Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

Is Your Blog in Good Company?

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I was in good company this weekend speaking at WordCamp Toronto 2011. Kudos to organizers Al Davis, Andy McIlwain and Craig Taylor, and all the volunteers and sponsors who made the event happen.

In the session right before mine, Ruth Martin-Maude from Dandelion Web Design spoke about search engine optimization (SEO) strategies for WordPress. She made an important point about the SEO benefits of incoming links (having other sites link to your blog).

Connection-hubAccording to Ruth, if one site has 10 incoming links and another has only 5, the site with 5 links will still place higher in search engine results if those 5 links are from large, reputable sites like Reader's Digest or CNN.

That reminded me of a similar SEO lesson published last week in the IAC VOICE newsletter. IAC member benefit provider Sara Sims from CoachingWebsites.com wrote about how to "network" your website. She explained that by listing it in credible places such as IAC's Find a Coach directory, you boost your own site's credibility as well.

How to get credible incoming links

Consider which larger sites or blogs you'd like to be connected to. What sites or organizations are important in your industry? Which ones will be most relevant to your ideal client?

If those sites have a directory, get yourself listed.

If there are other service providers, products or industry experts that you would like to be associated with, follow them on social media and look for value you can give to the relationship, such as:

  • Sending congratulations for a new book, product, client or anything else you've learned about by following the person or brand on social media
  • Posting a sincere and relevant compliment via social media or email about something they've done, written or shared
  • Sharing their materials with your network by retweeting, clicking "Like" or mentioning them in your newsletter
  • Writing a positive review, either on your blog, the comment stream of their blog or a third-party site such as the Amazon book review page or a customer review site

Asking for a link – don't do it

Posting a review on your blog is just one example of the connective content you can use to keep your blog fresh, without having to write a new article every week.

When I mentioned this at WordCamp, an audience member asked me if you write a connecting post that links back to someone else's blog, should you then contact that person and ask for a reciprocal link?

Not necessarily, I said. While I definitely think you should connect with the person you wrote about in a blog post, I wouldn't jump right in and ask for something in return. Just as website traffic shouldn't be the goal of your blog, reciprocal links shouldn't be the goal of your post.

Let the links happen naturally. Maybe someone will thank you for a positive comment or retweet on Twitter – all of a sudden, their entire network will see your name.

Or maybe someone will check out your website when they read your comment, and then decide to post a link to your latest blog post from their Facebook fan page.

Over time, these connections can lead to guest posts or other mutually beneficial opportunities, as well as heightened visibility and credibility for you.

When your motive for blogging is to share useful, relevant and high-quality content, you don't have to worry about keeping good company. Good company will be attracted to you – and so will prospective clients!

P.S. At WordCamp Toronto 2011, I presented How to Be a Weekly Blogger. If you're interested in this topic, you can watch the video.

Is Your Blog Design Too Cool to Read?

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As a blog ghostwriter, editor, consultant and trainer, my most important job is to take away whatever's getting between your message and its intended audience, whether that's:

Magnifying-glass-small-print Blog design is out of my jurisdiction – and rightly so! I'm the first to acknowledge that I don't have the skills (or patience) for design or layout. I know what I like, but only when I see it. I don't necessarily know how to make it happen, or even how to describe to someone else how to make it happen.

I also know what I don't like, and what I see as a hindrance to getting your message across.

If I can't read it, I won't get it

What makes your content harder to read?

  • Poor contrast between the background colour and the font colour (I find it particularly challenging to read white text against a dark or black background, or light grey text against a white background)
  • Font size that is too small to read comfortably, especially for older viewers or people using special screens because of accessbility issues

If I can't find it, I can't share it

What makes it harder to find specific information on a site or page?

  • Images, effects or clutter that takes too much attention away from the information your user is there to find
  • Navigation menus that change from page-to-page

Luckily, readers can address some of these challenges themselves by adjusting font size and colours in web browsers, but do you really want to put the onus on them?

Most of us are in too much of a hurry to get to our next task (and that's a topic for another post or maybe another blog). I know that I've clicked away from several sites recently when I couldn't easily read the text or a page wasn't loading quickly enough.

So before you add the latest cool tool, snazzy graphic or subtle tone to your blog, be sure you're not putting an obstacle between your message and your reader.

How to Find the Permalink for a Blog Post (Video)

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Why would you want to use a permalink instead of just linking to the blog?

One of the benefits of blogging is that you can quickly and easily update your content on a regular basis. And that consistency will be the key to your success.

Blogs organize content by displaying posts in reverse chronological order. If you send someone to a blog’s home page and the blog gets updated with new content, the post you referred to may not be so easy to find.

Magnifying-glass Permalinks make blog content easy to find

Each individual blog post has a permalink (permanent link), and if you use that, your readers will always end up in the right place.

Here is a brief video that demonstrates how to find the permalink for a blog post.

Do Your Blog Readers Need a Better Map?

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Lost-and-confused-225w-149h Something has been troubling me lately. With 450+ blog posts and counting, I want to make sure that both new visitors and regular readers can easily find the answers they’re looking for.

This may be the only downside to evolving into a content master and building a mountain of content.

It’s not the first time I’ve had this concern. Last time, I solved the problem (temporarily) by bringing my blog posts together into a book, Write Your Way to More Clients Online, a linear guide through the five steps of the content marketing process.

Since I finished the book last fall, I’ve written many more posts that I want you to see. I’ve put together tips, resources and information that will help you with your blogging and content marketing. But only if you can find it!

Sure, I’ve organized my posts into categories, and there’s a search box on the sidebar. You can always find the titles of my most recent posts, and I even brought in a third-party “widget” that shows you my most popular ones.

But is that enough? Especially for someone who might be so new to blogging that they’re not familiar with how blogs work? And aren’t those some of the very people I would like to help with my blog editing and consultation services?

Here are some of the options I’ve been considering:

  • Write another book – Yes, absolutely! I do plan to write another book, but probably not in the next 12 months.
  • Create a “New Here” page – For example, I really like Charlie Gilkey’s version.
  • Add static links to the sidebar – Instead of relying on Typepad’s list of ALL my categories (some of which I’m not using anymore), I could select the most relevant categories and/or posts and link to those.

For now, I’ve decided to go with what’s behind Door #4 – I’ve created a new post called How to Find Your Way Around the Content Mastery Guide Blog to display at the top of my blog, with suggestions that help my new and returning readers find what they’re looking for.

Please check it out and let me know what you think.

In the meantime, if you’ve been blogging for awhile and building your mountain of content, is it time for YOU to create new ways to guide your readers through it?

Five Ways to Find More Time For Content Marketing

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TypingWhether you're starting a new blog or trying to keep one going, a common concern for all of us is finding time to write.

Here are five concrete actions you can take to free up time for this crucial task:

  1. Batch your tasks – Dividing up your article writing time will make the most efficient use of your time and energy, and you'll accomplish more in less time. And once you're in brainstorming or writing mode, don't stop with one post; use that same mindset to work ahead on the next few.
  2. Be purposeful on social media – As soon as you publish a new post and it's fresh in your mind, preschedule 3-4 updates to announce the post to your social networks (I call these conversation starters). That way your content marketing task is done, and it won't get pushed aside or delayed if you get lost in conversation.
  3. Plan ahead – Have you ever zigzagged through the aisles of a grocery store because you didn't have a list? You'll also spend more time on content marketing if you don't have a plan. Your actions here may include laying out your blog categories, following a weekly blogging system or using a weekly/monthly blog planner. 
  4. Blog on the go – Grab some writing/blogging time while you're standing in line or waiting for an appointment. You may not be at your freshest creative time, but you can come back to polish later. Save and store your work online, either as a draft post in your blogging platform or in a system like Dropbox or Evernote.
  5. Maximize your brain power – Give your blog the best part of your day. You'll get more done faster because you're at the peak of your creativity.

How are you finding time to blog? Add your best tips below and let's learn from each other.