Freelance Writers Connection

Share Blog Content on Your Facebook Fan Page

2016-05-23T07:05:00.000-05:00

If you've spent a lot of time designing a blog and have made every effort to monetize it, why not share your blog writing ability on your Facebook fan page? Here are some important steps to take in setting up your fan page within your own personal profile.

Click on “Brand or Product” in the upper right corner. This will prompt you to choose a category. Choose “Website”. In the box labeled “Brand or Product”, enter the name of your blog. Check “I agree to Facebook Pages Terms” and click “Get Started”.

Step #2 – You will be asked to upload a profile picture or logo. If you don’t have one or haven’t decided on the right image, just skip it. You can add that later. Click “Save photo” or “Skip”.

Step #3 – You should have arrived at a page that asks for some information about your blog. You can write a description of your blog and add links to the blog and your social media sites (Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, etc.). Just click on “Add Another Site” and a new text area will open. Once you have completed this area, be sure and click on “Save Info” before proceeding.

Step #4 – You should arrive at your blog fan page and “Admin Panel” appears at the top left of your screen. There are various settings and options available here, with prompts to help you better understand what to do. One special thing you can do here is to create a unique URL or "Username" for your fan page. For example the URL for this blog is www.facebook.com/Webdesignbyken (Feel free to click on it and become a fan.)

Step #5 - Now that everything is set up, you may want to add a nice cover photo. Some people like to use a screen shot of their blog's home page, but it really doesn't matter. Just display an image that's eye-catching and make sure you size the images according to the dimensions shown below.

Now that you've successfully created the fan page for your blog, you can start sharing each blog post on Facebook. IMPORTANT: After you click on the Facebook share link you will be required to log in. After you log in, another box will pop up with "Share" at the top left of the screen. Make sure you change this to "Page I Manage", so it will post to your blog fan page and not your personal profile.

Good luck in promoting your blog writing in social media and if you find I've left something out that is important, please let me know. If you need my help, I can design an attractive and effective Facebook cover banner.

Feel free to contact me with your questions and don't forget to check out my small business web design service.

5 Key Benefits of Blog Writing for Small Business

2016-05-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

Blogging can be good for business.

According to the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA), blogging for business provides small business owners with unprecedented ways of engaging large audiences in ways that a business website could never do. So, whether you decide to take care of the blog writing yourself or choose to hire a professional blog writer, blogging is a great opportunity to grow your business. Let’s look at 5 key benefits of blog writing for small business.

Blogging For Business Helps Strengthen Your Brand And Allows You To Stand Out

To succeed in starting a small business today, you must stand out above the crowd. A blog allows you to pinpoint the things that make your business unique. Quality blog content that answers questions and provides useful information will give you the added advantage you need to stand out.

Blogging For Business Allows You To Advertise Without Breaking The Bank

Large businesses advertise on radio, newspapers, billboards, and many other outlets that are quite expensive. These forms of advertising can often stretch the limits of a small business advertising budget. A quality business blog offers you the opportunity to get your message to your target audience in a way that is cost effective.

Blogging For Business Allows You To Show The Personality Of Your Business

Business web design is very important to small business owners, but there is only so much information you can provide on a web page. There is little room to actually showcase the personality of your business. A blog not only allows you to put a human face to your business, but also to showcase your knowledge and passion for what you do.

Blogging For Business Allows You To Keep Up With Competition

Think for a moment about the suppliers and other businesses you deal with every day. What do you like about their customer service? What makes you feel good about doing business with them? What are the things you don’t like about the business? A blog allows you to promote your exceptional customer service and other areas of your business that make you the right choice. Does your closest competitor have a blog? The best way to find out is to just do a Google search on “XYZCompanyblog”. If there is a blog, take what you learn and improve on it. If there is no blog, then by creating yours, you will be one step ahead.

Blogging For Business Allows You To Establish Trust And Confidence

For many small businesses, their best business comes from word-of-mouth referrals. Your products and services must exceed customer expectations in order to keep them coming back and referring their friends. A blog allows you to conduct normal conversations with your current and potential customers. By inviting comments, you can get their opinions and ideas about your business. By responding to these comments, you can show that you appreciate them and value their business. People want to spend their hard earned dollars at places they can trust. Your blog will help let everyone know that you are not only good at what you do, but you can also be trusted to conduct business in a totally professional and friendly way.

As a small business owner, you are in a unique position to create a more valuable customer experience. When a potential customer calls on the phone, they more that likely will get the opportunity to speak with a live person in the United States. Your products or services are probably unique and it can be much easier for you to establish confidence with the local community. Even with these unique advantages, you still must stay ahead of competition and do so within your budget. A blog can be the most cost effective method of conveying your message.

If you would like to incorporate a blog in you business web design, get in touch and I will help you better promote your brand and rise above competition.

Blog Writing When You Think You Have Nothing to Blog About

2016-05-16T07:58:00.000-05:00

Blog writing is one of the best ways to show the human side of your business. You may have been thinking about starting a business blog, but just don’t know where to start or you may even feel that your business doesn’t really fit into the blogging scene. Let’s take a closer look at blog writing even when you think you have nothing to blog about.

Even though business owners understand that business blogging is a great way to attract new customers, some find it hard to see how blog writing can work for their particular business. The following list of blog post ideas could work for just about any business.

Common Questions:

No matter what type business you’re in, if you deal with the public, you get asked a lot of questions. Each question will make an excellent blog post, so write it down.

How To Guides or DIY Projects:

People are always looking for help and ideas about things they can do themselves. Give them step-by-step instructions for completing a task. It could be anything from cleaning a paint brush to baking chocolate chip cookies.

Industry News:

Many news stories will relate to what you do. By delivering relevant information to your audience, you can gain trust and people will be more likely to seek your expertise.

Showcase Your Staff:

Showing off your talented staff builds good relationships and allows you to make your business more transparent. You can also invite members of your staff to write guest posts on your blog.

Product Reviews:

Your suppliers have vast amounts of brochures and other information to help you write product reviews to explain how your products can best meet the needs of your audience.

Complementary Resources:

You can guide your audience to other experts that provide complementary products or services. You will not only be giving people important information, but you will also demonstrate your own industry knowledge.

With a little creativity and imagination, you will find there are actually endless possibilities for writing quality blog posts. Just keep in mind that your business blog isn’t about you, it’s about your current and potential customers. Contact me today and I'll help you deliver your message. Also, check out my web design service.

New Blog Writing Course at Udemy

2016-05-16T06:35:00.003-05:00

"Learn to be a Professional Blog Writer" - Blog writing course.

I'm thrilled to announce the launch of my new 34-lecture Udemy blog writing course, "Learn to be a Professional Blog Writer - No Degree Required." After a decade of freelance blog writing and teaching others how to craft unique blog content, it’s about time I get my act together and put together an online blog writing course, right?!

My success in blogging was made possible by the months of learning, attempting, tweaking, tinkering and trying every option possible. I guess you could say it was mostly trial and error. This course was designed to help you avoid the mistakes I made and bypass the many hours of research. That way, when you make a mistake, it will be a new one of your own.

This course is based on the cardinal rule of blog writing:

“Successful blog writing requires that you write on schedule and that you always place your readers’ interests above your own. “

After completing 34-lectures and over 2 1/2 hours of course content, you will be able to:

Define quality blog content
Understand effective blog article structure
Create evergreen blog content
Develop new blog post ideas
Optimize blog articles for search
Edit blog posts
Deal with writer frustrations
Share blog posts in social media
Learn blogging mistakes
Write high-quality original blog contentM

I put my best teaching methods to use in this course, so you'll learn through a combination of video lessons delivered by me, real life examples, quizzes to check your progress, and blog writing exercises to get the creative juices flowing.

Anyone can start a blog, but only after mastering the building blocks for effective blog writing, can it be successful. Business blogging is about telling stories that inform, educate, or entertain a target audience. Content marketing is much more that just broadcasting information.

Quality content writing is certainly not rocket science, but without the right amount of time, patience, and commitment, your blog or website may never get off the ground. So take the course, tell your friends and send me some feedback, because I will be adding more material based on your opinions and ideas.

You may also like my article on LinkedIn PULSE: How a Formal Blog Writing Course Helps You Be a Better Blog Writer?

Monetize Your Blog: Spreadshirt T-Shirt Shop

2016-05-15T08:46:00.001-05:00

You may have already thought about opening your own T-shirt printing business, but found the high cost of materials, supplies, and equipment a little overwhelming. Well, now there is a solution to your problem - a virtual T-shirt shop with no overhead! That's right, you can monetize your blog by selling the shirts, but you don't have to buy, print, or ship them. Take a quick look at my first virtual T-shirt shop.

Open your virtual T-Shirt shop at Spreadshirt.com

Setting up your store

It really doesn't take any technical knowledge to create a free store. Once you have your T-shirt shop created, you simply upload images, add them to shirts, buttons, hats, and other merchandise. You set your own markups and that becomes your commission when products are sold. The companies do all the printing and shipping, you just collect your commissions.

Custom T-Shirt designs from Music City T-Shirts & Gifts

People like T-shirts

People LOVE to wear T-shirts that allow them to express themselves. The key is the sayings and designs. From my experience, people like shirts that:

promote education on a social issue
display pride in our flag or nation
are funny
include well-known quotes or a play on words
have a unique design

Where do sales come from

I have found that 60-70% of sales are generated from links on my blogs and websites to my store. The other 30-40% come directly from the Spreadshirt marketplace. The great thing about the marketplace is that people don't have to visit your shop directly. This is convenient if you don't have a huge internet following. You can earn money three different ways:

Other store owners can sell your designs from their stores and you will earn a commission.
Some customers will find your images and have them printed on products. You earn a commission.
Selling T-shirts and other products directly from your store.

If you have an engaged social media following, you will be able to generate more sales from your Spreadshirt store.

Blogging: Part of an Integrated Marketing Strategy

2016-05-15T08:12:00.000-05:00

The website Marketing-Schools.org, defines integrated marketing as:

"A marketing strategy that stresses the importance of a consistent, seamless, multi-dimensional brand experience for the consumer."

An effective integrated marketing strategy must communicate a consistent identity from message to message and from medium to medium. A well-managed business blog is more influential than social networks in shaping consumers' opinions and purchasing decisions. Small and large business are realizing that blogging is not just a way of sharing thoughts and ideas, but a way to develop a loyal fan base and build a brand. Let's take a look at some very important reasons why blogging is important in integrated marketing communications.

Blogging helps your business stay relevant

Most businesses have websites, right? But, how many of them keep their website current? If a website is not continually updated with new and relevant content it will become stagnant in the search engine rankings. The solution is to write articles on your industry and post them to your website. By adding fresh content with useful keywords, you will keep your website relevant to search engine spiders.

Blogging helps create awareness in the search

According to Google Search Statistics, the leader in search engine marketing processes over 40,000 search queries every second. Another interesting fact is that 16% to 20% of queries that get asked every day have never been asked before. In order for your business to rank high in the search, you must know what questions consumers are asking. Incorporating a blog into your website will have a huge impact on the overall website's search engine rankings. A blog allows you to add naturally occurring, keyword-rich pages and increases the potential for quality incoming links from high-quality websites.

ROI of blogging and marketing automation is a powerful combination

According to information provided by John Koetsier in his article for VentureBeat, blogging makes marketers 13 times more likely to get positive ROI. Another article, written by Jeff Tomlin for salesforce, presents these blogging statistics:

70% of consumers learn about a company through articles vs. ads

67% of B2B markets using blogs generate 67% more leads

Websites with blogs have 434% more indexed pages than those without

61% of U.S. consumers have made a purchase via blog posts

John Koetsier in another article for VentureBeat stated:

"The average ROI from implementing marketing automation, according to our survey respondents, is 27.8 percent. Almost every single company of the 83 surveyed so far reported positive ROI, with four of them reporting massive 150 percent increases in revenue. "

There is no doubt that an effective business blog, coupled with the right marketing automation, can have a substantial ROI, but you must have quality content before worrying about automating it.

Blogging and social media work best integrated

Guy Kawasaki wrote an interesting article for Marketo in which he explains how blogging and social media were once totally separate, but now can actually complement one another. The key to an effective social media/blogging campaign is to share blog posts in social networks and use social media networks to promote your blog. The key to success is to write quality content that either informs, educates, or entertains your target audience.

Blogging allows current and potential customers to see a more private side of you and your business. It gives you an excellent opportunity to interact with your clients as friends. Blogs actually create entire communities of like-minded people. My only goal is to increase your company's success.

Contact me today to see how I can help your company gain more visibility and get the public interested in your brand. I want to set you apart from your competition and thus increase revenue for you through my tested services.

Content Marketing: Should you hire blog writers?

2016-05-13T06:49:00.000-05:00

Hiring experienced blog writers can make the right connections.

Anyone can write a blog article, right? But you see, that's not the main concern of most business owners who understand the importance of blogging. The problem comes when it's time to write a blog article and all the ideas have already been taken, or so some think. If you are really serious about making the right connection with a target audience, the next person you hire should be a blog writer.

An Experienced Blog Writer Gets Ideas From Other People's Heads

It is true, if you can think of it, someone has probably written a blog article about it. A seasoned blog writer understands that all ideas can't be original. The talent and expertise comes into play when a blog writer takes a well-discussed topic and, by creating a different angle to the story, makes the subject fresh and new again.

A Professional Blog Writer Understands the Value of Motivation

What action do you want your visitors to take once they have read your blog article? Quality blog writers know how to use bold text, headlines, sub-headings, and other blog elements to not only attract attention, but to encourage engagement by the readers. They also understand that in order to get people to take action is to ask them with an appropriate "Call to Action" in each blog post.

A Seasoned Blog Writer Can Write Content That Sticks

You must understand that when people perform an online search, they are looking for information to answer a question or to help them make an important buying decision. They enjoy reading information that is useful and is written in a style they can easily understand and digest. Experienced blog writers realize that the needs of the consumer must come before the interests of the business. By delivering this type of information, people will remember and share with their friends.

A Quality Blog Writer Puts the Needs of the Audience First

It isn't necessary to have a degree in journalism or be an expert in your industry to write effective blog content. The utmost question in the minds of your audience is - "Exactly, what can your products or services do for me?" They aren't really concerned about the technical aspects of your industry and anything else concerning how you do what you do. They simply want relevant information they can use. Experience blog writers perform the necessary research to answer questions without being experts in the industry.

Yes, anyone can write a blog article, but to blog effectively on a consistent basis takes talent. By relying on the writing skills and storytelling expertise of a professional blog writer, you can make the right connections with your audience and devote all your time and efforts in serving those who read your articles.

As a professional blog writer, I understand the difference between writing a blog article and creating compelling and useful information. Get in touch today if you are ready to deliver your message in a way people and search engines want to read, share, and link to.

Teamwork Has Personal Benefits

2016-03-20T07:34:00.001-05:00

In my 30 years of sales and marketing, I have probably heard -"There's no "I" in team! about a gazillion times. Well, any cotton-headed ninny muggins can see that! The thing that no one ever bothered to tell me is that teamwork can benefit every member of the team on a personal level - hence, putting the imaginary "I" in team.

Teamwork Brings Different Minds to the Same Problem

Do you agree that no two people's life experiences are the same? If so, that would mean that everything you have learned through your experiences is totally different from your coworkers. Collaborating on an issue not only solves the problem but also creates enthusiasm for learning new skills and ideas. These newly learned skills will benefit each team member for the rest of their careers.

Teamwork Improves Performance and Efficiency

Everyone is good at something, right? Teamwork allows each member to focus on what they do best. This collaborative effort will create a better work flow and allow more tasks to get done faster. Teamwork develops trust and teaches each team member the importance of reaching collective goals.

Teamwork Teaches Each Member How to Resolve Conflicts

People with unique viewpoints and varied backgrounds create a successful organization. The problem is that when you put together this group of unique people, conflicts are going to occur. When people work together in a spirit of teamwork, conflicts are resolved within the group and management interference is not necessary. Conflict resolution is an important skill to be developed by all future managers.

Every member of an effective team must feel important to the team. Anything less will cause the entire team to suffer. Every member must have a role in any project and you must trust them to contribute their best ideas. Each team member must build on each other's skills to create more efficient and effective results.

This article originally appeared in LinkedIn Pulse on December 4, 2015 and is included in this blog as an additional source of blogging tips.

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Freelance Writing for Stay-at-Home Moms or Dads

2016-01-13T16:30:00.000-06:00

Stay-at-home Moms and Dads make excellent freelance writers.

Do you love to write? Have you ever thought about being a freelance writer, but have let your busy life as a stay-at-home Mom or Dad get in the way of writing? You just may want to give your passion for writing a closer look.

Freelance writers earn extra cash at home

There are certainly many different ways to earn some extra money from home. Freelance writing has become a popular choice for those who enjoy writing and want to get better at it. Your goal may be to write a best-selling piece of fiction or write blog articles for the many different businesses who have outsourced all their web content writing. Either way, you should get started now and explore the many opportunities out there waiting.

Skills of a freelance writer

Many people hesitate to start a freelance writing career because they don't have a degree in journalism or some other writing field. As a Mom or Dad, you probably already possess the skills of persistence, time management,dedication and patience. All you need to do is to take these skills and apply them to your writing and you'll be one step closer to becoming a successful freelance writer.

Tools of a freelance writer

If you were to start a traditional home based business, more than likely you would be required to purchase training materials and inventory. To launch your career as a freelance writer, here's all you need:

Computer

Word Processor

Internet connection

If you are like most people, you already have all the necessary tools to get started.

Freelance writing has its frustrations

Any successful venture has its downside and freelance writing is no different. There will be times when you think you have nothing to write about. There will be other times when a customer has rejected your work or asked for an edit. All writers face these very same challenges. It's not the challenge that will hold you back, it's how you accept and deal with it. If you always find some positive in these seemingly negative situations, you will become a better writer.

Small business web design that makes the right connections.

Starting your writing journey

The flexibility of freelance writing allows you to work while the kids are down for a nap or at school. With just a few articles per month, you can earn enough money to pay a cell phone bill or reduce credit card debt. Getting started in your writing journey is probably much easier than you think. There are many great websites and blogs full of advice and job opportunities. You may also want to consider writing for a content writing service to get some practice and to get in the habit of writing on a consistent basis.

My friend and colleague, Dr. Deborah C.Bauers, LPC, and I have recently published "Freelance BlogWriting: Writing Better Web Content". This book is designed for all writers at all levels and provides valuable information to help you write better, promote better, deal with frustrations and ultimately make your writing skills more valuable. After reading this book, you’ll be closer to accomplishing your goal of making money while you write what you love and love what you write.

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Optimize Blog Articles On Blogger

2016-01-11T08:30:00.000-06:00

Optimizing blog articles on Blogger

Blogger is an excellent free blog writing platform provided by Google. The problem with Blogger is sometimes you have to get creative in applying different search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to improve search rankings.

The title of your blog article is probably the most important element, because it contains the focused keywords you want people to type in the search box to find your article. The templates used in Blogger, by default, place the title of your blog in front of your article title. Let's do a little exercise just to better show you what I'm talking about.

Step 1. Open a blog article on your blog.

Step 2. Right click on the page and select "View Page Source".

Step 3. Click anywhere on the page and then select "Ctrl + F" (You will now see a search box.)

Step 4. Type <title> in the search box and hit "Enter". You will now see the title tag highlighted.

View source code for blog article

Highlighting title tag in articles source code

So, if your blog is named "Lets Go Blogging" and your article title is "Using Social Media", here is how your article will be delivered to the search engines:

Lets Go Blogging | Using Social Media

Most people will not search for the name of your blog and every article on your blog will look almost identical to search engines and that's just not good. We need to switch these around so the title of your article appears first. It just makes more sense and it will improve your search rankings.

Step 1. Log in to your blog "Dashboard" and select the particular blog you want to edit.

Step 2. Select "Template", then select "Edit HTML"

Editing HTML in Blogger template

Step 3. Click anywhere inside the code window and select "Ctrl + F" and a search box should now be visible.

Searching for title tag in Blogger HTML

Step 4. Type or copy and paste the following in the search box -
<title><data:blog.pageTitle/></title>

You should now see the title tag highlighted.

Step 5. Delete the title tag <title><data:blog.pageTitle/></title> .

Step 6. Replace this tag with the following code:

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'>
<title><data:blog.pageName/> | <data:blog.title/></title>
<b:else/>
<title><data:blog.pageTitle/></title> </b:if>

Step 7. Select "Save Template" and the title is now better optimized.

If you want to see if everything worked properly, just go back and do the same thing we did in the first exercise above. Open your article, right click and select "View Page Source". You should now find that the title of your article appears before the name of your blog, as it should.

I have just co-authored a new book, "Writing Better Web Content", with my friend and colleague, Dr. Deborah Bauers. It's a valuable resource for all web content writers. If you want to take your blog writing to a whole new level, you need to check it out.

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Is Guest Blogging Still Important?

2015-10-08T09:09:00.001-05:00


Guest blogging is OK as long as it isn't "Spam" blogging!

In January 2014, Matt Cutts, head of Google's Webspam team, made the statement -

"So stick a fork in it: guest blogging is done; it’s just gotten too spammy."

Many took this statement to mean that they should not submit a guest article or approve a guest writer under any circumstances. If you will read this entire article carefully, you will find that Mr. Cutts further clarified his comment:

"There are still many good reasons to do some guest blogging (exposure, branding, increased reach, community, etc.). Those reasons existed way before Google and they’ll continue into the future. "

So, what does all this mean to you?

Guest blogging designed to simply improve SEO is history

In the past, many writers were searching for guest blogging opportunities that would improve their own search rankings. They didn't care if the content was in any way related and their purpose wasn't to supply additional information to help visitors better understand the topic being discussed. In other words, it was just plain spam. Those days are over.

Is there any benefit to a nofollow link?

In his article, Mr. Cutts seems to indicate that a guest article should include "nofollow" links within the content to appear more legitimate. For those of you who aren't familiar with nofollow links, they are simply links that you tell search engines to ignore. A further explanation can be found on Google's support page.

Do these type links actually provide any benefit to the author of the article? Possibly. High quality content on a site with a large amount of traffic would certainly increase the writer's exposure and expand his or her reach. There would obviously be no SEO benefit.

On the other side of the coin, would a "dofollow" link inside an article be treated any differently than a link in your "Favorite Blogs" section or an ad in your sidebar? Is the Google bot smart enough to distinguish the difference? We don't know the answer to that question because we simply don't know what aspects of Google's search algorithm they aren't willing to share with us.

Can an article without links be beneficial?

Before we were told to "stick a fork in it", the biggest incentives for guest blogging were links and referral traffic. If you write high quality web content and want to increase your exposure beyond your own site or blog, writing a guest article is one way of doing it. You can always insert your name or business name at the end of the article, even if you don't include any links back to your site.

Should we even listen to Google?

It seems that every time an SEO technique attracts more spam, Google issues a statement that we shouldn't do that anymore. Think about it - what SEO technique doesn't attract spam?

We have to use a certain amount of keywords just to get noticed, but now "keyword stuffing" is considered spam.
Quality linking profiles are critical to online exposure, but Penguin was released to degrade sites whose linking techniques were considered spam.
We are told to optimize our images in web content, but that's attracting spam.

It all boils down to an individual decision. Do you actually believe that Google's algorithms can distinguish between a guest article and any other content on your website or blog? If you believe that it can, then just don't advertise the article as a "guest post".

If you have written or accepted quality guest articles for legitimate reasons, they didn't magically morph into spam, so you probably shouldn't get all fired up and remove all your guest articles right now. If you have been writing guest articles just to improve SEO, you should re-think your strategy. Writing quality guest articles intended to provide useful information for reputable and related sites may still be a very important way to promote your work or your brand.

This article appears as Chapter 13 in a new eBook that I had the privilege of co-writing with my friend and colleague, Dr. Deborah Bauers. If your goal is to write and promote better web content, please get your copy today.

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New Blog Writing Course Just Released at Udemy

2015-07-03T12:17:00.000-05:00

Learn to be a Professional Blog Writer [No Degree Required]

After spending over a decade writing blog articles for my own blogs and assisting other freelancers in their writing journey, I thought it was time for me to design an online blog writing course. I am excited to announce that I have just published my course, "Learn to be a Professional BlogWriter - No Degree Required" on Udemy.

Why people aren't blogging

Many people see the need for blogging and want to become successful blog writers, but they hesitate for many reasons, including:

Don't know where to start
Don't think people will read it
Don't feel they are good writers
Don't have a journalism degree
Feel like what they would write about has already been done
Don't have the time to post regularly

Why people should blog

This blog writing course will show you that you have more legitimate reasons why you should blog, including:

You have a story to tell
Blog writers have 24 hours, just like everyone else
You need to improve your writing skills
To open new doors of opportunity

My success as a blog writer comes from years of research, learning, and just tinkering with different writing techniques and ideas just to see what does and what doesn't work. This blog writing course was designed to help you avoid the mistakes I made and bypass the many hours of research. That way, when you make a mistake, it will be a new one of your own.

Course requirements

The only real requirement is that you have an internet connection and an open mind. Your passion for writing and your commitment to quality web content will take care of everything else.

What will you take away from this course?

In 34 lectures and over 2 1/2 hours of content in the form of videos, presentations, quizzes, and blog writing exercises, you will learn to:

Define quality blog content
Understand effective blog article structure
Create evergreen blog content
Develop new blog post ideas
Optimize blog articles for search
Edit blog posts
Deal with writer frustrations
Share blog posts in social media
Learn blogging mistakes
Write high-quality original blog content

This course is designed to help beginning blog writers be successful and to help professional blog writers hone their skills. There's something for every writer who wants to write better blog content!

In celebration of the course’s launch, I’m offering up a limited time offer for the first 100 readers to enroll! Use the coupon code "earlybird" for a 30% discount on the original price. Not too shabby, right?!

So take the course, tell your friends about it and please take the time to write an honest review. I value your comments and I will be adding more material to the course based on your opinions and ideas.

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The ability to write words on the page is only a basic requirement for a freelance writer. There are many different ways to approach blog writing, but each approach will require you to master essential building blocks in order for you to stand out from all the other writers.
The goal of this book is to share ideas and experiences to help you become a better freelance writer.

Start writing better content today!

6 Blog Writing Mistakes That Can Sink Your Blog

2015-06-03T18:52:00.000-05:00

Blog writing mistakes can affect search engine placement

It seems that everyone is talking about blogging. Businesses have turned to them as a highly effective marketing tool. A quality business blog can help you increase traffic to your website, establish your business, and allow you to speak directly to your customers. Successful blogging takes a lot of time, patience and commitment. Let's look at 6 common blog writing mistakes that can sink your blog.

Many blog writers assume everyone will read their posts

In this age of text messaging and social media, no one seems to communicate in complete sentences anymore. As a result, people have become scanners. They don't actually read an entire blog post, they scan for words or images to get an idea of what a particular article is about. Bolding key concepts of your post draws the readers attention to them. Eye-catching headings and subheadings makes it easier for your readers to understand the main ideas of your post.

Your professor taught you to write for a grade - not an audience

Too many blog writers seem to feel that they must show an audience their massive vocabulary. Their efforts to impress people only loses the attention of their readers. Other writers use industry lingo or acronyms, without explanations, which can also be a turn off. Effective blog writing should consist of short sentences and paragraphs, in plain English and without the fluff.

Don't write like you're trying to make the last sale of the day

Your blog is an excellent tool to promote your selling website, but it must be a passive tool. If your readers feel threatened or get the idea they are being pressured, they will leave immediately. Your blog must be used to provide information that people need and want. Your goal is to build trust and credibility in your brand. Once your readers feel they can trust you, they may make themselves available for a sales opportunity.

Successful blog writing should not simply repackage existing information

It's OK to get post ideas from other blogs or websites, but if you don't add something new and valuable, it's not really unique. If you are sharing a news story, tell if from your perspective. If you are trying to inform or educate, gather and cite resources not found elsewhere. If people have already read your information elsewhere, why would they continue to read your blog?

It is a blog writing mistake to avoid headings and subheadings

Remember, people are in a hurry and they want to find information quickly. The proper use of headings and subheadings will allow your readers to understand at a glance exactly what the post is about. These headings must provide meaningful information in an eye-catching, thought provoking manner.

Successful blog writing requires the use of images

So many blog writers fail to use images or use images that don't really support their message. Pictures help people extract key information without using words. Most online visitors are visually oriented. Images not only make your post look better and can break up long blog posts, but they can attract your visitor's attention. Just make sure you use "ALT text" with every image to be crawled by search engines.

Blog writing mistakes can have a drastic affect on search rankings and also lose the attention of current or potential customers. Successful blog writing requires that you write on schedule and that you always place your readers' interests above your own.

To discuss ways to help freelance blog writers improve the quality of blog content, please join us at Blog Writer's Cafe. Also, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and Google+.

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Freelance Writing Just Got Better

2014-09-13T11:35:00.000-05:00

Co-written by Ken Bradford & Dr. Deborah Bauers

It has been both a privilege and an adventure in co-writing "Writing Better Web Content" with my good friend and colleague, Dr. Deborah Bauers. This book consists of 14 chapters intended to help all writers at all levels to be better storytellers and learn how to better promote their work.

What makes this book different or better?

There are certainly enough books out there to tell us how to write better content, but most of the books I've read don't go into much detail about applying the lessons being taught to the actual everyday experiences and challenges of freelance writers.

Dr. Bauers and I have not only provided ideas and techniques to help you become a better freelance writer, but we have made suggestions as to how to apply these principles to make your passion for writing more enjoyable and more profitable.

Who should read this book?

Dr. Bauers and I have kept all the material in a conversational tone so that it can be easily understood and digested by freelance writers at all levels. I think that anyone who fits into any of the following categories would benefit immensely from the book:

Aspiring freelance writers

Experienced freelance writers

Stay-at-home Moms or Dads who love to write

Retired people who have time to write

Senior citizens who have a passion for writing

College students who need extra income

Business owners who want to take control of their blogs

Licensed professionals who want to make better connections

How can this book benefit you as a writer?

Dr. Bauers summed things up quite nicely in her interview on Smashwords:

"From the first sentence to the final punctuation mark, "Freelance Blog Writing: Writing Better Web Content" can help you define your style, implement the tools necessary to produce a quality blog and tell you what you need to know to make sure your article reaches your target audience."

The book is designed to help you write better . . . optimize better . . . connect better . . . socialize better . . . promote better . . . and make better income.

I have published a pretty in-depth Q&A interview at Smashwords and I would like to invite you to make comments or suggest additional questions you would like to see answered.

If you would like to preview or purchase our new book, you can do that on the book's website, the book's Facebook page, or through our store on Smashwords. After you have read the book, we certainly want to know how it helped you in your writing journey.

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Freelance Writers Must Deliver Unique Content

2014-07-14T15:58:00.001-05:00

Unique content delivers unique value to the reader

Many content writers seem to get confused about writing quality and unique content. You can
certainly write a quality blog post and still have it rank poorly in the search. The reason could be that the post, even though unique in nature, didn’t actually provide any unique value to the user.

Let’s look at some characteristics that indicate blog and web content isn’t unique unless it delivers unique value to the reader.

The First Key To Successful Blog and Web Content Is Quality

Google’s quality guidelines indicates quality content must be unique, valuable, and engaging. These guidelines also ask the question – “Would I do this if search engines didn’t exist?” Quality content provides real answers to people’s questions. It’s content that people can easily digest and appreciate because it entertains them or tells them how to do something. Quality content is content that gets quoted, linked to, and shared.

Quality Content Must Be Unique

It’s certainly not easy to come up with a totally original blog post idea. Chances are that if you Google the topic, someone has already written about it. The simple solution to this dilemma is to approach the subject from a different angle. Instead of writing “How To Write A Successful Blog”, write about “5 Ways Your Blog Can Fail”. If you make every word count in short sentences, using simple precise words, you are on the right track to being unique.

Unique Content Must Provide Unique Value

In order to deliver quality content with a unique value you must understand your audience. What questions are they asking in social media networks? What are their worries or goals? You can also share solutions to problems you’ve personally experienced.

Your blog and web content must not appear to only be a sales brochure. Instead, focus on delivering quality content that helps build relationships. You must first build trust and credibility with your target audience. Once that is accomplished, the sales will come.

We would like to hear your ideas and opinions about quality web content. Please share your comments at Blog Writer's Cafe. Connect with me on Google+.

If your dream is to become a successful web content writer, you owe it to yourself to let professional writers like Ken and Deborah help you. Whether you are a new blogger or a seasoned freelance writer, reading and following the principles in “Freelance Blog Writing: Writing Better Web Content” will enhance your skill set and help you build a faithful readership that will keep coming back for more.

Write better
Promote better
Socialize better
Make better income

Get your copy today!

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SEO Blog Writing Tips [Infographic]

2014-07-14T14:19:00.000-05:00

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Freelance Writers Creating Evergreen Content

2014-07-14T08:01:00.000-05:00

Evergreen content is not timeless, just sustainable.

When you think of “evergreen”, more than likely the pine tree in your back yard or at the park comes to mind. Evergreen content in your blog or website, like the tree, stays fresh and alive for long periods.

Many companies have built their businesses using evergreen content marketing techniques. Let’s look at how to create evergreen content that stays relevant to your audience.

Companies like eHow, Wikipedia, IMDB, and About.com have managed to build very large audiences on content that others have created years ago. These companies manage to keep the information evergreen because editors keep the information current.

It is important to understand that evergreen content is not necessarily timeless; it is content that can be sustained to remain fresh and current.

Excellent Sources Of Evergreen Content

Evergreen content can come in many forms ranging from text articles, videos, images, presentations, or information graphics (infographics). Some very common sources of evergreen content can include:

FAQs – Whatever your type of business, you probably get asked a lot of the same questions. These make excellent blog or website articles and your answers will probably not change that much over time.

“How To” Guides – Certain step-by-step instructional articles will not change. Others will require tweaking from time to time, but they can always remain fresh and evergreen.

Glossaries – Definitions of terms used in your industry will probably remain constant.

Presentations – Non-technical tutorial presentations can be sustained to remain relevant over time.

Making Your Evergreen Content More Visible

Many of your blog articles probably contain a lot of evergreen content The problem is they have been hidden by subsequent blog posts. Always keep your evergreen content available. Just as you have a schedule for blog writing, you should also have a schedule for editing and re-purposing older blog articles, especially the ones that are evergreen.

You can also make your evergreen content available by including a “Featured Post” section on your blog or “Articles of Interest” on your website. The goal is to keep content that will be relevant for a long time in front of your audience. Make every word of evergreen content count for something.

Your business may require a lot of seasonal or newsy content, but there should always be room for quality content that will be relevant and informative ten years from now. Quality content is the key to successful content marketing and making some of it evergreen just makes things a little easier.

If you would like to discuss ways to create a better quality blog content, please join us at Blog Writer's Cafe. Also, connect with me on LinkedIn and Google+.

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Improving Your Blog Writing Image On Google Plus

2014-07-13T12:18:00.002-05:00

Customizing Google Plus to share blog articles

You may be one who feels that improving your blog and web content image on Google Plus isn’t that important. Google Plus is now the second most popular social network and many businesses are starting to realize that fact.

Would you believe that images can help you become more successful in social media marketing? Why? When you share blog or website content and don’t include an attractive, attention-grabbing image, you are just sharing yet another plain-text status update.

People are in a hurry and oftentimes are drawn to a blog post or web page by the photo or graphic first, and then they may decide to actually read the article.

There is one simple way of improving your blog and web content image on Google Plus.
Sharing blog and other web content on your Google Plus page is really not that difficult. All you have to do is insert a share link or button somewhere at the top or bottom of your post, sign in to your Google Plus account and wham! – It’s shared. But wait a minute; the post now looks something like this:

It's shared but it sure is plain!

Even though you may have taken some time in designing or selecting just the right photo or graphic to support and promote your blog post, now it’s nothing more than a thumbnail. It’s so small that it really doesn’t do anything to add to the professionalism or credibility of your blog or website. But, you’re in luck; there is another way.

Google Plus Allows You To Project the Right Image For Your Blog Writing or Web Copy

It would appear that Google likes large images. If you don’t believe that, look at your Google Plus cover or banner. It’s huge. It’s 2120 x 1192 pixels.

The following two steps will show you how to showcase your blog posts with larger photos or images that really stand out and grab your visitor’s attention.

Step #1 – Upload your photo or image

Log in to your Google Plus account and click on the “Photos” icon in the top left box under “Share What’s New . . . “. If you are wondering about the right size for your photo, you may want to experiment a little. The size that best fits the photo share box is 497 x 373 pixels, but photos can be smaller or larger. Some mobile devices, like Android, will show square images in full.

Uploading photo to Google Plus

Select photo from computer or Google+

Here you can upload your favorite photo that will appear under your shared blog post. Once the photo has successfully uploaded, you will see an “add text” button just beneath it. By selecting this option, you can add text to the top, middle or bottom portion of your photo.

Adding text to your Google Plus photo

Step #2 – Edit The Post to Share Blog Article or Website Content

Your photo should now appear as a post on your Google Plus page. At the top right of your photo, you will see a small down arrow that will allow you to “Edit” the post. When you arrive at the edit screen, simply enter the title of your article, a brief snippet of the article, and the URL that points to the article. Click “Save” and you’re finished. Now, doesn’t this look much better?

Customizing your shared blog article on Google Plus

Using The Google Plus Embed Post Feature to Share on Other Websites

Google has made it much easier for you to share your posts on other social media networks or websites. Simply click on the down arrow at the top right of your post and you will find the embed code to copy and paste on your Facebook business page or some other website or blog.

Embed blog article on other social networks

This is how it will look on your Facebook page.

Examples of shared blog article on Facebook

Remember, the post will link back to your Google Plus page and will display the image you uploaded when you first shared the post on Google Plus. You can now share the post on your website, blog or anywhere else you would like to share it.

Social media marketing can be very important to freelance blog writers. Come share some interesting ideas on better marketing techniques being shared at Blog Writer's Cafe. Also, please connect with me on Google+ and LinkedIn.

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In Business Blog Writing Does The Length Of The Blog Post Really Matter?

2014-07-13T11:21:00.004-05:00

Is the length of a blog article related to its quality?

Freelance blog writing is not as simple as posting to Facebook or other social media. Successful
business blogging takes planning and the time and patience to deliver quality content to your target audience. There is a lot of discussion on the right length of a good blog post, but in business blog writing, does the length of the blog post really matter?

Examples Of Blog Elements In Business Blog Writing

Let’s look at five elements of a quality blog article and hypothetically assign a word count to each element:

Title/Heading: 8 words

Introduction: 80 words

Conclusion: 75 words

Call to Action: 70 words

In this example, your article is already 233 words in length and you haven’t written the body of the article yet. Let’s assume that the body of your article will contain three paragraphs of 75 words each; that would make your entire article 458 words, plus the by-line. This might be sufficient for non-technical articles, but the important thing is – is it long enough to get the job done?

Good Business Blog Writing Demands Quality Not Necessarily Words

Many blog writers make the mistake of inserting a lot of “fluff” just to make the post longer. There is no reason to say – “The night gave me the intense feeling of being at the depths of a turbulent sea.” when you could simply say – “It was dark.” Your sentences should be short and your paragraphs should be no more than four or five lines each.

Successful Business Blog Writing Requires Good On-Page SEO

It is not necessary to be an SEO expert to be a quality business blog writer. That being said, it is important to keep basic SEO techniques in mind as you craft your article. If you are targeting specific keywords or phrases, you must let the search engines know that this is what you’re trying to do.
You must not make your article sound artificial by writing just for the sake of inserting keywords and you must not stuff so many keywords into your article that the search engines only see “spam”. A good sprinkle of keywords should be included in the different elements of your blog article:

Heading/Title

Introduction (First Paragraph)

Article Body

Conclusion

By-Line

If you write your article in a conversational manner that is easy to read and understand, your on-page SEO will more than likely take care of itself.

Google Is Not Specific About Post Length In Business Blog Writing

It appears that Google doesn’t like longer blog articles simply because they are longer, but because longer posts are what people like and link to more frequently. Studies conducted by SEOmoz revealed that posts between 1800 and 3000 words attracted 15 times more links than posts with less than 600 words.

In deciding whether or not your blog post is of appropriate length, just be able to answer this question – “Have I written a blog article that is fresh, relevant, informative, search engine friendly, and one people will want to read?” If the answer is “Yes”, go for it; if not, fix it.

To discuss ways to help freelance blog writers improve the quality of blog content, please join us at Blog Writer's Cafe. Also, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and Google+.

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Social Media Marketing: Should All Of Your Social Profiles Look The Same?

2014-07-13T07:33:00.003-05:00

Social profiles for freelance blog writers must be unique.

A very important question to ask – “When you follow someone on a social network, do you also
follow the same person or business on other social channels?” If you do, it might be a little boring to see identical information presented in the same format across all channels. So, to be successful in social media marketing, should all of your social profiles look the same or should each one be treated differently?

There Are Elements Of Your Social Profiles That Should Remain Consistent

Whether your social media marketing involves selling shoes or you are a freelance writer, your goal in Internet marketing should be to build a brand. There are certain elements of your profiles that should stay the same in all social networks, including:

Branding: People must learn to recognize your brand by a certain logo, color, and even your font selection on the web. Once you have established these characteristics for your brand, keep them consistent in all social networks.

Profile Photo (Avatar): Online relationships are driven by face-to-face contact. Don’t use your logo or other cute graphic, unless you are already a well recognized brand. Anytime you are asked to upload a profile picture, always use the same one. Do not change your avatar on a whim. It’s a good idea to go to gravatar.com and register your profile photo. Once registered, the same photo will show in all of your comments across the web; as long as you always use the same email address.

Contact Info: Always use the same address, phone number and email address across all platforms for obvious reasons.

Your Introduction Must Be Conditioned To The Environment

Think of how you would tell someone what you do if you ran into them while pumping gas, then think about the way you would introduce yourself in your resume to a prospective employer. They would certainly be different. This is often referred to as an “elevator pitch”. Your goal is to develop an introduction that you can give to someone in an elevator before it’s time for one of you to get off. Remember, each social network has its own personality and use that to your advantage.

Is It Really Necessary To Post Your Content On All Social Platforms?

LinkedIn is a professional network and those that consistently use it probably aren’t interested in the fantastic dinner you had last night, while your followers on Facebook would probably love it. Tweets on Twitter can be no more than 140 characters. Google Plus provides more freedom in the size of photos and the actual formatting of your posts. Think about the unique features and characteristics of each social platform and post your content accordingly.

Think Of Ways To Re-Mix Your Posts To Make Them Unique

One of the most amazing things about social media is that it gives you a voice. How do you want people to perceive you? What do you want them to do with the content you post? Effective social marketing is much more than constantly broadcasting the same content in the same way across all social platforms. It can just get very boring and tiresome. Does being different require more work? It sure does, but in the long run, it’s worth it. Just take the time to re-mix your content to suit the platform you’re posting on.

Social media marketing is a very powerful branding and relationship building tool if the right strategy is used. There are many established techniques that work, but we must also learn to think outside the box and get creative to mark our rightful place in this socially crowded online world.

We would like to hear your thoughts and ideas concerning social media marketing. Please join our discussions at Blog Writer's Cafe. Also connect on Google+ and LinkedIn.

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Blog Writers Building Quality Linking Profiles To Improve Visibility

2014-07-12T12:15:00.002-05:00

Freelance blog writers must build quality linking profiles.

Successful blog writers understand that certain SEO techniques must be built into each blog article. It is also important to understand that links from other websites or blogs can be the most effective way to improve rankings in search engines. Since not all backlinks are equal, we will focus on blog writers building quality linking profiles to improve visibility.

There is a certain amount of disagreement on what constitutes high quality linking profiles, but most would probably agree that quality backlinks would be links that meet some or all of the following criteria.

Link Relevance: As search engines crawl your website or blog, they use keywords and phrases to try and understand what you do. Building linking profiles based on a relevant page or specific content will build credibility and will affect where sites rank in search results.

Links To Authority: If a link to your website or blog is included on a web page that links to high quality sites in your industry, search engines understand that your site should be placed in the same bracket of expertise as those high quality sites.

Ease Of Acquisition: If you can get a backlink in a couple of minutes or with a couple of clicks, then thousands of other sites or blogs already have it and thousands will get it after you. The easier you can acquire a backlink, the less value it will likely have.

Anchor Text Link: The quality of a backlink improves if the words used in the linked text are the same as, or similar to, the keywords you’re using to improve search rankings. Just don’t make every incoming link the same keyword; learn to use variations.

Editorial Links: If a link appears early in a piece of content, it is just assumed that the author considers it an important link. So, backlinks toward the top of content is considered a higher quality linking profile that those farther down the page or in a sidebar or footer.

When Google released the Penguin 2.0 algorithm update, the focus was on spotting blogs and websites that built linking profiles based on nothing more than spam. Link building just for the sake of SEO is an outdated technique. Quality linking profiles can only be achieved by providing the type of quality web content that other businesses want in their link profiles.

If you have suggestions on building quality linking profiles, please share them with us. If you would like to discuss other ways to help freelance blog writers produce and promote better blog content, please join us at Blog Writer's Cafe. Also feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and Google+.

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Blog Writing With On Page SEO In Mind

2014-07-11T11:54:00.001-05:00

Freelance blog writers must know SEO basics

The ever changing search engine algorithms make quality blog writing a necessity. As you write your blog article and during your editing process, you should always keep blog writing with on page SEO in mind. Let’s review some important elements of blog writing with on page SEO in mind.

Your Blog Title Can Be The Most Important SEO Factor

SEO experts advise that the title of your blog article should be no more than 70 characters in length. There seems to be no evidence that longer titles will interfere with search results, but 70 characters is the maximum that will be visible in the search. Keep in mind that the title is probably all people will see when you share your blog article in social networks.
Your blog title must tell a potential reader what information will be found in the article and should be interesting enough to encourage someone to click through to your article.

Maximize On Page SEO With Proper Keyword Placement

Your most important keywords or key phrases need to appear first in the blog article title. You can separate important keywords with pipes (“|”). If you don’t want to use pipes, don’t use anything and focus on long-tail keywords. The introduction or first paragraph of your blog post must be interesting and inviting and should include a targeted keyword or phrase.

Important keywords should be scattered throughout your article, but just make sure that your article content doesn’t sound artificial. Your article should be written in a conversational tone, with keywords inserted where appropriate and to make an easy read.

There really is no right or wrong “keyword density”, so just make your article informative and useful, with keywords used in a natural manner.

Quality Blog Writing Requires Short Sentences and Paragraphs

The goal of your blog article should be to deliver original, relevant, and current information by the simplest means possible. You should never stuff words into your blog article just to make it longer and you should never use your blog to show off your large vocabulary.

Always Include A Concise Meta Description Of Your Blog Article

A well written meta description can give your blog article an advantage in search results. The meta description should be no more than 150 characters (including spaces) and should contain targeted keywords or phrases. This description should tell a reader what to expect from your blog article.

Internal Links In Your Blog Article Must Be Relevant

Linking to other articles on your blog that pertain to the subject matter in your current article are important to SEO. To properly optimize your article, do not use links with terms like “Read More” or

“Click Here”. All text links should be keyword focused so visitors and search engines understand what they will find by visiting the link.

A proper SEO strategy should focus on the keywords or phrase people enter in search boxes to find information about your business or blog.

Another on page SEO consideration should be to implement Google authorship. By placing a face with your blog articles, people will acknowledge you as an expert and showing authorship will eventually improve click through rates and credibility for your business.

There is a lot of debate concerning the proper length of a blog post and there really isn’t a right or wrong length. It is difficult to imagine writing a blog article with an eye catching title, an interesting introduction, useful content, a thought provoking conclusion, and a simple byline in less than 500 words. A good blog writer writes until the article is finished, then stops.

Also see: SEO Blog Writing Tips [Infographic]

Do you think there is a relation between the quality of a blog article and the length of the post?

At Blog Writer's Cafe, we discuss SEO and other topics of interest to freelance blog writers. Please join the discussions. You can also connect with me on Google+ and LinkedIn.

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Do You Have 36,845 Followers On Google Plus – That’s OK I Don’t Either!

2014-07-11T10:59:00.003-05:00

Freelance blog writers must use Google+ wisely.

Have you ever done a Google search and found an article with a nice profile photo followed by the words “in 36,845 Google+ circles“?

I am relatively new to Google+ and have done a lot of research about how to use this social media platform correctly. The problem I’m having is that after reading 10 different articles on the subject, I have seven different ways to effectively use Google Plus.

If you are also new to Google Plus or just aren’t sure you are using it to your best advantage, I will share some advice that seems to make the most sense.

Google Plus Begins With A Thoroughly Completed Profile

The are many elements to your Google+ profile, so we will take a look at some of these elements separately:

Profile Photo: This should be a 250 pix x 250 pix professional photo. It should not be a photo of your dog in a Halloween costume or the 45 lb. flounder you caught off the coast at St. Augustine.

Occupation: Show what you do in one or two sentences.

Skills: Use five or less keywords to describe your most important skills.

Employment: Highlight your employment background in no more than two sentences each.

Links: In the “Other Profiles” section, use keyworded text to link to all social networks, blogs, and websites. In the “Contributor To” section, link to your blogs’ “About” page to help authenticate your authorship. Your Google+ name should match the name used on your blog or website. In the “Links” section, create links to other important blog or website pages.

Background Image: This can be a standard or animated .gif image. The size of the image can range from 960 pix X 520 pix, up to 2,120 pix X 1,192 pix.

Story: Be sure to select “Public” so that you will be searchable. You can later adjust privacy settings on individual posts.

Tagline: This area is very important to getting viewed at Google+. Use keywords to describe you in 10 words or less.

Introduction: Less than 110 words will show up in a Google search, so make every word count. Tell people about your background in a way that is engaging and brief. You can include links to your website or blog here.

Bragging Rights: This is a place to briefly highlight your accomplishments. You can also link to your blog to help better explain your many accomplishments.

Contact Info: Include email address or phone number that you use everyday. If someone attempts to contact you, it is important to respond promptly.

Don’t Get In A Hurry To Share Your Google Plus Page – Build It First

Even though you may be excited about finally getting your Google+ profile up and running, don’t get in too big of a hurry in sharing in with others. If people come to your page and find nothing of a particular interest, it is highly unlikely that they will follow you. Fill your page with a variety of content that informs, educates, and entertains, then share it with everyone you know or are connected to.

Google+ Isn’t Facebook – But It Is A Social Network

Google+ allows you to share posts in more formats than Facebook. You can share hobbies, photos, videos or practically anything (within guidelines) that grabs your attention. You should also be sharing other peoples’ posts. By sharing information that people like you’ll have a flood of people circling you in no time. If you keep the interests of your audience ahead of your own, you should be right on target.

Hopefully, some of this information has been helpful in making your Google+ experience more rewarding. Since this is a learning experience, we would certainly appreciate your comments on the subject.

We would also appreciate your adding us to your Google + circles and we will be sure to add you back.

Good luck in your Google+ journey and why not join us at Blog Writer's Cafe?

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Blog Writers Need A Google Word Processor

2014-07-11T10:31:00.003-05:00

If only Google could invent a word processor for freelance blog writers.

Most blog writers seem to be in a dilemma about just what type of blog content people and search
engines like and trust. Since Google appears to be making all the rules in online content marketing, it’s about time the company designs its own specialized word processor. They certainly have the money and blog writers need a Google word processor.

With the new word processor every blog writer could immediately determine just what quality web content is and how to design it to rank best in search results. Here are some ways that a Google word processor could benefit everyone.

Does Your Word Processor Have A “Title Checker”?

If you have made it this far, the title of this article was a success. That’s exactly what blog post titles are supposed to do – get the reader past the first paragraph. Some say that a title should be no more than 70 characters. Others say the title should be 12 words or more. Who’s right? The correct answer is – it really doesn’t matter. The title must be relevant to the article, be eye-catching, and cause the reader to at least scan your article.

“Spell Check” Is Out And “Relevance Check” Is In

Look, if you are writing blog posts that have no relevance to your target audience, it doesn’ t really matter how many misspelled words you’ve included. People search online for information and they want to find it quickly. If your blog content provides real value to the consumer in a way that is not all about selling something, it’s relevant.

A Word Processor With A Built-In Quality Editor

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a word processor that would check to see if your blog article was really interesting and an easy read? It could even have a “value meter” to see if you are providing information that consumers can actually use. It could also tell you whether or not you’ve been totally honest and transparent. It would also be nice to know the article’s exact probability of being read, shared, and linked to.

Well, Google’s best advice seems to be to write content as though search engines didn’t exist. As far as I know they haven’t released any information about a new type of word processor, but I want to get on the list just in case. After all, if they can come up with a driver-less car, who knows? In the meantime, I guess we just have to settle for Microsoft Word or something similar.

If Google did invent a word processor designed specifically for freelance blog writers, what features would you suggest?

If you are really serious about writing quality blog articles, please join us a Blog Writers's Cafe on LinkedIn. Like everyone else, I'm trying to build my social networks, so feel free to connect on LinkedIn or Google+.

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If Walt Disney Had Been A Blog Writer

2014-07-11T06:52:00.004-05:00

Walt Disney would have been a genius blog writer.

Unfortunately, Walt Disney died in 1966, some 28 years before blogs became more than bulletin
boards and discussion forums. Mr. Disney was a genius and there is no doubt that he would have turned the world of blog writing upside down. Through his work he brought the world joy, happiness and a universal means of communication for all people.

Even though Mr. Disney is no longer with us, his life and his experiences can help every blog writer become better at writing and communicating.

Walt Disney Believed In His Goals

If Mr. Disney had been a blog writer, here’s how he would have approached blogging:

“When we consider a project, we really study it–not just the surface idea, but everything about it. And when we go into that new project, we believe in it all the way. We have confidence in our ability to do it right. And we work hard to do the best possible job.”

It’s amazing how these words, spoken almost a half century ago, are so real and important to blog writers today. All blog writers must take this valuable advice and have clear well-defined goals for their blogs or freelance careers. Believing in those goals and approaching them with your best foot forward is the only way to achieve long lasting success.
Here is one of Mr. Disney’s first descriptions of Disneyland:

“I first saw the site for Disneyland back in 1953, In those days it was all flat land – no rivers, no mountains, no castles or rocket ships – just orange groves, and a few acres of walnut trees.”

Walt Disney’s First Concern Was His Audience

Mr. Disney would have never written a blog article for the sole purpose of self-promotion or to try and trick someone into buying anything. Here’s what he said about Disneyland:

“Disneyland is a work of love. We didn’t go into Disneyland just with the idea of making money.”

Some blog writers today seem to feel they have only one chance to make a sale and they transfer that feeling into every single blog article. Quality blog content must deliver something of value to your audience first; the sales will come later. This is the type of content that people and search engines like to read, share, and link to.

Walt Disney Was The Essence Of Perseverance

Have you ever watched the movie “Mary Poppins”? Did you know that it took Walt Disney almost 20 years to convince author P. L. Travers to allow him to make the book into a film? Everyone thought the idea of a Disneyland Park was a bad idea and it became known as “Walt’s folly”.
Blog writers, like politicians, seem to ebb and flow with what’s popular at the moment. If a certain writing style doesn’t show results in three days, they change styles. If someone tells them their posts are too long, they write shorter articles. Great blog writing takes a certain amount of consistency and persistence. No one will become a successful blog writer in six months. It takes time, patience, and commitment.

Walt Disney Was Social Media

Mr. Disney would probably laugh at Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and the rest. Here’s what he once said:

“Or heritage and ideals, our code and standards – the things we live by and teach our children – are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings.”

Social media is becoming a dumping ground where people post things they can’t post anywhere else. Blog writers who want to promote their work in social media must learn to be more social. A billboard or a sales brochure is really the last thing most people want to see. Social media is a great place to establish trust and credibility, but writers must understand how to “exchange ideas and feelings”.
You may have thought that posting images on our blogs and in social media was some new idea presented by Google or a social network. Here’s what Mr. Disney had to say many years ago:

“Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language.”

Walt Disney Seemed To Thrive On Rejection

Walt Disney was rejected by the U. S. Army. His first animation company failed. His first real cartoon animation “Oswald the Rabbit” was stolen by Universal Studios. The “Three Little Pigs” was rejected because distributors said it needed more characters . Pinocchio had to be shut down during production and he had to completely rewrite the storyline. He was told that “Mickey Mouse” wouldn’t ever be popular because the mouse would frighten women. He was fired from the Kansas City Star newspaper for his lack of creativity.

Some blog writers seem to have a thin skin. The very first rejection and they’re gone. Rejections must be viewed with a positive frame of mind. Rejections can help writers become better, attract new customers, and even open the doors to new and exciting opportunities.

Had Walt Disney been rejected on an article, he would have laughed, took a ride on his train, and just kept on writing.

Had “Oswald” not been stolen, there probably wouldn’t have been a “Mickey Mouse”. All of Mr. Disney’s characters went on to be huge successes. Despite being known as “Walt’s folly”, Disneyland opened in 1955 and continues to attract millions of visitors from all over the world every year. In 1996, The Disney Company purchased the Kansas City Star. How’s that for turning some little lemons into some delicious lemonade?

The next time you get discouraged about running out of ideas for blog articles, a customer has rejected your work, your blog hasn’t reached 1,000 visitors, or someone has made a negative comment about your article, just ask yourself the question – “What would Walt Disney do?”

This article will hopefully allow serious blog writers to view the art of writing from a different angle. Blog writers are no more and certainly no less than any other type of “author”. Writing can be a profession and you can make a decent income as a writer. If you want to become a better writer, join my group “Blog Writer’s Cafe” on LinkedIn and connect with me on Google+.

If your dream is to become a successful web content writer, you owe it to yourself to let professional writers like Ken and Deborah help you. Whether you are a new blogger or a seasoned freelance writer, reading and following the principles in “Freelance Blog Writing: Writing Better Web Content” will enhance your skill set and help you build a faithful readership that will keep coming back for more.

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