How to Get Blog Traffic That Sticks

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One major priority of bloggers is getting traffic to their blogs but a lot of people make a great mistake nowadays, not because they don’t know how to get traffic but because they don’t know how to make their traffic stick. It doesn’t matter how many visitors you’re able to get to your blog there is no point in it if you’re unable to make them return.

While it is important to know that you can’t make 100% of the visitors to your blog stick you should also know that there are some things you can do to increase the likelihood of your blog visitors sticking.

Give Them What They Want

People are not visiting your blog for fun or because they want to make you happy but because they believe they can gain something from you. While it is possible for you to spend a lot of money on advertising your blog or to try several marketing strategies you can think of you should know that this won’t help you if your visitors don’t find anything valuable on your blog. The first step to making sure your blog visitors stick is by giving them what they want: this means you also have to know where they came from and why they’re reading your blog. If people are reading your blog because they want more information about home insurance you won’t have any luck giving them information about blogging and if people are visiting your blog in order to know about the latest fashion in town you won’t be able to make them stick by trying to teach them how to make money online.

Try to have a crystal clear understanding of what your readers want from your blog, if you aren’t sure about this you might want to survey them or even contact some of your major commenters to ask them what they’d like to be seeing more often on your blog. You will go really far if you can understand and meet the needs of your readers.

Get Them into a Funnel

Another sure fire way to make sure your blog visitors stick is by getting them into a funnel. This means you should try to know how they react to information and what is the best way they love to consume information. If your readers are tech savvy the best way to get them to continue to read your content might be by making them subscribe to your RSS feed and if you’re in the marketing niche or in a niche where people aren’t that tech savvy the best way to make sure your readers keep reading your content might be to make them subscribe to your email list.

Don’t rely on the thousands of daily visitors you’re getting because the source of that traffic may crumble: Google might stop sending you traffic one day and that big site that keeps sending you tons of visitors might one day stop, the only way to make sure you enjoy is by being in control. Start building a mailing list now and always ensure you do the best to make sure your readers always come back to your blog.

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The Jersey Shore Guide to Irresistible Personal Branding

The Jersey Shore is back and up to its old antics again.

My guess — you being a respectable content marketer who finds that sort of display crude, irresponsible and embarrassing — is that you’re not tuning in.

Hey, I hear you. But do you know who isn’t offended by it?

The 8.4 million people who tuned in to the season premiere last month, making it the network’s most-watched series episode ever.

Whether you’re a true fan of Snooki, or you credit her with single-handedly hammering that last nail completing the Decline of Western Civilization, it doesn’t matter.

The fact is that each member of The Jersey Shore cast has gone on to create a recognizable and profitable personal brand in the 14 months the show has been on the air.

Not too shabby. And tucked inside the show’s success are personal branding lessons that any marketer can benefit from. Even if you’re not spray-tanned to a disturbing shade of orange.

Get a pen and paper because personal branding school is in session, Jersey Shore style.

Lesson 1: Own your oddities

If there’s one marketing principle reinforced by The Jersey Shore it’s that your oddities are what make you watchable.

Five minutes into checking out what’s going on in Seaside Heights this season and you’ll notice that most of the Jersey Shore cast barely looks human. They’re walking Halloween costumes, tanned, oiled and gym’d to the max.

And it’s their oddness that makes them interesting and what drives millions of people to tune in each week.

In an earlier Copyblogger post on branding and belly dancing, I spoke about the importance of creating a character — one that allows you to show off a heightened version of yourself to attract the right people to what you’re selling.

You’re probably not 4’9″ and God knows the world doesn’t need another Snooki, but what’s kooky and stand-out about you?

Figure out what it is and how you can make it work to your advantage.

Identify it. Use it. Become it.

Lesson 2: Polarization is a good thing

It doesn’t matter if you’re big, little or fall somewhere in between. Most of us are afraid to be a polarizing figure by taking a hard stance.

Just look at what happened to Groupon after the Super Bowl.

We hold back from going too far left, too far right or too far in our own direction in fear that we’ll be isolating our audience. And I get that – because you very often will be. But that’s not a bad thing.

The Jersey Shore kids are good examples of that. You’re either appalled by their train wreck or you’re mesmerized by it. And that’s why it works.

A post on the OK Cupid blog last month touched on the same concept, bringing up the mathematics of beauty. Specifically, it showed how playing up what some people don’t like about you allows you to attract the people who will.

It’s why edgy Meaghan Fox is more attractive than wholesome Kristen Bell, or why guys with tattoos are rated better looking than the average prepster.

If you want to be memorable, create a contrast. Going the safe route and trying to be everything to everyone won’t win you fans, it’ll only bring in people who don’t have an opinion about you either way.

Those people aren’t going to buy your stuff, and they won’t remember your name in the morning.

Lesson 3: People want a little drama

Season 3 of The Jersey Shore came with one promise -– that it would be the most drama-filled season to date.

So far, it’s lived up to the hype, with cast members getting into scary physical altercations, getting arrested, and with sudden character exits. The drama keeps people hooked because everyone wants to see what’s going to happen next and who is going to do what to whom.

If you’re working to build your personal brand, I wouldn’t recommend going out and getting arrested tomorrow, but do look for ways to create a little spice.

Maybe it’s Groupon releasing controversial commercials or you deciding to take an unpopular stance on your blog.

Associating your brand with a splash of excitement will help keep it top of mind and always relevant.

Lesson 4: You’ve got to build your platform

It’s easy to hate on The Jersey Shore kids for what they represent, but at the end of the day, they’ve created a platform that extends far past the show.

Snooki is a New York Times Bestselling author (wrap your head around that).

“The Situation” is said to have made $5 million from appearances and products (including his own vodka line and garment bags).

Jenny aka “JWOWW” has a book and bronzer, Ronnie endorses a popular weight loss drug, Angelina has a music single, Sammi has a perfume, and Vinny and Pauly D both have clothing lines.

Not bad for 14 months in the spotlight.

Sure, it’s ridiculous, but they created it.

The personal brand you create means nothing if you don’t have a business model. If you’re spending an hour a day on Twitter talking to people without finding a way to bring them back to your site or direct them somewhere else to do something, you’re leaving money on the table and you’re wasting your time.

Decide what you want these channels to give you and then create a plan for how you’ll be accomplishing that.

While The Jersey Shore certainly isn’t doing our younger generations any cultural favors, they are giving smart marketers some branding lessons worth tuning in for.

And now you have an excuse for the next time you’re caught watching …

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The Ethics of Pay Per Post

Suppose you ask me to write something nice about your company. I do it and you give me a $10 bill. If I work for you, then it’s a paycheck. If I don’t work for you, then it’s Pay Per Post and that’s a whole different bowl of noodles. . . or is it?

If I disclose the fact that you paid me the money to write the post as required by the FTC, then I’m in good shape, right? But if I disclose the fact that you paid me, maybe the value of the post decreases because now people aren’t sure that I told the truth.

A few weeks ago, a mommy-blogger was outraged by a proposal from a marketing company that offered to pay her if she wrote nice things about a big name brand who was having an image problem. I can’t be any more specific about the incident because I’ve since found out that the the entire affair was drummed up by an industrious wannabe PR pro and was never sanctioned by the company. Still, it brings up an interesting point. How is asking a blogger to write something nice about a company for pay any different than offering a blogger a free product in return for a review?

You could say that a review requires an honest opinion, which could be good or bad. But what if I agree with the positive statements I’m asked to write? If I believe that, despite recent reports to the contrary, ABC Inc. makes the safest product in its category, is it wrong to say so and get paid? What if I write it and ABC pays me afterwards as a thank you, then do I have to disclose it?

Many years ago, I tried one of the Pay Per Post companies, wrote the required text and was quickly dinged by Google who dropped my page rank two points. I was devastated. If that happened today, I wouldn’t care. Page rank is passe. But I do care if people think I’m a shill, writing half-truths about window blinds in order to make $6.00. In the spirit of full disclosure, I do occasionally Tweet for pay but I’m selective about which offers I put through.

The question here is about drawing the line or if there even should be a line? It’s my blog and if you want to pay me to write something and I agree to do it, then are we all good?

KMart announced today that they’re looking for gamer bloggers to send to the E3 convention. It’s all expenses paid, travel, accommodations and entrance to the show and in return all they ask is that the bloggers write about the experience and post links to KMart’s gamer blog (who knew KMart was so big with gamers?). Is that the ultimate in Pay Per Post or what? A several thousand dollar trip to video game heaven? Sure beats a $10 Starbucks card as thanks, doesn’t it?

This is where you come in. What are your thoughts on Pay Per Post? Have you ever paid a blogger to write about your company? I’d like to hear about your experience and where you think companies should draw the line.

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Are You Too Busy to Write? Seven Ways to Blog More Productively

Is finding time to blog something you struggle with? A number of people have asked me how they can find time to blog on top of everything else that I have going on.

Writing content is vitally important for your blog. It is your source of direct visitors, plus the meat of what you share in social media, the combination of which is essentially all the marketing many of us do. Your content attracts and maintains a relationship with your subscribers, and it is also what prompts readers to take action, even if that action is simply a blog comment.

Without regularly added, fresh, original, useful content … well, your blog becomes the web equivalent of the Pacific Junk Patch.

One thing you might have noticed though is that I don’t stick to a rigid writing schedule. This helps me find time to work on my blog around other commitments, but is only possible for me because of a few factors:

1. I already have a reasonably sized, engaged audience. You might say I have some “credit in the bank”.
2. “Traffic” is not something I rely on for my income. Providing I help enough people work towards their own goals then I will attract “few but enough” customers to pay my bills.
3. My philosophy is that you are only as good as your last post. Given the choice between “phoning it in” to keep up an arbitrary schedule and waiting to post something I am happy with … well, you guessed right, I wait.

You might not have these luxuries so need to balance your schedule a little more in favour of keeping in touch with subscribers more often but without making it too taxing a job for you.

My approach is to offer my loyal audience content you will want to bookmark, give you actionable tips via the benefit of my experience. If I succeed then I get more subscribers and clients, and really, unlike many bloggers my subscribers and customers are the only people I need to worry about where my blog is concerned.

I have no advertisers to keep sweet, and I don’t intend ever selling my blog, so I have no need to inflate my page views. Providing I do well with keeping my readers happy then my peer group and potential partners will also be happy.

If however you make money from impressions or ad clicks then you will need to get your traffic up and maintain that high level. That makes having a more rigorous publishing schedule a priority.

At the same time you can’t let your quality suffer because you are pushing quantity, making your productivity even more important.

Most of my readers are individuals, professionals or small businesses, so it might be well within your reach to shift your online business model to be more about authority than page views and clicks. If that is the case for you then focus on one solid article a week rather that try to achieve an unrealistic schedule – that might be all the solution you need. If you do want to eek out a few more hours in your week though, read on for some more tips!

How can you find time to not just write but create great content?

1. Set time aside – preferably quiet, focused time with zero distractions. I recommend actually putting this time in your diary and sticking to it. If you try to “catch 10 minutes” then you are going to either keep pushing the task back or you are going to find that time just vanishes altogether. Also setting a specific time allows your subconscious to prepare.
2. Write in Batches, and if possible schedule your posts in advance – Most blogging software such as WordPress allows you to write articles in advance and set the date and time when they should go “live”, visible on your blog. Publishing in advance allows you to write in quieter times and have the articles visible at busy times. While I no longer do this on chrisg.com I have always done this when writing for clients (when you have a contract for a certain number of posts per month it is not a good idea to write them just before they are meant to be sent out to subscribers!). Writing in batches allows you to get into a flow and you will find the writing process far more fluid than trying to task switch between your main job and being a writer. Darren often has cafe days where he will sit and batch write a whole raft of posts, and he ran away to a hotel to complete his work on the Problogger book!
3. Jot down ideas as they come to you – When you relax your brain or think about something else is when some of your best ideas will come to you, so make sure you store those ideas on a notepad, in your phone, or on some scrap of paper! A really cool aspect of the WordPress is you can use multiple tools, even email, to send a draft of a post to your blog for later use. I have a whole bunch of draft posts that are just headlines and some bullets waiting for me to complete them.
4. Repurpose content – “Repurposing” is taking your content and using it in a different location, in a different way, or re-packaging it. So I might take a series of posts and create an ebook, or I might expand an article into a presentation. Someone might request they republish my article in their newsletter. It can work the other way though, and it can be a great way to fill your blog. Take points from your presentations and write them up as blog posts. Maybe you have a transcript that you can copy and paste as a starting point? Have you got a section of a report or ebook tat you can use? Emails to customers? Existing content is an asset to be reused if you are creative!
5. Answer questions – Taking the last point further, my customer, coaching client and audience questions are my best source of content. This post came from a question I get asked a lot and was asked in interviews twice last week. When you answer a question in email, on a forum, in a chat, blog comment, or in an interview with a transcript, then you can copy, paste and edit to create a post. The best part? You KNOW it is on-topic and relevant.
6. Have a system – My coaching clients know that I have a writing system that allowed me to write for at one point twelve different blogs at once. This has meant I have written thousands of articles, and to be honest was probably too many because people were telling me I was getting over exposed! In brief, use headline formulas, write an outline, create without stopping, turn off the internal editor until you have a first draft. People try to write the whole thing at once and get stuck switching from creating to editing and back again. Don’t do that – split the creative part from the editing part and you will work with your brain rather than against it!
7. Failing all that – outsource! If you still struggle then get guest writers, pay writers, or what I think is a really smart move, get an editor to take your thoughts and ideas and polish them into finished articles.

These might not be silver bullets but they do work. While my family is watching TV I can sit with them with my laptop tapping out outlines, drafts, or editing. Some times it will take three or even four days for a post to get to the point where I am happy to hit publish but I have also had articles written in under half an hour that have been big hits in social media and in terms of traffic.

The big difference though is when you make time.

How do you find time to blog? Do any of my tips work (or not) for you? Please share your thoughts, experiences and tips in the comments …

Talking of being more productive … I want to tell you about my latest course …

Make More Progress: Quickly implement effective tactics to get more done and achieve more in your business.

Increase your productivity without any rigid organisation systems that cause even more work, rapidly create and launch information products in record time, and get more done with less effort.

Go ahead and click here right now to find out more!

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The New York Times’ Pathetic Case for the Decline of Blogging

If you feel that the New York Times has the pulse of the Internet then the answer to our headline would be yes. In fact, the Times article which ran on Sunday is titled “Blogs Wane As Young Drift to Sites Like Twitter”. That’s a pretty heavy statement especially when you are saying even the shortest blog post idea can be just as effectively conveyed in 140 characters or less. Maybe TweetDeck will end up being the “Anti-Twitter” by allowing over 140 characters?

The article is provocative for sure and focuses on younger Internet users (at least initially).

Like any aspiring filmmaker, Michael McDonald, a high school senior, used a blog to show off his videos. But discouraged by how few people bothered to visit, he instead started posting his clips on Facebook, where his friends were sure to see and comment on his editing skills.

“I don’t use my blog anymore,” said Mr. McDonald, who lives in San Francisco. “All the people I’m trying to reach are on Facebook.”

Blogs were once the outlet of choice for people who wanted to express themselves online. But with the rise of sites like Facebook and Twitter, they are losing their allure for many people — particularly the younger generation.

First off, nice job by the Times using Twitter as the catch for their story then shifting gears to Facebook (which actually makes more sense from the get go but who’s counting?). But back to the premise.

The notion is that blogs are losing much of their ‘shine’ to Facebook and Twitter. This ‘conclusion’ is reached based on the following bit of research.

The Internet and American Life Project at the Pew Research Center found that from 2006 to 2009, blogging among children ages 12 to 17 fell by half; now 14 percent of children those ages who use the Internet have blogs. Among 18-to-33-year-olds, the project said in a report last year, blogging dropped two percentage points in 2010 from two years earlier.

This is where I call BS. How can you infer that blogs are ‘in trouble’ when you are looking at numbers relating to 12-17 year olds? Kids in this age range can’t pay attention to much anyway just because they are simply kids in that age range! It’s certainly not because they have found the better way to get their thoughts across. It’s because they found the easiest way, for now. A quote from a young lady proves this point.

Kim Hou, a high school senior in San Francisco, said she quit blogging months ago, but acknowledged that she continued to post fashion photos on Tumblr. “It’s different from blogging because it’s easier to use,” she said. “With blogging you have to write, and this is just images. Some people write some phrases or some quotes, but that’s it.”

As people grow and mature in how they think, the inevitable happens which is that you cannot usually get a point across or make an argument or defend a position in 140 characters or less. Even Facebook has limits. This idea that blogs are fading based on the findings about teens and blogging is pretty silly. In fact, the Times shows it’s engaging in some sensationalistic journalism because if you read on the stance about blogging being on the decline softens and pretty much goes away. That’s why this whole thing is nonsense really.

The blurring of lines is readily apparent among users of Tumblr. Although Tumblr calls itself a blogging service, many of its users are unaware of the description and do not consider themselves bloggers — raising the possibility that the decline in blogging by the younger generation is merely a semantic issue.

Ok, New York Times what is it? Are you pushing the beginning of the end of the blogging or are you jus trying to use headline journalism to get a few more pageviews? Hey, even if blogs are going the way of the dinosaur it looks like you guys picked up a few tricks along the way, huh?

Let’s look at what is really happening. People who are blogging because they are looking for an outlet of some kind are losing interest mainly because people are not reading their posts. There are usually two reasons for that; 1) they are not promoting the blog so the idea of “if you write it they will come” is in effect and that doesn’t work and 2) it’s very likely that their writing is awful or what they have to say isn’t interesting to anyone but themselves. Don’t blame the platform if you can’t write.

Finally the article looks to blogging in older folks and reports

While the younger generation is losing interest in blogging, people approaching middle age and older are sticking with it. Among 34-to-45-year-olds who use the Internet, the percentage who blog increased six points, to 16 percent, in 2010 from two years earlier, the Pew survey found. Blogging by 46-to-55-year-olds increased five percentage points, to 11 percent, while blogging among 65-to-73-year-olds rose two percentage points, to 8 percent.

Here’s my conclusion. Right now, as the world exists today, with all of this still being relatively new to the masses, we like to think that everyone who is growing up on 140 character bits of communication and piecemeal updates via Facebook and location based services will continue to do so. I say they will but they will also embrace the fact that real communication requires more ‘meat on the bone’.

As a result you will see young people who really have something of substance to give to the world will come back to a blogging platform or one that resembles it. They will do it because they are thinking more analytically and realizing the limitations or annotated communications.

So if you are thinking that blogging is truly waning take a look at the reality and ignore the headlines. At least those from the New York Times.

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7 Mistakes that Lead to Guest Post Failure

Guest posting! The highway to unbridled blogging success! Nab yourself a spot on an A-List blog and suddenly it’s your name in lights. Traffic, engagement, the undying adulation of the unwashed masses!

Sounds great, right?

Well, it is, actually.

But what about those of us who really crave a bit of failure? The ones who like to start every anecdote with “One time I almost” or “I was this close …”?

What does guest posting offer for us?

Well, fellow failure-chaser, you’re in luck. Because writing and submitting a guest post offers some real opportunities for spectacular failure.

So start taking notes, because you’re going to be able to tell your friends about the time you nearly wrote an amazing post for an A-Lister that almost took your own blog to a whole new level.

1. Be as timid as humanly possible

The first opportunity for failure is the pitch. Confidence carries the day when it comes to guest posting.

So if it’s failure you’re looking for, don’t show any confidence. Try not to sell your idea, and make sure you don’t actually write the post you’re proposing. Be hesitant, and make it apparent that you’re wasting your host’s time. With a bit of luck, they won’t you send so much as a read receipt.

2. Don’t startle the readers

Maybe the A-Lister you’ve just pathetically pitched has taken pity on you, and asked you to draft up your post.

What he’s looking for here is some competence. So make sure you don’t show any. Starting with a bang and grabbing attention leads to success, so don’t do it. Write cautiously and quietly, so as not to startle your audience into action.

3. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery — so shamelessly copy content

Your lukewarm opening should have dissuaded all but the most persistent of writers. So it’s going to take some real incompetence to screw this up now.

The quickest way is to do something that’s been done before. Retread old ground — but not in a new and interesting way. No, simply regurgitate your host’s best piece with some added spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

Be very cautious with this, as covering old topics in a fresh way is actually a terrific way to write a popular guest post. Make sure not to add your own twist or fresh angle and you should be fine.

4. Shamelessly plug Unmemorable Title your own blog

It’s now time to look over the content you’ve just haphazardly thrown together.

To hit the dizzying lows of total failure, you need to employ an ancient SEO technique known as “spamming.” In other words, drop your link into the post so often that the page becomes nearly unreadable.

This is going to fail for two main reasons. One; it’s going to make your host even less likely to publish your piece. Two; it doesn’t work.

5. Make your ending as flat as possible

If you’ve done everything wrong up until now, you should be faced with a pathetic piece of trash, where every second word is a link to your blog.

Congratulations. You’re nearly done with the writing. All that’s left for you to do is cobble together an ending that peters out. And whatever you do, don’t forget to leave out effective closing techniques like a strong call to action.

6. Treat your host like you’re one of The Sex Pistols

The chances are that you’re going to have to interact with your host, as they attempt to polish the steaming post you’ve just deposited in their inbox. So now’s the time to channel some old-school punk.

Just like The Sex Pistols in their first TV interview, start swearing at your host, avoiding giving direct answers, and give the impression that the conversation is beneath you. With luck, this should be enough to make sure you don’t get published …

(If you want to really nail it, you could try throwing up on their desk. The blogging equivalent of this is publicly trash-talking bigger blogs. This works spectacularly well at ensuring you won’t get your guest posts published.)

7. Run like mad and don’t ever look back

If after all of this, by some horrible stroke of luck you do get published, there’s still one more opportunity for failure.

Demonstrate a complete lack of commitment to your guest post. Don’t reply to comments, don’t promote it on Twitter or Facebook, and certainly don’t write a post on your own blog to take advantage of the new traffic that your guest post provides.

And with that, you’ll have blown your big guest posting chance.

Complete and utter guaranteed failure as a guest poster in just seven short steps. Not for you, the benefits of seeing your name alongside the luminaries in your niche. No, because to do that, you’d need to be confident, competent, and committed.

Far easier to just take my advice and slip quietly into obscurity and mediocrity.

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Several Reasons To Avoid Writing Free Samples

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I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like a crow that’s obsessed with picking up anything shiny when it comes to the free samples that people ask us content writers to provide to get the work that pays our bills. It’s hard to discern between the people who will rip you off and take the sample and never return any of your subsequent emails, but I’ve found there are certain criteria that can be helpful when trying to separate the honest clients who just want to get a feel for your writing and the shysters who are out to take you for a ride.

First of all you need to be sure that you’ve got adequate contact information. It used to be an e-mail address was good enough so that you could start a business relationship but now you need to get some further point of contact like a telephone number, a snail mail address or even some kind of social media to look at like a Twitter or a Facebook page. The reasons for needing this much contact information are simple. It’s important that you can rest assured that you are dealing with a reputable company and on the Internet that means you’ll need to have several different points of contact.

Even then you want to be extremely careful when people start asking for free samples of your writing and one of the best ways to get around it is to have a comprehensive list of your past work on a website. Several times I’ve been asked to write samples and pointed perspective clients to my website where I’ve stored information away that highlights my experience and provides URLs and samples to my previous work.

One of the rules that I like to use is the fact that if you’ve been around for a while in the writing game and have a portfolio of your work there’s really no reason to provide anything for free. If you’re a proven writer with a background you should get paid for what you do even if you make a promise to rewrite according to your client’s specifications for free so you can get on the same page.

There are several other things that you want to look out for when you’re writing for a living on the Internet and they include the promises that go along with free samples. Usually I found that companies who promise you a lot of work without being clear about payment methods can be the ones that you need to watch out for in the end. Sometimes the people who promise you the world aren’t necessarily dishonest but they’ve just oversold the amount of work that they think they’ll be able to get.

Finally, I just like to remember that there’s never a contract with any freelance writing that I do on the Internet so there’s never any reason not to pay me for my time and effort because clients can let me go just as quickly as they hire me if they don’t find my writing is up to the standards they set. For me there’s no reason to give out any kind of free samples.

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Protect Yourself from Unwanted Blogging & Web Site Viruses

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sunbelt Software. All opinions are 100% mine.

How many times has this happened to you? You find yourself browsing through a ton of web sites and then close out your browser to find a ton of popups and various other garbage that has spawned up while you were hitting various different sites. To make things even worse, some web sites will spawn windows that won’t allow you to close your browser without installing some garbage software or spyware.

There’s no doubt about it… new spyware and auto downloads are getting more and more advanced and it’s taking over and destroying everyone’s computers and there is no end in sight. Unfortunately the web sites and blogs that have this garbage coming from their sites usually have little to no content of value, and are just out there to make a quick buck, while the site visitor may end up having to buy a new computer once it’s infected and destroyed.

One solution that many are turning to, is to have anti virus and anti spyware software always running on their computers to block any unwanted garbage from coming through. VIPRE Antivirus software is one company that specializes in this area. Whether you are working from a home pc or need a full business solution, they have a package for you.

For Personal Computers
Protect your PC from malware with VIPRE Antivirus.Try our free 30-day trial for lean and mean security that delivers antivirus and antispyware protection.

For Business Computers
Keep your network secure with high-performance security tools. Award-winning business solutions that offer reliable protection that save you time and money.

VIPRE wanted to give away a year of full access to their anti virus software with the users of BloggingTips.com. Though I only have one license code to give away, I thought it would be good to give it out to someone that really wants the software package, valued at $29.95. If you would like the full license code for Vipe antivirus, simply download a 30 days trial of their software and answer the question below in the comments section. The first person with the correct answer will receive the license code:

What award did GFI Vipre Antivius win for their 100% Virus Detection software? (Leave answer in comments section)

If you are not protected with your own antivirus software, I highly recommend that you download a free 30 day trial of Vipre. The cost of not protecting yourself could be detrimental and you could potentially lose everything on your computer.

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Come with Me to Tanzania

Blogging has been very good to me.

Over almost nine years, it’s been a daily blessing in more ways that I can count:

• new friends
• new skills
• new knowledge
• the opportunity to travel
• the ability to pay off a mortgage
• business partnerships
• the chance to do what I love (communicate and build communities) all day, every day—and get paid for it!

Blogging has been very good to me.

Can blogging be used to help others?

However I’ve always wanted blogging to be more than just good to me. I want it to benefit others, too.

The most obvious people I want it to benefit are those who read the blogs I publish. This is why pretty much everything I do has a “how to” or “advice” spin on it.

One of the most exciting things that happens to me each day is being thanked for achieving that goal—helping people improve in some area of their life.

However, I’ve always wanted blogging to be even more than that. Over the last few years, I’ve often found myself wondering how it could be used to make the world a better place in some bigger way.

With the opportunity to communicate to over 4 million people a month, surely I can find a way to do that.

The Tanzanian experiment

Next Thursday I’m going to experiment with doing just that—and I’d love you to join me.

On 25 February, I’m jumping on a plane (well, a series of them) for Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, East Africa.

I’ll be in the country for one week, to spend time observing—and reporting back to my social network on—an amazing project called Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT). It’s a project of CBM, an international disability and development organization.

The trip is being organized by CBM Australia (you can read more about it here) with the goal of raising awareness of the issues that are faced every day by people with disabilities in developing countries.

The work that they do is amazing.

Last year alone, they performed over 10,530 surgeries and helped improve the lives of around 120,000 people with disabilities and their carers.

Their work focuses upon many areas, including working with sight-related disabilities, club foot, cleft lip/palate, and maternal health (among others).

Having spent time visiting a number of other projects in developing countries over the years, I know that this trip will be confronting. But I’m excited by the opportunity at hand to both be personally impacted by what I see, and to share the journey with you.

Throughout the week in Tanzania, I’ll be sharing what I see via blog posts, videos, and Tweets. We’ll be focusing mainly upon some the hospital’s work with maternal health issues (mainly fistula) and tracking some of the stories of the people that we meet.

This trip is not a money grab. The intent isn’t to create daily calls for you to donate. I’m sure CBM wouldn’t say no to donations (in fact, they’d go a long way to change lives), but my intent with this trip is to share stories, highlight needs, and show what an amazing organization and its people are doing to meet the needs around them.

My hope is that we’ll all come away from the experience with a better awareness of the issues, and the motivation to do something to make the world a better place (whether that be by supporting the work of CBM, or supporting another need you know of).

How can you join this trip?

The bulk of the blogging that I’ll be doing while away will be on CBM’s blog (there isn’t much there yet, but we’ll be adding to it and redoing to the template significantly in the coming days). I’ll be adding posts, videos, and images during the week that I’m on the ground, and in the weeks that follow.

I’ll probably do an update or two here on ProBlogger also, but I’m aware that this blog is about blogging and not Tanzania or issues facing Developing Countries, so we’ll keep it largely on CBM’s blog.

If you’d like to get those updates please subscribe to their blog here.

You can also follow the journey on Twitter by following CBM’s Twitter account. I’ll be making updates on that and also, from time to time, on the ProBlogger Twitter account.

Lastly – you can support this project by sharing news of it and the content we produce while in Tanzania. Please consider passing on the links to stories we share and helping word spread further about what we’re up to. Thanks!

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How Often Should You Update Your Blog

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One question that is being asked often in the blogosphere is the question of how often a blog should be updated. We all want working formulas and at the same time we also want to please our audience.

Even though there is no set formula for updating a blog there are some factors you can consider that will help you get the best from your blog in terms of updating it. This post will be giving you some tips on how often you should be updating your blog.

Know Your Audience

There is no fixed formula or rule on updating a blog and how often you update a blog depends majorly on your audience. Some blog types require you to be updating your blog several times a day while other blogs will do well with you updating your blog once a week. Some audience are okay with you updating your blog everyday while it can be really frustrating to others so it doesn’t matter how capable you are as a blogger, your audience will go a long way to determine how often your blog should be updated. Two typical examples are the technology niche and the personal development niche, you can succeed in the technology niche by writing very short articles several times a day but you will have more chances of success in the personal development niche by updating once or twice in a week with a more detailed article.

The Length of the Article

Another important factor you should consider when deciding how often you will be updating your blog is the length of the article. It can be really boring to your readers if you keep writing several thousand words article everyday but they will be far okay with two or three of these in a week.

Your Capacity as a Blogger

It is also very important to know how effective you can be when trying to choose how often you will be updating your blog because consistency is very important and should be factored in when you’re doing anything as a blogger. If you plan to be updating your blog with longer articles once in a week and you suddenly stopped updating for a month your users will have the impression that you’ve stopped blogging or that something is wrong with you so they might stop reading your blog. It doesn’t matter how often you want to be updating your blog or how long you want your articles to be, always make sure you’re consistent with it.

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Free Top Ranking Keywords Report from SEO Link Wheelers

Over the past few months I’ve been getting back into the game I love, and that’s focusing on building web sites and killer content. As much as I love building web sites, it’s never fun to work on the backlinks and social bookmarks it takes to truly get a web site indexed and getting the search engines to love you. With that said, I’ve been looking at a lot of different solutions for link building and bookmarking management.

I remember when I first paid a few hundred dollars for a company to help with building links and getting my site ranked in the search engines. It was complete crap… I rarely ever hear from them and I don’t recall seeing any results. This was around seven years ago, but it’s just a reminder of how horrible the link building industry can be if you don’t know where to go. With so many to choose from, how are you supposed to know where to go? One of the most trusted solutions around is SEO Link Wheelers, and they are actually heavily promoted and used by ShoeMoney as well.

How SEO Link Wheelers does Link Building

There are many different methods for link building, such as article marketing, social bookmarks, backlinks, using anchor text and forum posting. Trading links with other web sites may seem like a good idea, but one way backlinks is where the link juice really flows. Everyone has a different concept on what works best, but SEO Link Wheelers takes a bit of everything and builds actual “link wheels” to increase backlinks to their customers web sites. In addition to backlinks being spread across article directories, blogs, and web 2.0 directories, SEO Link Builders also creates original content and YouTube videos to build quality backlinks.

SEO Link Wheelers gives you a 100% guarantee that any links they build for your web sites will be Dofollow, all content will be relevant, unique, and created 100% by hand. The video below was created by SEO Link Wheelers to give a better understanding on how their service works, and why it’s important to cover all link methods when building the right link wheel for your web site.

What are Your Target Keywords?

Before even jumping into the SEO and backlinking game, you need to take a look at what your web site is ranking for and how you can improve your results. Head over to SEO Link Wheelers and submit your url into the box on their main page. You will quickly see a report with three of your top ranking searching terms. If you want the full list, just click the “Full Report” link and confirm your email, then you will have free access to a report like the one below.

This report is an excellent summary of how your web site is listed and ranking in the search engines. You will see up to 100 keywords and rankings, along with the average CPC, traffic volume and the url of your site that is ranked for that search term. This report is completely free to access. You then have the option to choose a link wheel package to improve your rankings.

Building Your Backlinks and Putting It All Together

Taking everything we’ve covered, SEO Link Wheelers will build a link wheel and campaign just for your web site and the keywords you are looking to rank for. With three different packages available, you can choose from 37 links ($379), 74 links ($479) or 119 links ($664). When you first look at these prices, they may seem high to you, but that is because SEO Link Wheelers is actually building a link wheel with original content just for your web site and backlinks… these aren’t just links thrown around on Twitter, Facebook and dead forums. The value in these links is that they are spread across high content sites with pagerank and original YouTube video is also created. You can see a breakdown of what links are included in each package below.

At the very least, I highly recommend you head over to SEO Link Wheelers and grab your free report on what search terms are sending you traffic. If you decide to signup for a backlinks package, be sure to use coupon code “ZACJOHNSON” for 12% off your first order with SEO Link Wheelers.

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Twitter Backgrounds are Branding Machines

I don’t use Twitter as much as I probably should, and I actually use it for more of a blog feed than anything else. No matter how you use Twitter, it’s important to get your name and brand across. With that being said, think about your Twitter account and how many people are visiting your profile page ever day, weekly or even yearly. Even if YOU aren’t actively posting on Twitter, it doesn’t mean that people aren’t visiting your page, so it’s important to leave a lasting impression.

Twitter Backgrounds Leave an Immediate Impression

What’s the first thing you see when you visit someones Twitter page? Most likely it’s their background image. Not only do the backgrounds give us a creative insight on what the person is about, but it’s also a cool way to get your message or web site across. Who are you, what’s your business and how can I learn more about you? These are all different topics that you can use in your background.

Since going live with a new blog design, I thought it would be a good idea to change things up and go with a new Twitter background as well. You can see the new background below, which was designed by DesignPax.com.

My New Favorite Twitter Background – View Full Profile

My first Twitter background had some basic information on myself and where you could visit my blog and social pages. This time around, I just wanted to go for a big branded effort and get “ZacJohnson.com” across to the user.

Excellent Twitter Backgrounds and Resources

What are some of you favorite and most memorable Twitter backgrounds that you’ve come across while scouring around Twitter? Instead of running to Twitter and having to visit all of your followers pages individual, many design blogs have done the work for us. I love looking through galleries of Twitter backgrounds and seeing the creative ideas and designs that people come up with. Below are a few sites that feature some of the best designs we’ve all come across.

Effective Twitter Backgrounds: Examples and Current Practices
100+ Incredible Twitter Backgrounds
42 Twitter Backgrounds
40 Cool Twitter Backgrounds
25 of the Best Designed Twitter Homepages

If you don’t have your own unique Twitter background, you should! It’s free branding that may be getting seen by hundreds, if not thousands of people daily. Get creative and design your own Twitter background, or find someone that specializes in design work, like I did with DesignPax.com.

What’s the inspiration for your Twitter background, or some of the favorite designs you’ve come across?

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Introducing the Social Eyes Theme for WordPress

The importance of owning your own online real estate is becoming more obvious every day. Why make others rich off the sweat of your labor and your passions?

So if you’re in love with all the traffic and reach that social networking sites provide, you’ll want to take a long look at one of the latest creations from Copyblogger Media’s StudioPress division — the Social Eyes Theme.

By all means, stay engaged with your Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn communities. But do it smartly, by bringing them back to a socially-optimized place of your own.

Here’s a quick look at what you’ll get “out of the box” with the brand-new Social Eyes theme:

• Quick-change between two different color schemes without touching a line of code
• A beautiful social networking feel for your website design
• Evolve with your site’s growth using six different page layout options
• Show off your latest content using the featured article function
• Logical navigation & category layout that lets your readers get to what they want, fast
• All the SEO, security, and design benefits of the Genesis Framework
• Unlimited updates, domains you can use the theme on, and support (you’re not on your own)

Click here to dig deeper into the Social Eyes theme.

Or, click here to get more details on the Genesis Framework and find out why it’s the smartest way to build any WordPress site.

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The Financial Cost Of The Egyptian Revolution

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While everyone around the world was concerning themselves with the quest for freedom by the Egyptian revolutionaries, there were other matters that needed to be taken into account. There was some quiet talk about the financial fallout from the uprising by those reporters who wondered what happens to any economy when the web goes down, but the real consequences weren’t known until recently.

Now at least some of these numbers are coming in and the cost is staggering and should be a lesson to any of those depots out there who think the best way to getting their way is to repress people’s freedom of speech by shutting off their Web. Read Write Web has recently reported the money number is $90 million for the financial cost of the Egyptian Internet blackout, and they think the real tally might be much higher.

Reporting on that number does not suggest the revolution was in any way unnecessary or counterproductive. There’s no way people in North America should criticize those that need to go to extreme measures to get the basic freedoms we all enjoy. In fact, those numbers should be a lesson to all the despots around the globe that think shutting down the Internet while they line their own pockets is the way to keep their riches flowing.

The point here is that cutting yourself off from the rest of the world might seem like a good idea but everyone needs to take a more long range view of what the internet means to a modern society and that includes what social media can cost when you lose it.

It’s important to keep in mind these are people who rely on tourism, sure, but there’s more to it than that. There have been estimates that place damage to the outsourced call centers that the country relied on for part of their income that serviced overseas customers in the millions.

Forbes even made some calculations that include commerce lost on the fact that Egypt’s ecommerce industry was out millions a day. The point here is clear in that while everyone was getting excited about how the Internet was driving a new social fabric for Egypt, they forgot about how important it was going to be to the new economy when that starts to arise.

It’s worth remembering the web has worked its way into many different areas of life right across the world and while social media is the big driver for change, the tools that are emerging to change history will also be needed to help rebuild and support economies after that change is accomplished. The people of Egypt started a revolution based on their knowledge of what social media was about and they’ll be there to implement it into their financial institutions as well.

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Writing Content Rich Articles with Powerful Anchor Text

Every business has a customer base. And the job of writing web content for this customer base is often a daunting task, particularly if the business is a specialty or niche business. Who are the customers and what are they looking for? What do they want to spend? How do they want to acquire the product or service? Do they want to buy online or simply just do research? These are just a few of the questions web marketers need to ask before diving into content creation.

Niche business web content should shoot to answer those questions or cater to revealing the answers, all while influencing the reader with a call to action (“Buy this product, use this service!”) Doing research on who will be visiting the site, who might potentially end up there by accident, and what their needs and wants are can help direct the content strategy.

Intermix Useful Advice with Your Own Backlinks

A very effective way to create content for a niche business is to build a value-added blog, intermixing useful tips and advice with links back to the store or website. For example, an office furniture company may post a useful “3 Tips for Buying File Cabinets” article to their blog, then hyperlink popular search phrases like “fireproof filing cabinets,” “office storage,” or “lateral files” to the products they have to offer. The reader clicks on these terms, is brought to the business’ website, and, once there, hopefully looks around, working through the different categories of product offerings, whether they realize they need those items or not. The results can be a new customer, new referral or, at the very least, increased traffic to the business’ site.

As with any website, using key words and search terms in product category headers is key as well. In the instance of a furniture company, using the generic term “chairs” would not be as effective as using “office chairs,” “ergonomic chairs,” or “used office chairs.” Being as descriptive as possible without narrowing the term to the point of being non- searchable is important. It’s a balancing act, and becomes easier with experience.

Think Like a Customer When Writing Your Content

While writing targeted copy can seem perplexing and confusing, it’s really not difficult. Remember to keep the potential customers’ needs in mind, consider what and how they might be thinking and develop useful content around those ideas. Pepper your content with links to the business’ website or products, and strive write “notice-me” content that will get plenty of social media attention. This strategy is sure to help increase site visits…and hopefully business!

This guest post was written by Liberty Kontranowski, a freelance writer with hundreds of articles published online and in print. She regularly writes content for a business which specializes in cubicles and discount office cubicles.

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Web Analytic Tools – Which is Right for You?

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Analytics are a web-site owner’s best friend. They can help you optimize your strategies and tactics. They help you get a better understanding of what your customer wants, needs and is searching for.

Website analytics can be the most valuable asset you have. However, choosing the right analytic tools can be overwhelming. There are many to choose from. Here’s a brief list of some of the more popular analytic tools, and advice on how to choose the right one for you.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is free. You simply register with Google if you don’t already have an account. Sign up for the analytics tool by providing a bit of information about your website. Then it’s merely a matter of copying and pasting the code into your website.

You can choose your settings and the data you track. Google tracks visits, average time on site, page views and the referral source. It also tracks geographic data and can be used to track split testing results. It’s a comprehensive analytics tool that provides just about everything a website owner could need.

Piwik

Piwik is a free open source type of analytic tool. It’s also open for development. This can be a big advantage if you want your analytics to accomplish something new. Piwik is designed to be the open source alternative to Google analytics so their offerings are similar. With Piwik your analytic data is on your server. You own your data. Additionally, you can customize your interface to suit your needs.

AWStats

AWStats is another popular analytics tool. Again, it provides much of the same data as most other analytics tools. However, it also provides some unique data. For example:

* Visits of robots

* Worm attacks

* HTTP errors

* Number of times your site is added to a visitor’s favorites

AWStats doesn’t work with all websites. You’ll need to double check before you install it. It can work with all web hosting providers which allow Perl, CGI and log access.

Site Meter

Site Meter offers two options. They offer a free version. They also offer a paid version that starts at $6.95 for 25,000 page views. The rate increases depending on your page views. Site Meter offers a vast amount of information including page views, bounce rate and time spent on your site. Site Meter also tracks the path your visitor takes when they arrive at your website. This is extremely valuable information. It can help you tighten your website content and copy to achieve a desired result.

Which Analytic Tool Do You Choose?

Decide which data points will be most useful. What do you need to know to optimize your website?

Also consider who you trust with your data. If you utilize a service, then they have access to your website data. If you install the software on your server then you’re the only one that has access to your data. Also make sure you can easily read and understand the reports. All of the tools mentioned provide demo data and reporting.

Once you have a trusted source and the data you need to grow your business, it comes down to price and personal preference. Most analytics tools are free or very inexpensive. Choose your tool, install it and start taking advantage of the information website analytics provide.

Is there another service you use that you’d like to share with the readers? Please feel free to leave a comment.

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The Blog Mindset: What It Takes To Be A Successful Blogger

Some of my students approached me recently to discuss about their blogging journey. It is always interesting to talk to them and find out the difficulties they face. After some exchanges, I realized the difficulties all relate to one single reason: the fear of failure.

There are two broad types of blogs we see in this industry - the casual blogs and the impactful ones. The former consists of you writing a post occasionally and these are read by your closest friends and family. However, unlike the latter, they are not going to bring about any meaningful changes to your life. If you are looking to achieving concrete opportunities on both personal and business grounds, it is important to have the correct mindset; it has to be something you care about, like your job or a project you want it to succeed.

My point here is, commitment is very important. It drives the fundamentals of everything you want to construct with your own hands and ensures you have a clear direction towards your goal. Your initial direction may not always be correct and I believe in this case, two basic senses come into play - the sense of sight and sense of hearing.

Your Senses At Play

The sense of sight represents observation. Observe the results of your actions and evaluate constantly if they are putting you in the right direction. The sense of hearing represents to listen. Listen to feedback and again, evaluate your actions. Doing such a thing is never easy because you may find yourself doing things that are pulling you off the track you want to take. However, persevere and be confident. Believe in your capabilities and have faith that you will succeed. As I always say, remember that everything starts from zero and it will never grow, unless you try.

With the fundamental emotional aspect addressed, I shall go on to address the one mentioned above - the fear of failure.

One student asked me why anyone will want to read her blog. This is a common question which I have heard umpteen times and can answer with considerable ease. The answer is simply because people want to.

People Want To Read My Blog? Serious?

You’re right. People want to read your blog for uncountable reasons … maybe they like your style and personality … they are able to relate to and learn from your experiences … or simply because they share the same interests as you. Therefore, do not worry about whether people will read your blog. Instead, focus on what you can contribute and write on. If your creation meets the needs of other people, it will be read. It is understandable that when you first start, you will be confused and doubtful. Be brave and step out, enjoy the process and the results you get will remove the confusion and doubt that you held earlier.

From experiences, the act of trying always works most effectively in providing clarity and better puts you in the direction you want to move in. If you are still not convinced, look around you. How many of your friends, including yourself, consume others’ creations and marvel? Tons, I believe. So why is it so hard to have faith that yours will be read and marveled at as well?

Another concern a student raised was why anyone will want to read their blog when the blogs covering a similar topic are aplenty. This concern is natural given the large number of bloggers present in the blogosphere.

I Am Just Another Tree In the Rainforest. Would Anyone Bother About Me Even If I Fall?

The participants in the blogosphere are complements more than substitutes. It is very common that the community shares and recommends one another’s posts and videos and may even combine efforts in certain projects. In addition, the industry being so huge has endless opportunities. As long as the readers have the time, they can read as many blogs as they want on the topics of their interests. This means that you can write on one topic even if it has been touched on by other more famous bloggers. Therefore, the fact that the topic of your interests has been covered by other bloggers should not deter you from writing about it as well. In fact, if it has been discussed widely, it is a strong indicator that there is a large market for this subject.

On the other hand, it also means that you have many other bloggers with the same community profile as you. How do you stand out then? Remember that everyone has a unique style and personality. Each and every single one of us has different personal experiences as well. All these can be your differentiating factors from the rest in the same community. Therefore, do not despair about not being as established as the rest because as long as you are willing to try and persevere on discussing topics you are passionate about, your posts will definitely be read.

Now, another student posed the worry of having insufficient things to write about in his blog. This is yet another common fear many bloggers will have. In fact, I, myself, experienced this fear before. After all, we are all humans and how can we be sure that creativity and inspiration will be present day after day, right?

Creativity And Inspiration At The Snap Of The Fingers … Possible?

I can safely assure you that this is nothing to worry about at all. Reason simply being, passion is never-ending. As long as you are passionate about the topic you choose to blog about, you will never run out of things to write about! Of course, being humans with only 24hrs a day, we have limited time and energy. But, when something is your passion, you will never get enough of what you love. Think about your favourite drama serial. Have you ever wanted it to end? I could be glued to CSI forever! What about your favourite sports or the special someone whom you can never stop thinking about? I am trying to relate a similar logic here in terms of blogging. Once you start discussing the topics you really love, you can definitely go on and on non-stop. There will be unlimited circumstances and scenarios that will trigger your desire to discuss the subject. If you do not feel the spark and excitement in the topic you have chosen, it is most probably an indication that you are not passionate enough about it. The last and most important aspect is of course to be confident about your ideas and views. With passion, creativity will flow indefinitely and you will have endless opinions and topics for discussion.

Are You Now Convinced That Your Blog Can Work For You?

So far, we have discussed the common fears new bloggers face and also, the fundamental state of mind that you need to have to be successful. Constantly observe what you feel or think about when you are writing for your blog and evaluate what those emotions indicate. In addition, evaluate if the topics you have been discussing are putting you in the right direction towards achieving your eventual goal. Listen actively to feedback provided by people around you and again, evaluate your current state. Put yourself through these regular evaluations objectively and you will find yourself one step nearer to your goal. At the end of the day, it’s your choice and decision. Always remember that if you never try, you never know. So, be brave and step out!

As CEO of Affiliate Home Business, Jack Harold is an experienced Internet marketer and has helped thousands of his students to apply Internet marketing strategies to succeed online. If you will like to know how to make money online, you can grab a free copy of his exclusive “The Rags To Riches Blueprint” at his website, Affiliate Home Business.

[Image Credit]

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