One Change That Doubled My Blog Traffic

Let's get right to it. The one change I made was improving my blog photos. I've been thinking about this for months, but between clients and writing the blog posts themselves, it didn't happen. Right before Christmas I decided to just dig in and try some out. I redid a handful of photos, shared them on Pinterest, and got an excellent response overnight.

Since then, I've redone a few more and continue to get loads of traffic from those first few "new" images. Pinterest has now become my top referral source. My traffic also increased from many other sites, like StumbleUpon, Facebook and LinkedIn. I started re-promoting the older blog posts that had gotten a facelift.

It's still a work in progress, but I had to share in case any of you are not focusing on your images!

Changes Made to Blog Photos

1. A few months ago Sarah recommended that I make my images as wide as my blog text.
2. Invested in a $10/month stock photo site called Death to the Stock Photo
3. Optimized them for Pinterest. I started choosing vertical images and adding large, clear text.

Tips for Perfect Pinterest Images

• Ideal Size: 735x1100
• Best times to share: 2-4pm and 8pm-1am
• Large, clear text
• Add a good description - blog post title + hashtags + any other relevant info

I'm working on a blog redesign, so you may notice my images continue to change as I figure out exactly how I like them.

P.S. I use PicMonkey and Canva to create and edit the images on my blog.

If you make any of these changes, come back and let us know how it went!

Do you optimize your blog post photos for Pinterest or any other social network?

7 Lessons for the Blogging Entrepreneur

Have you ever felt like time is simultaneously flying by, but also going in slow motion? I have no idea where the time went this year. But the year also felt very full. It was full of some of the hardest struggles I've faced, but also full of travel, time with family and friends, growing my business and learning so much.

When it comes to blogging and content marketing, this was nothing new. I've been doing this since before the term "content marketing" was really a thing.

When it comes to writing your own blog and finding your own voice, however, it's much trickier. I still struggle with how much to share on a personal level, but I know that's basically a universal blogging struggle.

I launched my blog at the very beginning of last year, so I wanted to do a little roundup! Who doesn't love a good list? This year also marks year 2 of running my own business.

4 Lessons from my year with this blog:

• Focus on building community. Guest blog for as many (relevant) blogs as possible. I had some wonderful opportunities and met many great blogging friends this way, but I should have spent more time working on these connections. In 2015 I'll work on more guest blogging opportunities with other bloggers and MindBodyGreen. (So if you want to work with me, let me know!)
• Focus on consistency. Stick to 2-3 fonts and 2-3 colors. I knew this going in, but didn't listen to my own advice. I like playing around with details too much.
• High quality images are worth the time or expense. At first I didn't pay much attention to photos. Now I'm working on using stock or original photography, plus making sure they're sized as wide as my post text when possible. Small details like that can make a big difference. Improving my photography skills is a goal of mine for 2015.
• Give up the urge for perfection. Perfection really is an illusion. You should use good grammar, spelling, and a digestible writing format, but don't stress yourself over having everything perfect. You will make mistakes, and you'll learn from them.

3 Lessons from running a business (year 2):

• Track expenses monthly + know what you can claim. I found this list a few months ago and realized that I missed A LOT of things I could have claimed in 2013. Track everything, even if it seems little and insignificant. Little expenses add up and can make the difference between one tax bracket and another. I use Mint.com but am also going to start tracking with a spreadsheet because that's just how I am.
• Automate + simplify as much as possible. I resisted this all through the first year. I wanted to feel in control of everything. At one point I was so overwhelmed I had to give in. And it WAS WONDERFUL. I automated every bill I could, streamlined my invoice template and hired help during my busiest months.
• Write down your goals yearly, monthly + daily. For the past two years I've written down my financial goals and general goals for my blog and business, but I didn't plan out stepping-stone-goals along the way. When I started breaking my financial goals down by quarter and even month, I noticed I was exceeding my goal. It helped me stay focused.

 

Thank you all so much for supporting me this year! If you have topics you'd like me to focus on in the coming months, let me know in the comments.

Share one lesson you learned this year in business or blogging in the comments!

Why Content Isn't King During Year 1

I've been working in content marketing since 2008 (has it really been 6 years?!). Everywhere I turn, people are proclaiming, "Content is king!" But if I've learned one thing from blogging, it's that content isn't really king. Good, high quality content is important, yes, but that may be misleading for people who are just starting out. Or for anyone, really.

If no one knows you exist, that content you spent hours perfecting will just sit there, along with the other millions of articles and blog posts floating around the internet.

So if good content isn't enough to get your blog noticed, what is?

I'm nearing the end of my first year running my own blog (rather than writing for others) and wish I would have spent more time focusing on promotion and networking.

3 Most Important Aspects of Getting a Blog Post Read

1. Networking

The first year of blogging should be spent networking with other bloggers, making friends in your niche and trying to get the attention of the big players. Getting a well-known blogger to share your content will open the doors to new readers. Plus, it's always good to have friends in the blogging world. Community is one of the most important parts of blogging.

Here are a few ways you can start working with other bloggers + spread your content:

a. If you offer a service with your blog, trade that service for a guest post, twitter shout-out, etc. I've exchanged my SEO services for guest posts, and that's actually my #2 way for getting new clients (after referrals).

b. Advertise your blog on similar blogs who already have a large audience.

c. Engage with other bloggers on Twitter. Answer questions, retweet posts, etc.

d. Write guest posts for other websites in your industry. I've been published on MindBodyGreen many times, and this has been a huge help in building my audience. Good content is definitely important with this tactic. Share your best tips for free.

2. Promotion + a good post title

Some of the top blogging experts say you should spend as much time promoting your blog post as you do writing it. Promotion involves posting to your social networks, sharing on bookmarking sites and basically anything you can do to let people know the post exists. Don't be salesy. Be helpful. For example, search for questions related to your blog topic, and offer the post as a solution. You can also get more exposure by rephrasing your title and scheduling it on Twitter for multiple days.

Speaking of your title, this is the most important part of your blog post. Study some of the top posts on popular sites like Buzzfeed, Huffington Post and any of your favorite news sites or blogs. Which posts do the best?

Chances are the posts contain: +How to.. +35 Ways.. (any number) +You'll never believe... +The #1 Trick to..

If you need more ideas, start typing your topic into Google and see what is suggested.

3. Quality content

Now it's time to focus on the content. Here are the basics:

a. Scannable, visually appealing content.

b. Well-written, interesting content that adds value to someone's day.

If you feel like you're writing good content but it's not getting seen, don't get discouraged. Start reaching out to fellow bloggers and spend more time on networking and outreach.

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Want MORE ideas? Download the '31 Ideas to Grow Your Traffic' eBook!

What was the biggest tip you learned during your first year of blogging?

12 Tips for How to Get More Blog Traffic + Keep Readers Engaged

This post was originally a guest post for my friend Anne over at FANNEtastic Food. She’s a DC area Registered Dietitian with delicious recipes, fitness posts and wellness tips, so make sure to check out her blog! It has been slightly modified from the original version. With that said, let's dig in!

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So – you’re on Facebook, have a consistent blogging schedule, and vaguely know what SEO means. Now what? Dig into these tips to take your traffic to the next level.

Don’t Lose Your Readers

1. Minimize your load time to keep readers engaged. Kissmetrics.com says, “40% of people abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load.” Excessive ads, buttons and photos can slow it down. Consider what each item is worth and experiment with placement, WordPress plugins, and even removing things that may be hurting your traffic numbers.

a. Check out these 5 ways to speed up your WordPress site.

Up Your Social Media Game

2. Expand beyond Facebook and Twitter. Instagram and Pinterest are excellent for food + healthy living bloggers.

Here are some Pinterest-specific tips to get more traffic:

• The best time to pin is between 2-4pm and 8pm-1am.
• Verify your website so you can track your analytics.
• Use images with text (your post title). 
• Join “community” boards on Pinterest
• Pin guides and tutorials for a 42% higher click-through-rate
• Use hashtags, just like you do for Twitter and Facebook. Either search hashtags before you use them or try Hashtags.org to find popular tags.
• Make sure your pin link works, and make sure it leads to the actual post and not your homepage.

Here are 34 Tips for Using Instagram for Business.

3. Submit articles to sites that sites that accept reader submissions. The more specific the niche, the better. Here are a few examples to get you started:

• MindBodyGreen
• Buzzfeed
• Huffington Post
• Thought Catalog

4. Re-purpose old blog posts to get the most out of each post. You have new followers all the time who haven’t read your posts.

• Use a Twitter Plugin like “Tweet Old Posts”, or schedule posts to multiple channels with something like Hootsuite. If using Hootsuite, this gives you a chance to pull different quotes from your post and schedule for the future. Get creative! It doesn’t always have to be your post title. Ask questions, use teasers, and play with other titles you thought about using.

5. Maximize traffic through sharing at optimal times on social channels. You can use Hootsuite or a similar automation tool to schedule most of these. Best sharing times:

• Facebook: 1pm – 4pm
• Twitter: 1pm- 3pm
• Pinterest: 2pm-4pm and 8pm-1am
• LinkedIn: 7am-9am and 5pm-6pm

Cozy up to SEO Tactics

6. Take a few minutes to do keyword research. Use Google Keyword Planner + Google Trends to find the best way to phrase your blog title and which keywords get the most traffic.

7. Use an SEO Plug-in, like “Yoast All in One SEO”, to make sure you cover the basics.

• Fill out the title tag with 60 characters. This is usually your blog title, so make it appealing and share-worthy!
• The meta-description is not used by search engines, but can encourage people to click your link. Google shows around 160 characters.
• Use keywords in your URL and H1 tags. These re-enforce what your post is about to search engines.

8. Break up your text with sub-headings. These help readers scan your post, and all heading tags signal to search engines what your blog post is about.

9. Spend time thinking of a good title. Titles with the most clicks often include:

• “How-to”
• “Mistakes”
• “Secrets”
• Questions (people are typing full questions into Google more often now – Anne’s “How to Make Brussels Sprouts Delicious” post does well here!)
• Lists

10. Link to related posts within your blog post + have related posts available underneath. These keep readers engaged in your content and increase your page views.

• Use a plug-in like YARPP (Yet Another Related Post Plug-in)

11. Complete the “alt text” for your images. Use keywords that are related to your post but also describe the image. This is another signal to search engines about your blog post topic, and this helps categorize images in searches.

12. Install Google Analytics and Google Webmaster tools. These aren’t as intimidating as they may seem! Reasons to utilize these tools:

• Monitor your referral traffic. Which social channels are doing the best? If you’re advertising, is it worth it? Are other bloggers linking to you? If yes, go thank them!
• Webmaster Tools can analyze the technical aspects of your blog, like broken links and pages. Not only do these annoy readers, search engines also pick up on them and will penalize your ranking.

What tools and tips have given you the most traffic growth? Anything to add to this list?

10 Free Tools to Create Quote Images + Increase Social Media Engagement

Beautiful images with quotes are everywhere these days. Think Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, Blog Photos, etc.You get the picture. It can take a long time to create your own, and let's face it, not everyone is gifted in graphic design. It's also a great idea to make a graphic of your blog post title. Every social channel allows a featured image and it's proven to grab readers attention.

Why use quote images:

• Image posts increase interaction on Facebook by 39%
• Engagement is 200% higher for Twitter posts with images/ image links
• Pinterest has a 50% higher click-through-rate than other social platforms

[All stats from QuickSprout]

Where to find quotes:

1. Goodreads 2. Brainy Quote 3. Your blog title or quotes from your blog post

6 Quote Image Creation Tools

1. ReciteThis

A free tool with almost 50 options. The images are watermarked, but they're super easy to create and download.

2. Pinstamatic

Pinstamatic will help you liven up your blog and Pinterest account. Add captions to photos, create simple quotes and more. It's doesn't have a lot of customizable options but is simple, quick and has a very attractive website!

3. Quozio

A free tool with 28 options. They're fairly limited and not too fancy, but it's easy to use and easy to save (just right click).

4. PicMonkey

PicMonkey is what I use for most of my images. It's free, easy to use + extremely customizable. They have some backgrounds to choose from or you can upload your own.

5. ProQuoter

Free and easy to use. It provides small groups of stylized quotes for you to choose from. They are all fairly similar to the photo above.

6. Quote for Fun

Click through quotes on homepage to find inspiration and create your own with their free tool. Customize the background color, choose from a few fancy fonts + choose from a few random icons. This site looked promising at first, but I wasn't impressed in the end.

7. QuotesCover

This tool has specific editors for Facebook and Google+ cover photos, wallpapers and more. You can also choose a quote from the homepage to help you get started

8. PinWords

Designed for Pinterest. Free and easy to use. You can upload backgrounds or choose from a few plain options. Font options are limited and the image size is very small. The above image is one I created at full size.

9. LivLuvCreate

LivLuvCreate is a social community of image quotes, but also offers a free editor. To use the editor, you have to create an account, but you can easily sign in with Facebook. The editor offers tons of options, from collage layouts to pre-made beautiful background images and Instagram-like filters.

10. Chisel

Chisel offers images to choose from, similar to LivLuvCreate. Choose an image, add your quote and save. The downside is that you have to create an account first.

Which tool is your favorite?

Free Photo Editing Tools for Bloggers (Round-up)

I'll be honest..I've tried to learn Photoshop for the past 5 years, at least. I've learned a bit, but I don't have the patience for it. There are plenty of online tools to make photo editing quick and simple, thankfully! Your blog will look beautiful and professional in no time! Plus, do better on social networks with images worth sharing.

Free Photo Editing Tools for Bloggers:

Improving Your Pictures with Free Photo Editing Tools - A round-up of free photo editing tools- both for smartphones and online.

Picmonkey 

My favorite editor when I first started blogging. You can use this to create Facebook cover photos, blog photos, pretty quotes, collages or just edit your photos for better lighting. It's super easy.

Powerpoint

I have definitely resorted to PP out of frustration with Photoshop, especially before I knew how to make a transparent background. Make infographics, edit photos, add text, etc. (You have to sign up for Hubspot to get the infographic templates, but you should be signed up for Hubspot anyway!)

10 Free Tools to Create Quote Images + Increase Social Media Engagement

If you're just looking for options to create title images for your blog posts, I've got 10 easy and free tools in the post above.

What tools and website do you use for your photos?

What to Write About in Your Email Newsletter

Now that you're convinced you need a newsletter and have chosen a provider, it's time to write! You may be thinking,"I already write blog posts. I don't have time to write a newsletter!" Don't worry, this will be painless.

What to write about + newsletter tips:

• First, keep it short and sweet.
• You must have a compelling headline. Make sure you stand out in the inbox.
• Already have a blog? Great! Use your newest blog post. Use a great opening paragraph and then have a "read more" link sending readers to your blog post. Your blog post titles need to be attention grabbing, too, so this will help your newsletters.
• Write a little about your newest feature. Marie Forleo, inspiring woman + founder of B-School, writes a few sentences about her newest "Q&A Tuesday" with a picture and link to the newest video.

An example from Marie Forleo:

• Use frequently asked questions or quick tips. Again, keep it short, simple + engaging. You can re-use this tip or FAQ for a blog post down the line.
• Which emails do you open and which emails do you find compelling? Which do you click through to websites? Pay attention and test that method in your own newsletters!

What do you write in your newsletters?

Where to Find Free Photos for Blogs {Round-up}

I don't really need to explain why stealing photos is bad, right?Thankfully, there are plenty of resources to get free photos.

Free Photos for Blogs:

• Where to Find Free Images for Your Blog --A helpful list of 16 free photo sources and the requirements to use the photos.
• search.creativecommons.org
• http://www.rgbstock.com/
• http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/
• Free stock images from Hubspot + other marketing goodies

Favorite Sources for Blog Images:

Death to Stock Photo While free photos are great, it takes time to sift through and find the high-quality photo that's just right for each post. I'm super-strapped for time these days, so I got a $10/month membership to dttsp. The photos won't be right for everyone, but they match the feeling and needs of my blog pretty well for now. They offer a free monthly option too, so I highly recommend checking them out.

Your Own Photography: Even if your blog is just for fun, taking your own pictures is a great option. You'll be in control of the content and may be able to add a personal element to your blog. While a lot of bloggers eventually opt for a DSLR camera, chances are you have a pretty good camera on your smart phone and there are plenty of easy photo editing options available online.

Afraid someone might be using your original photos? Do a Google Reverse Image Search. I also use this to check the original source of photos I find and want to use.

Do you take all of your own photos or find them online?

The Best Time to Write a Blog Post

Have you ever wondered when the best time is to write a blog post? When are you at your creative peak? While it may differ from person-to-person, I've come across the advice many times to write first thing in the morning, and it works best for me. Write in the morning before you do anything else and before the day can get to you. It's a similar notion to "exercise in the morning before your body realizes what's going on." This may not be an easy habit to start, though. Most people aren't getting the quality of sleep they should, so waking up with enough time to coherently write a few thoughts probably seems like a joke.

However, you'll be surprised what comes out. I've done it two ways: gotten coffee and gone to the computer -or- used an app on my phone without even leaving bed. Be careful, though. Don't be tempted to check Facebook or check email. I have a bad habit of leaving my work email open on my laptop, inviting me to tackle the never-ending barrage of new mail. Learning to control the urge will take time but feel refreshing in the end.

What if you take an hour...or 15 minutes even... to clear your mind and sort through a few ideas? Get your worries and stresses out first. Clear them away so you can think bigger. Have a section of your notebook/word document/online journal for personal thoughts and for the thoughts you want to share with the world (i.e. your blog post drafts).

Steps for writing in the morning: 1. Commit to a specific amount of time each morning 2. Choose how you'll write (computer, phone app, journal) 3. Choose your location (free from distractions) 4. Set an alarm for your time limit and don't stray from writing

Try it for one week and see what kind of results you get. I was very surprised! Blogging will be much easier when you have a collection of drafts and ideas ready to go.

Recommended phone apps with website access + syncing: Diaro 3 Evernote

If your experiment fails: The true best time to write is ANY time, as long as you're writing daily. Schedule it in.

Bonus Tip: Use a small notebook or phone app to collect thoughts as the day goes. Inspiration will strike at any time, so be ready to collect your thoughts, conversations and questions to use later!