Pros & Cons of Using a New TLD for Your Blog

by

You can tell an old-school New Yorker by their area code: If someone still has a phone number that begins with 212, they’ve been holding onto that number for years.

Once, all of New York carried the 212, but around 1992, 718 came onto the scene for the outer boroughs while 212 held strong. Eventually, there were just too much demand for new numbers. Now a new Manhattanite will be slapped with 646 before the rest of their number. It’s the sign of the times.

The same could be said for the “.com” era of domain names. At the beginning of the Internet, that domain moniker was the only real game in town. Soon .net and .org encroached on the realm in order for even more businesses to set up shop. It was still relatively easy to find a decent domain name. [Read more…]

Buzzsumo for Blogging: How to Find Awesome Content Opportunities

by

As a blogger, you’re always challenged to post new content frequently. That leads to another challenge: coming up with new topics that will interest your readers and, in turn, be shared. There’s now an amazing freemium tool that can make this task easier than ever before and it’s called BuzzSumo.

buzzsumo-main

What Is BuzzSumo?

At its simplest, BuzzSumo is a way to see what kind of content is shared the most, while learning about the key influencers in the industry you write about. When BuzzSumo pulls this information and aggregates it for you, you’ll then be able to view how many shares a piece of content has received across all the major social media sites. Since the goal of any of your posts might be to go viral, this is a great tool to use to see what people are reading and sharing. Plus, it can serve to inspire you in a variety of ways too. [Read more…]

How to Write a Post That Goes Viral

by

Do you want your blog content to go viral? Sure you do. Accumulating more readers, views, and shares is the ultimate goal of a blogger, after all. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that your content will spread – on a massive scale or just in general – but there are steps you can take to boost your odds.

First of all, if you’re trying to reach lots of eyeballs through spammy or dubious methods, stop. As a blogger, you need to be dedicated to creating booming content, stuff that your particular audience will love and be inspired to share. Yes, slapdash content can work to gather initial views, but they do no favors for overall shareability.

medium_3099454327

[Read more…]

You’ll Never Believe the Difference a Great Headline Makes

by

Be honest: You clicked on this story because of the headline, didn’t you?

Headlines are the single most important piece of a blog post right now. Just as you wouldn’t dream of going fishing without baiting your hook, you shouldn’t post a blog entry without a great headline. Think of it as the bait that encourages people to click. A hook baited with something unappealing, like crickets when the fish wants a worm, won’t get any bites. A hook baited with a big juicy worm is exactly what the fish desires and it will score plenty of action.

Great headlines are what people want. The proof is in the huge success that sites like Upworthy have had in using headlines like this. Upworthy has seen stunning traffic increases and other sites are now trying to adopt the same method.

upworthy-traffic

Read on for more on the case for great headlines, how they can help your blog and what constitutes an outstanding headline. [Read more…]

Guest Blogging After the Death of Guest Blogging

by

When Google condemns something publicly, or makes a sweeping statement like “guest blogging is dead,” anybody who’s got an interest in Internet culture tends to sit up and pay attention. Google’s decisions and changes throughout the years have been driving forces in the blogging world, so you can imagine that the purported death of guest blogging has both professional and casual bloggers alike bracing for sweeping changes.

Happy with Global warming?

So What’s the Story? [Read more…]

Why Every Blogger Needs Access to a Designer

by

Lately, there’s been a lot of emphasis on how high-quality blog content is not only more engaging for readers, but it also ranks better in search engines. However, making an impact in the blogging world is about more than just writing posts people want to read. That’s important, but there’s another very important element to consider: design.

Perhaps you’re fortunate enough to have some design expertise under your belt and don’t mind using those skills on your blog. If that situation doesn’t apply, you’ll soon see why it’s such a good idea to hire a designer.

Make Your Blog’s Template Your Own

Think of a template as an expression of your blog’s brand. Although it’s possible to purchase premium templates, wouldn’t you rather have one that’s all your own? A designer can be a great resource and create one that immediately gives readers clues about what to expect when coming to the blog for the first time.

branding-12keys

Templates are also useful if you participate in themed blogging, where the majority of your content relates to a niche topic. Take 12 Keys’ blog, shown above, for example. As a recovery center, their blog reflects the bright and cheerful colors of their logo and their relaxing beachside location. Think about recruiting a designer to help you make small alterations to a template to reflect seasonal changes, as well. [Read more…]