Five Useful Tips From Experts in Writing Blogs

More and more people are putting up blog posts every day.

2 million blog posts are written daily which is why it’s not easy to stand out from the crowd.

As a blogger, you are not just competing with other blogs out there but new websites as well.

According to Netcraft, there are around 1.8 billion websites around the world.

In the most popular blogging platform on the planet known as WordPress, there are 75 million websites and blogs combined.

There are other platforms like Tumblr (350 million blogs) and Blogger.com who have several millions of bloggers on their platforms that are churning out articles and posts.

Statista.com shows that the number of blogs on Tumblr increased by 25 million blogs every 6 months.

The emergence of WordPress has changed the blogging world by offering a platform that is free, user-friendly and easy to implement.

– Websites with a blog have 434% more indexed pages

– 76% of online experts say they plan to add more content in the coming years

– Blogger.com has more than 46 million unique visitors per month

– 45% of online marketers say that blogging is an essential part of their marketing strategy

These numbers may be overwhelming for the average blogger but this shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your passion to write and publish a blog.

You should focus and try to dominate your chosen niche.

We share with you five useful tips from experts in writing blogs.

Be Concise

Blogs are usually written in an easy to read and conversational tone. Avoid using terms and words that are complex for the average reader to understand.

Concise writing is lean, readers can finish the article in a few minutes with little effort. Here are three tips you can apply to enhance your writing:

  • Avoid linking verb phrases that make your writing passive. For example, instead of “was writing” use “wrote” which sounds more forceful.
  • Change prepositional phrases like “The decision of the team,” to “The team’s decision.” These phrases make sentences longer and harder to follow.
  • When a noun ends in “tion,” change it to a verb. For example, change “in the creation” to “to create,” which makes the sentence sound cleaner.

Clear sentences should convey information in a simple way. Writers tend to focus on sounding smart to impress readers, but this defeats the purpose of making them understand you better.

Complex sentences confuse readers, you should keep in mind that they don’t care about your writing prowess, they only want to look for solutions to their problems.

The Hemingway App is a tool that you can use to see whether your writing is bold and clear.

Appeal to the Senses

Fiction writers can make their audience feel the stories that they write. They are good in transporting their readers into the story like they were really there.

Use vivid details that appeal to your reader’s senses, paint pictures with your words.

Business writing is different from fiction, but you can still harness the power of sensory language in your content.

Let your readers see, hear, touch, smell or taste your ideas so that they will get hooked on your content.

Be Consistent

It is easier to lose your traffic than to attract them. Bloggers forget that they need to be consistent with their posting.

For newbies, posting once a week would be a good way to start, but if you can post daily, then that is the best frequency for blogging.

A Hubspot study showed that blogging consistently leads to higher subscriber growth rates. Businesses that publish entries on a regular basis added subscribers twice as quickly compared to those who added content only once a month.

Give Free Content

Research has shown that those who add a giveaway contest led to 125% more email subscribers.

People love getting prizes and free stuff, make sure that what you give away has value and would be appreciated by your audience.

Add CTAs

Many bloggers forget to add a Call to Action on their posts.

Give your readers a chance to signup to your email list or follow you on Twitter.

Bloggers who added these CTAs had an increase of 335% in Twitter followers in 7 days.

The Best Free Online Grammar Checker And Punctuation Corrector

As a freelance writer, you know how important it is to remove grammar errors and punctuation mistakes from your articles. Having poor grammar can lower your value as a freelance writer. You might not even get a project at all.

Proofreading your work is one of the ways to get rid of mistakes, but it can be time-consuming. Hurray, for there are many free online grammar checker and punctuation corrector tools that are available now.

Use them to catch most of your mistakes before you submit your content to your editor or proofreader.

Here are free tools that you can use for your writing projects.

Grammarly

A favorite among freelance writers and the most popular free grammar and punctuation checker tool.

You can choose between a free and paid version, but for basic corrections on grammar and punctuations, the free version does the job well. For more advanced issues like style and plagiarism, the paid version is the one for you.

Grammarly can help you detect 250 writing errors. It has a browser extension for all popular web browsers. A useful tool for checking the content that you type on the web. Your Facebook posts, emails, and all other platforms will now be grammar and error free.

Ginger

Another popular checker for punctuation is Ginger. Some freelance writers prefer to use Ginger over Grammarly which shows that the difference is not that far off.

You can use the tool as a comma checker, sentence rephraser, and writing coach.

You can add Ginger as a browser extension or download programs for Windows and Mac. There is an Android keyboard that helps mobile users type correctly on their device.

After The Deadline

This tool is from Automattic, the same company who made WordPress.

This tool was designed mainly for use with WordPress, but it has a standalone service that you can use.

You don’t need to register an account to use this tool, go directly to the Polish My Writing site and paste your text to check all errors.

WhiteSmoke

This is a powerful tool for checking grammar, style, punctuation, and plagiarism.

It is a paid service, but it offers a free trial for a time. A useful solution if you need a checker right now.

Virtual Writing Tutor

This tool may not be as powerful as Ginger or Grammarly, but as a basic checker for punctuation and grammar, it can do the work for you.

If you keep on making errors with commas, this tool can help you make the needed corrections.

You don’t need to sign up for an account to use the service. You can have up to 500 words checked as an unknown visitor. For more words up to 3,000 max, you need to register an account.

Gregory’s Writing Site Punctuation Checker

For a basic scan for punctuation use, this tool can do the job for you. It does not scan for errors but analyzes your punctuation usage.

The free tool allows up to 10,000 words for checking without having an account.

Hemingway Editor

This tool focuses more on style checking than correcting punctuation errors. Using it as a secondary checker can make your writing better.

Hemingway can be enjoyed for free without having to register for an account.

All of the tools above are helpful in catching basic punctuation errors.

For 100% error free checking, there is no replacement for human proofreading.

The best tool among those shown is Grammarly, its free and does a great job of detecting errors. You can add it to your browser as an extension.

You can also use multiple tools for a more thorough check of your work. 

Simple and Easy SEO Strategies and Guides You Can Follow

As you know, in SEO, continually challenges digital marketers mainly due to search engines’ algorithm changes. What worked yesterday might suddenly not work today, and what works today might not be effective for very long. What does this mean for your ongoing SEO campaign? As long as you recognize which SEO strategies are here to stay, and constantly be on the lookout for new changes, it really doesn’t make a big difference. In order to help you get a better handle on things, we’ve listed some SEO strategies and guides you can follow to help you create an SEO campaign that will last the test of time.

The Fundamentals Of SEO

Before we dive ahead to our main topic, you must first understand the fundamentals that make SEO work the way that it does. The following three things are the key to building an SEO campaign that will last.

  1. The right keyword focus.

A well-researched keyword that focuses on your ultimate, long-term target audience can lay a solid foundation for a successful SEO campaign. This means you need to do an in-depth analysis of all possible keywords that may be relevant to your product or service. One good way to start is listing out long tail keywords relating to each other, repeating the pattern, and highlight the ones can convert well and might be easy to rank for.

  1. Solid HTML Optimization

SEO just doesn’t rely on your website’s content, but also on the optimization of HTML elements on each page. It’s essential to include targeted keywords and search terms in various places in the HTML layout to tell search crawlers what that particular page is about.

Here are some things you can optimize:

  • Page Titles
  • Page Headings
  • Image Alternative Texts
  • Link Anchor Texts
  1. Well-written and relevant content

The last thing that will solidify your SEO success is excellent, high-quality content that can establish your page as an industry expert. As search engines have constantly tried to improve the quality of people’s searches, the need to have relevant and professional content on your web pages is more important than ever. Your content should be consistent, unique, well-researched, and engaging. Having good quality content not only helps your SEO score but also give other sites a reason to link your website.

SEO Strategies and Guide

Now that you know how to lay down the groundwork for a successful SEO campaign let’s talk about the simple and easy strategies you can do to manage it.

  1. Blogging

Through blogging regularly on your own website or guest blogging on high-traffic blogs, you can continually increase your SEO. This is an excellent strategy to elevate your SEO score without getting penalized by Google for low quality, spam content. Don’t expect much to happen at first. An excellent blog takes some time to nurture. So keep writing awesome content.

  1. Backlinks

Link building has always been and will continue to be a defining factor on a website’s SEO ranking. Google is only able to recognize that your site carries a lot of weight when you accumulate high-quality backlinks from enough quality sources.

  1. Mobile Website

Let’s face it, most people these days view information from their mobile devices. If you haven’t done so already, you should consider optimizing your website for mobile viewing. This isn’t only good for your SEO score, but also to improve your User Interface to attract site engagement.

  1. Video Content

With websites like youtube dominating over actual blogs, it’s time to start considering creating video content. Internet users tend to prefer accessing video content over blogs and images. You need to capitalize on this new and booming medium. It’s just like starting your own blog,e except it needs to be in a video. Do some research and see what kind of content viewers respond to and try to create the same content that relates to your service or product. Additionally, videos are much more likely to be shared and linked back.

These are simple and easy strategies you can use to boost your SEO campaign. Remember, it’s important you keep track and analyze everything. If you can, try to think and come up with other ways to manage your campaign effectively. Like it or not, SEO will be a long-term commitment if you want your site on top.

The reason you should use video marketing in your business

The first reason is that based on an increasing number of studies worldwide, video content is becoming the most acceptable format of conveying meaningful messages. HubSpot Research asked a number of respondents in their survey the question what type of material do they want to see in a brand or business that they support.

About 54% said they want to see videos, 46% wanted emails and newsletters, some 41% confirmed social images, 34% looked for social videos, 18% said they wanted to see blog articles, some 17% acknowledged in PDF form, and a small 2% referred to other types.

A second reason is that most companies and businesses don’t have the experience, talent, equipment and organization to undertake a challenging work of producing a video marketing project for their product(s) or service(s) and need an external outfit to assume the crucial task. The need is global.

Video information, since it combines a moving image, audio data and even the alphanumeric form seems to retain its image impact. Survey respondents were asked what type of content posted by a company was the most memorable to them. The answers from the total respondents were 43% for branded video content, 36% for branded photo content, 18% for branded written content, and 3% for branded audio content.

The third reason is that advancing technology has made possible the proliferation of platforms where the video content can be shown with least cost, aside from the standard advertising flicks shown on television networks. These popular platforms are YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Vimeo to name a few.

Fourth is that video marketing can be an extended part of a business or company website and embedded into the site. Through Hybrid Traffic’s Social Signal Share Service video marketing content can be distributed to Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google +, Stumbleupon, Linkedin, Delicious and Reddit to generate more traffic.

The effectiveness of video marketing content can be increased by attracting quality backlinks to a website using current tools like the Adobe Keyboard Shortcut Visualizer, and the Ahrefs Site Explorer tool are standard methods. About 5,000 additional backlinks can be retrieved from 1,270 referring domains. Search Engine Optimization and Link Building can increase the credibility of video marketing content. It is becoming the best way for companies to rank at the top of search engine results that enables digital marketing and video marketing to be combined efficiently.

The website can create and embed different types of video content to enhance website quality and enable the operation of digital marketing and video marketing. These include demo videos, brand videos, event videos, expert interviews, how-to or DIY videos, explainers, animated videos, case studies and customer testimonials, live videos, 360-degree and VR videos, augmented reality videos and personalized messages.

Video marketing allows a business or company to reach its sales target goal in a shorter period which is one significant benefit of video marketing. This is attained by a simultaneous “attack” on various modes and platforms that maximize the product exposure within less time. Reaching a company’s sales quota through a well-planned video marketing dissemination is realizable.

Video marketing top 5 secrets revealed

What the experts are saying, like what Ash Read has noted in Buffer Social’s seven secrets of super-successful video marketing is that the making of a video marketing content is very similar to the making of a Hollywood movie. The material can also be a 30 to 60-second advertising flick for an international television network, where the story and moving images that catch the most attention wins the viewership.

Ash Read cites the following vital points: First, focusing on exciting stories gets more attention than focusing on sales. One platform is television where an advertisement or branded content can get a lot of viewers. The second platform is social media, like Facebook where an entertaining video can reach the same audience as in a TV network and will compete with a video ad.

However, let’s face it. There are branded products that immediately get the attention of viewers and a sales response too. And there are entertaining videos posted on Facebook that don’t get so much attention. So focus on the story.

Second, the first video within 8.5-seconds determines whether the viewer will continue watching the story. The time is the average attention span according to experts and holding the attention of the viewer within the measured span means the viewer sees something of value and will continue to watch.

Some experts call a quick preview or introduction of a hook, the function of which is to hook the viewer to watch more. And if you want to grab the attention of the viewer, upload a mesmerizing thumbnail alongside your video, to get the viewers excited even before the video is played. Some call this a teaser. A carefully chosen thumbnail can create a first impression. The teaser should suggest that your video is of high quality.

Third, if you intend to use Facebook as a business platform, you can select and target audiences for your content. But advocacy can also be a considered ‘social business,’ and we see so much of advocacy videos on Facebook. YouTube is another incredible platform. In a recent article published on eMarketer.com, the Google-owned platform has continued to deliver strong financial results and forceful usage statistics.

By identifying and selecting your target audience even before you create the video marketing content, you will be able to produce a video content that is in line with the values, needs, and desires of the target audience, a custom-built video message that viewers could appreciate. A slight difference between Facebook and YouTube is that branded content, and product advertising presentations are the choice of businesses and companies in the latter.

Next is you can tell your stories with or without sound, optimizing on silent playback with alluring visuals, text-heavy descriptions, and subtitles. Tech Insider’s silent video about a smart bicycle done in almost 9 seconds generated 5.1 million views.

The fifth video marketing top secret is to include calls to action or CTAs in your video. The calls to action could consist of the following: Subscribe to a specific channel, like or follow the page, share with friends, check out other content, and comment on the video. Sometimes, with an excellent and functional product, the CTA could include “purchase now.”

How to check website quality

Vertical Leap defines quality as an integral part of the content published in a website. The quality of its content establishes the quality of a site. A website has merit if it meets at least three criteria: First, the material published offers something that is valuable to an audience who can’t get the information elsewhere. Then the content has to be accessible, whenever users need it to provide a positive user experience. Third, the title and story have to be compelling where readers will be moved to take action.

The website quality, therefore, depends to no small extent on the content producer and provider. Someone whose stories can solve problems for people and is written well with multimedia attachments will contribute to the

quality of the website, once the blog is posted on it. Sharing the content through social media platforms can accelerate the judicial process on the site’s quality.

A tool, the SEO Web Page Analyzer can check out the web pages for search engine optimization. It’s available on the iPhone App Store. The analyzer breaks down the structure and content of the web page and assesses the build quality and content quality from 3 standpoints: accessibility, usability and search engine acceptability. A green tick displayed would mean “pass” while a red icon would mean “fail” for each section of the report. Gray areas would be indicated by question marks that cannot be scored and would need further human interaction.

Searchenginepeople has provided some tips on evaluating the quality of a website in contrast with other sites. One is to check if the content published on your website was copied from other sites. This is crucial since sharp readers would know and could give adverse comments on the blog story and reduce the credibility of the site.

Checking the quality of the content is essential. Ask this question: Is the story valuable, shareable, useful and informative for audiences, readers, and visitors, or is it merely there to serve SEO purposes? Google rewards anyone who takes time and effort to craft exciting content.

This means the blog post, press release story infographic or web page must be rid of typographical errors. Many readers judge a post on its spelling and grammar. Potential customers would look at the company or website based on the quality of content, so all presentations have to be edited and proofread by a professional writer or editor.

A content structure must be easy to read with the use of readable paragraphs that are identified using: headings, subheadings, bullet lists, and other features that can help readers skim your content. An appropriate image (photo) can be used to break up a long page of text. Update your content regularly by creating a high-quality blog that is usually posted.

Publishing fresh content on a regular basis sends a signal to search engines to crawl your site again and again. Your brand new content will be indexed and will hopefully build your site’s authority in the process. While a web page analyzer can help in detecting possible problems in content that might affect website quality, excellent material that Google would acknowledge would be the best way to increase quality.