Kelly Exeter says, “If you’ve ever had the pleasure of purchasing a diamond, you’re probably familiar with the four Cs that determine its value: Cut, Clarity, Color, and Carat. As the Editor of a national online publication, I’m faced with the task of assessing the “value” of articles that are submitted to me every day. The value of an article depends on its ability to resonate with readers. Any editor will tell you that predicting what will strike a chord with an audience is an inexact science. But, over the years, I’ve developed my own system of three Cs that help me effectively... [...]

Tony Messer says, “Since blogging has become so common, far too many people have fallen into the trap of thinking that it’s easy. This can be a huge mistake, especially for businesses. The simple fact is that your blog can be one of the most important marketing channels you have at your fingertips. The most successful brands use their blogs to drive traffic, increase conversions and build authority, all crucial to the success of a brand. At the end of the day, blogging works. As long as you avoid certain pitfalls. Here, we’ll cover seven huge sins that many business blogs make. If you’re... [...]

Entrepreneur team says, “Blogging is no longer an online diary. It’s big business, and your most effective marketing tool. The best blogs command the same respect as the oldest print newspapers, and some of the world’s largest, most successful companies treat their blogs as key parts of their online marketing strategies. Want a slice of the pie? It’s not easy — nothing worthwhile ever is. By playing to your strengths as an expert in your field, you can use your blog as a powerful marketing tool to generate quality leads, create strong relationships with potential customers and... [...]

Ross Simmonds says, “Have you ever struggled coming up with ideas for your next blog post? You look at your canvas, blank page, or Word document and just stare. I’ve been there. You’ve been there. Unfortunately, coming up with ideas for content is an industry-wide challenge that can only be solved with persistence.1 (highlight to tweet) To create a blog post that people will love as much as Kanye loves Kanye, you need have a great idea for the topic and the story you’re going to share. I’m going to share four resources I use for finding inspiration when I’m in a rut. You can start... [...]

Lindsay Kolowich says, “When it comes to growing and scaling your blog, there are three critical things you need to think about: how you’re going to get new visitors to discover your blog, how you’re going to convert those visitors into quality subscribers, and how you’re going to leverage your most dedicated subscribers to share your content and attract new audiences. Subscribers are a very, very important part of this whole process — especially if you’re in the early stages of blogging. You’re already pouring time and resources into creating awesome blog... [...]

Dan Scalco says, “Your website serves as the digital storefront for your business. If it doesn’t look appealing, load quickly or even have a mobile version, customers are going to keep walking. Many small business owners rely on their website to bring in a steady stream of leads and educate potential customers on what they offer. However, when it comes to designing and developing a website, most of those same small business owners think they can’t have all the bells and whistles that larger businesses have. But that’s not true. Why? Meet WordPress. WordPress is a free platform that... [...]

Mike Murray says, “Success at blog marketing depends on a myriad of content, design, technical, and promotional factors. Though it would be prohibitively exhausting to excel at all of them simultaneously, the good news is that there are many small changes you can make that can significantly improve the success of your blog content over the long term. Whether you’re just starting to explore the world of blog marketing, looking to spruce up the look and feel of your existing blog, or are ready to take your efforts and expertise to the next level, the 65 tips (8 more than when I wrote the... [...]

Manish Bhalla says, “The fact remains that creating new content every single day is a tough job, and finding new topics is even tougher. If you analyze your blog, you will see that there are two kind of posts on the blog; one older and the other, newly published. While the new one being published recently has few hundreds of views and shares, other older post has the same number at a few thousands. Therefore, which blog post would be more valuable to you? The answer would definitely be the latter due to its popularity. The older posts mature over time, have more views and are shared more... [...]

Timothy Carter says, “To date, guest posting has been one of the most efficient and beneficial long-term strategies for either content marketing or SEO. The premise is simple, and approachable even for an amateur: use a personal brand to get your work published on various high-authority publishers, and reap the rewards of authority, visibility and traffic for your brand. Unfortunately, a number of persistent myths are circulating about guest posting in the modern era. These are eight of the most egregious ones I’ve found: 1. Guest posting is dead (or dying). I’ve seen a number of posts... [...]

Amra Beganovich and Elma Beganovich say, “Today, many superstar bloggers are making six-figure salaries and running their own companies. Armed with only a camera, a laptop and a few strategic props, they have managed to intrigue millions of followers and sign contracts with some of the largest brands in the world. Moreover, growing your audience on social media and improving your blog readership is no longer limited to bloggers. Businesses too have taken notice of the importance of social media and blogs and many are using their blog readers and social media followers to generate interest... [...]