Using Guest Blogging to Attract Followers

Posted on February 20, 2016March 7, 2016 by sitemanager

As a blogger, you should constantly be working to increase your total number of followers. The more followers you have, the more exposure your posts will receive; it's just that simple. While there are dozens of ways to attract new followers, among the easiest and most effective techniques is guest blogging. What is Guest Blogging? Guest blogging refers to the practice of writing and submitting posts to other blogs in exchange for recognition and a link pointing back to your own website or blog. The "guest blogger" may write a post for another blog, and include a short bio at the bottom with...

Best Online Tools for Bloggers

Posted on February 17, 2016March 9, 2016 by sitemanager

There are dozens of online tools available that can help bloggers write better posts. Maybe you already use some of these tools, but others may surprise you. Word Counter We all know the importance of writing blog posts with X amount of words. Depending on your niche and intent, this might be 300 words or it might be 2,000. Regardless, you'll need some way to keep track of how many words you've written. Fortunately, WordPress and most other blogging platforms have built-in word counters. If your platform lacks this feature, you can use Word Counter to check the length of your posts. Google ...

Top 3 Security Plugins for WordPress

Posted on February 5, 2016March 9, 2016 by sitemanager

wordpress security plugins, security icon

Powering approximately 60 million websites -- or 25% of the entire Internet -- WordPress is by far the world's most popular content management system (CMS). It's free to download, loaded with features, and offers both a WYSIWYG "visual" editor as well as a code editor. But one of the drawbacks to WordPress is its lax security. According to W3Techs, 17.8% of all WordPress sites are running outdated versions of the CMS, which subsequently places them at risk for hacking. Even if you are running the latest version of WordPress, it's still a good idea to strengthen your site's security by using...

How to Use the Rule of Three When Blogging

Posted on February 3, 2016March 9, 2016 by sitemanager

hand displaying three fingers - rule of three

If you are a blogger who's looking to create stronger engagement with your target engagement, you should consider following the rule of three. Basically, this principle is based around the idea that our brains are hard-wired to respond when confronted with groups of three. To learn more about the rule of three and how it can be used to create a successful and engaging blog, keep reading. Rule of Three: the Basics Even if you are unfamiliar with the rule of three, chances are you've seen or have encountered groups of three before. From stories like the Three Little Pigs and Three Musketeers, ...

Choosing a Niche for Your Blog

Posted on January 19, 2016January 23, 2016 by sitemanager

Thinking about starting a new blog? Well, one of your first priorities should be choosing a niche. Many newcomers make the mistake of creating general blogs without a central theme or topic. Unless you have an established brand, however, this simply isn't going to work due to the excessive competition. So, how do you choose a niche for your blog? Passion/Interest Rather than choosing a blog subject based on its profitability, it's recommended that you choose a subject that actually interests you. You'll find it's easier to come up with topic ideas and write new posts if it involves somethin...

How to Increase Your Blog’s Subscribers

Posted on January 10, 2016January 11, 2016 by sitemanager

increase blog subscribers, follow my blog graphic

The number of subscribers a blog has is a direct indication of its success. The more people who follow your blog, the more traffic you'll receive and the more conversions you'll make. But how exactly do you entice visitors to follow your blog? Host a Sweepstakes There's no easier way to attract new subscribers to your blog than by giving away a free gift. If you run a website about dogs, for instance, perhaps you could host a sweepstakes where visitors subscribe to your blog for a chance to a win a free dog bed or leash and collar. The monetary value of this gift is minimal, but because i...

6 Things to Consider When Choosing WordPress Themes

Posted on January 10, 2016January 17, 2016 by sitemanager

If you use WordPress as your blogging platform, you have an almost limitless number of WordPress themes from which to choose. Many are free, and are fine, but you might want to consider these things before you decide which theme to use for your blog. Is It Responsive? Given the fact that more people now use mobile devices to access the Internet than traditional desktop PCs, it's essential that bloggers choose a mobile-friendly theme. Thankfully, there are hundreds of mobile-friendly "responsive" themes available for WordPress. Responsive themes use a combination of CSS3 media queries and p...

How to Find Awesome Guest Bloggers for Your Blog

Posted on January 7, 2016March 1, 2016 by sitemanager

guest blogging, reserved parking sign for guest author

Still writing each and every post for your blog by hand? Then perhaps you should connect with guest bloggers. Allowing others to produce content for your blog will free up resources and time that could be spent elsewhere, such as marketing your blog. But where exactly do you find guest bloggers? Third-Party Broker Sites One of the easiest ways to find guest bloggers is to use a third-party broker site, such as MyBlogGuest.com. These sites connect guest bloggers with blog owners who are in need of content. After setting up an account, you can browse through a list of guest bloggers, choosi...

Is Your Blog Prepared for the Next Penguin Update?

Posted on December 30, 2015January 4, 2016 by sitemanager

It's been more than a year since Google released a new Penguin update, leaving many webmasters and search marketing experts to believe it had ended. However, there's new evidence indicating that Google is planning to launch a new round of Penguin updates within the next 12 months. If you are a blogger, you should take this time to prepare for Penguin. What is Penguin? In addition to being a cute black-and-white, aquatic bird, Penguin is the name of a ranking algorithm update used by Google. The Mountain View company launched Penguin 1.0 back in 2012, affecting an estimated 3.1% of all sea...

5 Things No One Tells You About Blogging

Posted on December 17, 2015December 27, 2015 by sitemanager

You'll Get Spam Comments... Lots of Them Allowing visitors to submit comments on posts and articles is a great way to boost engagement while creating fresh new content in the process. If you've been blogging for any significant length of time, however, you'll notice many of these comments are nothing more than spam. Such comments may consist of "Wonderful blog! I'll be sure to grab your RSS," or similar generic messages. This doesn't mean that you should disable your blog's commenting feature, but rather use an anti-spam plugin like Akismet to filter them. Competition Is Stiff There are lit...

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