What Impression are you Leaving with your Blog?

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Barry Wheeler

What’s type of impression are you leaving with readers when they visit your blog?  Is it one of desperation?  It is one that says you’re a knowledgeable blogger?

Blogging is a social activity.  People who visit your site form opinions within the first few seconds after arriving.  It is no different than what happens when someone meets you in real life.

As much as you want to think people will take the time to explore and get to know you, in reality it doesn’t work that way.

The impressions made when people visit your blog are often lasting just as real person to person interactions do offline.  You want readers to have a positive first impression that encourages them to become long term readers of your blog.Continue Reading

Posted in Blogging | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

Why Windows 8 is the Next Big Thing

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Barry Wheeler

Windows 8 is coming in 2012 (or so it’s been announced) and Microsoft has taken aim at its competition big time.  What’s this going to mean for bloggers and for tech enthusiasts alike?

The biggest change coming to Windows 8 is its touch interface, support for ARM and Intel processors and support for new USB 3.0 devices.  This means the operating system will support devices such as desktops, laptops, tablets and potentially every mobile device.

Just think about that for a second.Continue Reading

Posted in Technology | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

4 Ways to Build Relationships on Twitter

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Barry Wheeler

Where can you reach out to web designers, SEOs, bloggers, marketers and business owners with a single message in real time?  Where can you follow what’s happening in a celebrity’s life right now?  Where can you read about the latest happenings on the world stage?  Where can you deliver a marketing message directly to a consumer’s cell phone?

The answer is Twitter.

Twitter is one of the fastest growing social networks today, boasting over 200 million users worldwide.  It is social network that requires users to be active and follow conversations happening now.Continue Reading

Posted in Blogging, Social Networking | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Why Web Hosting Should Matter to Bloggers

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Barry Wheeler

Are you using cheap web hosting for your blog?

There’s no shortage of web hosting companies available and as a blogger you should understand not all of these are created equal.  However, if you are serious about blogging you should also be serious about the hosting service used for your blog.

Just ask Rosalind Gardner, one of the best affiliate marketers around, about the implications and damage caused by having sites offline.  She tweeted on September 9 about her server and 6 sites being offline for 6 days and they are still offline today (September 12).

Many novice bloggers make the mistake and look for cheap web hosting.  They see the promises of 100% uptime, unlimited bandwidth and an impressive list of available services.Continue Reading

Posted in Blogging, Technology | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Prospecting for Links

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Barry Wheeler

Are you struggling to find links to your websites?

Chances are you’re not alone.

Link building is one of the fundamental elements of search engine optimization.  Every webmaster is searching for links relevant to their site.  The more links they obtain, the better their content ranks in the search engine results.

The problem being encountered is finding links can be difficult.

At one time, people linked to websites because they liked the content or felt there was a value in doing so. 

Now, profile links, article marketing, guest blogging, blog commenting and forums are proven tactics used to obtain links.  Everyone is using them because they are readily available and links are easily obtained.Continue Reading

Posted in Link Building | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

3 Ways to Improve Your Bounce Rate

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Barry Wheeler

Are you noticing people are coming to your site but leaving after reading just a single page?

This is what is referred to a bounce.  Visitors to a site leave without visiting another page on your website.  The more people leaving your site after viewing just one page often alarms novice webmasters.

Webmasters typically use this bounce rate metric to measure how well they are meeting the needs of their audience.  It doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong but if this number is extremely high it should raise flags.

Some users will come to your site, find exactly what they want and then leave.  Others will leave when they see something wrong with your site or if they are unable to find what they are looking for.Continue Reading

Posted in Tips for Beginners | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Social Media is a Fad Right?

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Barry Wheeler

While having a conversation with several small business owners one of them asked a question that left me somewhat speechless.

Social media is a fad right?

The question appeared sincere on the surface but there was an underlying nervousness that told me this wasn’t the true nature of what I was being asked.  It was more “Please tell me social media is a fad and my business will be okay if I ignore it.”

Everyone knew what social media was and were quite aware of how widespread it had become.  They weren’t sure how it could benefit their operations.

It isn’t that most small business owners think this online social movement is a fad.  They are just unsure how to use it and how to integrate social media into their operations.  Many lack the necessary expertise and resources required to have a social strategy.  In fact, many of them struggle with having an online presence period!

Here’s the bad news for some.  Social Media is not a fad.Continue Reading

Posted in Social Media | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

How a Guest Post Submission Affected My Writing Style

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Barry Wheeler

After pitching a guest post to Net Profits Today and getting rejected I was a little discouraged.  My article came across as being written for the search engines and while I knew this wasn’t the case, it made me sit back and examine my writing style.

A few days earlier I had written an article about not writing for the search engines.  The rejection had me wondering where I had gone wrong.  Why hadn’t I followed my own advice?

When it comes to writing you have two audiences to chose from – your readers or the search engine spiders.  It’s very difficult to write for both without upsetting one or the other.Continue Reading

Posted in Blogging | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Why PageRank Doesn’t Matter

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Barry Wheeler

Google Page Rank ReductionVisit any internet marketing forum and you are guaranteed to stumble upon a thread about Google PageRank.  Members will boast they have seen an increase and others will complain theirs have dropped.  Others will wear their PageRank as a badge of honour because it is higher than others commenting on the topic at hand.

What is the coveted PageRank value these people are talking about?

These people are talking about the value visible in the Google Toolbar, the little green bar that signifies the relative popularity and importance of a page.  It can have a value from 0 to 10, with 10 assigned to the most popular sites and arguably the most important sites.Continue Reading

Posted in Miscellaneous, SEO / SEM, Tips for Beginners | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

What Every Webmaster Should Know About Google Search

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Barry Wheeler

Search engine optimization is easy right?  Ranking in Google can be accomplished relatively easy by using keywords and adding backlinks right?

Reading many of the “make money online” blogs would like you to believe it’s that simple.  After all, this is their premise these sites use to create foolproof products and services they offer.

Understanding Google search and what goes into ranking well within this search index isn’t entirely about keywords and backlinks.  It isn’t entirely about building relationships and writing great content.  It is a much more complicated system that incorporates both science and real user input.Continue Reading

Posted in SEO / SEM, Technology | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments