If you want to really grow as a blogger–and I’m not just talking numbers–you need to start a mastermind group. Interacting regularly with a group of people who share your passion and goals provides a level accountability and encouragement you won’t find anywhere else. Here’s how you can build your own: 7 Steps to…
Who are you on the days you don’t publish a post? Who are you when activity fills up every crevice of your week and you have not time to dance with a pen? I’ll tell you what you are–you’re an Unblogger. Don’t let the negativity of the term fool you. This has nothing to do…
Whether it’s the coming of a new year, the first signs of spring, or the beginning of the school year, a change in season always makes me want to do some housecleaning—on my blog, that is. The rules of SEO are always changing, and I’m constantly learning more about content creation and optimization. So right…
For the past ten years, the publishing industry has been changing almost as fast as the world of social media. It’s gone from authors asking, “What is a blog?” to publishers demanding, “How big is your blogging platform?” back to authors asking, “Do I have to blog?” And as fast-paced as the industry is, the formula that worked last week or last year may not work tomorrow.
There are no hard and fast answers to the question “Should Authors Blog?” It varies for each author. Every author should be online. But not every author should blog.
Dear Weary Blogger, I see you there on the other side of the screen. You’re sitting there staring at a blinking cursor. And when no words come, you go back to checking your stats. You return to Facebook only to see that .0001% of your fan base even saw your last post. You don’t know…
The first time you read about duplicate content, your heart sank. You’ve been duplicating your own posts on your own blog for years. What can you do now? I’ve been there. My ministry blog was in that boat. We had an annual feature dedicated to re-posting the best of our archives! And that required a…
If you’ve been blogging for a few years, you probably have some gems buried in the archives that your current readers have never seen. Too often, bloggers simply copy, paste, and re-post old posts, creating the potential for duplicate content penalties. But there are better ways to revive your archives. Here are tips and best…
Ever read a “new” post someone has just shared and realize it sounds familiar? Often, once you get to the bottom, it’s noted that the post is “Edited from the Archives” or “A Re-Post.” Bloggers everywhere are re-posting their old posts. Often the re-posted version gets more attention and interaction, presumably since they now have…
In October I joined 1,575 other bloggers around the world in blogging for 31 days. I survived! But in the process, I learned some lessons about writing, blogging, and community. And since I’ve had 10 days to recover from blogging every day, I’ve been itching to get back. Here are 13 lessons I learned from…
You don’t have to be a social media ninja to be a successful blogger. In fact, your blog posts can go viral without you ever having to share them on Facebook or Twitter. All you have to do is make your posts shareable. (And have quality, compelling content worth sharing, of course.) Here are ten ways…
Your tech-savvy blog readers can subscribe to your blog using an RSS feed reader like Feedly or Bloglovin’, but the rest of them might not even know what that little RSS symbol stands for, let alone how to use it. (Don’t miss the 5 Minute Guide to RSS Feeds in WordPress.) The key to getting…
I’m delighted to have my friend Trina joining us today to talk about how much she loves Yoast’s WordPress SEO plugin. I hope you’ll enjoy her enthusiasm for serving her readers through SEO as much as I have! -Gretchen SEO strategies and my blog have not been friends for very long. I blogged for 6 years…
The End.
The End.
