Image Optimization 101: How To Optimize Your Site’s Images

Posted on July 14, 2015July 15, 2015 by sitemanager

When you're busy researching topics and writing new posts/articles, it's easy to overlook something as simple as image optimization. Besides, if an image looks okay on your website, what's the point of optimizing it? Well, just because an image loads and functions doesn't necessarily mean that it's optimized for maximum performance. Making small tweaks to it can reduce your site's load time, which subsequently improves user engagement and possibly even increase your site's search ranking. File Type There are several different image file types from which to choose, including JPG (the most pop...

I Want to Start a Blog. What Now?

Posted on July 10, 2015July 14, 2015 by sitemanager

So, you've made the decision to start blogging, but now you're faced with the task of actually turning your vision into a reality. If this is your first time attempting to blog, you may feel overwhelmed at the technical complexity of it. Don't worry, because we're going to walk you through the steps to creating your first blog. Choose a Niche What do you want your blog to be about? Some people choose general topics like "health," or "automobiles." While there's nothing wrong with blogging about these topics, you should choose a more narrow niche for your blog. General topics like health or a...

How To Transfer a WordPress.com Blog to Self-Hosted

Posted on July 10, 2015July 11, 2015 by sitemanager

Being that WordPress is the largest and most popular content management system (CMS), it should come as little-to-no surprise that it's the preferred platform among seasoned bloggers. It's fast, efficient, supports the use of multiple authors, and it's search engine friendly. But many bloggers make the mistake of using the hosted version found at WordPress.com. If your blog is currently using hosted WordPress, you should consider moving it to your own server by following the steps outlined below. Why Self-Hosted WordPress is Better While there are advantages and disadvantages associated with...

5 Dirty Truths About Blogging

Posted on July 8, 2015July 10, 2015 by sitemanager

Some blogging advice that used to be accurate has become outdated. Following are common "truths" that now need a second look. Keyword Density Matters Many bloggers believe they must achieve a specific keyword density when writing their blog posts; otherwise, their posts won't rank and their traffic will decline. So instead of writing with the end user in mind, they write content specifically for search engines, ensuring it contains a certain number of keywords. While this tactic used to work, it has since gone the way of the dinosaurs, with search engines playing little-to-no attention on me...

The Scoop on Product Endorsements in Blogs

Posted on July 4, 2015July 6, 2015 by sitemanager

You might want to think twice before blogging a product or service that you were either given for free or paid for writing about. Even if you good intentions -- which most bloggers do -- you could be breaking the law. So, what's the scoop on product endorsements in blogs? Just five or so years ago, this wasn't even a topic for discussion. Bloggers wrote about products without disclosing any relationship they had with the manufacturer. Since then, however, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has revised its guidelines to prohibit this practice. Bloggers are still free to write about products ...

How To Lower Your Blog’s Bounce Rate

Posted on June 30, 2015July 10, 2015 by sitemanager

When you're busy analyzing key performance indicators (KPI) for your blog like unique visitors, returning visitors, average time spent on site, etc., it's easy to overlook the bounce rate. However, a high bounce rate is a sign of an underlying problem, and unless that problem is fixed, you won't be able to gain any real traction with your readers. So, what steps can you take to lower your blog's bounce rate? Bounce Rate Defined Let's first go over the basic definition of bounce rate, as some people are hearing about it for the first time. The term "bounce rate" is defined as the percentage o...

Choosing a Niche For Your Blog

Posted on June 29, 2015June 29, 2015 by sitemanager

Thinking about starting a new blog? If so, you'll want to choose a niche that's best suited for your goals. Many bloggers make the mistake of creating a generalized blog, covering every topic under the sun. While this tactic may work for large-scale, established brands like Huffington Post, it's a sure-fire recipe for disaster for everyone else. So, how do you choose the right niche for your blog? Lots of Traffic, Little Competition A good rule of thumb to follow when choosing a niche for your blog is to choose one with high traffic and low competition. In other words, you want plenty of use...

WordPress 4.3: Here’s What We Know

Posted on June 27, 2015June 29, 2015 by sitemanager

WordPress is constantly releasing new updates to improve its software. As soon as version 4.2 was released, the company's team of coders and engineers immediately began work on a new version. So, what kind of changes can you expect to see in WordPress 4.3? Stronger Passwords Cybersecurity has become a top priority for WordPress, and for good reason: sites built using this platform are often the target of hackers. WordPress 4.3, however, aims to improve the security of WordPress sites by enhancing the password "strength meter," while also giving users the ability to have WordPress generate a ...

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