96 seconds!!! That is your window of opportunity to get your message across to your reader.

With this short of time, writing and formatting scannable content is a useful strategy.

Granted, your blog’s readers might spend more or less time on your site. If you want to know accurate statistics  for your blog’s reader, install Google Analytics .

10 Tips to Write Scannable Blog Posts People will Read

1. Use Excerpts on Your Home Page
    
   There is nothing that annoys me more than going to a blog’s main page and having to scroll multiple times to find a post I want to read. Make it easy on your readers to find what they are looking for and only list the first few sentences of your post.
    
   You can do this easily in WordPress by installing a plugin such as Advanced Excerpt or Recent Posts with Excerpts.
2. Write Short Posts
    
   My rule of thumb is between 400 – 70 words. Anymore than that and you should break the information up into 2 posts.
3. Write Short Paragraphs
    
   Blog readers get lost is paragraphs that take up too many lines. My rule of thumb is 1-4 sentences and then a line break. You page will look less overwhelming as a result.
4. Create Lists
    
   Lists allow your reader to see your main points in a matter of seconds. List also make for great titles (# of Ways to… or # Tips to…) that other bloggers want to link to.

   When I see a title with a number in it, I immediately want to know what the items are. Check out the article, 8 Reasons Why Lists are Good for Getting Traffic to your Blog  from problogger.com for more ideas on how and why to use lists on your blog.

5. Formatting
    
   Use bold, CAPITALS, italics, underlining, indenting, bullet points, colors and numbered list to emphasize your main points.

   Word of Caution – DO NOT go overboard and use all of these techniques in one post. Over-formatting your text will frustrate your reader and they will leave your blog. The key to using formatting to your advantage is to draw attention to you MAIN points – not every sentence you write.

6. Ask Questions
    
   Why should you ask your readers a question?  Questions automatically beg for an answer and people will continue to read to learn what the answer is.  (See it worked!! You kept reading after I asked the question.)
7. Headings and Subheadings
    
   Headings and subheadings accomplish two things at once. 1) They set up your document in a logical way that allows the reader to find what will interest them the most and 2) h tags (which stands for heading) also helps search engines determine what your post is about, so make sure headings are keyword rich.
8. Pictures
    
   Pictures are an awesome way to break up text, grab attention, emphasize points and draw people down into your post. I love having pictures on my main page to encourage click throughs. There is nothing worse than long chunks of text on a page – break it up!
9. Space
    
   Do not fill every inch of your screen. Creating space helps your readers avoid feeling overwhelmed and draws their eyes to what is not blank space.
10. Make Your Main Points as Obvious as Possible
     
    An old saying goes, “Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them.” How do you do this?
     
    State your main points it in the first few sentences. Then use headers or bullet points to highlight your main points. Finally restate your main points at the end of your post. The PS is another place to do this.

Take a critical look at your blog posts and see if you can identify the main points within a few seconds. If not, use the tips in this article to make your blog posts the kind that people will want to read and link back to.

Happy Blogging!

Katie

Related posts:

1. 10 Tips to Cure Blogging Writer’s Block
2. Top Blog Myths
3. 8 Key Points from Google AdSense Terms of Service

This HILARIOUS and creative spoof blogging video was just posted on youtube. 

For business bloggers such as myself, I could not stop laughing! 

Enjoy this festive internet marketing carol.

Here are the lyrics:

Marketing Christmas Carol – Come All Ye Bloggers

Cold cold costs are much to high!
Outbound on which I rely
Is there something I could do
That is inbound and fun too?

Bloooooooooooooging
Blogging everyday! Oh!
Bloooooooooooooging
Blogging everyday! Ohhhh!

Come all bloggers, Spread Content Cheer!

Happy Blogging ~

Katie  

Related posts:

1. Online Marketing Video Game

In my opinion, Google Analytics is the greatest tool website and blog owners can have in their pocket. It is truly amazing how much information Google Analytics can tell you about your site’s visitors.

BUT, your statistics will be wrong and skewed if you are including your own visits to your site. I know I spend large amounts of time on my blogs editing, responding to comments and posting new articles, as I am sure you do.

If you were to include the time you spend on your own site, the average time per visitor and the number of visitors would be wildly off base. So, how can you fix this? It is very simple and quick to do – here are the steps to take.

How to Exclude Your Activity from Google Analytics:

The Power of Google Analytics Filters

1. Login to your Google Analytics account

2. Select the account (or site) you do not want to track your own activity on

3. On the bottom right side, click “Filter Manager”
Click here for a Screen Shot of Filter Manager

4. On the right side of the gray bar in the middle of the page, select “Add Filter”
Click here for a Screen Shot of Adding a Filter

5. Enter Filter Information
Click here for a Screen Shot of Entering Filter Information

• Give your filter a name, such as “Home Computer”
• Make sure “Predefined filter” is checked
• For Filter Type, from the drop down, select “Exclude”
• The next drop down select “traffic from the IP addresses”
• In the third drop down, choose “that are equal to”
• Enter your computer’s IP address. 

HINT – if you do not know you IP address, simply go to the site www.whatismyip.com and it will show at the top of the page.

11. Apply Filter to Website Profiles

• Highlight the website you do not want to track your own activities on
• Click “Add” to move the site to “Selected Website Profiles”

12. Click “Save Changes”

Repeat steps for other sites you own AND for other IP addresses you use frequently, such as your work or the neighborhood coffee shop.

I hope those directions were helpful and your Google Analytics statistics reflect the true reality of your site’s visitors.

If you have any questions, please post a comment below.

Happy Blogging!

Katie

Related posts:

1. How to Set Up Google Analytics
2. Video on Understanding and Using Google Analytics
3. 8 Key Points from Google AdSense Terms of Service

What WordPress how to questions do you have?

Complete the form below and I will get you the answer – complete with a video play-by-play of “how to” do just about anything with WordPress.

Your video will be emailed to you, as a windows media player file, and will appear in an upcoming blog post.

One Guideline:

Ask questions specific to WordPress…
NOT specific to your blog’s theme.

Great WordPress How To Questions:

• How do I install a WordPress theme?
• How do I add links to my blogroll?
• How to post on WordPress?
• How do I insert AdSence into my blog?
• How do I use a WordPress plugin to…?
• How can I add comment notification to my blog?

Question I can NOT answer:

• Why are my pictures not showing up correctly on my blog?
• How do I change the text size on my blog?
• How do I change the color of…….?

Why can’t I answer these questions? 

Becasue these types of questions are specific to your WordPress blog’s theme and since every theme is different, I cannot answer these questions without looking at your theme’s css and php.

You CAN hire me to answer these questions – request a free consultation.

I look forwards to answering your questions!

Katie

How To Use WordPress – Get Your Questions Answered

Related posts:

1. Why Blog with WordPress?

1.  If you write it they will come…
 

2.  People will read because of my great writing
 
Don’t get me wrong, I think that great writing is a prerequisite of a successful blogger but your readers are not reading your blog because you write well. There are bookshelves filled with books at any Barnes and Noble or Borders written by great writers. The most important lesson that a blogger has to learn is that you MUST deliver value to your readers. When you write a blog you must have your audience in mind.
 
That is why it is very important to get to know your readers, which can be done through interaction in the comments. Responding directly to the comments of your readers is very powerful. It builds a relationship and trust that can be nurtured with time. You will also begin to understand the profile of your readers, which can go a long way to developing posts which are helpful to them. If that reader likes what you have to say, he or she may tell someone else or maybe even link to you in their blog if they have one.

3.  Other bloggers will always be willing to help
 
To be totally honest, I have found that about 90% of fellow bloggers are very helpful. But there are some out there who feel you are the competition or maybe they don’t feel you are worthy of being helped. I could never understand that. If someone asks for my help I would gladly give it to them when it comes to blogging. I will never look at this as a competitive endeavor, but a nurturing one.

4.  You will start making money right away
 
This could be true if you already have a following from either another blog or a NY Times bestseller book that you just wrote. There are two schools of thought on monetizing your blog. Some say to wait until you have a decent readership before you add any Adsense or advertising on your blog. Others say it’s OK to start the blog off with advertising. My take is to wait until you have a following before you monetize your blog. It may just turn people off early on and that is the last thing you want to do.
 
Either way, it will take a while before you have a large following and with that you may be able to make some money through advertising. But, the majority of bloggers don’t make money. So if you started blogging to make money instead of having a real passion for your writing, you may want to reconsider.

5.  It’s easy to blog
 
Actually it requires a lot of work. If you have a full-time job and are blogging on the side, finding the time to write is tough. And, if you don’t put in the time, it will show in your content. I enjoy the process immensely but that still doesn’t mean it’s easy.

To build a following you also have to be consistent in your writing. You can’t just post a blog at random intervals. That’s the quickest way to lose any readers that you may have. If your readers like your posts then they expect them to be there on a regular basis. Try to stick with a regular posting interval. If you state your posting interval in your “About” page, then make sure you meet your deadlines.

Blogging can be a tremendously rewarding experience. Being able to communicate with a diverse group of people from anywhere in the world is truly mind-boggling.

Understanding some of the misconceptions out there related to blogging can help you get off to the right start. Knowing what to expect ahead of time may save you a lot of wasted time and energy.

Good luck in your blogging endeavors!

Source:
I found this article on the top blog myths and misconceptions on Daily Blog Tips, a blog I visit regularly to get suggestions and ideas on how to create a more successful blog.

http://www.dailyblogtips.com/top-5-blogging-misconceptions/

Author:
Bob Bessette writes a blog called Totally Unique Life. His blog is geared toward practical advice and strategies for life, work, and play.

Related posts:

1. 10 Tips to Write Scannable Blog Posts
2. 10 Tips to Cure Blogging Writer’s Block
3. Top 10 Reasons Business Blogs Fail (and solutions)

You will learn what the different reports mean, how you can improve your statistics and what actions you to take as a result to improve your results.

Happy Blogging!

Katie

PS: To get started with Google Analytics, read the article How to Set Up Google Analytics

Related posts:

1. How to Set Up Google Analytics
2. Warning – Your Google Analytics Stats Maybe Wrong
3. Online Marketing Video Game

You can know exactly where your traffic is coming from, what keywords they used to find you, how many pages they viewed, what pages they viewed and how long they stayed on you site……and a whole lot more!

So, how do you get all of this information? And, how much is this information going to cost?

I have used countless website statistical programs and, by far, the most detailed, easy to understand and comprehensive reporting tool I have ever seen is Google Analytics.

What makes Google Analytics ever more incredible is that it is 100% FREE to use and easy to set up.

How to Set Up Google Analytics on Your Blog

1. Create a Google Analytics Account at*:
    
   http://www.google.com/analytics
    
   *Note: If you use any other Google applications such as Gmail, AdSense or AdWords, you already have an account. Simply login at the link above.
2. Once you are logged in, select “Analytic Settings”
3. Select “Add a Website Profile”
4. Enter your domain name, your country, time zone and click “Finish”
    
   The next page may look intimidating as it lists the tracking html code you need to insert into every page on your site you want to track. But have no fear! WordPress has a plugin that makes inserting your code into every page on your blog a piece of cake!
5. The only thing you need from the Tracking Code Page is the “Web Property ID” It will start with UA and have a string of numbers after it.
    
   Example: UA-#######-#
    
   Copy this number and click “Save and Finish”
6. Login to your WordPress Account and under “Plugins” select “Add New”
7. Search for “Ultimate GA” then install and activate the plugin.
8. Once the plugin is activated, go to your “Settings” and select “Ultimate GA”
9. In the Account ID box, paste the Web Property ID you got in step 5 and click “Update Options”

That is it! Google Analytics account is set up and will track every page on your site.

It usually takes Google less than 24 hours to verify the tracking code on your site. You will know when your blog is being tracked when there is a green check mark under the status column in your Google analytics account.

If you have any questions on how to set up a Google Analytics account or insert the tracking code on your blog, please post a comment below.

Later this week, I will post a video on how to understand, interpret and act on the data from your Google Analytics account.

Happy Blogging!

Katie

Related posts:

1. Warning – Your Google Analytics Stats Maybe Wrong
2. Video on Understanding and Using Google Analytics
3. 8 Key Points from Google AdSense Terms of Service

Before you insert AdSense code into your blog, read Google’s AdSense Program Policies and Terms of Service.

If you do not play by Google’s rules, you can find your Google AdSense account disabled and yourself banned for life from AdSense.

AdSense Publishers Rules of Thumb 

• Rule of Thumb #1 – Do not bite the hand that feeds you!
• Rule of Thumb #2 – Google knows everything – do not try to outsmart them!

This article is a brief overview of the key points to understand when using Google AdSense on your blog.

8 Key Points from Google AdSense Terms of Service

1. Do NOT Click on Your Own Ads

If you think you can simply click on your own ads and collect checks from Google, you are badly mistaken. Google keeps track of which IP addresses are clicking on ads, and if they discover you have clicked on an ad or engaged in fraudulent practices, you are out – no ifs, ands or buts.

2. Do NOT Encourage Your Visitors to Click on Ads

This includes blatantly telling people to click on your ads, compensating people that click on your ads, calling attention to your ads with arrows or graphics, making your ads indistinguishable from your sites content or placing text above your ads that says “Favorite Sites”, “Today’s Offers” or “Best Deals.”

3. Do NOT Place Ads on Sites with Inappropriate Contest

Google defines inappropriate content as sites that have: pornography, excessive swearing, racial intolerance, gambling, hacking information, alcohol sales, illegal drugs or paraphernalia, tobacco sales, prescription drug sales, weapon sales, copyrighted material that you do not own the rights to or any content that promotes illegal activity.

4. Do NOT Try to Fool the Search Engine Spiders

Keyword stuffing, hidden text, cloaking, subdomains with duplicate content or pages solely filled with ads and no original content is a big no-no.

5. Do NOT Place Ads in Inappropriate Places

Google defines inappropriate ad placement as ads that are part of pop-up windows, in emails, integrated into software applications, on pages with no content or obscured by elements of the page.

6. Do NOT Place more than the Allotted Number of Ads on Your Site

The maximum number and types of AdSense ads Google allows are:

3 Ad Units per page
3 Link Ads per page
2 Google Search boxes per page

If you place more AdSense ads than permitted by Google, you are in trouble. For definitions of these types of ads, view Google’s AdSense Ad Formats.

7. Do NOT Open more than One Google AdSense Account

You are only allowed to have one AdSense account. You CAN have more than one domain within an account. Opening a new account, even under a new name with a different bank account and email, is strictly prohibited. There are extremely rare cases where more than one account is allowed, but be sure to get Google’s written permission before opening such an account.

Also, if your AdSense account is disabled, you are not allowed to open a new account so be sure to play by Google’s rules because if you do not, you WILL be banned for life.

8. Do NOT Take this Article as the Bible of AdSense Terms of Service

This article is intended as a brief overview of Google’s policies. As an AdSense publisher it is your responsibility to fully read and understand Google’s AdSense Terms of Services before you add AdSense ads to your site.

• Read Google AdSense Program Policies
• Read Google AdSense Terms and Conditions

If you have any questions, Google’s AdSense Forum is a great place to get your questions answered.

Katie

Related posts:

1. How to Set Up Google Analytics
2. Warning – Your Google Analytics Stats Maybe Wrong
3. 10 Tips to Write Scannable Blog Posts

But there will come a day when the dreaded writer’s hits and you are at a lost for what to write about.

Have no fear! Writer’s block happens to even the most skilled and experienced bloggers. The key to overcoming this challenge is to know how to get your creative juices flowing. Here are 10 techniques I use to generate ideas for blog posts.

10 Tips Cure Blogging Writer’s Block

1. Read Blogs in Your Niche

What are the other blogs in your niche talking about? This can be a great way to find topics you can elaborate on and add your own spin. Sign up for other blogs’ email list and start a swipe file you can review for topic ideas.

2. Ask Questions

Ask your readers want they want you to write about. You can do this with a survey tool such as www.surveymonkey.com or simply write a post inviting readers to submit questions.

3. Answer a Question

Look through your emails from your readers. Is there a question that comes up over and over again? If so, post the question and answer it on your blog. The benefits of this technique are 2 fold. 1) You have just written a new post 2) You won’t have to answer the same email over and over again.

4. Write a Top 10 List

Readers LOVE top 10 lists. You could have the Top 10 Reasons to [fill in the blank], Top 10 Ways to [fill in the blank], Top 10 Resources [fill in the blank], Top 10 Tips for [fill in the blank]…the possibilities are endless.

5. Find a Video

Browse www.youtube.com and find a video on a topic relevant to you niche. Write a quick summary, embed the video’s html code into your post and ta-da! Your post is done.

6. Invite a Guest Blogger

Have someone else write a post for your blog. It is a win-win for both parties as the guest blogger gets exposure to a new audience and you have a post written for you. To find a guest writer, visit other blogs in your niche and email the blogger with an invitation to write for your blog.

PS – If you want to guest blog on HowToBlogConstulting.com, read my guest blogger guidelines.

7. Keep a List of Started Posts

Inspiration can hit you at any time and great ideas can be forgotten just as quickly. Whenever you get an idea for a new post, jot it down and come back to it when you have more time to write.

8. Host a Contest

Hosting a contest is a perfect way to create buzz about your blog, get some publicity and link backs. You can promote your blog’s contest for free on sites such as www.blogcontestsite.com, www.myblogcontest.com or www.acontestblog.com. Be sure to tell your readers to spread the word.

9. Review a Resource

What book, tool or other resource would help your readers? Giving your review of the product is a great post and possibly a way to make an affiliate commission.

10. And when all else fails….Take a Break (or a nap)

Hitting your head on your keyboard will not produce great contest, so take a break. Watch TV, take a walk, read a book or simply take a nap. Giving your mind a rest allows new ideas to flow more easily.

Do you have a suggestion to get over writers block?
Share your ideas by posting a comment below.

Katie

Related posts:

1. 10 Tips to Write Scannable Blog Posts
2. Top Blog Myths

You probably have heard a lot about blogging.  You might even be thinking of starting your own business blog. 

But can a blog help you with your business?

Take our 8 question quiz to find out if starting a business blog is right for you!

Related posts:

1. 7 Ways a Blog will Help Your Business
2. Top 10 Reasons Business Blogs Fail (and solutions)
3. Why Blog with WordPress?