How to reduce bounce rate?

1. Give visitors all the information they may need
This is a point which perhaps applies to ecommerce more than other sites.
Let’s take an example from the travel sector. If you’re researching hotels to stay in, then the obvious destination for many web users is TripAdvisor.

There they can find (in theory) impartial views on the hotel which cut through the sales pitch on the hotel or travel agent’s website. However, once on TripAdvisor, they may be swayed by other hotels.
If you have reviews on site though, or have integrated TripAdvisor reviews on the page, then one reason to head elsewhere is removed.

Here, Best Western hotels show TripAdvisor reviews (good and bad) on hotel pages:



2. Avoid clickbait 
Clickbait is commonplace now. In fact, it's hard to find a news publisher's site without this kind of garbage following articles.


If you're foolish enough to click one of these links you'll find yourself on some of the worst sites on the web, full of pop-ups, pagination and lots of attempts to trick you into clicking on ads. There's also the question of why publishers would want to send their audiences there, but thats an issue for another article.
Essentially, none of these posts are likely to deliver on the promise of the headline. The content needs to be relevant to the headline, or else people will bounce quickly.

I'm not against lists or using headlines to attract clicks, which is why this article has the headline it does. It's just that headlines have to deliver on their promises. 

3. Avoid huge pop-ups and annoying ads
Serving users with a huge pop-up as soon as they enter the site is a great way to make them hit the back button.

Likewise, intrusive rollover ads and autoplay audio are what make web users turn to adblockers. It will make many others bounce as soon as they reach your site.

4. Use internal linking 
I've written about the use of internal linking as an SEO tactic, but it performs an important role in keeping people on site for longer.
Providing users with links to other interesting articles which are relevant to the one which users are reading increases the likelihood that they'll hang around for longer, and reduces those bounce rates.

5. Be careful with external links
I'm all for giving credit when its due when it comes to links, but if you add external links early in a post and don't open them in a new window, you're essentially asking users to your site and inflate your bounce rates.

6. Do not use pagination
This could actually be posited as a way to reduce bounce rates, but I think the drawback of annoying users outweighs this particular aim.

People can scroll, so there's no need to paginate. The only reason I can think of is to falsely inflate page views.

Make money blogging by using Infolinks

Today’s scheme is easy to set up and easy to run. It’s another set and forget scheme for bloggers that will bring you in a daily income without you having to do, sell or promote anything.  It’s the true definition of passive income – you can easily earn money with Infolinks doing nothing at all.

What is Infolinks?

If you have ever been to a website and seen some of the words in the text brightly double underlined, then those are Infolinks.  When you hover over one of these links, a small box comes up offering for you to click to search on that keyword.  Infolinks adds the links automatically, and it will be different per page view, and you are simply paid a rate for displaying the links in your text and extra if readers use the search.
I personally find those big bold double underlines a bit too ‘in your face’ but actually you can customise the look of your links and the density of your links to get the look you want so it is less intrusive.

What do Infolinks Look Like?

Take a look at my screen print here.  I have mine set to maximum density which is 12 Infolinks per page, and I have a simple single dotted line under the links, with no change in text color.  They can be quite discreet.

InfoLinks examples

Infolinks are also active in this post so throughout the text you should see little dotted lines – these are the info links.  Hover over to see an example of the pop up box which gives you the opportunity to search for those keywords.  Click to go through to a second menu for sites associated with those keywords.  Easy.  Give it a try.

How can I control my Infolinks?

You have a number of easy to use options.

Density – you can chose how many Infolinks on a page – anywhere from 1 to 12
On or Off – you can chose on which pages or posts to display your Infolinks and when to display them.  There is a simple on or off option for each post. For my top posts on my sewing blog, I leave Infolinks OFF for the first two weeks, and then add them later.  For this site, I leave them on all the time, as my posts are intended to be informational rather than look nice!
Link color – many of us will have black text or dark grey and you can change the Infolinks text color to either match your site if you want them to be discreet, or make them in a bright color if you want them to be easily seen.
Underline style – chose from a single dotted line like mine, or go for the bold option with the double underline.  It’s up to you.

What can I earn from Infolinks?

This will depend on several factors:

1. The number of times the links are viewed or displayed - so depends on your page views
2. The number of links per page
3. The current advertising rate for the keywords
4. If anyone uses the search

Here is my summary for the last week or so.


So my average is $1.66 per day.  I could earn more, but I always chose not to have the Infolinks on my front page or my recent posts until they are 2 weeks old and most people will have seen them.  It’s up to you how and where you decide to use Infolinks.
Assuming a 30 day month and an average of $1.66 per day, I would earn $50 a month.  Not bad for something you set up once in a couple of minutes and then forget it.  If you have greater traffic you can earn even more.  Plus, as your site grows and has more content, then there are more pages to be seen, more active Infolinks and your earnings should steadily increase over time.

What’s the Double Earnings Offer?

Infolinks don’t usually run any kind of referral scheme.  But at the moment and until 12th April, they are running a SPECIAL OFFER, where if you sign up on the recommendation of an existing user (that’s me), then you earn DOUBLE the usual amount for the first 60 days.
You can read their blog post with details of the offer.

To qualify for double earnings for 60 days:

1. Sign up to Infolinks as a publisher.
2. This email will also alert them that you are a referral and be more likely to result in acceptance for your application.
3. Once accepted – set up your Infolinks – it will only take 5 minutes to set up and customise.
4. If you need help setting up, just ask.
5. If you run more than one site, you can add other sites all in the same account and quickly add Infolinks to those too.

Social Media Icons

Many themes and templates already include a set of social media icons or buttons. But perhaps you don’t like the ones with your template, or perhaps you don’t like where they are by default and want to set up your own. Setting them up in a nice neat row can also free up valuable space on your sidebar. However, that can be pretty confusing unless you know what to do.
Fear not – all the code you need is below, and you can follow through the step by step for how to add cute social media buttons to your site, in the tutorial video. Do enlarge the video or show it full screen in high resolution so you can follow through. And before you know it, blog prettiness (and practicality), and social media followers can be yours.

Here is the code used in the video. Copy and paste this into your widget and then replace the capital letters with your own social media addresses, the link for your icons and the hover text.  It’s really not as complicated as it looks – the video will show you how.

How to Make money with ShareASale – affiliate marketing

What is affiliate marketing?

We looked at Escalate previously and I described them as an advertising network.  You can certainly earn some money this way and many of you already have done.  But today we will look at signing up with ShareASale which is different – I would describe them as an affiliate network.

Escalate features banner adverts which you display and can be paid for in a number of ways, primarily Pay per Click and Pay per Conversion – email sign ups.  The advertisers aren’t necessarily selling anything.  You might try out several adverts to see what you readers are interested in, and perhaps change these out frequently as new offers are published.  These tend to be more temporary in nature.

But ShareASale adverts primarily promote online stores where you will be paid a generous commission for any sales referred by your site.  I’ve seen commissions of up to 80% but more typically they will be around 10-30%. These referrals can be by way of a display banner advert in your sidebar, but can also be by text links, sponsored posts, product reviews and social media – and more.

A sidebar banner can still work, and bring you sales if targeted correctly.   The really big earnings from Affiliate Sales comes from careful targeting of your merchants to your readers interests, along with personal recommendation and promotion which encourages your readers to BUY.  If done correctly, affiliate marketing can be a big earner.  But if there are no sales – you earn nothing.

Make Money with ShareASale

Take a look at this first video where I’ll talk you through:

• signing up at ShareASale
• how to find and select the best vendors to work with
• how to pick relevant products to feature
• looking at vendor stats, commission rates and agreements
• and applying for their programs.

Do go over to ShareASale and sign up if you haven’t already done so.  By the way, this is an affiliate link, so I’ll get $1 if you sign up with them, place an advert and generate a click on your advert.  I hope you don’t mind! A girl has to buy blogging fuel in the way of strong coffee…

And in response to a Reader’s Question about ShareASale, take a look at my suggested list of vendors that might be worth signing up with – large and small.  Some of them even offer freebies for their affiliates or auto-approval.

Adding banners, making recommendations and Deep Linking

Affiliate marketing may be more direct and personal to your readers than the advertising banners we have added before.  As an affiliate, you are only paid on SALES, so you may chose to take a more active approach in promoting your offers.  By offering your readers real value, you will receive value in return.
Your readers value your opinions, trust your content and want to hear more about what you have to say.  If you have a company or product you love – tell them about it, recommend it.  But don’t lose the trust of your readers. Recommend only products you have used or would use yourself.  You should never jeopardize the long-term standing of your site and reputation in the hope of making a quick buck.
Be genuine.

If you are already used to advertising banners and have recently been adding in banners from Escalate, then adding your affiliate links will be easy.  Your probably even already know how to do it.  But I will still review adding in a banner to your sidebar and post in case this is your first time.

Most affiliate sales come from ‘Deep Linking‘.  That is where you recommend and link to a particular product or range of products.  So rather than direct your banner to the front page and leave your reader to do all of the work, I will show you how to set up your own custom affiliate link to any page or product for the best possible sales results.
In this second video, how to:

• add a banner to your side bar
• add a banner to your post
• add a more subtle text link
• create a custom link to products or pages – essential for the best sales.  This is known as Deep Linking.

Reporting on your clicks, sales and commissions

So how did you do – did anyone click?  Did you make any sales?  The ShareASale reporting system is easy. 
You should now be up and running with ShareASale and know how to apply for programs, place your adverts, promote products with Deep Linking, and then report on your results.  If you have any questions – do let me know. I’m happy to help.

Thankful Volunteering for Clean Living

The holidays are quickly headed our way. The meal planning, gift buying, and holiday parties are already filling the calendar. While the cocktail parties, white elephant gift exchanges, and Christmas tree search helps keep the sanity during the holiday season why not consider throwing in some family volunteering into the mix? Often times we get so caught up that it’s easy to forget that there are so many ways that doing something fairly small in our eyes can make the biggest difference in someone else’s life. Since I know that you are busier than ever I thought I would do the legwork for you and help get you and your family started on the road to volunteering.

I would suggest that you decide what form of volunteering is most doable for your family; possibly a monthly event to the same place or more of a one-time thing to various locations. You will also want to decide what you think would be the most comfortable volunteer experience for your family especially if it’s the first time. If dogs frighten your 4 year old, you probably don’t want to clean kennels at the animal shelter.

I would suggest that you decide what form of volunteering is most doable for your family; possibly a monthly event to the same place or more of a one-time thing to various locations. You will also want to decide what you think would be the most comfortable volunteer experience for your family especially if it’s the first time. If dogs frighten your 4 year old, you probably don’t want to clean kennels at the animal shelter.

Once you’ve narrowed down the plan of action, talk to your family about it. Be sure to show the kids your enthusiasm for helping others. Trust me, if you’re giving your 4 year the chance to be a “big kid” by volunteering, they will be more than willing to lend a hand.

There are tons of things out there for y’all to do so let me just list a few below:

    Send a general or holiday themed card to a hospitalized child (http://www.cardsforhospitalizedkids.com/make-general-cards.html) (http://www.cardsforhospitalizedkids.com/make-holiday-cards2.html)

    Visit a nursing home. Many facilities will even pair you with one or two residents to visit on a regular basis.
    Donate to a local food pantry. Create flyers asking neighbors to leave non-perishable food items on their front porch or ask them to drop off at your porch by a certain date. Your kids can help pass out the flyers and of course go with you to donate.
    Look for a local walk/run that you can participate in.
    Head to a local animal shelter or your local Pet Smart. (Our local Pet Smart has volunteer groups that are always looking for help with the kitten kennels and of course to play with the animals.)
    Clean up litter. Walk the neighborhood, local park, or walking trail and have the family armed with trash bags and gloves.
    Serve at the local soup kitchen.
    Search the Hands on Network in your area. USE THIS LINK. I volunteered for years with Hands on Charlotte; they have various opportunities of all types.
    Make holiday cards for the residents at the local nursing home.
    Donate gently used DVD’s. Books, or CD’s to the local children’s hospital.
    Donate used towels, pet toys, and blankets to the local animal shelter.
    You can just Google “family volunteering” in your city or zip to find other opportunities.

We are all fortunate to be happy, healthy, and physically capable so why not give back and more importantly start your family out in the right direction for a lifetime of helping others.

The holidays are quickly headed our way. The meal planning, gift buying, and holiday parties are already filling the calendar. While the cocktail parties, white elephant gift exchanges, and Christmas tree search helps keep the sanity during the holiday season why not consider throwing in some family volunteering into the mix? Often times we get so caught up that it’s easy to forget that there are so many ways that doing something fairly small in our eyes can make the biggest difference in someone else’s life. Since I know that you are busier than ever I thought I would do the legwork for you and help get you and your family started on the road to volunteering.
I would suggest that you decide what form of volunteering is most doable for your family; possibly a monthly event to the same place or more of a one-time thing to various locations. You will also want to decide what you think would be the most comfortable volunteer experience for your family especially if it’s the first time. If dogs frighten your 4 year old, you probably don’t want to clean kennels at the animal shelter.
I would suggest that you decide what form of volunteering is most doable for your family; possibly a monthly event to the same place or more of a one-time thing to various locations. You will also want to decide what you think would be the most comfortable volunteer experience for your family especially if it’s the first time. If dogs frighten your 4 year old, you probably don’t want to clean kennels at the animal shelter.
Once you’ve narrowed down the plan of action, talk to your family about it. Be sure to show the kids your enthusiasm for helping others. Trust me, if you’re giving your 4 year the chance to be a “big kid” by volunteering, they will be more than willing to lend a hand.
There are tons of things out there for y’all to do so let me just list a few below:

1. Send a general or holiday themed card to a hospitalized child (http://www.cardsforhospitalizedkids.com/make-general-cards.html) (http://www.cardsforhospitalizedkids.com/make-holiday-cards2.html)
2. Visit a nursing home. Many facilities will even pair you with one or two residents to visit on a regular basis.
3. Donate to a local food pantry. Create flyers asking neighbors to leave non-perishable food items on their front porch or ask them to drop off at your porch by a certain date. Your kids can help pass out the flyers and of course go with you to donate.
4. Look for a local walk/run that you can participate in.
5. Head to a local animal shelter or your local Pet Smart. (Our local Pet Smart has volunteer groups that are always looking for help with the kitten kennels and of course to play with the animals.)
6. Clean up litter. Walk the neighborhood, local park, or walking trail and have the family armed with trash bags and gloves.
7. Serve at the local soup kitchen.
8. Search the Hands on Network in your area. USE THIS LINK. I volunteered for years with Hands on Charlotte; they have various opportunities of all types.
9. Make holiday cards for the residents at the local nursing home.
10. Donate gently used DVD’s. Books, or CD’s to the local children’s hospital.
11. Donate used towels, pet toys, and blankets to the local animal shelter.
12. You can just Google “family volunteering” in your city or zip to find other opportunities.

We are all fortunate to be happy, healthy, and physically capable so why not give back and more importantly start your family out in the right direction for a lifetime of helping others.
- See more at: http://www.cleaneats101.com/tag/clean-living/#sthash.8uLfIfDl.dpuf

Pumpkin Pass Under: Stand back to back with a few feet between your partner and you. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and raise your pumpkin over your head. Come down and pass the pumpkin through your legs to your partner. Pumpkin Squat: Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Raise pumpkin about your head and as you come down with the pumpkin drop into a squat. Be sure that your knees don’t go over your toes. Repeat.

Pumpkin Toss (wood chop): This is a wood chop move. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and swing from top right to bottom left while turning your leg inward and twisting your torso.

Pumpkin Plank: standard plank and try to hold for 30-60 seconds. Be sure to keep your body inline. Don’t allow your pelvis to drop.

Mountain Climbers: To add more intensity take that plank straight into mountain climbers.

Ideally you just want to get the kids moving. Your involvement will get your kids excited and they will want to be active and hopefully continue to live a healthy and active life!
- See more at: http://www.cleaneats101.com/family-friendly-fitness/#sthash.jvdr5tJI.dpuf

Pumpkin Pass Under: Stand back to back with a few feet between your partner and you. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and raise your pumpkin over your head. Come down and pass the pumpkin through your legs to your partner. Pumpkin Squat: Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Raise pumpkin about your head and as you come down with the pumpkin drop into a squat. Be sure that your knees don’t go over your toes. Repeat.

Pumpkin Toss (wood chop): This is a wood chop move. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and swing from top right to bottom left while turning your leg inward and twisting your torso.

Pumpkin Plank: standard plank and try to hold for 30-60 seconds. Be sure to keep your body inline. Don’t allow your pelvis to drop.

Mountain Climbers: To add more intensity take that plank straight into mountain climbers.

Ideally you just want to get the kids moving. Your involvement will get your kids excited and they will want to be active and hopefully continue to live a healthy and active life!
- See more at: http://www.cleaneats101.com/family-friendly-fitness/#sthash.jvdr5tJI.dpuf

Family Friendly Fitness

OCTOBER 23, 2015 | in Good Times, Program Tips

With all of the distractions in the world today it’s imperative that we start early and introduce our kids to the importance of a healthy lifestyle. While I struggle with getting my kids to eat anything green or try new foods I can get them to workout with me. Obviously they aren’t lifting barbells but they love to get out the tennis racquets and swing at balls, or challenge my husband or me to an impromptu 1 on 1 soccer game. So I thought it would be fun to get the kids involved in a fun outdoor and Halloween inspired workout.
Aim to do 15-20 reps and complete 3-5 rounds.
Pumpkin Pass : Similar to the Russian twist but pass a pumpkin to your partner.

Pumpkin Pass Under: Stand back to back with a few feet between your partner and you. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and raise your pumpkin over your head. Come down and pass the pumpkin through your legs to your partner. Pumpkin Squat: Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Raise pumpkin about your head and as you come down with the pumpkin drop into a squat. Be sure that your knees don’t go over your toes. Repeat.

Pumpkin Toss (wood chop): This is a wood chop move. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and swing from top right to bottom left while turning your leg inward and twisting your torso.

Pumpkin Plank: standard plank and try to hold for 30-60 seconds. Be sure to keep your body inline. Don’t allow your pelvis to drop.

Mountain Climbers: To add more intensity take that plank straight into mountain climbers.

Ideally you just want to get the kids moving. Your involvement will get your kids excited and they will want to be active and hopefully continue to live a healthy and active life!

- See more at: http://www.cleaneats101.com/family-friendly-fitness/#sthash.jvdr5tJI.dpuf

Family Friendly Fitness

OCTOBER 23, 2015 | in Good Times, Program Tips

With all of the distractions in the world today it’s imperative that we start early and introduce our kids to the importance of a healthy lifestyle. While I struggle with getting my kids to eat anything green or try new foods I can get them to workout with me. Obviously they aren’t lifting barbells but they love to get out the tennis racquets and swing at balls, or challenge my husband or me to an impromptu 1 on 1 soccer game. So I thought it would be fun to get the kids involved in a fun outdoor and Halloween inspired workout.
Aim to do 15-20 reps and complete 3-5 rounds.
Pumpkin Pass : Similar to the Russian twist but pass a pumpkin to your partner.

Pumpkin Pass Under: Stand back to back with a few feet between your partner and you. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and raise your pumpkin over your head. Come down and pass the pumpkin through your legs to your partner. Pumpkin Squat: Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Raise pumpkin about your head and as you come down with the pumpkin drop into a squat. Be sure that your knees don’t go over your toes. Repeat.

Pumpkin Toss (wood chop): This is a wood chop move. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and swing from top right to bottom left while turning your leg inward and twisting your torso.

Pumpkin Plank: standard plank and try to hold for 30-60 seconds. Be sure to keep your body inline. Don’t allow your pelvis to drop.

Mountain Climbers: To add more intensity take that plank straight into mountain climbers.

Ideally you just want to get the kids moving. Your involvement will get your kids excited and they will want to be active and hopefully continue to live a healthy and active life!

- See more at: http://www.cleaneats101.com/family-friendly-fitness/#sthash.jvdr5tJI.dpuf

5 Benefits of Drinking Water, You must Know

Drink more water. We hear this everyday multiple times from multiple sources. We get it! So why is it so hard to just do it? Well, because it’s water, plain old simple water. We are not a simple species. We like things to be complicated and controversial. So water just doesn’t make the cut. That would be too easy. Instead we are looking for excuses and an easy way out. There is no easy way there is n excuses. It’s water PEOPLE! Drink it!

I am sure you have heard this before, numerous times, but water is the key ingredient for weight loss and full of nutritional benefits. There is no powder, shake or bottled up miracle that can take the place of good ole H20. So after some intense research and personal opinion note taking these are our top 5 reasons to drink water.

• Drinking water helps with weight loss. The more you drink the fuller you feel. If you are looking to loose a few pounds or just stay on track with your current weight then drinking water is a no brainer. It doesn’t cost any money and you can find a water fountain or faucet almost anywhere.   Try to keep a water bottle in your reach at all times. If you are starting to feel a hunger pain and its not quite mealtime reach for some H20 and start chugging.
• Water keeps your skin looking young and fresh. It’s not going to erase wrinkles, but it can help to prevent those nasty aging lines from popping up on your face. All that water helps to lock in moisture under our skin leaving you beautiful and vibrant.
• H20 keeps our kidneys nice and clean. The kidneys are an extremely vital organ in our bodies. They help rid our body of toxins and keeping them hydrated is a very important component in order for this to happen. When the kidneys do not get hydrated properly through our water consumption they begin to trap water from other hydration sources, such as our urine. If your urine is clear and odorless than you are good to go. If not, you guessed it…Drink more water!
• If you have trouble with constipation, then you are probably not getting enough H20. Being hydrated helps the colon to keep things moving right along properly and regularly. When our colon is not hydrated it begins to pull water from our stools, which in the end caused constipation. Yuck, Gag & Gross!!! If that doesn’t make you want to turn up a bottle of water I am not sure what will.
• Finally, regular water consumption helps prevent headaches, which in turn helps to prevent the dreaded hangover. All of this leads back to staying hydrated. If you already are low on your water intake and you are planning on going out for a few cocktails, just go ahead and know you will have a hangover. Drinking alcohol causes dehydration, which on top of already being dehydrated, makes for a nasty wake up call from your head. So prepare. Drink a few glasses of water before you go our and in between each alcoholic beverage.

I guess what we are trying to preach is to simply, put down the soda and reach for some water. It will keep you looking young, prevent extra calorie consumption and keep your urine from smelling gross! It’s a win win for everyone involved.

Is a Blog Right for You? - Questions for Bloggers

Is a Blog the Right type of Web Site for you?

While I’m a big fan of blogging as a way to get content online – I’ve seen it built up by some bloggers over the years as being the ultimate way of having a web presence.
In my opinion this is just not true. 

While Blogs are great (in my experience) they are not the ultimate type of website. They do not have all of the answers and they do not suit every application or situation. 

It may be that after analysing your needs, personality, hopes, experiences and style that you find blogging does fit well for your purposes – but it may also be other web applications fit better with where you’re at. Don’t just rush into blogging and expect the world. 

There are probably other people who are much better at selling you some of the other types of web applications out there (look into wikis, static websites, forums etc) so I’ll leave you to do your own research 

– but here is a list of 23 questions (written in no particular order except that it is the order they came out of my head in) that you might want to ponder before leaping into blogging. I’ve put a few brief comments next to each to get you going. 

Please note that these questions are in essence a list of qualities of successful bloggers that I’ve come across over the last few years. If you don’t have some of these qualities it’s not the end of your blogging dreams. The list is idealistic and the questions are there to help potential bloggers enter into blogging with open eyes and making good decisions about whether a blog is right for them. It also might help potential bloggers to think about what type of blog they might start and what type of skills they might need to develop: 

Without further ado – here’s my 23 questions:

1. Do you enjoy writing? – Blogs are predominantly a written medium. If you do not enjoy writing then the chances are you might not enjoy blogging.
2. What’s your Message? – While there are many applications for blogging, underlying most (if not all) of them is the aim of communicating some sort of message. Do you need/want to communicate something? Do you have a message? Starting a blog just because you want one might be fun, but it might also be a waste of time.
3. Are you a good communicator? – I don’t believe that only good communicators should have blogs – (they can be a tool for people learning communication skills to improve) but it can be an advantage to have some basic communication skills.
4. Are you better at writing or speaking? – Most communicators have a preference (or at least have better skills in one form or another). If speaking is more your thing you might want to consider Podcasting or even a Video based web site.
5. Do you want to be the central voice on your website? – While blogs are good at building community – they generally feature one person (or a smaller group of people) as the central voices in a conversation. Other people have to respond to the voice of others. If you’re after something where anyone can start a conversation then a Forum might be a better medium.
6. Are you a self starter? – Starting a blog takes a little initiative. While blog software these days makes it simple to start them, they don’t run themselves and take a motivated person to both getting them off the ground.
7. Are you disciplined? – Similarly blogs require regular attention over time. While daily posting is not essential, it’s probably a good level to aim for. Will you be able to motivate yourself to write something new every day?
8. Do you have time? – Linked to the need for regular updates is the fact that this takes time. Do you have enough time in your schedule to write daily? Not only that do you have time to moderate comments, respond to reader questions, read other bloggers posts, network with other bloggers etc?
9. Are you thick skinned? – If you start a blog, the chances are that it will be found and that others will write about you or some aspect of what you’re doing. This is great when the comments of others are positive and in agreement with you – but it’s not much fun when you’re critiqued (sometimes fairly and sometimes not). Do you have the ability to take criticism well?
10. Are you willing to be in the public spotlight? – Blogging is a public act. Every day you put yourself into the gaze of others. People will analyze your words and lifestyle. Some will want to know more about you and some might even recognize you in public (it’s happened to me a few times). While few bloggers (if any) are ‘celebrities’ – putting yourself ‘out there’ every day is a strange thing to live with and can have it’s consequences. Keep in mind that once you write something online it is very difficult to get it removed. You might be able to delete your blog but archives services (and other bloggers) pick up a lot of what you write and so you could be living in the public splotlight for a lot longer than you’re a blogger.
11. Do you have any technical ability? – If this were a requirement of blogging I’d have never gotten far, but it is an advantage to have the ability to learn and work on a technical level. You’ll be working on a computer with web based software and at times you’ll need to ‘tweak’ your blog. Knowing how to do it yourself can be very handy. If you’re not this type of person, you might want to make friends with someone who is.
12. Do you take yourself too Seriously? – One of the characteristic I think bloggers should have is a sense of humor – particularly when it comes to looking at themselves. While there are plenty of examples of bloggers who do take themselves too seriously, most successful bloggers seem to have the ability to laugh at themselves also.
13. Do you have a blend of humility and Ego? – Coupled with a sense of humor should be humility. While bigheadedness abounds in the blogosphere it’s often the humble blogger who ends up on top. Having said this having a healthy ego and view of your own worth as a person is also a good characteristic to have as there is an element of ‘self promotion’ that comes into blogging at times. Getting this balance right is not always easy – but it’s worth working on.
14. Are you willing to learn? – I like to look at blogging as a journey where everyone knows something but nobody knows everything. This is the case on any topic you want to blog about and the best bloggers are willing to share what they know but seek out and promote what others know also. In this way everyone learns – even the ‘experts’.
15. Do you enjoy reading? – Being good at writing is very helpful – but so is the ability to read what others are writing. If I were to video tape myself over a day of blogging I suspect I’d find that I spend more time reading each day than writing. For every post I write I would read at least three.
16. Are you an organized person? – While I’m sure many bloggers are completely chaotic and unorganized – there comes a point in most serious blogger’s lives when they have to get at least a little organized. With incoming emails, following lots of feeds, writing perhaps on multiple topics/blogs and moderating comments all going on at once (plus more) it’s pretty easy for time to slip away without getting much done.
17. Are you a Social person? – There are many styles of blogging but when it comes down to it most bloggers have some sort of a desire to connect with readers. Some bloggers keep readers at an arms length (they might switch off comments and rarely respond to emails) but it’s probably an advantage to actually engage your readers in someway. If you don’t like people then this might be challenging. Another related question might be ‘are you an approachable person?’
18. Do you enjoy ‘virtual relationships?’ – Some of the most social people I know are terrible when it comes to online interactions. They just don’t ‘get’ it and are much better face to face than via email, instant messaging or in a forum or comments thread. Being comfortable with speaking to and working with people you’ve never met before is an advantage if you’re a blogger. Connected to this – it’s also important to be what I call ‘virtually intuitive’. One of the dangers of relating to people online is that all can not be as it seems. Developing the ability to work out whether others are who they say they are and of good character is probably a skill to develop.
19. Are you a creative person? – Once again this is not a ‘must’ – just an advantage. The web is a cluttered place and being able to develop content and community that stands out from the rest and that surprises readers is a big plus.
20. Do you have Stick-ability? – While some blogs are overnight successes, most are not. In fact many (most) blogs are never as successful as their owners would like. A long term approach is one of the basic pieces of advice that I’d give most bloggers.
21. Are you Consistent? – One of the common reasons that I see bloggers getting into trouble with their readers or other bloggers is that they change the way they approach their blogging midstream. Bloggers that are constantly changing the topic of their blogs, or who increase their expectations on readers suddenly, or who change the ‘voice’ that their blog is written in can end up losing the respect of their readers. While no one likes a boring blog – people do like to know what to expect to some extent.
22. Are you honest and transparent? – If you answer no to this one then you can expect to eventually be found out. While in real life it can be reasonably easy to keep secrets or be two faced – the blogosphere has a culture of people keeping an eye upon each other and digging where you don’t want them to dig. While you’ll want to develop boundaries around what you do and don’t blog about, you will need to be willing to disclose conflicts of interest and be willing to be held accountable for the things that you say.
23. Are you willing to work hard? – The level that you need to work on a blog will be dependant upon your goals and objectives for it – but if you have goals of being the next big thing then you’ll be guaranteed of a lot of hard work. Of course this is the case with any thing in life and not just blogs.

I’m sure there are plenty of other questions worth asking before deciding on whether a blog is right for you (feel free to suggest more below) but these are what comes to mind for me. In reading them back they almost read like a job interview for prospective bloggers!

What is Blog?

So what is a Blog anyway?
It’s a good question to ask at the beginning of a Blogging for Beginners Series as it is a question I am asked every week.
There are a number of ways I could answer this question ranging from the broad to the highly technical.
Here are a few definitions from other much wiser people on the ‘what is a blog?’ question to get us started (and once you’ve seen what they have to say on the topic I’ll share my own thoughts):

‘A weblog is a hierarchy of text, images, media objects and data, arranged chronologically, that can be viewed in an HTML browser.’ Source

‘A frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web links.’ Source

‘From “Web log.” A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” and someone who keeps a blog is a “blogger.”‘ Source

‘A weblog is kind of a continual tour, with a human guide who you get to know. There are many guides to choose from, each develops an audience, and there’s also comraderie and politics between the people who run weblogs, they point to each other, in all kinds of structures, graphs, loops, etc.’ Source

‘A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” and someone who keeps a blog is a “blogger.” Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in cronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominantly.’ Source

‘A blog is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order. The term blog is a shortened form of weblog or web log. Authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called “blogging”. Individual articles on a blog are called “blog posts,” “posts” or “entries”. A person who posts these entries is called a “blogger”. A blog comprises text, hypertext, images, and links (to other web pages and to video, audio and other files). Blogs use a conversational style of documentation. Often blogs focus on a particular “area of interest”, such as Washington, D.C.’s political goings-on. Some blogs discuss personal experiences.’ Source.

How to Start a Blog?

So you want to start a blog? You’re in the right spot. Learning how to start a blog is a question I get quite a bit and instead of answering pieces here & there, I decided to take everything I know about starting a blog and create a definitive resource to reference at any time. I’ve built multiple blogs with traffic ranging from 10,000 and 900,000 visits/month. In addition to my own sites, I also run an online marketing agency that has built and optimized sites for dozens and dozens of clients.

But, more importantly, I know how hard it is to start a blog in the first place.  When I first wanted tried to teach myself how to start a blog,I knew absolutely nothing. I deleted my database 3 times simply because I had no idea what I was doing. Needless to say that I used up a lot of time and cuss words trying to figure out how to start a blog on my own. I know what it’s like.

Buy Your Domain Name

Get Your Free Domain with Bluehost

Once you decide on a domain, you need to pony up the cash and register it. GoDaddy is probably the most well known place to register domain names because it has terrible commercials like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-3j4-4N3Ng

Because it’s so well known, it’s where most people start. I started there but I (like everyone I know) soon got out as quickly as possible. The user experience is horrible and they’re always trying to sell you on something that you don’t need. On top of that, they have terrible commercials and their CEO poaches elephants. I’m not a fan of PETA, but overall the company is not one I really want to be giving my money to.
Don’t play games, but if you register to host your blog with Bluehost (we’ll talk about this in a second), you can setup a domain with them for almost no hassle. You can pick up a .com/.net/.org domain will cost you $7-10/year which is dirt cheap, and no-brainer investment if you’re really serious about starting a blog.

• Get Your Free Domain with Bluehost

Get A Hosting Provider For Your Blog

Recommended Choice: Bluehost Hosting

Once you buy a domain name, you need somewhere to store your files. If you think about your website like a house, the domain name is the address, but the hosting service is the house itself – it’s where you put all the stuff. Now, there are a ton of different hosting options out there for your brand new blog, but I use Bluehost & I convinced the team over there to hook up IMPOSSIBLE readership with a 56% discount on your hosting package (just $3.95).


 For the sake of transparency, I started out hosting my sites with BlueHost. Since then, I’ve gone back & forth, but host 90% of my websites with Bluehost (serving over ~900,000 visits in a month).

•  56% off Hosting with Bluehost (just $3.95) + a Free Domain

Install WordPress For Your Blog

Install WordPress
The WordPress install can be done in a few different ways, depending on your hosting provider (but they’re all really simple still). I recommend you use Bluehost. Here’s a quick video on how you install WordPress on your Bluehost hosting environment.

How To Install WordPress In Less Than 5 Minutes (with Bluehost Hosting) Video Tutorial
Installing WordPress is really, really simple. In fact, it’s so easy that WordPress calls it the “famous 5 minute install.” However, if you really don’t want to deal with any of this, you can call up your hosting support with Bluehost and have them install it for you. You can also watch the quick video tutorial above and watch me walk you through exactly how to install WordPress yourself (because, lets face it, you’re a go-getter), and want to get started on your blog straight away.

Install Essential WordPress Blog Plugins

Plugins are a tricky territory. On the one hand, they can expand the functionality of your site tenfold if you use them effectively. On the other hand, it’s easy to go overboard and install a bunch of plugins that either do the same thing or don’t add much to your site other than bloat your code and slow your site down. You can waste a lot of time and energy on these if you try to wade through them yourself when you’re first learning how to start a blog. It can take a lot of time & a lot of coffee to figure it all out.

Yoast WordPress SEO

Yoast WordPress SEO is hands down the best SEO plugin out there (and it’s free). It gives you a super simple way to understand and evaluate SEO on your posts (with a simple red/yellow/green mark) without having to delve into a masters course on title tags and meta descriptions. This is the best way to do a quick SEO evaluation of your sites without wasting hours and hours of your time trying to figure out your keyword density on a page.

How to Control Anger?

You’ve probably heard that anger is bad, that you should always be in control, and that emotion should never be shown.There seems to be a global conspiracy against anger: we should all ‘keep cool’, ‘stay in control’, and somehow ignore the bad driver who nearly caused a fatal crash or that terrible argument with your partner.
And that’s very wrong.
It all starts from misunderstanding the natural role of anger. Let’s make things a bit more clear…

Anger is Part of Us

Have you ever shown an angry picture of yourself to the population of a remote island? Probably not — it sounds like a very weird way to spend your holiday! Dr Paul Elkman spent most of his life researching basic human emotions all around the world.
It’s not surprising to discover that we all get angry. Research has proven that anger is one of the universally recognizable emotions. Anywhere in the world, if you show a photo of an angry person, everyone will recognize the emotion that is being displayed.
When you get angry, your facial expressions and body posture communicate that damage is being done and that you are prepared to do something about it.
Now, you might think that you could just say something like: “You are damaging me, stop it” Instead of getting all worked up. Unfortunately, verbal messages are processed by an evolutionarily younger part of the brain. Emotions convey your message in a way that words cannot.

Anger is Healthy

What happens if you decide not to feel angry and manage to restrain yourself? Unexpressed anger can lead to self harm. You could develop an ulcer or other physical illnesses. Psychological problems such as alienation might appear. Anger might also help assert yourself: expressing your own needs and making sure they are met.
What you say and do when angry might be unhealthy
A client of mine used to routinely have fights with bad drivers who made a mistake that could have caused an accident. He would get very angry, follow the car, stop it, and try to start a fight. His reasoning was: he’s wrong, I’m angry, I’ll hurt him. He later managed to change his ways, accepting that he had every right to be angry and no right to punch the object of his anger in the face!
Anger is no excuse to verbally and physically abuse others.

How to Control Anger

1. Now is the time to feel angry – Anger naturally evolved to help us deal with the present. If you find yourself constantly angry, your anger might be masking other emotions like fear and sadness. The next time you feel angry, try asking yourself: ‘Am I angry-afraid, angry-sad or angry-angry?’

2. Remember that you can feel and think at the same time – There is a popular myth that feeling and thought can’t go together. The reality is that no one shuts down your brain when you get angry: you still have the capacity to think, even if it might be harder than normal.

3. Choose – We have the capacity to choose how to express our feelings. In the workplace, expression of anger might need to be limited, while at home it’s important to find a constructive way to express your feelings.

4. Use Action/Feeling statements – A good way to communicate your anger is to say “When you do (action) I feel (feeling).” If the situation allows it, shouting an Action/Feeling statement is another interesting option! Remember that when speaking of an action it’s important to characterize it in strictly descriptive terms: only what the person did, not why you think he did it.

5. Express your anger, then go away – If channeling your anger in non abusive ways becomes too difficult, you still have the option to briefly express it in an acceptable way and then leave immediately.
For those with anger issues, the ability to control anger and emotions can be developed through an anger management program.

As a Counselor, Marco helps people living a happier life from the comfort of their own home. To read more great posts from Marco, check out Even Happier.

How to Get Rid of Acne Overnight

Acne happens because of excess skin oil plus dirt plus bacteria. Don’t worry, even the most beautiful people in the world experience an unexpected pimple from time to time. All treatments address one or more of these causes from clogging the skin pores and getting infected resulting in acne breakouts.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is well known as a remedy for all sorts of human ailment. This is due to it being anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and antiseptic. Experiments have shown that aloe vera’s antibacterial properties helps to prevent infection. It has been used to reduce inflammation and its associated pain. Aloe vera gel is used for burns and injured skin and is ideal for skin repair, it accelerates the healing process and its soothing nature calms blotches, redness and swelling of the skin.

Be careful and aware that aloe vera may cause itchiness and rashes in some people. When starting to use aloe vera, apply a small amount to a small area and monitor for any skin irritations. If this happens wash off the aloe vera with soap and warm water as you may have an allergy to the plant. Otherwise, use the aloe vera gel liberally and it will yield pleasant results.

Honey

Honey is well known for having anti-bacterial qualities and has been used by the ancients to prevent or treat infections. It has also been observed to fade out the scars of acne. Needless to say, this is a very desirable effect sought by acne sufferers. It has been reported that applying honey directly to an existing acne breakout reduces the existing inflammation. Honey can also be used regularly on the face to prevent the breakout of new acne.

Usually, a sticky paste consisting of oatmeal mixed with honey and water is applied to the face as a mask. The mask is left on for about 15 minutes to let it absorb excess oil from the skin pores. When done, the mask is washed off with water. Gently rub in the paste while washing removes dead skin cells from the face leaving a fresh exfoliated skin.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is derived from the foliage of the Melaleuca tree native to Australia. The oil extract has antibiotic properties which can reduce the bacteria that triggers acne. It is known to reduce the inflammation. Caution must be used when using Tea Tree Oil as it may cause skin irritation particularly if used too often.

Tea tree oil is typically diluted with either water or aloe vera gel. A much diluted mix is recommended as a start until sure that the skin does not get overly irritated. A few users have reported lessening of acne breakouts, minimum scarring and clearer skin.

Garlic

Garlic has been known since ancient times as nature’s anti-inflammatory and antibiotic remedy. It is highly effective in reducing the swelling and redness that comes with acne. It kills the bacteria causes acne in the first place. If you can tolerate the smell and taste of garlic, it is probably best to incorporate it in your diet to minimize the recurrence of acne. Some people mix honey with the garlic to make its taste more bearable.
Raw garlic should not be rubbed directly on the affected skin area as it will sting and burn your skin. It should be diluted with water and the garlic solution used as a daily facial was. This cleans the pores and kills the acne bacteria before inflammation starts. The smell of garlic makes it an unpopular home acne remedy in spite of numerous reported successes in treating acne.

Green Tea

Green tea is known to be antibacterial and exhibits antioxidants effects. Studies have demonstrated that green tea has significant antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. Used as an acne home remedy, it has few if any side effects. It is all natural and is cheaper than other types of acne home remedies. Green Tea may be used to treat acne by direct application to the affected skin.
This is soothing to the skin and quickly reduces any inflammation and redness. A wet green tea bag may also be used by rubbing it on the skin regularly and prevents the recurrence of acne.

Baking Soda

Baking Soda’s antiseptic and antifungal properties have proven to be one of the inexpensive acne home remedies. It regulates the skin pH by keeping the right level of acidity/alkalinity. It is a very effective acne treatment that clears up acne quickly. Mix baking soda with water into a paste and apply to the acne breakout. Some people suggest mixing baking soda with honey instead of water. The combined acne fighting properties of baking soda and honey makes it a potent acne home remedy. Leave the paste on for 5 minutes then massage the paste in a gentle, circular motion. If you find that your skin is too sensitive, wash the paste immediately with soap and water.

You may want to try again after a while but reduce the time you leave the paste on for 2 minutes. You can use Baking soda as a regular preventive treatment to reduce the breakout of new pimples. Wash your face with baking soda to clear away dead skin that blocks oil and dirt in the pores. This should be done in the morning and before going to bed.

Witch Hazel

Witch hazel is a shrub that exhibits antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. The plant contains tannin acid which proves to be effective against fighting acne and other skin conditions. The extract of Witch hazel is an effective topical treatment for acne and acne scars and known decrease the swelling and redness of pimples. A distilled form of the extract when used as a wash has been shown to inhibit acne breakouts without the usual irritation that comes with other commercial astringents.

Witch hazel is applied directly to the facial skin. For breakout areas, apply witch hazel twice a day, once in the morning and once at night before bed time. Witch hazel has a tendency to dry the skin. If you notice your skin getting too dry, reduce your use of witch hazel or use a moisturizer to restore skin moisture.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar helps restore the natural condition of the skin ravaged by unhealthy lifestyle such as smoking, drinking, poor diet and lack of sleep. Used as a wash, it kills the bacteria that cause acne. Apple cider vinegar is used as a topical treatment. The vinegar is diluted to 20 percent using water.

The solution is applied to the affected area using a cotton ball and let to stand for 10 minutes then washed thoroughly with water. This is repeated 2-3 times daily until the pimples go away. The treatment should tingle at most and should never burn at the proper dilution. The undiluted acetic acid of the vinegar can irritate the skin. Apple cider vinegar is cheap and available at your local grocery store making it a popular acne home remedy.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste contains an ingredient called “triclosen” which is antibacterial and will effectively eliminate the acne bacteria and sanitize the infected skin area. The toothpaste is applied topically to the affected spot and left for about 30 minutes then rinsed clean with soap and water. Exercise caution as toothpaste contains other additives which may prove to cause irritation. Positive results have been reported although there have been mixed opinions as to the role of toothpaste as a home acne remedy.

How to get free BackLinks for Your Blog?

Blog Commenting – Blog Commenting on High Page Rank (PR) blogs are very powerful, I used to do them a lot before and the results were impressing. You can find high PR blogs easily, just google “how to find high PR blogs” and there are tons of ways, you can also hire someone to use scrapebox for you to find high PR blogs. There are also high PR blog posts, meaning the post itself has a high PR, that is more powerful, but you might notice there are many spammy comments, but still it will take you few seconds to get a backlink.

There is a tool called “Scrapebox” that scrapes blog posts, on any niche (you decide the keywords etc.) and it will scrape it for you, and you fill in the details (i.e. anchor text, url etc.) and it will comment on all of them, but watch out about akismet, but I prefer manual blog commenting.

Forum Profiles – Well you know what’s a forum I suppose? You are on a forum right now. Simply find many high PR forums, register on them, and in your signature just enter your anchor text. Most of the times or forums it is this format (without space between U and R at the start)

Code:

[U RL=http://mysite.com]Keyword [/URL]

There is a tool called XRumer, it is an extremely powerful tool, but if your site is new, you should not use it, it creates thousands and thousands of forum profiles and puts your anchor in signature, but it is expensive.

 

Link Exchange – This works best if your site has a page rank, then you just request link exchange on DP or WF with the same niche, and most likely with the same PR. He will put your anchor text on his/her site, and you put his/her at your site.

Web Directories – There are tens of thousands of web-directories for you to submit your website to, and they will approve it. They also have featured listing but don’t mind that, just go for the free listing which 99% of the directories offer, these aren’t as strong as high PR backlinks, but they are still worth it, as I said, every backlink is worth it.

Press Release – This is usually done when a new site is launched, or you are launching something on your site, or there is an event etc., then you simply write a press release (google “how to write a press release”), and then you will submit it to many press release sites, it will take few days to approve your press release.

Buying Links – You can pay other website owners to put your anchor on their site, the prices vary depending on the page rank of their site, and of course target websites on the same niche as you.

Guest Blogging – This one is one of my favorite. It is simply offering other blog owners as the same niche of your site, offering them a free article with 2-3 anchor texts in your article, this is indeed really worth it.

Buying Blog Posts – You can also buy blog posts, sometimes they will write an article for you and publish it on their blog, and sometimes you will have to write an article and they will publish it on their site, and again, prices vary on the page rank of the site.

Article Directories – Writing unique articles yourself or hiring an article writer, and then submitting it to high PR article directories, it will take few days to approve.

Yahoo Answers – You can also hire people for this as well, but a bit hard to find. Answers.Yahoo.com , register an account and go to the category on your niche, and answer people’s questions, but first 25 answers, don’t put anything in the “source” box, and then afterwards, for most of the answers put your website link in the “source” box, but make sure your answer actually answers the person’s question, it might get chosen as best answer, and Yahoo Answers ranks well for questions, and your answer will be shown first if it was chosen as Best Answer by the questioner.

Social Media – Social Media like Twitter, Facebook, Digg, etc., submit your websites there. There are many social media sites like digg, and you will have to create an account on all of them, and then submit your website.

Web 2.0 Profiles – Creating profiles on Web 2.0 sites is very powerful indeed, like Squidoo and then writing an article and linking back to your site, and also Blogger (Free blog, yes!) and writing an article linking back to your site, and video sites like YouTube, Metacafe etc.
You can always hire from BHW, tons of services.

6. Monetization

Monetizing your website so you can make money. Here are few ways you can make money from your website.

Google AdSense – Google AdSense, to register an account your site must be at least 6 months old, they will give you a code and you will put it on your site, and a banner will show up, or text link (you decide), and then if a visitor goes to your site and clicks on it, you will get money, how much, it depends on the niche and keywords.
There are other networks like Google AdSense, but Google AdSense is the best.

Content Lockers – In order for a person to access a page on your website (this works only if the page has something useful for the visitor), you simply put a content locker, and the person will have to do a survey in order to access the page. There are sites that offer that, you can google “CPA Sites” and you will get a list.

Selling Banner Space – If your site gets lots of visitors, you can sell banner space on your website.

Selling Text Links – Selling text links on your Page Rank blog (works best if your blog has a page rank! Else you don’t have to do this). The price you will offer for links on your site depends on the page rank your website is.

Affiliate Marketing – Clickbank is a website where you can find many stuff to sell, and you will get a percentage for each sale. Usually each affiliate offer you will get banners to advertise it with, with different sizes so you can put it on your site.

Donations – This barely works now, it will only work if your site really had useful information so the person will donate to your PayPal.

Tools for Back linking

• Xrumer – Tool for creating forum profiles
• Scrapebox – Tool for blog commenting and pinging
• SeNuke – Multiple uses, Web 2.0 profiles, article directory submitter, etc.