After publishing a blog post and following best practices – catchy title, interesting content, great links, cool images – you’re drumming your fingers, waiting for it to appear. But no matter how often you refresh, that blog post is nowhere! What went wrong? Maybe something, but probably nothing. Here’s the deal with blog posts ranking on…
What’s the definition of “good at social media?” Does it mean lots of likes, lots of comments, lots of shares, lots of positive reinforcement and dopamine hits? Does it mean checking your phone every three minutes, posting status updates and uploading new pics daily, sometimes two, three, four times a day? Does just the thought…
Blogging for your small business is a strategic way to kill a lot of birds with one stone – assuming you’re doing it well. The trouble, of course, is all those blogging mistakes that can make the entire effort a complete waste of time. But knowledge is power, and once you know, you can do…
If you’ve read anything on this blog, you’ve learned that business blogging is a wildly effective way to get fresh new content on your site. That’s important, because guess who loves fresh content? Search engines. The more you serve it up, the more frequently search engines visit your site, and the better your chances of…
I recently pitched a super cool local business. It was a cold call – I reached out after stopping in the shop on a whim and then checking out the company website and social accounts. Whenever I see exactly how and where I can add value to a company I admire, I almost can’t help…
I’ve been writing online content for years, and now and then I’ll stumble across something of mine that I don’t even recognize, until the byline catches my eye. And while I’ve had comments and even a few emails here and there from random internet strangers offering their feedback or thanks (or asking to hire me,…
I met with a new potential client recently, and her main concern related to social media. First things first – she needed Facebook and Instagram and what was that other one? Pinterest, and was it ChatSnap? Something like that. Whatever you call it, she needed it, because all businesses need to be on social media,…
My brother sent me a text last week asking if I’d heard of Elance and whether I’d ever sign up as a writer there. I have absolutely heard of Elance, and Guru, and Scripted, and Freelanced, and Upwork, and many of the other content marketplace websites out there. But here’s why I avoid them like…
SEO, or search engine optimization, is a tricky little devil because the target is always moving. Google doesn’t help with its algorithm shake-ups, but good news. If you’ve been blogging for your business – and I hope you have been – then you’re doing so much more than just connecting with your target market. Here’s…
Apparently, there’s some debate out there as to the true value and relevance of a business blog in this crazy social media marketing world. That’s a waste of breath. No amount of social media marketing can do what a really great blog does. If you’re really wondering how important a blog is to a small business, let’s…