Cathy Stucker - The Idea Lady

Attract Customers and Make Yourself Famous

Guest Posting the Right Way

by

guest-postsOkay, stop panicking about guest blogging being dead. That is not what Matt Cutts said. However, let us hope that spammy guest blogging will die a quick and merciful death.

Publishing guest posts on other blogs is a highly effective way to expand your audience. Doing it right requires that you:

  • Identify good blogs in your niche.
  • Approach the blogger with a well-thought-out proposal.
  • Create quality content.
  • Interact with the blogger’s audience when the post is published.

Everyday, I get emails asking about guest posting on my blog. Usually, they read something like this: [Read more…]

Quick Post Idea – Use Infographics

by

what-is-an-infographicAre you looking for a quick and easy post idea? Here is a tip for creating useful posts your readers will love and share.

First, find an infographic that is related to your topic. Do a search for your keyword and infographic. For example, if your blog is about vegetable gardening, you might search for “vegetable gardening infographic,” “gardening infographic” or “vegetable infographic.” You might also use related keywords and search for terms such as “organic gardening infographic” or “composting infographic.” There are infographics available for almost every topic you can imagine, so you will probably find at least a few.
[Read more…]

New Life for Old Blog Posts

by

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vegas/ / CC BY 2.0

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vegas/ / CC BY 2.0

You have written a lot of great posts, but over time the old posts get pushed down the list and buried in the archives of your blog. These posts would be new to readers who recently discovered you, and even your long-time readers could benefit from seeing them again. They may have missed them when they were new and, even if they read them, they may not have acted on them and may not remember them. Linking from new posts to older ones can also have SEO benefits for your blog.

So how do you help readers and the search engines discover (or rediscover) those older gems? Here are a few ideas:
[Read more…]

Do You Make These 7 Blogging Mistakes?

by

From the Latin, meaning, "my bad."
From the Latin, meaning, “my bad.”

Blogging is an effective way to build your web presence, connect with customers and help new customers discover you. But all is not perfect in the land of blogs. Here are 7 common business blogging mistakes that you need to avoid.

1. Bizarre Design and Layout

It won’t matter how good your posts are if your blog is tacky or confusing. Make sure the colors, style and layout fit with your target market. Also watch out for off-putting features such as distracting flashing graphics, pop-ups and loads of ads. Make it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for.

Take a look at websites and blogs in your niche to get ideas. Look at the colors and design features that they employ. Use the type of design that your readers will expect to see. [Read more…]