma. Unfortunately, not many who wants to guest blog really know this. Many are only focused on getting backlinks which is just a small fraction of the benefits of guest blogging.
If you’ve followed the series all through you will understand that my reason for taking the time to do this is so that all of us will benefit with our guest blogging efforts. I actually take the benefit of brand building very seriously as it can have both immediate and future benefits.
Thanks for stopping by and joining the conversation.
@top movies,
Thanks. I appreciate you all.
@Jasmin,
It’s glad to know that this post resonates with you. One of the reasons for the series is to help all of us become better in using guest blogging to drive more traffic.
BTW. This is series is still on-going and the latest has just been published. While don’t you check it out. I’m sure you will love it also! Thanks for stopping by.
@Voorbeeld CV,
I can really understand your point. Yes, too much of everything is bad! If not for anything, too much of graphics can slow down your site’s load speed which is not good for seo.
Thanks for this insight.
@mohdakthar,
Truly appreciate your understanding!
@Rob Koenig,
This distinction is really necessary if you want to connect with your readers. This is one thing that many who have submitted guest posts for publishing on the WebIncomeJournal have always missed.
Only a few knows how to use the white space to their advantage. But this is a must if you want your readers to flow with your writing.
What you called the educated reader are rare. Personally, when I read an article I like reading it all through to get the details, except of course if that article has nothing new to offer me! But I know only a few blog readers will do this. So as content creator, understanding this two groups and structuring your article to cater for both groups is a sure way to win the game.
Thanks for the comment I appreciate your visit.
@top movies,
It’s a thing of joy to know that you found this post interesting. Indeed, guest blogging is receiving good attention today because more and more people are coming to understand that the benefits are really great.
Guest blogging gives you good returns in terms of backlinks which is good your search rankings. Besides, it is also good for traffic generation and brand building which every online marketer would want to take advantage of right now.
This guest blogging series was started because, after publishing a few guest bloggers on this site, I discovered that many have not really come to terms with the many benefits that guest blogging can give them. I do hope that the series will help as many who will put the tips to use.
Thanks for the comment and I’ll truly appreciate if you can tell you friends about this series or don’t you think it will benefit them also?
@Christopher Roberts,
Thanks pally. It was really tasking time for me but good lessons learnt!
@mohdakthar,
Hi, glad to see you again. Pardon me for what happened. It appears because your post was the last before the blog experienced the site down problem, all the comments in the post just went off. I hope the article can pick up its strength again.
Hi Genry,
Took a look and tried using it but must say it’s a little complicated. And frankly, I don’t think it’s really what I want to use. I’m better off with something more simple to understand. Maybe some other persons will try it out and let us know what they think.
Thanks for sharing the link.
@Aasma,
Glad to hear that. Do care to let us know what you think, will you?
@Reese,
You’re just right there Reese saying that it was blindness that led Greene to his former beliefs, spiritual blindness that is! Just like Paul, he blindly stood against the truth but I do hope that this dramatic turn around will not only make him more accepting, tolerant, understanding and respectful of others’ beliefs as you put it, but that he will have more understanding of the Lord just like Paul.
Remember when Ananias came to lay hands on Paul the Bible records that something like scales fell off Paul’s eyes! Those were not just some physical scales but the spiritual playing out in the life of Paul. That was really the secret to Paul’s deep understanding of the way of the Lord. And my prayer is that Greene will also have the deep revelation of the word of God that he will be an instrument in the hand of the Lord to bring more souls to the glory of Jesus Christ!
I don’t doubt that there is some link here because I understand that the problem Greene has presently has to do with his eyes. Coincidence? I doubt so! It’s definitely another way of sight opening for him!
I might just be un-necessary enthusiastic but my spirit is happy and I cannot but express it!
@Ryan,
Frankly, I have heard of SEOmoz for sometime now but have not really used it. However, even if you’re already using SEOmoz you can also try out the free version of SheerSEO and compare the two. Though the free version have less features, you may just be able to know if you really need it.
Right now I’m still playing around with SheerSEO and I must say it’s just superb.
@Ryan Hanley,
Yea, like I said you don’t have to take my word for it. The free trial version is enough to really determine if it is good enough for you. I will be glad if you will be kind enough to share your experiences with us.
Thanks for the comment.
@Peter,
I agree with you on every point Peter. When it comes to content marketing you must do everything to make sure that your audience benefit from it and of course ensure that the conversation is a two-way thing.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Niko M,
Frankly, I believe also that quality is important, in fact, it’s to be the next in the series. However, from my experience quality alone will not do anything. Search engine optimization is still the strong base of driving long term traffic to your blog/site. Search engines do not rank sites simply on quality. They look for a few requirements and it’s your seo tactics that provide those requirements.
Hope you read the next entry when it is posted and you will know that I’m also for quality.
Thanks for the comment.
@Michael Chibuzor,
That is really the essence of this story. I was truly touched by it and couldn’t help posting it here. It’s really time for us to live out the life of the Christian faith. Whenever I read the story of the early believers I wonder that though they were under much persecution they silently affected their community for good. Today we make so much noise and yet the results are meager. The believers in this story has given us hope again that the power of the gospel is very available if only we will use it.
Thanks so much for the prayers. My chorus is a big AMEN!
@Alison,
“when a person learns and knew where he should belong” I truly love that. That is really a good way to put it. This is really where He belongs but like the prodigal son, he had been with the wrong crowd! All the same we must thank God for the believers who were open to the Lord in using them to touch the life of this man.
I think all of us must also be open the working of the Holy Spirit so that He can work in us and through us to impact the world, or don’t you think so?
@Steven Papas,
It was indeed a happy Easter for me hearing of this news. Nothing interested me more than this story. And I’m really glad that I’ve people like you who share this joy with me. Thanks for the comment and Happy Easter in arrears!
@Harleena Singh,
Please apologies for this late reply. I was really moved when I read the story. Here was a guy who so believed in his own understanding that there is no God and was ready to “stand up” for his beliefs. And then in a dramatic turn-around he now accepts what he was so much against! It is really touching.
What has happened to him and of course, the actions of the believers there clearly shows that if only we who call ourselves believers will truly live out the life of the faith, the world will be touched more than the noise we make in the name of preaching the gospel. The LORD definitely knows the power of turning the other cheek if not He wouldn’t have encouraged us to do so.
Besides, this shows that many who follow the way of opposition to the Church do it out of frustration with the system. All the arguments and senseless reasoning that many of them put up are only a front for their frustration. Only the truth revealed both in our actions and words can really penetrate those twisted beliefs.
Frankly, this is greatest message I heard this Easter season!
@Fabrizio,
Frankly, I was blown away with when I tried it out. Right now I’m still exploring the different features. Another good thing that I’ll vouch for the software is the email alerts that you receive periodically. These let’s you know how your keywords are faring. Whenever there is a change, whether a drop or rise in ranking, you’ll know from this emails. It’s really worth trying out.
@Becca,
You’re welcome!
@Mark,
“Writing quality content makes it even harder!” I sincerely think this is why many shy away from it and those who want to use it really want to put in the effort.
I quite agree with you about quality content. In fact SEO tactics without the necessary good content will amount to nothing because ultimately it is the content that will engage the reader. But you cannot shy away from the search engine optimization.
Thanks for the comment.
@Elena Anne,
That really sound great. More and more people are turning to guest posting for the better SEO results. You truly sound enthusiastic about this. Would you mind doing a guest post for this blog? Will love to have it published!
@Aasma,
You’re right Aasma. If you really want your guest posts to achieve your goals you must go the extra mile. Many do not realize this. Some do not even promote the post once it is live. They are content with having a link back to their site. I sincerely believe that building links to the guest post is a good way of ensuring that it rank high in the search engines.
Thanks for this wonderful contribution.
@Venus,
You’re definitely right Venus. It is no the date but what you receive from an article that really matters. And the only way you can really make your articles to stay relevant is optimizing them for the search engines. This way they can always get the attention of searchers.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Melanie,
First, pardon me for replying this late. On your comment, I must say you actually get it very right. Many bloggers have the wrong notion of just putting together any thing without really caring about optimization.
Personally, I believe in quality over quantity and I’m really glad that apart from the benefits I mentioned, you were able to add some very good ones! I truly look forward to seeing more quality guest posts on the blogosphere!
Thanks for your comment.
@Julie,
Frankly, it’s really funny that only a few bloggers who knows this are really doing it correctly. Many are still applying the dead article marketing strategies when they guest blog.
I truly hope this series will help a few to get better results with their labor. Thanks for the comment.
@Sheyi,
Oh thanks for those suggestions. I’ll definitely look into them.
@Christopher,
Frankly, time is always a problem for all of us. But as I always say it all bears down to self management. There is no way we are going to add any minute to the 24hr we have. Working within the time is just what we need do. I’m also having problems with this but I am learning to conquer it! 🙂
@bjohn,
Thanks for those good words. It’s a pleasure to know that the post was helpful. Hope to continue to provide these tips in the coming parts.
@Srinivasan,
You’re welcomed. I hope this will be of help to all of us!
@Charleen Larson,
Frankly, I must say every time I noticed a new visit in my site stats and discover that the visit is from one of my guest post from the past, I never stop being amazed! However, because those guest posts were well planned out when I wrote them, I’m not too surprised.
Nevertheless, I’ll be dealing with another aspect that is really crucial to their success in the next post. Of course, you know even if the post rank high in the search engines and people click on the link, they will only be directed to the host blog. But how do they get directed to my blog?
That will be the angle we will be handling in the next post. I hope you read that also.
Thanks for adding your voice to the conversation!
@Pete Goumas,
It’s glad to know that this post resonate with you. What I’ve done here is to make things a little simple for everyone to understand. I know not everyone who will be reading this have the deep understanding about keyword usage. As someone who is familiar with keywords, getting this wasn’t really hard for you. I do hope it did for others.
Thanks for the comment.
@Syeda Mehwish,
Knowing and properly utilizing the right keywords is definitely important when it comes to driving traffic through seo. But should you really learn keywords before you become a big time blogger? I think that will come with different arguments. However, a blogger who really want to drive traffic through the search engines MUST learn the essentials.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Amit Shaw,
That’s good to hear. I really want to make this guest blogging series as helpful as possible. I’m glad that it resonate with you. I hope the forthcoming posts will also be helpful.
Thanks for the comment.
@Refrigerator Repair Pasadena,
Frankly, video is one content marketing tactic that is catching with the online audience. Unfortunately, I’m not very good with video but I hope to do more of it in the future. Thanks for the comment.
@Rishabh,
I’ll be glad to hear your success story! Will you care to post your results here when you finally try these tips?
@Paul white,
Of course, there are those who will want to argue it. But the fact still stands. Without content, and good content for that matter, no one will really connect with your site. Make your content to the user and your success will come easy.
Thanks for the comment.
@Syeda Mehwish,
It’s glad to know that this post resonate with you. I have using these tactics for some time now and I’ve always found them to be useful. Thanks for the comment.
@book keeping adelaide,
The pleasure is mine. Thanks for stopping by.
@Garden Seed,
The pleasure is mine and thanks for the bookmark. I hope you find time to be here again.
@James,
I’m glad that your resonate with this post. For sure not many people really know what those little pictures that shows up with their results. I hope this knowledge will be able to help you implement google authorship on your site. If there is anything you’ll want to clarify on this,, you can always get back to me.
@cane furniture,
You have a point there. That is why marketing online demands building trust with your target audience. From experience so far, having a blog can really help in building this trust. As you interact with your readers you are more open to sharing what will keep the relationship going.
Thanks for the comment.
@cane furniture,
We definitely cannot be agry with Google for that. We must understand that Google is in business just we all are in business. When they offer these tools and resources they putting out there for us because they have a purpose for them.
The only problem is the issue of privacy. Who knows who will be able to see those personal details in the future? But as long as we want to use the tools we must also be ready to agree to their policies.
@Ryan Hanley,
That’s really great. Knowing that you’re already seeing some success already with the timelines is really a good thing. Like you said, you definitely will only want to star or highlight only the latest or very important stories.
Will be glad to see your page, why not give us the link here?
@vps,
You’re definitely correct there. From my study so far it does appear that Facebook in a way is giving us more power with our pages. Only thing is that it’s going to take some thinking outside the box to really use the timelines.
Do you have a facebook page? Will be glad to take a look.
@Balu,
How essential do you think guest blogging is to every blogger? Are you a blogger using guest blogging to drive traffic? Will be glad to receive some insight from you.
@Gareth Morgan,
Ok, I got your point. But as I mentioned in the reply, it actually depends on what you want to achieve. Of course, as a blogger you will want to write all of your content. But remember if your aim is to really get your name out there and you have the money to spend, what stops you from outsourcing your guest blogging activities? You could have hundreds of guest posts written for you by freelance writers and then you seek out the places to submit them! 🙂
Besides, with the great results of traffic generation from guest blogging, many businesses are now using freelance guest writers to write and submit guest post on blogs right now. It will interest you to know that I personally offer that service as you can see here:
http://webincomejournal.com/strategic-seo-content-creator
So, guest blogging is really something that bloggers should get into. If you can become adept at it as a blogger, you could turn it into another stream of income, or don’t you have the mind for multiple streams of income?
@Pete Goumas,
My glad that you resonate with the post. As a content marketer or publisher one thing you should master is how to get into the mind of your readers. Except you are able to stir up their interest and desire your content will only fall on deaf ears.
The easiest way to get into the mind of your readers is to help them perceive that you’re truly interested in their welfare! That way you will be opening up easy channels for connection. Thanks for the comment.
@Anna,
Well, it’s good thing that you find this post, right? Of course most of the questions you have about guest blogging will be answered during this series.
Anyway, to the question of who will the guest post benefit, the simple answer is both parties. You as the host blogger benefit in that you have some good content posted on your blog without you lifting a finger! And of course, you know all the goodies about have fresh, unique content, right?
And to the guest blogger, you benefits through having a link back to his/her blog and of course some traffic also! Indeed there are other benefits but these are really the main ones.
If you want that blogger to submit his/her post make sure it is unique and well written. I hope this was helpful or is it?
@bjohn,
Yes, once you give the readers what they want you become endeared to them and of course you can achieve your desired goal! Thanks for the comment.
@JamesW,
Thanks for the bookmark. Be sure to check back for the remaining post when they come live. You’re going to love every bit of it!
@locksmith lowell,
Glad to hear that. I’ll truly appreciate it if you’ll let me know some of the areas this post is useful to you, or don’t you think that will also help you provide more interesting tips?
@Harleena Singh,
Sorry for the late reply. Frankly, writing guest posts is not really much of a difference compared to writing for your own blog. The only difference is in the fact that you’re publishing the post on someone else’ blog.
Of course, if you want to connect with your blog readers you must understand what they want and give it to them in a way in which they will be happy with you. This also goes for guest blogging.
However, if you really want to make an impact with your guest post you’re going to go beyond your usual self. Remember you’re now dealing with a different group of people who may be different in many ways from the readers of your blog who, in any way, must have bonded with you.
This is where studying the host blog is very important. I’m really glad that you got that message.
Thanks for the comment and the mention on twitter.
@Andy,
You’re right there. Of course, there are many tools out there that will help you understand your target audience but these are very simple ways and the good thing is that it doesn’t cost anything.
Unfortunately, many who want to drive traffic with their guest post never really care to understand if the readers of the blog will take their post seriously enough to visit their blogs/sites.
I think just sending a guest post for publishing without really taking the readers into consideration is a waste of time, or don’t you think so?
@Michael Chibuzor,
That is really something that will be of great help to all. Actually, I’m planning out something in the course of this series which I hope will bring you into the picture. Once I work out things I’ll let you know.
@Gareth Morgan,
If I understood you very well Gareth, you mean you’ll rather pay for advertising than outsource your blog content creation?
Well, guest blogging is not really outsourcing your content but all the same it demands you allowing others have their content on your blog! And of course, if you’re going to guest blog you may decide to have all the content created by you or allow freelancers to write the content while you submit them for the traffic!
Whichever line you decide to tow the results will come to the same.
You’re welcomed.
@Jim Luthra,
It’s my pleasure Jim and I’ll really glad if you will let us know your results once you start using the tips.