Matt McGee says, “Hot on the heels of the 4.1.2 security release, WordPress has announced version 4.2, which is available now. This version of WordPress sports an updated Press This tool, which allows quick posting to your blog by quoting the text, video or images from another website. Press This works on mobile devices and as a desktop browser bookmarklet. Other new features include a streamlined plugin update process that eliminates the multiple page experience and does the updating inline with a single click. Also new is the ability to embed Tumblr and Kickstarter content just by pasting... [...]

Baer says, “Now how many of those were read today? Your guess is as good as mine. A very teeny tiny minority, if you choose to rely on the most basic 80–20 Pareto’s Principle. But have you noticed the number of views, shares, and comments when the post is written by people like Seth Godin? Or Neil Patel? Or Arianna Huffington? So what are the qualities or distinct characteristics that mark these super bloggers, setting them on a plane higher than us lesser mortals? I am inclined to think that entry to this rarefied region is free, as long as you get these three steps just right. Read... [...]

Hacked sites go downhill fast. Google doesn’t trust them (and rightly so) and removes them from the search results. It can take months or years to rebuild trust. You even can get into legal trouble with the Consumer Protection Agencies if the hacker starts stealing people’s credit card information. It can cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars in lost sales, not to mention time wasted and frustration when you get hacked. Isn’t it worth a small investment to make sure that doesn’t happen? Matt Garrett’s site was hacked. He tells about this terrible event in his business life here: How... [...]

Graham Charlton says, “The content team here have received a couple of pieces of good news recently. Last week, this blog won the Digital and Tech category at the UK Blog Awards. We’re also currently battling it out with Moz for top slot in Hubspot’s list of digital marketing blogs in the UK and Ireland. So, I thought this would be a good time to share our thoughts on why businesses should blog. If you need to make a case for a content budget, here’s some help… Business blogging: the stats SEO: websites with blogs have 434% more indexed pages and 97% more indexed... [...]

Rachel Sprung says, “How do you decide which topics to write about on your blog to attract the most traffic and leads? What about which types of blog posts to write? How many to publish in a week? How to promote them? These are just some of the questions you might have when creating your blog strategy — and knowing a thing or two about your top performing blog posts will help you find the answers.If you know what made your best blog posts perform so well, you’ll be able to better prioritize certain topics or types of posts according to your content goals. You’ll... [...]

Baer says, “Peter Drucker said, “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.” So I assume you’ve heard from nearly every content marketing blog out there how to do the right things. That’s being effective. For example, here are some things effective blog editors do: You plan awesome content. You use a workflow to manage your team and guest authors. You complement your posts with visuals and free content. You share your content with social media”. How to Hack Your Efficiency with an Agile Blog Planning Process Jay Baer’s ‘Convince & Convert’... [...]

Chow says, “Have you ever wondered how much it cost to run a million dollar Internet business? It’s a question I get asked a lot. Most people can figure out that my blog can’t be run on a $5 a month HostGator web hosting plan. In this Driving with John Chow episode, I reveal how much it cost to run John Chow dot Com. The general reaction to the number is “OMG! Why does it cost that much?” Find out how much is that much by watching the video now”. How Much Does It Cost To Run My Blog? John Chow’s Blog  [...]

Josh Haynam says, “For publishers, being able to run on ad revenue can be a tough pursuit, but quizzes can help. Check out two very different case studies below… On Tuesday March 16, 2015, an editor at HotNewHipHop reached out to me with a few questions about formulating a quiz. This was the same day that Kendrick Lamar’s new album To Pimp a Butterfly came out, which I was listening to at the time. That same Tuesday afternoon I see a post show up on my twitter feed with the text “I got ‘expert’, How Well do you Know To Pimp a Butterfly” The quiz was from HotNewHipHop.com,... [...]

Chris Lee says, “Far too many brands dismiss bloggers as hobbyists added to a low tier on a media list merely to be spammed with marketing emails.  This is a short-sighted attitude and, rather than a bolt-on, a bloggers’ role in the customer decision journey and as part of a link-building strategy needs to be fully understood. Bloggers matter. While many brands and agencies have grasped this concept, not everyone is engaging bloggers in a mutually constructive way. Even though blogging has matured, blogger relations is still a massive area for improvement. Let me tell you a personal story,... [...]

Angie Pascale says, “Recently, I’ve come across a number of brands that started a blog years ago but have all but abandoned it, or never even created one to begin with. Sure, both situations seems shocking in this day, what with all the turnkey blog platforms and abundance of data showing the benefits of having a blog. But let’s not dwell on their idling (usually due to a lack of resources, which we can all empathize with). Instead, let’s discuss how they can start fresh with a clean slate and a clear strategy. If you’re ready to reignite a neglected blog, or launch your... [...]