I got a great question over the weekend from Reonne of The Chocolate Fudge Cafe:
What’s the best way to make it so that my initial post, “Stir The Pot,” stays on the first page of my blog? How did you make it so that your findableblogs.com first page stays the same…like a website? I thought that posts automatically get archived as you continue to update and write new posts. I’d like what I said in the beginning to stay on there for at least awhile, but I want to add new material as well.
First, a confession: the only reason the front page of this blog hasn’t changed for a while (prior to this post and a change I’ll talk about in a moment) is that I haven’t written anything for a while! Between client work and an ebook I’m about to release, I’ve been a complete slacker where this blog is concerned.
If you’d rather not do the slacker thing (like Reonne, you have posts to write!), you have three options. Continue reading "How to keep content on the front page of your WordPress blog"
In news that’s been way too long in coming, I’ve just launched a new site called WordPress Theme Review. The concept is based directly on the work I’ve done to improve search engine optimization (SEO) in WordPress themes.
Based on the response from Wendy Piersall’s Problogger post, I realized that many bloggers want to use a search engine optimized theme but don’t know how to evaluate the code. I also got many requests to review specific themes. Instead of writing “Best themes for SEO” posts forever, it seemed like a better idea to create a site for this, and that’s the basis of WordPress Theme Review.
The site offers thumbnail images of the theme in use, as well as info on whether or not it supports tags and widgets, if there’s a cost, etc., but the main feature is that each theme is assigned an SEO score (out of 100) that helps the average user know how optimized the theme is.
Bottom line, if you’re interested in getting an off-the-shelf theme (which are usually free or inexpensive), you can easily browse the best WordPress themes for SEO purposes and find one that fits your style and will help you in the search engines.
If you’re like me, there are a whole bunch of things that you’ve been “meaning to do” for a while and never seem to get around to. For me, and perhaps for you, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is one of those things.
My perfectionistic tendencies get the better of me and I resist trying PPC until the site is perfect (copy is polished, design exactly how I want it, oh, and that new feature is added…). Long story short, I’ve only dabbled in PPC a couple of times, even though I know it can bring great traffic. I just worry about spending too much money before everything is how I want it.
Well, one more excuse to scratch off the list: money. Our friends at AdGridwork have published a list of free PPC vouchers that let you try out the various services with minimal upfront investment (notice that the first four on the list require no upfront payment at all!).
I’m going to quit my procrastinating and sign up for at least the first couple and use them to promote my almost-launched new site. What will you promote?
In my last post I explained the value of blog comment marketing. This one will give you details on how to find appropriate posts to comment on.
First, the dead-obvious suggestion: start with the blogs you’re already reading. Hopefully you’ve selected some high quality blogs that are written for people who are a lot like your ideal reader.
As you’re reading through posts, stay alert for points that catch your attention, give you an idea, remind you of something else, or even irritate you a little. Those things are excellent comment-fodder and, if you can communicate a response with clarity and intelligence, you’ll probably get the attention of the blogger and the readers.
Once you’ve visited all your “usual suspects,” though, where should you turn next? Continue reading "How to find blog posts for comment marketing"
If you want to get more interested visitors to your blog, blog comment marketing is something you should invest a little time in doing.
What is blog comment marketing? It’s just a fancy way of saying “leave comments on other people’s blogs”—taking something you’re probably doing already, and just making it intentional.
Up till now, you may not have given any thought to the comments you leave on other blogs. Or maybe you have, but you aren’t great about getting around to it. Let me give you three good reasons why you should kick up your commenting.
- Comments are the first step in forming a relationship with another blogger. Think about how you feel when you receive a comment. You read it, and if it’s thoughtful, you appreciate that someone took the time to write it. Good comments improve the quality of a blog, so you notice the folks who are helping your blog be better. As you leave comments over time, you’ll start to be recognized, and you might find yourself able to help the bloggers you interact with in the future… and vice versa.
- You’ll get “pre-qualified” visitors. If you’re smart about where you comment, and you leave a good comment, you’ll attract not only the attention of the blogger but also the other readers. If you clearly know what you’re talking about and they’re interested in the topic, many of them will click through to your blog to find out more.
- You’ll learn something in the process. If you read other blogs on your topic or blogs that are geared towards your ideal reader, you’ll pick up some useful knowledge in the process. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been able to answer a client’s question with something I recently read in a blog post.
But before you go crashing into comment marketing, leaving a wake of annoyed bloggers behind you, make sure you’re being a considerate commenter.
- Only leave a comment if you can add something to the post. The point of blog comment marketing is to establish good will and useful links. If you’re not contributing something helpful, guess what: you’re not establishing good will, and the links you’re making aren’t useful. This isn’t about trying to beat the system; it’s about intentionally forming relationships. Besides, if you leave useless comments, you risk getting marked as a spammer; get marked too many times and you won’t be able to post on almost any blog (thanks to Akismet, a central database of spammers).
- Put your blog URL in the “Website” or “URI” box and nowhere else. There’s a reason you’re asked for your website; most blogs will link your name to your site automatically when you leave a comment. To add your link anywhere else is just rude. The only exception is when you are linking to something that’s extremely relevant and specific (pretty much never your homepage), and will be considered genuinely helpful by other readers.
- Don’t cram a bunch of marketing hype into your name. One of the current trends is to use the “Name” field as an extra place to stick your marketing message. Resist. Be consistent in what you put here (see this free PDF ebook for why it matters) but err on the side of not looking like a spammer.
My next post will talk about how to find good blog posts for your comment marketing. Until then, remember to be considerate!