Cathy Stucker - The Idea Lady

Attract Customers and Make Yourself Famous

WordPress in an Hour

by 1 Comment

In this video, I show you the basics of getting a WordPress site installed and customized. We start with a one-click WP installation, then go through the menu items on the dashboard so you know what you need to do first and what options are available for your site, now and in the future.

Some of the things you will learn include where and how to set up your site, changing the theme, what plugins and widgets are (and which ones you should install) and more.

Don’t be afraid of WordPress! You need to have an online presence, and WP is one of the easiest ways to do that.

Sign up for my free IdeaLady Insider to get notified of future trainings. Watch for lots of useful webinars coming soon!

Here are some of the resources mentioned in the video:

Set up your site at http://MyFavoriteWebhost.com/

Recommended plugins:

WordPress SEO by Yoast
Jetpack
WordPress Zero-Spam
BackWPup Free
Google XML Sitemaps (not needed with Yoast SEO)
Google Analytics by Yoast
Contact Form 7
Pretty Link
Digg Digg

Do You Make These 7 Blogging Mistakes?

by 1 Comment

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…]

Keep Your Blog Running Smoothly

by 5 Comments

Image by Wikiuser100000 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
By Wikiuser100000 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Your car will run for a while if you don’t change the oil, never get a tune-up and ignore a glowing “check engine” light. But if you go too long without performing at least basic maintenance, your car will eventually stop performing and let you down. The same goes for your blog.

Much like a car, a blog is a complex system. To maintain it, you need to keep the software up to date, regularly add content, interact with your readers and more.

Here are some of the most important things you need to do to keep your blog running smoothly. [Read more…]

How to Write an ‘About’ Page

by 7 Comments

Your blog or website About page is one of the most important pages on your site. It is what tells your visitors who you are and what your site is about. This is where you brand yourself and your business. You also build your credibility and establish yourself as an authority with the information you present.

Here are some tips for writing an effective About page.
[Read more…]

Article Marketing Interview

by 3 Comments

When I was in Las Vegas for the Affiliate Summit, I was interviewed by EzineArticles.com CEO Chris Knight. Chris got me to reveal some of my top tips for coming up with article ideas, doing keyword research, creating lots of content, crafting titles that attract readers, repurposing content and more.

If you are a blogger, an article marketer, or anyone who creates and markets with content, you will want to check this out. You will find plenty of ideas to help you get more and better results from your articles.

And if you are not currently publishing articles on EzineArticles.com, sign up for a free author account and get started now. I get traffic to my websites every day from articles I published there. Even articles I published years ago are still delivering visitors to my websites today.

An enhanced audio of the interview is above. Click on the picture to play. You can download the interview in audio or video format, or a PDF summary of the points covered, at http://blog.ezinearticles.com/2010/01/cathy-stucker-interview.html