Beyond Blog Design

Do More Than Just Blog

WordPress

Why You Need CoSchedule

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March 1st, with a partner, I started a contributor based website for parent’s with special needs called Break the Parenting Mold.

It all started easily enough; we had a great idea, a built-in web designer (moi), a built-in editor (my fabulous partner) and a lot of amazing bloggers with even better content.

What we didn’t realize was that as content came in, it would come in with special needs of its own. Posts would need graphics, writers would send bios without images, and Kristi and I would need an effective way to communicate all of that with each other.

And that didn’t even include scheduling posts, sharing them to social media, and having an effective workflow!

Enter CoSchedule.

We had been functioning with about 15 Google Docs, a few Google Sheets, email folders and a lot of IM’s back and forth.

We needed something new. We needed CoSchedule.

I had been hearing about CoSchedule for years. Many bloggers I know, who schedule multiple times a week used it, but it always seemed too robust for what I was doing.

The features I knew about were:

  • Ability to schedule posts and drag and drop them to new locations as needed.
  • Ability to schedule social media sharing from within the scheduled post.
  • Ability to integrate with WordPress.

Well that barely scratches the surface. After watching the CoSchedule Demo I realized that CoSchedule would rock our workflow!

Here is a screen cast I made of how CoSchedule works for us.

 

These are the things I do with CoSchedule:

  • Enter posts
  • Attach Author
  • Attach Categories
  • Schedule posts or put them in unscheduled state
  • THIS PART IS SUPER IMPORTANT – I Create a list of tasks, that are attached to each post that need to be done before a post goes live, and after
  • Schedule social media shares for each post
  • Re-share old posts on social media
  • Create stand alone tasks that need to be done outside of posts
  • Create stand alone notes that tell my partner Kristi things we need to do
  • Create stand alone social media posts that can post to our page OR a group
  • Drag and drop any type of post into a new spot
  • See EVERYTHING in one place!!!!

I would not be exaggerating if I said that CoSchedule has changed our lives. It has helped us organize and saved us hours of work. It has also enabled us to spend more time doing the things that will help us to make our site more productive and all over more excellent!

You can get a 14day free trial for CoSchedule?by clicking here. And I promise you won’t be disappointed, it was the best decision we made.

 

 

This is CoSchedule overview video by CoSchedule, you will learn more about other ways to use it here.

 

*There are affiliate links in this post, only because I LOVE CoSchedule so much. I would never endorse a product I wasn’t 100% behind.

6 Easy Steps to Create a Drop-Down List of Categories in Your Main Menu

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For some reason, one of the things WordPress does not make easy, is creating a drop-down list of categories in your main menu.

Here is a quick tutorial on how to do that.

Before we start, make sure you are on your Menu page, by going to Appearances>Menu.

Category_Menu

 

Now here we go!

1. Make sure you select the correct menu to work on by choosing from the drop-down, if you are not sure which menu is your primary menu, just look closer, it will say next to your menu which is your primary. (After you choose it, don’t forget to hit select!)
2. Then look towards the bottom of the page, and click on the box that says “Custom Links

 

Category_Menu_2

 

3. Place a Pound Sign, inside the box that asks for your URL , and for the Link Text, write Categories (or whatever you want to call this menu item).
Click “Add to Menu.”

Category_menu_3

4. Now choose the categories you want to be included in your drop-down category list.
Click “Add to Menu.”

You don’t have to add all categories, however, you can add categories you would like to have as “sub-categories” to another item, we will talk about that next!

category_menu_4

 

5. Now that you have added your categories to your menu, they will all appear under the category. BUT they aren’t drop-downs yet!
Now you have to drag the categories to the right, just slightly, and they will settle there as “sub-items,” now they are drop-downs!

If you would like a sub-item, of a sub-item. For instance, you have a category called Recipes, but you also have categories called; breakfast, lunch and dinner (and don’t forget dessert!). You can drag the breakdowns of your recipes, underneath the category of recipe, and those will fly out as a sub-item when someone hovers over it!

Menu-Category_5

6. The most important part. Don’t forget to click Save Menu!!!!

I have done it, and when you are creating a category menu, it’s a lot of work! Don’t lose that work, click SAVE!

This is also a good time to make sure you have been working on the correct menu. At the bottom of the page, the box that says “Primary Menu” should be checked.

 

Menu_category_6

 

So there’s the quick and easy tutorial?that gives you 6 easy steps to create a drop-down list of categories in your main menu!

Please feel free to ask any questions! And don’t forget to contact me for a consultation if you need one!

 

[bctt tweet=”The easiest way to add Categories as a drop-down item to your #WordPress menu! “]

 

 

Adding Clickable Images Using Jetpack

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Jetpack is one of the most versatile plugins you can use on your WordPress site.?I?think every blogger can benefit from this plugin.

Jetpack does the work of 10-20 plugins in one. And because it is built by Automattic, the folks who build WordPress, you can be sure that it will be compatible with your site.

One of the great built-in features of Jetpack is the Image widget.

A very popular question I get is how do I put this bio – or image – or website logo into my sidebar?

And the answer, my friends, is the Jetpack Image Widget.

Once you have installed Jetpack, this widget will automatically show up in your widget list when you go to?Appearance>widgets in your dashboard.

Here is a quick tutorial on how to add a clickable image,?that links to anything, in your sidebar. Please read through the whole tutorial before giving it a try!

BBD_jetpack_image

 

  1. Go to your dashboard Appearances > Widgets
  2. Find the widget that says Image (Jetpack)
  3. Drag that widget into your primary sidebar.

 

Next

BBD_Jetpack_image_2

  1. Go to Media>Add New
  2. If you have your image* handy, just drag and drop it in the box. If it’s easier, click “select files” and navigate to the image you want to use.
  3. This is where you will see that your image has uploaded.
  4. You need to click the edit button.

 

This box pops up when you click the edit button.

bbd_jetpackimage_3

 

Put your cursor inside the box that says URL.

Now here’s a little trick. While your cursor is in that box you need to highlight the whole line. I find highlighting in this box a little tricky, so I do this:
Place your cursor anywhere in the line and press Command A, that will automatically highlight the whole line. And from there you can click Command C to copy, or do it the way you are most used to.

In the end, just make sure you have copied that URL.

 

With the URL saved go back to appearances>widgets and open the Image (Jetpack) widget by clicking the little down arrow.

 

bbd_jetpackimage_4

 

  1. Give your widget a title. This isn’t always necessary, some people let the image do the talking. So the title is optional.
  2. This is where you copy the URL from your image. So put your cursor in the box and click paste.
  3. Align your image. There is rarely a case for any other alignment than center, so I always choose center to be on the safe side.
  4. This is where you put the URL you want your image to go to when it’s clicked. In this case I used my Twitter to match the image I chose.
  5. ALWAYS remember to click, “open link in a new window/tab.”

 

Now save your changes inside the widget, and refresh your blog page. You should see the new image and when you hover over it you should see that it links to another page!

 

*A word about your image.

For best results, please determine what size is the best size for your sidebar. While this widget will size an image down to fit, it cannot make it bigger. Also, by using an image that is bigger than what you need you run the risk of slowing down your site.

 

What other quick tutorials can I help you with? Do you still have questions?

SEO For Bloggers

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seo for bloggers

 

Last month, I went to a fairly hugemongous blogging conference. Besides getting to meet many blogging friends in real life, which was a lot of fun (read getting to see a bunch of middle age folks singing karaoke like no one was watching) the most valuable thing?I got out of the conference was the session I did on SEO by Jessica Woodbury.

The beauty of Jessica’s session was that it reaffirmed what I already knew about SEO for bloggers, and gave me clarity on how to apply it.

The best thing she said? Bloggers are already doing SEO better than anyone else!

So, what is the skinny? What do you need to know?

The most important thing to know is write naturally.

Google is constantly changing the way it reads sites. It’s little spiders are getting smarter and smarter. They know when you are trying to pull the wool over their eyes, and they are not going to like you for it.

So if your goal is to have your post rank higher than someone elses, write naturally and follow these six rules:

  1. Try to make sure your keywords are in your title. I know, duh. But as a blogger, often times, we use pithy titles, metaphorical ones. We rarely say it like it is. So don’t worry! If you can’t put your keywords in your title, then you can, and should, do these next things instead.
  2. Update your permalinks. Caveat*never update permalinks that are already live! If you cannot put your keywords in your title, make sure to put them in your permalinks. For instructions how to do that seem my post on using Yoast SEO.
  3. Change your SEO title using the Yoast SEO plugin. If you can’t have your keywords in your title, and you want your post to rank higher, change the title that will show up in the Google search results by using the Yoast SEO plugin. This will NOT effect how your post looks on your blog.
  4. Make sure your word count is at least 600 words and contains your keywords. (I know you’re like, duh, try and keep me to 600 words)?There’s a lot of info going around that says your post only needs 300 words to make Google happy, well times change, and those little word munchers are hungry. Unless you make your posts 600 words or more, they aren’t going to think you are yummy enough to feature on that first page. And don’t forget the reason they came! They want your keywords! It doesn’t have to be an exact match to make them happy, remember, write naturally, which means make sure your keywords happen organically, don’t force it!
  5. Do some Keyword Research. If you have never done keyword research before, this is probably the time to try. You may be more successful by using a variation of what you were thinking, but wouldn’t know it if you didn’t research it. I found the easiest way to do it was by using the Google Keyword Planner.
  6. Show?Google you are the authority when it comes to this topic. Whether you are writing about divorced cats living in Tasmania, or famous rock bands of the fourth century, the way to tell Google that you are the Boss of This Topic is to use links. Links can come in a few forms.
    • Links to other blogs and websites writing about the same content.
    • Links within your blog back to posts that are about similar content.
    • And most precious, links from other blogs back to your site. (As Jessica mentioned, don’t be afraid to ask for a link. Maybe a blogger you know just wrote a post on divorced dogs from Tasmania and your two posts work well together, linking to each other’s posts helps both of you!)

One more thing.

It’s all about the Bounce. Google doesn’t want to see people show up on your page and then leave right away. I’m pretty sure you don’t want that either. And it’s a multi-edged sword.

Bounce tells Google that although you are trying to prove you are the authority on this matter, the people arriving on your site don’t think so. After a while, they’re gonna take the bouncers word for it.

Make your site user-friendly, make sure that when a visitor arrives they know what to do the minute they get there. That if the post they land on isn’t the one they are looking for it’s easy for them to find something they will like. Make it easy for your readers to stick around, and it’s a win win for your site and your SEO.

Try these tips and you’re guaranteed to see an increase in your search engine traffic! Let me know how it works for you, and if you’ve got a question, ask away!

 

Optimization, Vulnerabilities, Hackers, Oh My! An Explanation of the Crazy WordPress Events of the Past Month

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wordpress vulnerabilities

The WordPress Twilight Zone…

It has been a really busy month?for WordPress and WordPress users. It’s enough to freak a person out.

But don’t. I know how out of control you can feel when you rely on technology to take care of itself, and it’s been doing a really good job of it until BAM it’s not.

 

You know that saying, “A little information is a dangerous thing?”

 

March 11th?the WordPress SEO by Yoast vulnerability.

The news spread fast, and regular blogging folks like you and me were really worried. So worried, in fact, that WordPress decided to push the update themselves. Which meant your WordPress SEO updated itself automatically before you even knew what was happening.

That was awesome, only that “little information” made people even more sure it was a “huge problem” and I even heard people dissing WP SEO. Say it isn’t so!

Here’s how the vulnerability worked:

…an outside hacker can?t trigger this vulnerability itself because the flaw actually resides in the ‘admin/class-bulk-editor-list-table.php‘ file, which is authorized to be accessed by WordPress Admin, Editor or Author privileged users only.
Therefore, in order to successfully exploit this vulnerability, it is required to trigger the exploit from authorized users only. This can be achieved with the help of social engineering, where an attacker can trick authorized user to click on a specially crafted payload exploitable URL. (Hacker News)

 

In english? Basically the only person who could hack this vulnerability was someone who was already an Admin. Or someone who was tricked into letting someone be the Admin. And even so, no one would have had time. They found it so fast, it was as if it never happened.

April 20th A Dozen Vulnerable Plugins

You can pretty much bet you were using one of the plugins on this list: Jetpack, WordPress SEO, All-in-one SEO, Ninja Forms, Google Analytics, you name it, it was probably on the list.

This was another really weird thing….plugin developers use?information on WordPress code from what is called the WordPress Codex. If you have ever Googled a WordPress problem, and you wind up on a WordPress.org page, you are in the Codex.

The Codex is a great place if you understand code. It’s a scary place if you don’t.

Here’s the skinny. Code changes, which is a really good thing. Because the more code stays the same, the easier it is for hackers to figure out how to exploit it.

A few months back, the WordPress Codex was updated and changed a bit of code. The code fixed a possible open door. The problem was that developers were using copies of the Codex that still contained the old bit of code.

But.

A hacker would have to know about this vulnerability to use this vulnerability. But since WordPress was notified immediately, once again they pushed an update. Most of you had your plugins updated before you even realized what was going on.

April 27th Zero Day Vulnerability – WordPress

So, today. WordPress 4.2.1 was released to repair a vulnerability which allowed commentors to inject code that can take over a web server. Pretty scary. But the thing is, it’s WordPress’s job to keep you safe. And once again, they were on it.

In the course of the update, it also scanned for any malicious looking comments and removed those. So once again, you’re all good.

 

WordPress has got your back.

I’m a pretty big proponent of WordPress, as you have probably figured out. The truth is, as with computers, WordPress doesn’t make mistakes, users do. I know, harsh. Don’t throw anything at me *she says cowering* I’ve caused the white screen of death many times in my WordPress existence. Truth be told? It was never WordPress’s fault.

The people who work for Automattic (WordPress) are obsessed, really obsessed with WordPress. Many WordPress users are obsessed with WordPress and hang out in the WordPress forum just so if you have a question, they can answer it. For free. No one will ever let something slip in undetected because all day long they eat think and breathe WordPress.

WordPress vulnerabilities are going to happen. Hackers suck, and they aren’t going to stop trying to steal your stuff.

Don’t panic. I know it’s been crazy. But instead of thinking of the crazy as bad, think of the crazy as good. (That should be my motto.) The fact that it’s been one update after another means that everyone out there is looking out for YOU. Me too. I’m looking out for you too. Shoot me a line, day or night if you’ve got a question.

And don’t forget! If you have a backup plan and security you’re golden no matter what!!!

[bctt tweet=”You’ve entered the WordPress twilight zone! But don’t worry, they’ve got you covered.”]

3 Easy Steps To Secure Your Blog

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3 easy steps to secure your blog

One of my favorite jobs, is tweaking and fixing people’s blogs. I love to dig into the code, pick things apart, isolate the problem and then fix it.

I love it so much that sometimes I get lost in the looking and the researching and the fixing.

But one thing stops me cold every. single. time. I pop on someone’s blog and they have no security.

Look. I get it. You’re a small blog, or you think you are. You think no one would bother hacking you. You are dead wrong.

The best blogs to hack are the little ones, you know why? They have no security.

It’s no skin off your back to lock up your site, and I’m going to make it easy for you. How about instead of giving you choices I just tell you what I do?

I am already going to assume you have an airtight password, if you don’t please go read this post on how to create a Bulletproof Password.?And that you are keeping your plugins updated, if not, read this post about updating your plugins.

[bctt tweet=”Forget the choices. I’ll just tell you how to secure your #WordPress site?in?3 easy steps.”]

3 Easy Steps to Secure Your Blog

 

1) Install WordFence

Wordfence is the #1 free security plugin on WordPress and there is a reason for that.

You don’t have to understand anything to use it. Out of the box it will do its job.?But it doesn’t hurt to run through the tutorial and change a few settings. Just grab a cup of coffee or tea, plan to sit in front of the computer for 20 minutes and get her done.

The best thing is the Wordfence scan. WordFence automatically runs a scan of your site. It will find any malicious code or possible breaches. And when it does, guess what? It’s also going to tell you what to do about it. Can it be any easier?

 

2) Install Login Lockdown

Login Lockdown does just what you think. It locks someone out who tries to login too many times.

The #1 way hackers try to get in to your site is by running a program that adds /wp-admin to the end of a URL, when it happens upon a WordPress site it just starts hammering it with passwords until it gets in.

Login Lockdown says “You did not just try to login to this site 20 times, you are outta here!” I suggest changing the attempts to 5, unless you run a forum, because I’m pretty sure you won’t forget your password 20 times in a row.

 

3) Install a backup plugin.

Because when all else fails, you’re still okay if you have a backup.

If you’re going for free ones, may I suggest Updraft Plus Backup and Restoration?

I have noticed a lot of blogs are running WP DB Backup, in your plugin menu it will read WordPress Database Backup by Austin Matzko, please, please delete it and either use Updraft or the “real” WordPress Database Backup.?The one by Austin Matzko has not been updated in over two years and poses a HUGE security risk.

 

My advice? Don’t say I’ll do this later, do it now. If you know me, my broken record is my favorite hobby blog got hacked when it was getting 60 page views a day, it was teeny. In the end, it was pay thousands of dollars, or shut it down. I shut it down.

It’s better to never have to even have that conversation.

And remember, I am always around for a free 30 minutes, even if you want to use it to get some help installing these plugins.

There is also the Plugin Checkup that has saved a lot of bloggers quite a few headaches, I also throw in a page speed analysis with suggestions on how to fix it.

I’m always here, my mission is to help bloggers while staying in their budget. Let’s talk.

[contact_button]

 

The Easiest WordPress Yoast SEO Plugin Tutorial for Bloggers

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easy wordpress seo tutorial for blogs

As a blogger, you?hear a lot of talk about SEO, sometimes you get it, sometimes you don’t. (If you don’t, it’s Search Engine Optimization – getting the search engine crawlers to see what you want them to see, determine you are an expert in your field and to stick you up there towards the top when someone does a Google search.)

Sometimes you do get it, but you don’t know what to do about it. When it comes to SEO and websites, Meta tags are a thing of the past. Google no longer cares, or looks for them. What you need now is a WordPress plugin.

While there are a few to choose from, the best option out there, that is now fully endorsed and integrated with WordPress itself, is Yoast?SEO.

The great thing about WP SEO is, it is basically plug and play. It also eliminates the need for any XML sitemaps, so if you are using a plugin for that, you MUST deactivate it. WP SEO automatically sends out a new sitemap every time you make a change to your blog. Yea!

Now before you think, “Oh NOOOOZZZZ another plugin?! I don’t want to have to figure out another plugin!” I’m gonna?make this real easy for you. (sorry, I just heard a banjo twang in the distance, did you hear that?)

[bctt tweet=”I’m gonna make installing and setting up WordPress SEO by Yoast, really easy for you. #WordPress #SEO”]

In your dashboard, go to plugins > click on Add New > in the search box type WordPress SEO and install and activate.

Here is your easy WordPress SEO tutorial for blogs!

Since originally publishing this post, I have created a screencast for installing and setting up this plugin. If you love screencasts, here you go!

Otherwise see the directions below.

 

And here is the video on how to use Yoast in your posts. (that rhymes!)

 

First! Don’t touch anything!! Ok, you can touch something….. if you are feeling particularly adventurous, and I highly recommend this adventure, go through the tour that WP SEO is going to keep offering you until you say. “Hey! Ok! I get it already!!!”

Either way, you?will now notice, there is a new item in your dashboard called SEO, with what looks like a devil in a speech bubble. (I am sure it’s not a devil, but the dude is from the Netherlands, and maybe there the devil looks different.)

Alrighty. If you don’t already have it open, click on SEO and then click on Social. This is the only place you really need to touch anything.

See the little tab that says accounts? Go ahead and enter any of the accounts you actively use?and Save Changes.

easy wordpress seo tutorial for blogs

You may ignore all of the other tabs UNLESS……

  • Facebook Tab
    • If you use Facebook Insights you will enter all of that information here. If you want to change the default image that shows up on EVERY FACEBOOK POST you will upload one here where it says “Default Image.”
  • Twitter Tab
    • If you would like to use Twitter Cards, this is where you do that.
  • Pinterest Tab
    • If your site is not already verified on Pinterest, this is where you would do that.
  • Google Tab
    • If you have a Google Page for business, not a personal page like most of us do. This is where you would attach that.

 

Now your WordPress SEO is all set up for your blog! But wait!!!

The amazing thing about WordPress SEO is not that it sends all of your information out to all of the popular search engines, it is not that it generates a new XML sitemap every time you update your blog, it’s this; you get to identify the best SEO for each of your blog posts.

 

How to make sure the SEO for your blog post rocks!

Here’s a video I made on this part

Now that you’ve installed WP SEO, you will notice that there is something new at the bottom of your post and page drafts:

easy wordpress seo tutorial for blogs

 

 

 

In order to have EXCELLENT SEO you will need to fill out a few things, but don’t worry! WordPress SEO will tell you if you’re on the right track.

There are two ways you can go.

  • Decide what your keyword or keyword phrase will be before you write your title and post.
    • I often choose this route because I feel like it’s easier to manipulate the keywords.
  • Decide what your keyword or keyword phrase will be after you write your post.
    • Sometimes it is easier to write the post first, then figure out what it’s all about, and how you feel someone would search for it. That is what I wound up doing with this post.

 

For this example, we are going to choose our key phrase first, with the increase of SEO aware websites, it has become best practice to choose a key phrase (not just a key word), and try to make it the least obvious of your obvious choices.

For instance. Setting up WordPress SEO could have been my key phrase, but I thought, “Let’s step one down from totally obvious and go with Setting up WordPress SEO for blogs.”

The first thing you want to do is incorporate your key phrase into your title.

Sometimes, when you’re snarky or poignant or like listicles, it’s not always easy to incorporate your key phrase into your title, in that case, just make sure your key phrase is in your permalink.

easy wordpress seo tutorial for blogs

To change your permalink, you just need to click the little “edit” button, next to your permalink. The box will open up and allow you to edit. Just make sure your key phrase is in there, with each word separated by a dash.

*Occasionally WordPress will change your permalink and it won’t actually match your title exactly, so always check your permalink to make sure your key phrase is, in actuality, in there.

Now, stick your Key Phrase into the WordPress SEO by Yoast box on the bottom of your post in the section marked “Focus Keyword:” Go back to the top of your post and hit “Save Draft.”

Go back down to your WP SEO box, you will see something like this:

 

easy wordpress seo tutorial for blogs

 

Don’t worry if you still have a red “no” here and there. You’ve only just started, but now you know what you need to work on.

  • Article Heading – This is your blog post’s title.
  • Page Title – See the box called SEO Title? If your post title does not have your key phrase in it, this will automatically default to the same title (without your key phrase in it). This is the title that will display in the Google feed when someone searches. If you don’t care if the title is the same, and you would rather have a title that incorporates your key phrase show up in the Google feed, feel free to type in a new title. (I never do, it will not make or break your SEO)
  • Page URL – This is your permalink. It should be a “Yes” if not, go back up a step and change your permalink.
  • Content – This is your blog content, if you haven’t written anything yet it will say “no.” Make sure when you do write your content to use your key phrase at least two times. Then when you?save draft it will change to “yes.” (If for some reason it doesn’t, check that your wording is exactly the same.)
  • Meta Description – Don’t blow this one off. This is the description of your post that will show up under the Google listing of your headline. It’s got to be short but sweet. It has to use your key phrase and make people want to click. I often find the most impressive sentence in my post that includes the key phrase and copy and paste it into my post. If it’s a little long that’s ok, as long as the key phrase shows up in the beginning part. (word of note, this will become your default Facebook text unless you change it. See the last part of this post for instructions on how to do that.)

Now Go Write Your Post!

When you are finished writing, hit save draft. Assuming 80% of the items from the “General” tab now say yes, hit the “Page Analysis Tab.”

You will see something close to this. Your goal is to have as few red lights as possible.

 

easy wordpress seo tutorial for blogs

 

 

Aha! We never talked about images!!! Look at that red arrow, up there! “The images on this page do not have alt tags containing your keyword/phrase.”

If you know what an “alt tag” is, then you’re good. If you don’t, no worries!

*Update, using alt tags is no longer a good thing. Google is not reading images anymore because people were using them to increase SEO and Google doesn’t like to be tricked.?

They are now only using them to update Google Image Searches, and as bloggers, we all know what people do with Image Searches. They steal your images.

 

Now, click save draft, and check your page analysis again. Mine looks like this now, I still have a red light. BUT according to WordPress SEO, the big picture is A-OK. I now have a green light for SEO. (I’ll show you where that is in a sec.)

The great thing about Page Analysis is, it tells you what to do. As long as you only have one or two red lights, you are good to go. But if you want to be totally OCD go for it and try to turn all those lights green!

easy wordpress seo tutorial for blogs

 

 

You may have noticed the last time you hit save draft, a green light in your publish box showed up. That green light is your SEO check. As long as it’s green, you’re good to go! Every time you make a change to your SEO, either in the “General Tab” or on your post, hit save draft and check the light. Once the light is green, you can stop trying so hard and get publishing!

easy wordpress seo tutorial for blogs

 

Wait! One more thing.

Some of you wish that you could change how your post appears on Facebook. Well, here’s your White Knight!

Click on the “Social” tab of WordPress SEO by Yoast at the bottom of your post.

Yours will be blank. This is the gist. You can change all of these elements for each specific post.

  • Facebook Title – Say when this gets posted to Facebook you want the title to be more catchy, or you want it to get straight to the point, change it here. (Leave it blank and it will use your post title.)
  • Facebook Description – Yup, just what you think. Right now, WP SEO is going to pick up your Meta Description for Facebook, but if you want it to say something different, more descriptive, stick it in here.
  • Facebook Image – Some themes default to a weird image, even if you choose a “Featured Image” for your post. This is where you can stick an image to guarantee you get the image you want attached to your Facebook post.

Rinse and repeat if you want to change the same information for Google+.

 

easy wordpress seo tutorial for blogs

 

One more little tidbit; Search Engines LOVE back links. Back links are links in your post that go back to a previous post about a similar topic. Many of my clients say they don’t like back links because they seem so obvious.

This is my advice, your back links don’t need to look obvious. Here’s an example:

When you are trying to think of blog post titles that incorporate your key phrase, make sure the title still has some pizzazz. A high-ranking post isn’t any good if no one wants to click on your boring words.

Notice how blog post titles is a link? It’s a link back to my post about rocking blog post titles. But is it obvious? No. The words occurred naturally in my post and I chose to link them back. Be creative, fudge it if you have to, let it be loosely associated with the topic. But try to have at least one back link in your post.

How’d I do?

I tried to make this an easy WordPress SEO tutorial for blogs. Before I learned tech and was a blogger myself, so many pieces of the puzzle were, well, puzzling. The?tutorials out there in the “real world” were?difficult for your average blogger to understand. And when I didn’t understand I was often afraid to ask.

I hope that I have made this easier for you, and please, as always I welcome questions! Please contact me for a free 30 minute consultation, or leave a comment with any question you may have! I also have a Facebook group just for Blog Tech Help. Keep in touch!

[bctt tweet=”Finally a #WordPress SEO by Yoast tutorial you can understand. “]

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3 Ways to Reduce Your Bounce Rate on Your Blog

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reduce your bounce rate

Bounce rate is how many people come to your blog and leave without clicking on anything.

 

Why should you care? Bounce rate is a metric. Metrics are what search engines use to decide if they should send readers your way. A typical blog has a 70-90% bounce rate. To be successful you should shoot for 70%.
Remind me why I care?

  1. You want your readers to find what they are looking for on your blog.
  2. It effects your SEO. Bounce rate is one of the ways Google judges you. If you have a high bounce rate Google decides you don’t know what you’re talking about, and bumps you down the list.
  3. If you want to monetize your blog there is a?twofold implication. ?1)?Sponsors use your bounce rate to determine if they want to offer you work. 2) If you run ads, a high bounce rate means less ad revenue EVEN if you have huge page views.

 

3 Ways to Reduce?Your Bounce?Rate

Who is your target audience.

This does not mean who do you WANT your target audience to be. It means who are the readers that are organically finding your site. The easy way to figure out who is visiting your site is to use Jetpack or Google Analytics.

Using your Jetpack?plugin, go to -> Site Stats there you will find valuable information.

  • Search Engine terms. If you are lucky and you have lots of visitors, and Google has granted?you their search engine terms (people logged into their Google accounts are accorded the privacy of having their search engine terms hidden) you can see what keywords or terms people typed in that brought them to your blog.
  • Top Posts and Pages. Jetpack lists how many viewers look at each post. That is another way to figure out what people are coming to you for. Look at your most popular posts, you are bound to see a pattern if you look over a few days.

Look very carefully at this information. You may have gotten a huge boost in your views and SEO rankings after a post of yours went viral, you may be tempted to start writing more of those posts hoping to capitalize on that traffic. But if you see by your stats that is NOT the most common category overall, you may want to rethink that.

If you look at each item carefully, you will see a pattern. Use that information.

Put Important Content ABOVE THE FOLD.

Make sure when people come to your blog they see something that is inline with why they showed up, or they’ll bounce in under 10 seconds.

Above the fold. That is what?people see when a blog page loads without having to scroll down.

Let’s say you write about music. Most of your posts are about music, and when you look at your stats it seems that most people come to you for music related posts. But you still can’t figure out why you have a 90% bounce rate.
Let’s look at your page:

  • Your header is only your name, or an obscure title, with no tagline or images.
  • There is nothing to suggest your posts have anything to do with music at first glance.
  • Only one post is showing above the fold and it is a post you did as part of a blog round-up that has nothing to do with your normal content.
  • You have a picture of your child in your sidebar towards the top.
  • Next is your Facebook Feed which looks more like a personal Facebook feed than a blog feed.

So – someone Googled “Cool Music Blog” and they landed on your page. But what they saw did not SCREAM cool music blog at all. It screamed personal blog. And if that person is looking?for some cool music, and can’t figure out how to find it in under 15 seconds, he’s?gonna bounce.

[bctt tweet=”3 Ways to lower your Bounce Rate, #1 give your readers a reason to click! #WordPress “]

Give Them a Reason To Click!

But say instead of my header being just my name, I add a tagline. Maybe….

Jen Kehl, Raised on the Radio

Hmmm… now right off the bat that says, maybe you’re in the right place! Now if I could give them a reason to click….

How about a menu bar across the top that is specific, easy for them to understand, has categories like “Music Reviews” “Rock n’ Roll”.

The definition of bouncing means they landed and they left WITHOUT CLICKING. As soon as they click, even if it is to an outside source it is no longer considered a bounce!

Here are some ideas to make them click:

  • A header that is not too high so there is more room for content.
  • Short excerpt posts with a “read more” link at the end.
  • Social Media follow buttons at the top of your sidebar with a catchy phrase like “Follow the Music.”
  • An attractive blog subscription form following the Social Media buttons.
  • A search bar.
  • A list of most popular posts, recent posts or categories.

Look for “Hot Zones” anything that you can possibly make clickable should be clickable.

Try to?leave the “About Me” for an item on your menu. If you feel you really want an “About Me” widget then leave it for below the fold. Do not use up valuable, clickable space for something that any reader who wants to stick around will find anyway. However if who you are is integral to what your blog is about, maybe a life coach, or a fitness guru, you may want to find a way to get that information as high up as possible, maybe even in the header, so there is still room for the rest.

My ThoughtsLowering your bounce rate can only be a good thing. Why are we writing if not for people to read us? If you find you have a bounce rate of 88% with the average visitor staying for under 30 seconds, then you aren’t accomplishing that goal.

A blogger doesn’t always have a niche, and sometimes it can be hard to narrow it down. But I believe when you are honest with yourself, at the very least you will see a general pattern. Maybe as general as “Humor” “Depression” “Motherhood.” Give people a way to understand who you are and give them something to click on, right from the start, that can only be a bonus in the realm of Bounce Rates.

And remember if you need help with this or anything else, I am always happy to spend some time talking to fellow bloggers, my door is always open. You know what I mean.

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How to Center a Widget

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how to center a widget

You know what I’m talking about, you have all of these great badges from all of the places you’ve contributed, you stick them in your sidebar and they are all jiggety.

You want to show off your accolades, but you want to look professional, right?

Well give me a few minutes and I’ll show you just what you need to do to get all your ducks in a row. Or a column – you know what I mean.

Chances are, when one of your very pleased editors hands you a badge and says, “Here! Proudly display this on your blog!” she’s going to email you a bunch of code, and you’re going to have to decide what to do with it.

Let’s start from the beginning.

You got your post featured on Scary Mommy! Yea! Now you want the world to know all about it. But what do you do with this little chunk?of code?

<img style=”border: none;” src=”http://www.scarymommy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/scary-mommy-button.jpg” alt=”Scary Mommy” />

The first thing you do is put it in a “text widget” in your sidebar or footer.

Text widget? But it’s an image! Yup, it’s an image after the text you put in the box goes and tell’s the image you want it. What you actually have, is a link to an image. And a link, is text.

Tada! You’re done!

Not quite!

Hmmm….

My happy “look where I got published badge” is kind of wonky! All of my other badges are in the middle of the widget, but this one is all the way to the right!

Let’s fix it!

Here?is a simple bit of HTML that will fix your badge?right up. You’re going to?create a div. (don’t worry if you don’t know what that means! Someday if you want to, take a class at Skillcrush and learn all about it!)

The important thing to know is if you start a “div” you have to end a “div.” It looks like this:

<div align=”center”>Here’s my really cool badge</div>

So take your code from up there ^ and wrap it in a div!

 

how to center a widget

 

Now you know how to center a widget!

Don’t be afraid of that code either! Maybe you have something else that needs centering? Give it a try! If it doesn’t work, all you have to do is delete it!

And please! Never hesitate to ask me a question, I do this because I love it, and I love helping my fellow bloggers!

Now go forth and center!