Just Relax

by sitemanager
Do you ever get in that situation where you just can't think about what to write? The harder you try, the fewer words end up on the page. Well, this happens to all writers. One of my favorite activities is fencing. I was a competitive fencer during high school and during some of my college years. Now that I am in my 40s, I still enjoy going. During the past six months I can say that I was in what I can only describe as a "funk". My form was terrible. I was losing easy bouts. And, to make matters worse I was getting injured regularly. I couldn't figure out what was causing this. Age? Stress?...
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Top 3 Chrome Browser Add-Ons For SEO

by sitemanager
The right web browser add-ons can make a world of difference in your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. Whether you are looking to rank an e-commerce website, content-driven site, blog, etc., the following three ad-ons are bound to help. SEO Quake SEO Quake is a highly versatile add-on that reveals a TON of helpful information about pages that you visit. Using the information provided by this completely free Chrome add-on, you can better identify high-value sources of backlinks. So, what kind of information does SEO Quake provide? Its developers are constantly working to make and ...
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Why Isn’t My Blog Showing Up In Google?

by sitemanager
It's disheartening when you spend countless hours building a new blog only to discover that Google has yet to index it. Without your blog showing up in Google's search results, few (if any) people will find it. Granted, you may receive some traffic via direct type-ins, social media, links, etc., but this tiny trickle of visitors isn't enough to create a successful blog. So, why isn't your blog showing up in Google? WordPress Settings One of the first things you should check is your blog's visibility settings. If you are using WordPress, log into your admin panel and select Settings > ...
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Beware of Free WordPress Themes

by sitemanager
One of the perks of using WordPress to blog is the ability to change your site's design on the fly. Creating a new web design template from scratch requires time, work, and a general understanding of coding. With WordPress, however, you can download and install a new "theme" to instantly change your site's design. However, you should think twice before using a free theme... There are around 10,000 or so WordPress themes available, some of which are free while others are premium (paid). When you're initially trying to build your blog, you may assume a free theme is the best option, as it all...
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5 Ways To Make Your Blog More Trustworthy

by sitemanager
Including the right trust signals on your blog will boost your traffic, and subsequently your conversions. Visitors often look for certain elements before purchasing a product or service online. If your blog fails to deliver these elements, the visitor may take their business elsewhere (to a competitor's site). So, how can you make your blog more trustworthy? Professional Web Design Your website's overall design plays a critical role in its trustworthiness. You can't expect visitors to trust your blog if it uses the default, untouched WordPress theme. Granted, building a custom web desig...
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Profile: David Merkel – alephblog.com

by sitemanager
This week, I profile David Merkel from AlephBlog.com. What I like about David's blog is its focus on money management and what effects it.  David has covered so many market conditions that this blog is an excellent resource from a current and historical perspective. David was able to tell me more about his blogging journey. My Blog is called "The Aleph Blog". "I cover many different areas of finance, investment, and economics. The two main goals are: teaching investors about better investing through risk control, and tying all of the markets into a coherent whole." The Aleph Blog w...
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How To Manage WordPress Comment Spam

by sitemanager
Comment spam is something that every WordPress blogger must learn to deal with. I guess you could say it's a badge of honor or sorts, as it means spammers view your blog as being authoritative. But allowing such comments on your site can have a negative impact on its search rankings. Tell-Tale Signs of Comment Spam: Username contains keyword instead of an actual name (e.g. buy shoes online, California lawyer, roofing contractors, etc. Comment is generic and not related to the actual post topic. Comment contains one or more links to irrelevant pages. Moderate All New Comments T...
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What You’ll Need To Start a Blog

by sitemanager
Content Management System Although you can technically build a blog using nothing more than Notepad or your preferred word processor, a far easier and more efficient solution is to use a content management system (CMS). As the name suggests, a content management system is designed to manage your blog's content. You upload the core CMS files to your server and perform the installation, at which point you can log into your admin portal to publish new content or edit existing content. Powering over 82 million blogs and websites, WordPress is the most popular CMS. Its free to download and us...
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5 Reasons Why Your Blog Isn’t Generating Traffic

by sitemanager
Can't seem to drive any sizable amount of traffic to your blog? Regardless of its niche/subject, all blogs need to traffic to succeed. Without visitors reading your content, you won't be able to generate sales or produce leads -- and search engines may lower your ranking as a result, adding further heartache to the situation. #1) CMS Settings If your blog isn't generating traffic, you should check its visibility settings within your content management system (CMS). In WordPress, access Settings > Reading > and uncheck the box labeled "Discourage search engines from indexing this si...
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