Showing posts with label Blogger Tutorial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogger Tutorial. Show all posts
So, you’ve set up a blog. You registered a domain that tells the world what your blog is about, and maybe you’ve even hired a professional to design your templates for you. Your blog looks as slick as possible, and yet, you’re still not getting traffic.
There’s one reason that’s very likely to be the problem – your content just plain sucks.
You see, when you start a blog, you have as much chance as anyone to get traffic to your site. However, if that traffic arrives there, and finds nothing even vaguely useful or interesting, then they’re not likely to return. This is why your traffic suffers. People are spending a few seconds on your blog, deciding they’re not interested, and leaving, never to return.
If you want to rectify the problem, and rebuild your traffic, you need to understand why your content sucks. Here are our top five reasons.
1. You Have Nothing New to Say (Or Nothing at All)
Too many bloggers rehash everything they’ve seen on other websites or blogs. What’s worse even than that though are bloggers who really have nothing to say. Find something that YOU would be interested in reading about, before you just write whatever pops into your head. If you’d be interested, other people will be too.
2. You Think Research Is Something Other People Do
Even if you have something great to write about, you still have to research. Giving people the wrong information is a cardinal sin to bloggers, so make sure that you always have all your facts straight. If not, at best, your readers will think you’re a joke. At worst, you could open yourself up for lawsuits. Just avoid it, and do your research before you write and post.
3. Your Writing Style Has All the Sex Appeal of Damp Newspaper
Come on! People want to read blogs that are funny, exciting or interesting. If your posts are dull, gray, and loaded with technical jargon and high brow literary style prose, no one will want to read them! Write as if you were talking to a friend, and you should find people more willing to read your content.
4. You Don’t Believe In Checking Spelling and Grammar
You don’t have to be a potential Pulitzer Prize winning writer to have a great blog. But your content has to make sense. If your posts are garbled, make no sense, and are littered with spelling and grammar mistakes, you make it hard for your readers to finish them. Make sure you check your spelling and grammar and that you preview your post before you upload it.
5. Paragraphs, Lists and Subheadings are Foreign Territory to You
You can be the best writer in the world, and have the most interesting content around. However, if it’s all presented in one solid block of text, I can guarantee you, no one will read it. Break your content up, and make it scannable by using bullets and numbered lists, breaking text into paragraphs, and using subheadings. Make it easy for people to read your content, and they’re more likely to do just that.
Once upon a time, the Internet was a small, elite place. There was even a website that used to list all the new sites on the fledgling World Wide Web. These days, however, it’s less like a small village, and more like a gigantic city, with people from around the world. People have choices about what they follow online, and that means that now, more than ever, your content needs to be great.
Even though the Internet may seem to have an anything goes policy, there are some strict unwritten rules about what makes a good site or blog. The good news is that you, and anybody else, can learn those rules, and apply them to your blog to increase its popularity.
Of course, you still have to have something interesting to say, but understanding the technicalities can help ensure that there are people who will listen. So before you blindly launch your blog or website, take the time to learn the rules. It’ll make building a successful blog a whole lot easier.
There’s one reason that’s very likely to be the problem – your content just plain sucks.
You see, when you start a blog, you have as much chance as anyone to get traffic to your site. However, if that traffic arrives there, and finds nothing even vaguely useful or interesting, then they’re not likely to return. This is why your traffic suffers. People are spending a few seconds on your blog, deciding they’re not interested, and leaving, never to return.
If you want to rectify the problem, and rebuild your traffic, you need to understand why your content sucks. Here are our top five reasons.
1. You Have Nothing New to Say (Or Nothing at All)
Too many bloggers rehash everything they’ve seen on other websites or blogs. What’s worse even than that though are bloggers who really have nothing to say. Find something that YOU would be interested in reading about, before you just write whatever pops into your head. If you’d be interested, other people will be too.
2. You Think Research Is Something Other People Do
Even if you have something great to write about, you still have to research. Giving people the wrong information is a cardinal sin to bloggers, so make sure that you always have all your facts straight. If not, at best, your readers will think you’re a joke. At worst, you could open yourself up for lawsuits. Just avoid it, and do your research before you write and post.
3. Your Writing Style Has All the Sex Appeal of Damp Newspaper
Come on! People want to read blogs that are funny, exciting or interesting. If your posts are dull, gray, and loaded with technical jargon and high brow literary style prose, no one will want to read them! Write as if you were talking to a friend, and you should find people more willing to read your content.
4. You Don’t Believe In Checking Spelling and Grammar
You don’t have to be a potential Pulitzer Prize winning writer to have a great blog. But your content has to make sense. If your posts are garbled, make no sense, and are littered with spelling and grammar mistakes, you make it hard for your readers to finish them. Make sure you check your spelling and grammar and that you preview your post before you upload it.
5. Paragraphs, Lists and Subheadings are Foreign Territory to You
You can be the best writer in the world, and have the most interesting content around. However, if it’s all presented in one solid block of text, I can guarantee you, no one will read it. Break your content up, and make it scannable by using bullets and numbered lists, breaking text into paragraphs, and using subheadings. Make it easy for people to read your content, and they’re more likely to do just that.
Once upon a time, the Internet was a small, elite place. There was even a website that used to list all the new sites on the fledgling World Wide Web. These days, however, it’s less like a small village, and more like a gigantic city, with people from around the world. People have choices about what they follow online, and that means that now, more than ever, your content needs to be great.
Even though the Internet may seem to have an anything goes policy, there are some strict unwritten rules about what makes a good site or blog. The good news is that you, and anybody else, can learn those rules, and apply them to your blog to increase its popularity.
Of course, you still have to have something interesting to say, but understanding the technicalities can help ensure that there are people who will listen. So before you blindly launch your blog or website, take the time to learn the rules. It’ll make building a successful blog a whole lot easier.
When you are watching your favorite TV show, do you look forward to the commercials? When you open up the morning paper, are you excited to read the ads? When you listen to the radio on your way to work, are you riveting by the sales announcements you hear? If you’re like the rest of us on this planet, the answer is NO.
No one wants to pay attention to commercials. No one volunteers to be preached at, tricked, or teased by ad campaigns. We all have better things to do. It follows, then, that no one wants to read copy.
That’s where you come in. You’ve got an incredible service/product/website that you want to share with the world. What do you do if the world doesn’t want to listen? Convince them you’re worth listening to. Your copy has to be irresistible. And not only do you need people to read your copy, but you need them to take action, too, by investing their time and/or money in your company. How do you fight for their attention and affection? Here are 10 tips that will give you the edge:
1. Reel Them In
It’s statistically proven that for every 10 people that read a headline, only 2 read further. The odds of snagging a reader are already stacked against you, big time. The headline is like the gatekeeper to your copy. A weak headline is going to lock that gate forever. That’s why you need—absolutely need—a killer headline. A successful headline needs to be several things, as summarized by the American Writers & Artists’ “four Us”:
When a potential consumer reads your copy, they expect to get something in return. They’ve read your headline, and now they ask themselves:
“Will reading further make me smarter/happier/healthier/richer/better off?”
The answer must be yes, or else they will stop right there. That is why your headline offers a promise to make the reader smarter, healthier, richer, etc. Of course, then you must fulfill your promise. If you promise “top tens secrets to losing ten pounds,” you’d better deliver those ten secrets. Of course, they don’t have to be secrets, just information or advice that feels exclusive and will be useful to the reader; that’s what they really care about.
There are two major pitfalls here that you must avoid:
Making an outrageous claim: if your claim is too ridiculous or impossible, the reader will dismiss you as untrustworthy from the start. It’s better to balance shock value with reality.
Making the wrong promise: if your headline promises one thing, but your copy gets off-topic, you’ve let the reader down. They won’t trust you and they won’t help you. That’s why it’s wise to begin with a strong headline and, as you write, check that your content matches it.
3. Offer Proof
Whether you’re writing a news article or a sales pitch, you need credible, citable proof that what you’re writing is accurate. Statistics, testimonials from users/customers, endorsements from certified experts, consumer reports, results of focus groups: these are all methods to prove you’re telling the truth. Sometimes proof is subjective, but it’s better than nothing.
4. Don’t Be Modest
Copywriting is competitive. You’re competing to beat out all other stimuli for a few precious moments in which your voice can be heard. That means presenting yourself/your company in the best possible light. Just as you would never degrade yourself in a job interview, you should *never* focus on the negative when discussing your product. In fact, be loud and proud about what you do best. Convince us that you’re amazing, and we just might believe it.
5. Love Lists
Lists are always a great solution. They are easy and quick to read, and a great way to summarize thoughts. They also engage users more easily than large blocks of text.
6. Make It Fun
It’s important to deliver information in your copy, but it’s equally important how you deliver it. If your copy reads like a school lecture or an instruction manual, your readers will be gone faster than you can say “class dismissed.” Reading can feel like a chore, so you need to make it fun. A conversational tone, an understanding attitude, and a touch of humor will do the trick.
7. Omit Needless Words
Standard advice, but it never gets old. Time is precious. The moment your reader feels their time is wasted, they move on. Avoid this by sharpening your copy to include only what is necessary to communicate a persuasive, precise message. Less is more.
8. Remember to Write for Humans
This seems obvious, but with the SEO crowd’s obsession over keywords, it’s worth noting. Yes, great copy must include the keywords associated with your topic. But be sensible about it. Readers aren’t dumb. They can smell keyword stuffing from a mile away, and it smells like weak writing, lazy marketing, and sketchy salesmen. No matter how many keywords you cram into your copy, it’s not worth a dime unless people read it. Quality writing trumps keyword hierarchy because it harnesses the strongest marketing tool in existence: word of mouth.
9. Make It Easy For Them
So you’ve captured that elusive 20% who saw your headline and they’ve read your copy. Now what? You want them to act on what they’ve read. It’s your job to make that next step as easy as possible. If the goal of your copy is to generate buzz, leave links to your facebook or twitter pages. If you want them to subscribe to your blog or site, make it as easy as a click of a button. Same goes for buying a good or service: buttons and links immediately following your copy make the next step obvious and effortless for your potential consumer.
10. Finish Strong
Psychological studies show that your memory of an experience is heavily influenced by how it ends. If you’ve written an excellent article but then taper off, the reader is left unimpressed and probably a little confused. You need to wow them at the end; they’ve gotten that far! Prove to them it was worth reading. Summarize the greatest benefits you’ve given them and send them home happy.
Follow these 10 pointers, and your writing will shine. Quality writing shows you value the reader’s time and want to give them a pleasant experience. So pleasant, in fact, that they barely noticing they’re reading copy. And that is how you know you’ve done your job.
No one wants to pay attention to commercials. No one volunteers to be preached at, tricked, or teased by ad campaigns. We all have better things to do. It follows, then, that no one wants to read copy.
That’s where you come in. You’ve got an incredible service/product/website that you want to share with the world. What do you do if the world doesn’t want to listen? Convince them you’re worth listening to. Your copy has to be irresistible. And not only do you need people to read your copy, but you need them to take action, too, by investing their time and/or money in your company. How do you fight for their attention and affection? Here are 10 tips that will give you the edge:
1. Reel Them In
It’s statistically proven that for every 10 people that read a headline, only 2 read further. The odds of snagging a reader are already stacked against you, big time. The headline is like the gatekeeper to your copy. A weak headline is going to lock that gate forever. That’s why you need—absolutely need—a killer headline. A successful headline needs to be several things, as summarized by the American Writers & Artists’ “four Us”:
- Useful: your headline must promise that your copy will be useful to the reader. A great headline offers something not only useful, but essential. It should make the reader think, “I’d be stupid not to read this!”
- Urgent: your potential customers are busy, busy, busy. You have one chance: if they don’t read your copy now—immediately—then they never will. You must recreate this sense of urgency for them.
- Unique: why should they read about what you have to offer when there are millions of others offering the same thing? Show them why you’re different. Tell them, in the headline, what no one else can tell them; offer what no one else can offer; ask what no one has asked before. You need to stand out from the crowd in order to be noticed.
- Ultra-specific: If you ask any famous, successful actor, they will tell you that the key to a fabulous performance is making specific choices. That’s how they convince an audience that their character is believable. As a copywriter, you must be as captivating and believable as Marlon Brando or Meryl Streep. Be specific in your tactics, your offer, and your message. Be specifically useful, unique, and urgent. Your audience will reward you for it.
When a potential consumer reads your copy, they expect to get something in return. They’ve read your headline, and now they ask themselves:
“Will reading further make me smarter/happier/healthier/richer/better off?”
The answer must be yes, or else they will stop right there. That is why your headline offers a promise to make the reader smarter, healthier, richer, etc. Of course, then you must fulfill your promise. If you promise “top tens secrets to losing ten pounds,” you’d better deliver those ten secrets. Of course, they don’t have to be secrets, just information or advice that feels exclusive and will be useful to the reader; that’s what they really care about.
There are two major pitfalls here that you must avoid:
Making an outrageous claim: if your claim is too ridiculous or impossible, the reader will dismiss you as untrustworthy from the start. It’s better to balance shock value with reality.
Making the wrong promise: if your headline promises one thing, but your copy gets off-topic, you’ve let the reader down. They won’t trust you and they won’t help you. That’s why it’s wise to begin with a strong headline and, as you write, check that your content matches it.
3. Offer Proof
Whether you’re writing a news article or a sales pitch, you need credible, citable proof that what you’re writing is accurate. Statistics, testimonials from users/customers, endorsements from certified experts, consumer reports, results of focus groups: these are all methods to prove you’re telling the truth. Sometimes proof is subjective, but it’s better than nothing.
4. Don’t Be Modest
Copywriting is competitive. You’re competing to beat out all other stimuli for a few precious moments in which your voice can be heard. That means presenting yourself/your company in the best possible light. Just as you would never degrade yourself in a job interview, you should *never* focus on the negative when discussing your product. In fact, be loud and proud about what you do best. Convince us that you’re amazing, and we just might believe it.
5. Love Lists
Lists are always a great solution. They are easy and quick to read, and a great way to summarize thoughts. They also engage users more easily than large blocks of text.
6. Make It Fun
It’s important to deliver information in your copy, but it’s equally important how you deliver it. If your copy reads like a school lecture or an instruction manual, your readers will be gone faster than you can say “class dismissed.” Reading can feel like a chore, so you need to make it fun. A conversational tone, an understanding attitude, and a touch of humor will do the trick.
7. Omit Needless Words
Standard advice, but it never gets old. Time is precious. The moment your reader feels their time is wasted, they move on. Avoid this by sharpening your copy to include only what is necessary to communicate a persuasive, precise message. Less is more.
8. Remember to Write for Humans
This seems obvious, but with the SEO crowd’s obsession over keywords, it’s worth noting. Yes, great copy must include the keywords associated with your topic. But be sensible about it. Readers aren’t dumb. They can smell keyword stuffing from a mile away, and it smells like weak writing, lazy marketing, and sketchy salesmen. No matter how many keywords you cram into your copy, it’s not worth a dime unless people read it. Quality writing trumps keyword hierarchy because it harnesses the strongest marketing tool in existence: word of mouth.
9. Make It Easy For Them
So you’ve captured that elusive 20% who saw your headline and they’ve read your copy. Now what? You want them to act on what they’ve read. It’s your job to make that next step as easy as possible. If the goal of your copy is to generate buzz, leave links to your facebook or twitter pages. If you want them to subscribe to your blog or site, make it as easy as a click of a button. Same goes for buying a good or service: buttons and links immediately following your copy make the next step obvious and effortless for your potential consumer.
10. Finish Strong
Psychological studies show that your memory of an experience is heavily influenced by how it ends. If you’ve written an excellent article but then taper off, the reader is left unimpressed and probably a little confused. You need to wow them at the end; they’ve gotten that far! Prove to them it was worth reading. Summarize the greatest benefits you’ve given them and send them home happy.
Follow these 10 pointers, and your writing will shine. Quality writing shows you value the reader’s time and want to give them a pleasant experience. So pleasant, in fact, that they barely noticing they’re reading copy. And that is how you know you’ve done your job.
A couple of weeks ago I came across an interesting tool that aims to help website owners and developers to see how their websites look on the iPhone, called iPhoney.
The problem with that tool is that it’s a desktop application, and that it only runs on OSX. I am a Linux user, so that was a bummer. I figured there would be something similar available online, though, and after some research I found it.
It’s called TestiPhone.com, and it pretty much allows you to load any web page and see how it will look on the iPhone. The only thing missing is the touch screen (but you can use the scroll bars to move horizontally and vertically).
If anyone decides to test the iPhoney tool as well let us know how they compare.
READ MORE
The problem with that tool is that it’s a desktop application, and that it only runs on OSX. I am a Linux user, so that was a bummer. I figured there would be something similar available online, though, and after some research I found it.
It’s called TestiPhone.com, and it pretty much allows you to load any web page and see how it will look on the iPhone. The only thing missing is the touch screen (but you can use the scroll bars to move horizontally and vertically).
If anyone decides to test the iPhoney tool as well let us know how they compare.
When I decided to make the Online Profits course free back in June I was not sure how it would work out. My goal was to make the course accessible to as many people as possible, while still making some money from it, and I found an interesting model for that.
The course itself became free, but in order to join people would need to sign-up for a hosting plan with my partner (HostNine). The cost of doing that is $3.95 per month, and there is a requirement of keeping the hosting plan active for at least 3 months. So for $12 people would be able to get a lifetime member account to my course, which last sold for around $400.
It should be a win-win-win situation. Members win because they would get access to the training program almost for free. My hosting partner wins because it would get new clients (many probably staying for the long term), and I win because I would still make some money from the referral commissions.
The plan was solid, but it could backfire. I knew the quality of my course was top notch and comparable to any other online course, but making it virtually free could affect people’s perception negatively.
Luckily this didn’t happen, and last week we crossed the milestone of 500 members (and that is counting only the members who joined after I made the program free in June). This is equivalent to almost 4 new sign-ups per day, which is way above by initial expectations.
The feedback has been great too, and I am starting to see people recommend the program spontaneously around the web (i.e., not because they are affiliates and want to earn some money, but because they really believe it can help other people).
If you are one of the 500 members, thanks for joining! If you are not, well, you are missing some good stuff! You can check the details and join on the Online Profits homepage.
The course itself became free, but in order to join people would need to sign-up for a hosting plan with my partner (HostNine). The cost of doing that is $3.95 per month, and there is a requirement of keeping the hosting plan active for at least 3 months. So for $12 people would be able to get a lifetime member account to my course, which last sold for around $400.
It should be a win-win-win situation. Members win because they would get access to the training program almost for free. My hosting partner wins because it would get new clients (many probably staying for the long term), and I win because I would still make some money from the referral commissions.
The plan was solid, but it could backfire. I knew the quality of my course was top notch and comparable to any other online course, but making it virtually free could affect people’s perception negatively.
Luckily this didn’t happen, and last week we crossed the milestone of 500 members (and that is counting only the members who joined after I made the program free in June). This is equivalent to almost 4 new sign-ups per day, which is way above by initial expectations.
The feedback has been great too, and I am starting to see people recommend the program spontaneously around the web (i.e., not because they are affiliates and want to earn some money, but because they really believe it can help other people).
If you are one of the 500 members, thanks for joining! If you are not, well, you are missing some good stuff! You can check the details and join on the Online Profits homepage.
In the days of yore widget allows bloggers with without title (title) but now that freedom restrained by a blogger, so any widget / gadget should have a title or titles. But often times we do not want a gadget / widget without a title, and if forced command message may be displayed error "Required field must not be blank" or essentially the title must exist and can not proceed if no title.
Well how about it?
The way is easy we just fill in the title or the title of the gadget with the code
Dan hanya cukup code diatas tidak perlu tambahan apa-apa lagi.
Sekian deh cukup semoga bermanfaat bagi Anda
Well how about it?
The way is easy we just fill in the title or the title of the gadget with the code
Dan hanya cukup code diatas tidak perlu tambahan apa-apa lagi.
Sekian deh cukup semoga bermanfaat bagi Anda
Comments already a thing that can not be separated by post, such as like motor gasoline, but this time on the post I will discuss how to change the old comment form new comments blogger bloggers become more sophisticated with no author photo on the post comments.
If you use the old template photo this author does not appear that there is proper in the new template author bloggers who have photos next to them.
The first step entered on the "Settings" then "Comments" and make sure select "YES" to the question "Show profile images on comments?" Last SAVE
The second step into the Edit HTML and check the box "Expand Widget Templates"
Then look for the code below
Understand and adjust code for your template.
Then Replace the code above with the code below
SAVE and see the results.
And if you have any questions please ask and make a comment here.
Thank You.
If you use the old template photo this author does not appear that there is proper in the new template author bloggers who have photos next to them.
The first step entered on the "Settings" then "Comments" and make sure select "YES" to the question "Show profile images on comments?" Last SAVE
The second step into the Edit HTML and check the box "Expand Widget Templates"
Then look for the code below
Understand and adjust code for your template.
Then Replace the code above with the code below
SAVE and see the results.
And if you have any questions please ask and make a comment here.
Thank You.
At this time I will discuss about the attribution widget blogger yet who I discussed this time is how menghilangkanya.
The way is simple and very easy, follow the steps below Only.
The first entry in the "Design" then "Edit HTML"
and then SAVE it.
READ MORE
The way is simple and very easy, follow the steps below Only.
The first entry in the "Design" then "Edit HTML"
and then SAVE it.
Gimana sih cara bikin kotak kode untuk pasang link, Gimana bikin badge/button/gambarnya itu?
Karena sering ada yang nanya, maka inilah jawabannya :)
Pertama, siapkan dulu gambar button/badge yang diinginkan. Kita bisa membuatnya sendiri dengan bantuan software Paint, Adobe Photoshop, atau yang lain. Tapi yang lebih mudah, kita bisa menggenerate secara otomatis dari web-web penyedianya.
Web untuk membuat gambar button/badge tersebut antara lain:
** Brilliant Button Maker
** Kalsey Button Maker
Kedua, simpan badge/button yang telah kita buat tersebut di image hosting kita. Bisa di imageshack.us, photobucket, atau lainnya.
Ketiga, tambahkan kode seperti di bawah ini ke template blog.
AAA= ganti dengan alamat blog, di sini misalnya jadi: http://bebasdownload-gratis.blogspot.com/
BBB= ganti dengan alamat gambar button/badge yang telah diupload ke internet.
Misal menjadi: http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/3747/mybloguv4.png
Setelah itu, simpan atau republish template blog kita.
Done
Karena sering ada yang nanya, maka inilah jawabannya :)
Pertama, siapkan dulu gambar button/badge yang diinginkan. Kita bisa membuatnya sendiri dengan bantuan software Paint, Adobe Photoshop, atau yang lain. Tapi yang lebih mudah, kita bisa menggenerate secara otomatis dari web-web penyedianya.
Web untuk membuat gambar button/badge tersebut antara lain:
** Brilliant Button Maker
** Kalsey Button Maker
Kedua, simpan badge/button yang telah kita buat tersebut di image hosting kita. Bisa di imageshack.us, photobucket, atau lainnya.
Ketiga, tambahkan kode seperti di bawah ini ke template blog.
AAA= ganti dengan alamat blog, di sini misalnya jadi: http://bebasdownload-gratis.blogspot.com/
BBB= ganti dengan alamat gambar button/badge yang telah diupload ke internet.
Misal menjadi: http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/3747/mybloguv4.png
Setelah itu, simpan atau republish template blog kita.
Done
Maaf baru sempat update :D Lagi bingung juga mo bahas apa, jadi kalo mo request bahasan silakan komen2 aja ya :D (tentunya hal2 di luar yg sudah dibahas di buku-buku saya :p)
Ini sedikit cerita dan tips (mungkin), buat yang merasa peringkat blognya gak naik2 :)
Sudah tidak asing lagi kan dengan istilah 'tukeran link? Ya, intinya ngajak saling me-link blog satu sama lain.
Tujuannya? Ada yang karena pengen mempermudah silaturahmi (biar gampang tinggal klik kalo mo berkunjung lagi), tapi ada juga yang hanya biar peringkat blognya naik karena banyak di link oleh blog lain, dsb.
Untuk tujuan yang kedua yaitu meningkatkan peringkat doank, saya agak prihatin. Kenapa?
Sebenarnya -menurut pengalaman dan pengamatan saya- tukeran link saja tidak cukup untuk meningkatkan peringkat (seperti pagerank google) di mata mesin pencari. Memang tukeran link adalah salah satu pendukungnya.
Tapi yang pertama dan lebih penting adalah content dari blog itu sendiri. Content yang unik (original) bukan copy-paste, bisa jg yang bermanfaat dan banyak dicari orang (informatif).
Kalo soal content yang informatif (misal situs berita, situs tutorial), ini biasa pengunjungnya memang banyak, orang yang berkunjung pasti mencari info terbaru. Selain itu, blog2 lain juga akan dengan sukarela melink ke situ.
Soal content yang original, ini nih yang banyak terjadi belakangan. Banyak sekali blogger yang ngajak tukeran link, setelah saya liat isi blognya hanya copy-paste dari blog lain meskipun sudah mencantumkan link sumbernya. Ya tidak salah sih kalo sudah mencantumkan link, tapi itu berarti isi blognya kan gak unik, gak original. Biasanya yang melakukan itu adalah blogger2 yang blognya bertujuan buat ditarohin iklan. Niat hatinya pasti donk biar blognya dapet peringkat bagus karena di link, tapi kenyataannya berbulan2 pagerank-nya tetap 0 (nol) kan? :)
Coba perhatikan blog teman2 blogger yang isi blognya biasa aja, hanya seputar keseharian mereka, tapi kok ada yang pagerank nya bisa 3-4??
Ya itu tadi, karena isi blog mereka original. Mereka menulis pemikiran dan cerita mereka sendiri. Ada juga sih yang hanya pagerank 1-2, tapi setidaknya bukan 0 atau unranked kan, dan itu masih bisa naik jika blog mereka sudah populer :)
Blog ini, pageranknya langsung 3 setelah kurang dari 4 bulan dibuat. Isinya mungkin gak jauh beda sama blog tutorial lain, tapi original, mikir dan nyoba sendiri, bikin capture2 sendiri, trus gak ikut2an blog sejenis lain (misal blog tutorial A lagi bahas ttg X, blog ini gak langsung ikut2an bahas X juga).
Karena blog ini pembacanya sudah ditargetkan (pemula), jadi isinya juga gak akan saya bahas istilah2 yang tingkat tinggi, cukup dengan cerita seperti ini untuk pemahaman awal.
OK, coba deh, buat yang blognya masih baru dan langsung dipasangin iklan serta isinya copy-paste, apa sudah ada yang bisa menghasilkan banyak dolar??
Kalo cara2 yang dilakukan 'legal', saya bisa jamin jawabannya: tidak bisa.
Hehe saya sendiri sudah pernah mencoba, dan selama 6 bulan (bahkan sampe skrg) pagerank-nya: unranked :)
Jadi, cobalah bikin content sendiri. Ide boleh sama, tapi kemasan harus beda donk..
So, apa yang harus dilakukan??
Kembalikan dulu ke tujuan ngeblog. Kalo pengen langsung dapet dolar dalam waktu singkat, ya silakan bermimpi dulu :) Hehehe becanda..
Tulis saja hal-hal yang benar2 kamu mengerti. Kuliah di jurusan bahasa? Tulis ttg bahasa, bikin cerpen2. Kuliah di jurusan kedokteran? Bisa menulis tentang kesehatan. Kerja di bidang IT? Tulis sharing pengalaman kerjaan kamu. Suka masak dan kuliner? Coba aja share resep2 yang kamu tahu, atau cerita tempat2 makan yang pernah kamu coba.
Banyaaak banget tulisan original yang seharusnya bisa dibuat dari masing2 blogger, jadi kenapa harus copy-paste dan hanya tuker2an link doank untuk mendatangkan pengunjung?!
Tukeran link? Tetep dibutuhkan, tapi bukan yang utama dan satu2nya. Coba deh bikin blog copy-paste dan dapetin banyak link balik, bandingkan sama blog yg original tapi link-nya lebih sedikit. Pasti akan lebih cepat terindex yang original.
Dan kalo pengen blognya dikunjungi, jangan hanya cuap2 atau ngabsen di shoutbox saja. Rasanya kurang personal dan sambil lewat saja. Cobalah untuk lebih saling mengenal, dengan saling berkomentar. Gak harus selalu sih, karena komentar itu juga gak sembarangan, kalo gak tau apa yang ditulis saya juga gak komentar biasanya :D Trus, cobalah menulis dengan gaya 'berkomunikasi'. Jangan jadikan seperti situs berita, tapi gimana caranya pembaca bisa ikut berkomentar di blog kamu.
Kalo pagerank-nya udah naik, punya banyak pengunjung, dapet link balik dari berbagai blog, baru deh bisa dipikirin buat migrasi ke bahasa inggris, atau nambahin iklan2nya, dll.... :)
Sebenernya banyak hal lainnya jg, tapi segini dulu deh. Kalo ada yg mo nambahin silakan aja.. :)
Tambahan: kalo kalian pake Firefox, dan pengen bisa liat pagerank suatu web dengan cepat, install aja extention search status (donwload di http://www.quirk.biz/searchstatus/). Jadi jika kita membuka suatu web, di pojok kanan bawah langsung tertera pagerank-nya.
Ini sedikit cerita dan tips (mungkin), buat yang merasa peringkat blognya gak naik2 :)
Sudah tidak asing lagi kan dengan istilah 'tukeran link? Ya, intinya ngajak saling me-link blog satu sama lain.
Tujuannya? Ada yang karena pengen mempermudah silaturahmi (biar gampang tinggal klik kalo mo berkunjung lagi), tapi ada juga yang hanya biar peringkat blognya naik karena banyak di link oleh blog lain, dsb.
Untuk tujuan yang kedua yaitu meningkatkan peringkat doank, saya agak prihatin. Kenapa?
Sebenarnya -menurut pengalaman dan pengamatan saya- tukeran link saja tidak cukup untuk meningkatkan peringkat (seperti pagerank google) di mata mesin pencari. Memang tukeran link adalah salah satu pendukungnya.
Tapi yang pertama dan lebih penting adalah content dari blog itu sendiri. Content yang unik (original) bukan copy-paste, bisa jg yang bermanfaat dan banyak dicari orang (informatif).
Kalo soal content yang informatif (misal situs berita, situs tutorial), ini biasa pengunjungnya memang banyak, orang yang berkunjung pasti mencari info terbaru. Selain itu, blog2 lain juga akan dengan sukarela melink ke situ.
Soal content yang original, ini nih yang banyak terjadi belakangan. Banyak sekali blogger yang ngajak tukeran link, setelah saya liat isi blognya hanya copy-paste dari blog lain meskipun sudah mencantumkan link sumbernya. Ya tidak salah sih kalo sudah mencantumkan link, tapi itu berarti isi blognya kan gak unik, gak original. Biasanya yang melakukan itu adalah blogger2 yang blognya bertujuan buat ditarohin iklan. Niat hatinya pasti donk biar blognya dapet peringkat bagus karena di link, tapi kenyataannya berbulan2 pagerank-nya tetap 0 (nol) kan? :)
Coba perhatikan blog teman2 blogger yang isi blognya biasa aja, hanya seputar keseharian mereka, tapi kok ada yang pagerank nya bisa 3-4??
Ya itu tadi, karena isi blog mereka original. Mereka menulis pemikiran dan cerita mereka sendiri. Ada juga sih yang hanya pagerank 1-2, tapi setidaknya bukan 0 atau unranked kan, dan itu masih bisa naik jika blog mereka sudah populer :)
Blog ini, pageranknya langsung 3 setelah kurang dari 4 bulan dibuat. Isinya mungkin gak jauh beda sama blog tutorial lain, tapi original, mikir dan nyoba sendiri, bikin capture2 sendiri, trus gak ikut2an blog sejenis lain (misal blog tutorial A lagi bahas ttg X, blog ini gak langsung ikut2an bahas X juga).
Karena blog ini pembacanya sudah ditargetkan (pemula), jadi isinya juga gak akan saya bahas istilah2 yang tingkat tinggi, cukup dengan cerita seperti ini untuk pemahaman awal.
OK, coba deh, buat yang blognya masih baru dan langsung dipasangin iklan serta isinya copy-paste, apa sudah ada yang bisa menghasilkan banyak dolar??
Kalo cara2 yang dilakukan 'legal', saya bisa jamin jawabannya: tidak bisa.
Hehe saya sendiri sudah pernah mencoba, dan selama 6 bulan (bahkan sampe skrg) pagerank-nya: unranked :)
Jadi, cobalah bikin content sendiri. Ide boleh sama, tapi kemasan harus beda donk..
So, apa yang harus dilakukan??
Kembalikan dulu ke tujuan ngeblog. Kalo pengen langsung dapet dolar dalam waktu singkat, ya silakan bermimpi dulu :) Hehehe becanda..
Tulis saja hal-hal yang benar2 kamu mengerti. Kuliah di jurusan bahasa? Tulis ttg bahasa, bikin cerpen2. Kuliah di jurusan kedokteran? Bisa menulis tentang kesehatan. Kerja di bidang IT? Tulis sharing pengalaman kerjaan kamu. Suka masak dan kuliner? Coba aja share resep2 yang kamu tahu, atau cerita tempat2 makan yang pernah kamu coba.
Banyaaak banget tulisan original yang seharusnya bisa dibuat dari masing2 blogger, jadi kenapa harus copy-paste dan hanya tuker2an link doank untuk mendatangkan pengunjung?!
Tukeran link? Tetep dibutuhkan, tapi bukan yang utama dan satu2nya. Coba deh bikin blog copy-paste dan dapetin banyak link balik, bandingkan sama blog yg original tapi link-nya lebih sedikit. Pasti akan lebih cepat terindex yang original.
Dan kalo pengen blognya dikunjungi, jangan hanya cuap2 atau ngabsen di shoutbox saja. Rasanya kurang personal dan sambil lewat saja. Cobalah untuk lebih saling mengenal, dengan saling berkomentar. Gak harus selalu sih, karena komentar itu juga gak sembarangan, kalo gak tau apa yang ditulis saya juga gak komentar biasanya :D Trus, cobalah menulis dengan gaya 'berkomunikasi'. Jangan jadikan seperti situs berita, tapi gimana caranya pembaca bisa ikut berkomentar di blog kamu.
Kalo pagerank-nya udah naik, punya banyak pengunjung, dapet link balik dari berbagai blog, baru deh bisa dipikirin buat migrasi ke bahasa inggris, atau nambahin iklan2nya, dll.... :)
Sebenernya banyak hal lainnya jg, tapi segini dulu deh. Kalo ada yg mo nambahin silakan aja.. :)
Tambahan: kalo kalian pake Firefox, dan pengen bisa liat pagerank suatu web dengan cepat, install aja extention search status (donwload di http://www.quirk.biz/searchstatus/). Jadi jika kita membuka suatu web, di pojok kanan bawah langsung tertera pagerank-nya.
FeedBurner ini selain digunakan untuk mempublikasikan feed, sekarang juga bisa digunakan untuk membuat notifikasi email (atau semacam newsletter), seperti yang kalian lihat di sidebar blog ini bagian 'Notifikasi Email'. Pengunjung yang mengisikan emailnya di situ, maka otomatis jika ada postingan terbaru akan menerima email pemberitahuan berupa sebagian isi tulisan baru tersebut.
Gunanya untuk apa?
Bagi yang sudah baca buku saya tentu tahu donk buat apa. Singkatnya, yaitu untuk merawat kesetiaan pengunjung. Pengunjung yang sudah mendaftarkan alamat emailnya di form notifikasi tentu saja memang pengunjung yang ingin mendapat berita postingan selanjutnya kan? :)
Bagaimana caranya?
Silakan mencoba. :)
Gunanya untuk apa?
Bagi yang sudah baca buku saya tentu tahu donk buat apa. Singkatnya, yaitu untuk merawat kesetiaan pengunjung. Pengunjung yang sudah mendaftarkan alamat emailnya di form notifikasi tentu saja memang pengunjung yang ingin mendapat berita postingan selanjutnya kan? :)
Bagaimana caranya?
- Kunjungi situs feedburner.com.
- Daftar atau sign up di sana, isi form register.
- Langkah-langkah selanjutnya tinggal ikuti dan coba saja ya.
- Burn a feed right this instant. Type your blog or feed address here: isikan dengan URL atom/rss feed, klik next. Selanjutnya 'Activate Feed'.
- Pilih 'Skip directly to feed management'.
- Pada menu-menu yg ada di atas, pilih 'Publicize'.
- Di menu samping, pilih 'Email Subscription'.
- Lalu 'Activate'.
- Pilih bahasa dan platform blog kita, lalu copy-paste kode yang tersedia ke blog kita.
Silakan mencoba. :)
formspring.me
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Website ini menyediakan layanan form tanya jawab. Si penanya boleh nanya apa aja, dan kita berhak menentukan mau jawab atau enggak, karena banyak juga pertanyaan-pertanyaan isenk.
Form ini selain bisa digunakan untuk pribadi, juga sepertinya bisa digunakan untuk usaha kita, menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan konsumen atau pengunjung website/blog kita. Jangan khawatir kalau ada pertanyaan-pertanyaan ngaco, karena kalau belum terjawab tidak akan ditampilkan, jadi tinggal delete aja :)
Form pertanyaannya juga bisa diembed ke blog dengan fasilitas widgetnya (temukan di menu Setting).
Form ini selain bisa digunakan untuk pribadi, juga sepertinya bisa digunakan untuk usaha kita, menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan konsumen atau pengunjung website/blog kita. Jangan khawatir kalau ada pertanyaan-pertanyaan ngaco, karena kalau belum terjawab tidak akan ditampilkan, jadi tinggal delete aja :)
Form pertanyaannya juga bisa diembed ke blog dengan fasilitas widgetnya (temukan di menu Setting).
Bagaimana caranya membuat link atau blogroll yang dapat bergerak (dari bawah ke atas, atau sebaliknya) seperti di kanan bawah blog ini?
Link seperti itu selain untuk variasi, juga digunakan agar menghemat tempat.
Cara membuatnya cukup mudah.
Pada bagian yang ingin digunakan untuk meletakkkan blogroll tersebut (kalau di template baru letakkan di page element 'HTML/Javascript'), letakkan kode:
# untuk nilai width dan height bisa diubah disesuaikan dengan keinginan.
# untuk direction, up: untuk bergerak naik, down: bergerak ke bawah.
# bagian xxxx:
isikan kode-kode link di situ.
Misalnya:
dan seterusnya.
Jika menggunakan link dari Djenggot, ya letakkan kode link Djenggot di situ, tapi sebelumnya di Djenggot pilih dulu yang untuk horisontal.
Contoh jadi:
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Link seperti itu selain untuk variasi, juga digunakan agar menghemat tempat.
Cara membuatnya cukup mudah.
Pada bagian yang ingin digunakan untuk meletakkkan blogroll tersebut (kalau di template baru letakkan di page element 'HTML/Javascript'), letakkan kode:
# untuk nilai width dan height bisa diubah disesuaikan dengan keinginan.
# untuk direction, up: untuk bergerak naik, down: bergerak ke bawah.
# bagian xxxx:
isikan kode-kode link di situ.
Misalnya:
dan seterusnya.
Jika menggunakan link dari Djenggot, ya letakkan kode link Djenggot di situ, tapi sebelumnya di Djenggot pilih dulu yang untuk horisontal.
Contoh jadi:
If you want to prevent users from copying contents of your blog or site than you need to put this code in ur blog so that user can not copy ur blog's contents , i was browsing through ashish's blog and got this script
Go to Layout and click on add new gadget > select Html/Javacsript
Now in the box copy and paste the following code
Go to Layout and click on add new gadget > select Html/Javacsript
Now in the box copy and paste the following code
Page post view or post views hit counter to count how many times any post or article on blogspot blog has been read.
Several times bloggers like to count how many times any post or articles on blog has been read.
But blogger doesn't provide any way for counting page views or any post hit counter widget
I've written a hit counter script for blogspot bloggers to count page / post views or hits and sharing it with everyone who needs it
to put page views counter in all posts of your blog , follow these steps
1. Login to Blogspot -> Dashboard -> Layout -> Edit HTML
2. click on expend widget Templates
3. find below mentioned line of code
If you don't want to edit html code than you can put this counter in sidebar of your blog.
For this Go to Layout > Click on Add a Gadget
Select HTML/Javascript
Now copy and paste below mentioned code in the box
Test the post views counter, leave me a comment if you like it or having any problems in installing it
Have fun
Several times bloggers like to count how many times any post or articles on blog has been read.
But blogger doesn't provide any way for counting page views or any post hit counter widget
I've written a hit counter script for blogspot bloggers to count page / post views or hits and sharing it with everyone who needs it
to put page views counter in all posts of your blog , follow these steps
1. Login to Blogspot -> Dashboard -> Layout -> Edit HTML
2. click on expend widget Templates
3. find below mentioned line of code
If you don't want to edit html code than you can put this counter in sidebar of your blog.
For this Go to Layout > Click on Add a Gadget
Select HTML/Javascript
Now copy and paste below mentioned code in the box
Test the post views counter, leave me a comment if you like it or having any problems in installing it
Have fun
Darren Rowse is a blogging Rockstar and is someone that every up and coming blogger should listen to and learn from. He runs the hit blogs, Digital Photography School and Problogger. He also recently launched Twitip for Twitter tips and tricks (I recently had a guest post on Twitips about Marketing a Niche Site on twitter).
Darren recently did an interview for Google Adsense, giving some of his own tips for creating higher conversions with Google Adsense. Some pretty good info for new bloggers and I am definitely going to revisit the ad placement on some of my blogs.
Check out this video here:
To read his whole article on Blog Adsense Optmization, check out the whole post here.
Darren recently did an interview for Google Adsense, giving some of his own tips for creating higher conversions with Google Adsense. Some pretty good info for new bloggers and I am definitely going to revisit the ad placement on some of my blogs.
Check out this video here:
To read his whole article on Blog Adsense Optmization, check out the whole post here.
As morbid as it sounds, have you ever wondered what will happen to your blog when you expire from the face of this earth? This post was prompted by a regular guest blogger on someone else’s blog who suddenly disappeared from the blogging world. Mails to him were also unanswered, and his popular SEO blog was abandoned and then deleted when the domain expired.
While I won’t be drawn into any speculation as to whether this blogger had suddenly passed on, this incident just reminds us of how short life can be and how death can be both swift and sudden. But in our online community, it just begs the question “What will happen to our blogs when we die?”
There are just 2 ways how our blog will end up when we pass away.
1. The Unprepared Blogger – Your Blog Dies Too
The chance of this happening outweighs more than the second possibility that I will discuss next. Assuming that you don’t have a family of bloggers or Internet Marketers who have the same interest or passion as you, you would never have thought about passing the legacy to your children or wife that’s for sure. The inevitable comes – your blog dies along with you.
Personally I feel that you would have more incentive to make such “takeover” preparations only if you have a glowing business and consistently earn a relatively substantial online income.
2. The Prepared Blogger – Your Blog Lives On
These are the things you would have taken care of:
1. You would discuss with your partners if they are willing to take over the running of your blog should you suddenly pass on. After all, they already have a vested interest in your blog and would appreciate such discussions.
2. There is a lot of information known only to you that makes releasing it to someone else essential in continuing your business. Start writing down all the important login IDs and passwords (e.g. PayPal, affiliate programs, etc.) and give this to your wife or most trusted partner. The most important account should be your PayPal account since your money is kept here. Write down a simple note listing the steps needed to remit back the money to your family. If you don’t already have a joint bank account with your spouse or loved ones to receive the money, this is probably a good time to open one.
3. You may prefer to sell your blog especially if your family has no knowledge of your business or the desire to learn to takeover the operations. Inform your most trusted partner to initiate the blog sales process in the event of your death.
4. Over the years you would have built lots of relationship with other bloggers, customers and prospects. You would want to at least write a short page advising them of your departure and have someone publish it on your blog.
Just like you would create a will in the offline world so that you know all your assets will be appropriately distributed to your family when you are gone, there isn’t an online will to do this. However Legacy Locker offers a service that you might want to consider as it passes on any important digital property to your family members or partners including application logins like PayPal, email accounts, Facebook, etc.
While I won’t be drawn into any speculation as to whether this blogger had suddenly passed on, this incident just reminds us of how short life can be and how death can be both swift and sudden. But in our online community, it just begs the question “What will happen to our blogs when we die?”
There are just 2 ways how our blog will end up when we pass away.
1. The Unprepared Blogger – Your Blog Dies Too
The chance of this happening outweighs more than the second possibility that I will discuss next. Assuming that you don’t have a family of bloggers or Internet Marketers who have the same interest or passion as you, you would never have thought about passing the legacy to your children or wife that’s for sure. The inevitable comes – your blog dies along with you.
Personally I feel that you would have more incentive to make such “takeover” preparations only if you have a glowing business and consistently earn a relatively substantial online income.
2. The Prepared Blogger – Your Blog Lives On
These are the things you would have taken care of:
1. You would discuss with your partners if they are willing to take over the running of your blog should you suddenly pass on. After all, they already have a vested interest in your blog and would appreciate such discussions.
2. There is a lot of information known only to you that makes releasing it to someone else essential in continuing your business. Start writing down all the important login IDs and passwords (e.g. PayPal, affiliate programs, etc.) and give this to your wife or most trusted partner. The most important account should be your PayPal account since your money is kept here. Write down a simple note listing the steps needed to remit back the money to your family. If you don’t already have a joint bank account with your spouse or loved ones to receive the money, this is probably a good time to open one.
3. You may prefer to sell your blog especially if your family has no knowledge of your business or the desire to learn to takeover the operations. Inform your most trusted partner to initiate the blog sales process in the event of your death.
4. Over the years you would have built lots of relationship with other bloggers, customers and prospects. You would want to at least write a short page advising them of your departure and have someone publish it on your blog.
Just like you would create a will in the offline world so that you know all your assets will be appropriately distributed to your family when you are gone, there isn’t an online will to do this. However Legacy Locker offers a service that you might want to consider as it passes on any important digital property to your family members or partners including application logins like PayPal, email accounts, Facebook, etc.
Getting a guest post accepted on a popular and relevant blog is not as easy as it seems. Below you’ll find 9 ways that are guaranteed to get your post rejected. Are you guilty of any?
1. Don’t Follow Instructions
Most blogs have guidelines and rules for guest posting. Don’t read them, don’t follow them, just send your guest post as you feel like. Better yet, read the rules and then send a guest post that breaks them.
2. Don’t Write On The Theme Of The Blog
Make sure your guest post is not related to the content or theme of the blog you are about to guest post on. If the blog is about SEO, send a post about politics or green technology. You will surely get rejected.
3. Don’t Research The Blog
Yes, just send the post because they asked for it. Knowing about the writing style and format style of the blog may just get you accepted and you don’t want that. So forget it.
4. Add Affiliate Links
Yes, add a couple of affiliate links to products and services that will earn you some recurring or one-time income. After all that blog may have more traffic, and you want to make money. This will help in getting your post rejected.
5. Add Many Links To Your Blog
Apart from the affiliate links remember to add 2 or 3 links to your own blog. That is not counting the one in the byline! After all, you need more traffic. This might get your post rejected, but hey at least you tried!
6. Build No Relationship First
Yes, no need to do that. Don’t comment on the blog, link to one of his articles first or establish some kind of conversation. Just email him out of the blue. Bonus point if you assume to be an old friend by starting your email with “Hey man, how is it going?”.
7. Don’t Link To Older Posts on That Blog
Don’t ever think of adding a link to an old post on that blog if you want your post to be rejected. Just write the post and forget about adding any backlinks to their own posts. Remember, you are the one who should win something out of this deal, not the host blogger.
8. Make Lots Of Typos
Yes, I almost forgot. Fill your post with grammatical and typographical errors. Make the post as unreadable as possible, then send it to the blogger. This is a bullet proof method to get your post rejected.
9. Focus on Promoting Yourself
Let your guest post be a complete self promotion. Promote your blog, your products or anything related to you. Forget about the readers or the other blogger, only think about yourself. This is a smart way to get your post rejected –fast. So do it.
These are just a few ways to successfully get your guest post rejected. Needless to say that you should do the opposite if you are looking to get your guest posts accepted.
What other things make you reject guest posts on your blog?
1. Don’t Follow Instructions
Most blogs have guidelines and rules for guest posting. Don’t read them, don’t follow them, just send your guest post as you feel like. Better yet, read the rules and then send a guest post that breaks them.
2. Don’t Write On The Theme Of The Blog
Make sure your guest post is not related to the content or theme of the blog you are about to guest post on. If the blog is about SEO, send a post about politics or green technology. You will surely get rejected.
3. Don’t Research The Blog
Yes, just send the post because they asked for it. Knowing about the writing style and format style of the blog may just get you accepted and you don’t want that. So forget it.
4. Add Affiliate Links
Yes, add a couple of affiliate links to products and services that will earn you some recurring or one-time income. After all that blog may have more traffic, and you want to make money. This will help in getting your post rejected.
5. Add Many Links To Your Blog
Apart from the affiliate links remember to add 2 or 3 links to your own blog. That is not counting the one in the byline! After all, you need more traffic. This might get your post rejected, but hey at least you tried!
6. Build No Relationship First
Yes, no need to do that. Don’t comment on the blog, link to one of his articles first or establish some kind of conversation. Just email him out of the blue. Bonus point if you assume to be an old friend by starting your email with “Hey man, how is it going?”.
7. Don’t Link To Older Posts on That Blog
Don’t ever think of adding a link to an old post on that blog if you want your post to be rejected. Just write the post and forget about adding any backlinks to their own posts. Remember, you are the one who should win something out of this deal, not the host blogger.
8. Make Lots Of Typos
Yes, I almost forgot. Fill your post with grammatical and typographical errors. Make the post as unreadable as possible, then send it to the blogger. This is a bullet proof method to get your post rejected.
9. Focus on Promoting Yourself
Let your guest post be a complete self promotion. Promote your blog, your products or anything related to you. Forget about the readers or the other blogger, only think about yourself. This is a smart way to get your post rejected –fast. So do it.
These are just a few ways to successfully get your guest post rejected. Needless to say that you should do the opposite if you are looking to get your guest posts accepted.
What other things make you reject guest posts on your blog?
The browser is where we spend most of our time these days, and Firefox is the browser of choice for web geeks (along with Chrome these days). That is why I decided to start a series called “Best Firefox Add-ons.”
Every Monday I’ll be talking about one different add-on (also called extension), and most of them are useful to bloggers, webmasters and Internet addicts in general!
The first one is called SearchStatus. If I don’t have this extension installed it feels that something is missing on the browser.
It basically displays the Google PageRank and the Alexa rank of the website/page you are visiting.
On top of that you also have a wide range of features. For example, you can make the extension highlight nofollow links on the pages you are visiting, show the Whois or robots.txt of the website, and check how many backlinks the website or page has (according to different sources).
It is certainly the extension I use most frequently while working online, so check it out if you don’t have it yet.
Every Monday I’ll be talking about one different add-on (also called extension), and most of them are useful to bloggers, webmasters and Internet addicts in general!
The first one is called SearchStatus. If I don’t have this extension installed it feels that something is missing on the browser.
It basically displays the Google PageRank and the Alexa rank of the website/page you are visiting.
On top of that you also have a wide range of features. For example, you can make the extension highlight nofollow links on the pages you are visiting, show the Whois or robots.txt of the website, and check how many backlinks the website or page has (according to different sources).
It is certainly the extension I use most frequently while working online, so check it out if you don’t have it yet.
Most people who blog also have a full time job or occupation (i.e., school), not to mention other personal activities (e.g., friends and family), so balancing everything can become tricky indeed.
In fact if you don’t plan well your blog is probably the one that is going to suffer first. That is, when things get messy or overwhelming, most people just abandon their blogs.
I think this is a mistake, because a blog is a great marketing tool for anyone. It helps you improve your writing, it expands your network of contacts, it builds an audience for your ideas, it allows you to establish expertise in your field and so on.
That is why I decide to write a post with 4 tips that will help you stay focused on your blog, even if your personal life is taking most of your time.
1. Focus on the core activities
Writing blog posts, promoting blog posts, building links, creating social bookmarking profiles, promoting on Twitter, creating Facebook fan pages, experimenting with PPC ads, reading RSS feeds, creating eBooks, etc.
Trying to do everything I mentioned above would be possible, and it could help your blog, but it would also burn you out quickly.
If you don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to your blog, focus on the core activities only. The main one is writing content. If you only have time for one task, use it to write content. If in one day you happen to have some extra time, use it to promote your best posts.
That is it. If you write great content and promote it slightly your blog will grow naturally, and you’ll keep your sanity.
2. Have fun with it
You need to have fun with your blog, else you’ll lose the motivation to keep it alive it very quickly.
The first step to achieve this is to choose a niche you are interested in. If you pick a niche only to make money you’ll find it painful to write the content no matter what.
Second, you need to make a compromise between what you like to write and what your readers like to read. Go too much with the former and your audience will go away. Go too much with the latter and you’ll lose motivation to write.
3. Set milestones
You can’t improve what you can’t measure, and you can’t get motivated if you don’t think something is improving.
That is why milestones are important. They allow you to track the progress of your blog, and once you see things are getting better, you’ll get motivated to keep working on the blog.
Examples of milestones you could set:
* to reach 1,000 daily page views
* to reach 1,000 RSS subscribers
* to write a post that will receive 20 comments
* to reach an Alexa rank of 100,000
4. Monetize it
Like it or not, money is a very strong motivator. If you are not monetizing your blog yet, and are losing motivation to keep working at it, maybe you should put some ads or affiliate links around.
Don’t expect to get rich overnight, but I am sure that even $100 monthly would give you an extra incentive to write on your blog.
Apart from the immediate results you’ll also see potential there. You’ll realize that your blog can produce real money, and that the better the content you put there, the more money you’ll make.
It becomes a virtuous cycle, where you write more and better content to make more money, and the more money you make the more motivated you become to write more and better content.
In fact if you don’t plan well your blog is probably the one that is going to suffer first. That is, when things get messy or overwhelming, most people just abandon their blogs.
I think this is a mistake, because a blog is a great marketing tool for anyone. It helps you improve your writing, it expands your network of contacts, it builds an audience for your ideas, it allows you to establish expertise in your field and so on.
That is why I decide to write a post with 4 tips that will help you stay focused on your blog, even if your personal life is taking most of your time.
1. Focus on the core activities
Writing blog posts, promoting blog posts, building links, creating social bookmarking profiles, promoting on Twitter, creating Facebook fan pages, experimenting with PPC ads, reading RSS feeds, creating eBooks, etc.
Trying to do everything I mentioned above would be possible, and it could help your blog, but it would also burn you out quickly.
If you don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to your blog, focus on the core activities only. The main one is writing content. If you only have time for one task, use it to write content. If in one day you happen to have some extra time, use it to promote your best posts.
That is it. If you write great content and promote it slightly your blog will grow naturally, and you’ll keep your sanity.
2. Have fun with it
You need to have fun with your blog, else you’ll lose the motivation to keep it alive it very quickly.
The first step to achieve this is to choose a niche you are interested in. If you pick a niche only to make money you’ll find it painful to write the content no matter what.
Second, you need to make a compromise between what you like to write and what your readers like to read. Go too much with the former and your audience will go away. Go too much with the latter and you’ll lose motivation to write.
3. Set milestones
You can’t improve what you can’t measure, and you can’t get motivated if you don’t think something is improving.
That is why milestones are important. They allow you to track the progress of your blog, and once you see things are getting better, you’ll get motivated to keep working on the blog.
Examples of milestones you could set:
* to reach 1,000 daily page views
* to reach 1,000 RSS subscribers
* to write a post that will receive 20 comments
* to reach an Alexa rank of 100,000
4. Monetize it
Like it or not, money is a very strong motivator. If you are not monetizing your blog yet, and are losing motivation to keep working at it, maybe you should put some ads or affiliate links around.
Don’t expect to get rich overnight, but I am sure that even $100 monthly would give you an extra incentive to write on your blog.
Apart from the immediate results you’ll also see potential there. You’ll realize that your blog can produce real money, and that the better the content you put there, the more money you’ll make.
It becomes a virtuous cycle, where you write more and better content to make more money, and the more money you make the more motivated you become to write more and better content.
Between the interviews with up and coming bloggers series that I ran on my personal blog and the launch of BlogcastFM.com, I’ve had the opportunity to interview more than 30 bloggers. Not only have I learned quite a bit about blogging but I’ve learned about people and how to to conduct interviews with bloggers.
1. Everybody is approachable
One of the things I absolutely love about the world we live in today is that we have access to people like we have never had before. However, one of the things that holds us back is fear. We see a well known blogger and we become intimidated by their RSS counter that says 5000. Surprisingly, these people are not much different than a blogger who’s just starting out. They’ve just been around longer and know more. They started out just like you with nobody reading their blog. Most people are very approachable and you just have to make the effort and reach out.
2. Listen more than you talk
In the first interview I ever did, I got some unsolicited advice. I was told that I talk too much. When I went back and listened to it, I realized that I did talk too much. If you’re interviewing somebody, the spotlight is on them. It’s a chance for that person to talk about themselves and their blog. Embrace that and your interviews will be much better.
3. Ask questions based on the answers you receive
This ties into the above point about listening. Part of what has made my interviews get smoother and smoother is that I start with one simple question “How did you get started?” and then I build all the rest of the questions I ask on the answers I get. Not only does this force you to listen, it makes the whole thing flow much better.
4. Treat it as conversation
In a recent interview I did, the interviewee was actually nervous. While it was challenging I told him to think of it as two guys at a bar just having a beer and chatting. When you get too formal then you become unnatural and it’s really obvious to the people listening. The interview is an opportunity for everybody to eavesdrop on your conversation. If you are really formal, nobody will really want to eavesdrop. One of the things we love as human beings are stories. Let the interviewee tell a story. It’s a conversation, not an interrogation.
5. Provide Value to your listeners
This is kind of a no-brainer. The clear goal behind interviewing a blogger should be to draw out valuable advice that your listeners can put to use right away. I try to make sure that every blogger I talk to offers at least one tip that I haven’t heard of before that listeners can implement right away.
6. Everybody has value to add
Regardless of whether they are big or small, people can offer a valuable perspective on things. Just because somebody has only been around for a short time, don’t discount what they have to say. It’s also really useful to interview bloggers completely out your topic area. The other day I interviewed a parenting blogger. As a single 30-something male, I don’t spend any time reading mom blogs, but I still learned some very useful things from talking to a parenting blogger.
7. Research the person you are interviewing
Spend a little bit of time learning about the person you are interviewing before you do the interview. This way if you ever do hit a point in the interview where you lose your flow, you’ll have a list of things to go back to and ask about. Some things you could ask about include:
* the most recent post they wrote
* a product they just released
* something about their personal life
8. Maintain/Nurture Relationships
Once you have interviewed a blogger, you have formed a relationship. But just remember that it doesn’t end after the interview. It’s important to maintain and nurture that relationship. If it hadn’t been for the relationships I maintained with everybody I’ve interviewed, I would not have had nearly as much support in getting the word out about the ebook that went along with a new site launch. Some ways to maintain/nurture relationship include:
* Follow the interviewee on Twitter
* Comment on their blog posts
* Add them on Facebook or Linkedin
I’m a big believer in the power of interviews. I think it’s really a tremendously valuable way to improve your knowledge and provide great value to your readers. Don’t underestimate the value you can gain from both listening to and conducting interviews with bloggers.
1. Everybody is approachable
One of the things I absolutely love about the world we live in today is that we have access to people like we have never had before. However, one of the things that holds us back is fear. We see a well known blogger and we become intimidated by their RSS counter that says 5000. Surprisingly, these people are not much different than a blogger who’s just starting out. They’ve just been around longer and know more. They started out just like you with nobody reading their blog. Most people are very approachable and you just have to make the effort and reach out.
2. Listen more than you talk
In the first interview I ever did, I got some unsolicited advice. I was told that I talk too much. When I went back and listened to it, I realized that I did talk too much. If you’re interviewing somebody, the spotlight is on them. It’s a chance for that person to talk about themselves and their blog. Embrace that and your interviews will be much better.
3. Ask questions based on the answers you receive
This ties into the above point about listening. Part of what has made my interviews get smoother and smoother is that I start with one simple question “How did you get started?” and then I build all the rest of the questions I ask on the answers I get. Not only does this force you to listen, it makes the whole thing flow much better.
4. Treat it as conversation
In a recent interview I did, the interviewee was actually nervous. While it was challenging I told him to think of it as two guys at a bar just having a beer and chatting. When you get too formal then you become unnatural and it’s really obvious to the people listening. The interview is an opportunity for everybody to eavesdrop on your conversation. If you are really formal, nobody will really want to eavesdrop. One of the things we love as human beings are stories. Let the interviewee tell a story. It’s a conversation, not an interrogation.
5. Provide Value to your listeners
This is kind of a no-brainer. The clear goal behind interviewing a blogger should be to draw out valuable advice that your listeners can put to use right away. I try to make sure that every blogger I talk to offers at least one tip that I haven’t heard of before that listeners can implement right away.
6. Everybody has value to add
Regardless of whether they are big or small, people can offer a valuable perspective on things. Just because somebody has only been around for a short time, don’t discount what they have to say. It’s also really useful to interview bloggers completely out your topic area. The other day I interviewed a parenting blogger. As a single 30-something male, I don’t spend any time reading mom blogs, but I still learned some very useful things from talking to a parenting blogger.
7. Research the person you are interviewing
Spend a little bit of time learning about the person you are interviewing before you do the interview. This way if you ever do hit a point in the interview where you lose your flow, you’ll have a list of things to go back to and ask about. Some things you could ask about include:
* the most recent post they wrote
* a product they just released
* something about their personal life
8. Maintain/Nurture Relationships
Once you have interviewed a blogger, you have formed a relationship. But just remember that it doesn’t end after the interview. It’s important to maintain and nurture that relationship. If it hadn’t been for the relationships I maintained with everybody I’ve interviewed, I would not have had nearly as much support in getting the word out about the ebook that went along with a new site launch. Some ways to maintain/nurture relationship include:
* Follow the interviewee on Twitter
* Comment on their blog posts
* Add them on Facebook or Linkedin
I’m a big believer in the power of interviews. I think it’s really a tremendously valuable way to improve your knowledge and provide great value to your readers. Don’t underestimate the value you can gain from both listening to and conducting interviews with bloggers.
