5 Dirty Truths About Blogging

Some blogging advice that used to be accurate has become outdated.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...
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How to Autopublish WordPress Posts to Facebook

Facebook is the world's largest social media network, boasting a jaw-dropping 1.3 billion monthly users. As a blogger, you can use this to your advantage by syndicating your content here. Anytime you publish new content on your blog, you should either link to it or republish it on Facebook. Doing so can drive boat loads of new traffic to your blog, helping to establish it as a leading figure in its respective niche. Granted, you can always publish links and content manually on Facebook, but doing so is both time-consuming and monotonous. Assuming your blog runs the WordPress content managem...
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How To Lower Your Blog’s Bounce Rate

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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...
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Choosing a Niche For Your Blog

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...
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WordPress 4.3: Here’s What We Know

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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Top Tips To Writing Stellar Blog Content

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Content is the single most important element when determining the success of a blog. It's the force that drives visitors, giving them a reason to return in the future. Google even confirmed this belief by telling webmasters to, "Provide high-quality content on your pages, especially your homepage. This is the single most important thing to do. If your pages contain useful information, their content will attract many visitors and entice webmasters to link to your site." But many bloggers, especially newcomers to the blogging scene, struggle to produce high-quality content. They assume it's O...
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Is Guest Blogging Dead?

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Guest Blogging: Defined Let's first go over the basic definition of "guest blogging," as some people are likely hearing about it for the first time. Guest blogging is exactly what it sounds: you write an article or post for another blog (as a guest) in exchange for a backlink to your own website or blog. The blog on which you are posting the content benefits from free content, while you benefit from a free link and hopefully traffic. You can find guest blogging opportunities through one of two ways: by using a middle-man website, such as MyBlogGuest.com, which connects guest bloggers to bl...
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Tip: Embed Media Into Your Blog Posts

If you aren't embedding media into your blog posts, you're missing out on one of the easiest ways to make them more appealing to visitors. While uploading images is a great way to break up pure-text posts, you can create an even deeper and more complex blog post by embedding videos, tweets, Pinterest pins, and more. It's a quick and easy way to add value to your blog's content, which will subsequently attract more visitors and possibly even higher search engine rankings. YouTube Videos How do you embed a YouTube video? Once you've found a video that you'd like to display on your blog, click ...
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How To Set Up Breadcrumb Navigation In WordPress

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Breadcrumb navigation is a great way to structure your WordPress site or blog in a more user-friendly manner. And when users have a better experience, it tends to yield more sales and conversions, which is something from which we can all benefit. So, how exactly do you set up breadcrumb navigation on WordPress? Breadcrumbs: The Basics Before we start, let's go over the basics of breadcrumb navigation, as some people are likely hearing about for the first time. The term "breadcrumbs," when used in the context of building and designing websites, refers to a multilevel hierarchy of navigation...
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Is Google Planning Another Panda Update?

Panda. Those five little words have struck so much fear into the hearts of webmasters and bloggers. When Google launched its first Panda update back in 2011, many people saw their sites' rankings drop overnight. But now there's talk of another Panda being released, it may happen sooner rather than later. What Is Panda? In case this is your first time hearing about Google's infamous Panda update, let me explain: "Panda" is the name given to a series of search ranking algorithm updates implemented by Google. The Mountain View company uses hundreds of different factors to determine where and ho...
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