Planning Today

Today I'm still spring cleaning up my Internet ventures. I found some place called Superblinky that has a lot of my content. I don't know why it's there but I know it used to be on AC. Well AC was taken over by Yahoo Voices and when Yahoo Voices went away, I guess, Superblinky got it.

It's not like the content was ground breaking, or anything like that, but it was mine. The byline just says "editor". Doesn't even mention little 'ole me. Alas, I didn't keep up with it so shame on me.

On the bright side, I got to do a ton of things with my little girl! I will never regret that.

I've been thinking about embarking on a new venture. I've taken to creating gifts for my family and friends rather then buying stock stuff from the big box stores. And, doling out gift cards just seems so impersonal. They seem to like them and some have even suggested I sell my creations.

I actually started researching different things that go along with selling stuff. Of course, like most people, I have a profile on Ebay and I have sold some stuff we didn't need anymore there. But, I think Ebay is too big for handcrafted goods.

Now Etsy seems promising to me because they have carved out a niche in handmade. So, being the way I am, I decided "if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right!" I started working on a plan.

Etsy sellers have a "store" they sell from. To me, that's like big business on a small scale--Love it! If you plan on opening a store, what do you do? You dream about the name. The name. Hmmm.

That brought me back to the blog today. I was thinking about all the research I did way back when with SEO and Keywords. Hey, If I'm going to open an Etsy shop you know I'm going to utilize all that, and more!

I came up with a name that Google adwords liked and guess what? Somebody already has it. Back to the drawing board...  

Backlinks: The Chains Part Three

In Backlinks: The Chains Part Two, we talked about stats and I discussed the tracker Who Links to Me? At the end I mentioned another site I was looking into. The site is StatCounter.

StatCounter logs visitors to your site, blog, or pages. Most of us are familiar with blogrush, which shows you the clickthroughs you are getting on particular articles through blogrush. Who links to me? Tells you who's linking to you. Feedburner is good for some statistic action also.

All of that's great, but I want to know a few other things. How am I being found? What keywords are working and which aren't? Like most of the tools I mention here, StatCounter is free for the basic service; if you want to log more, you have to pay.

Along with a page view counter you get keyword analysis, which tells you what people are searching for to get to your site. Popular pages tells you which pages people are hitting on the most. Entry sites tells you which pages they come in at, whether its the home or another page. There's a lot of other more complicated stuff you can use, but I'm more interested in the keyword statistics.

Unlike Who Links to Me? You have to register this tool and set up an account. I think it's more geared toward those selling through their site. But some of the SEO information is useful for the web writing aspect.

Backlinks: The Chains Part Two

This is going to be a quickie, I say that but you know how I am. After going over the linking thing in my last post, I did a little more digging. I just have to know. It's in my nature. I found a nifty tool called Who Links to Me? If you look on my sidebar you can see it just below my favorite blogs modular.

The tool gives you your page rank, the number of links to your site, your blogroll stats, Google, Yahoo, and MSN links. All in all, I'm doing much better than I thought. You can see my stats by clicking the link. If you want, you can also retrieve code from that page to put on your blog to get your stats. You can also just visit Who Links to Me?

Sometimes I can be too visual I guess, but seeing those numbers gave me a new perspective.

I actually found two tools. The Who Links to Me? was the first and fastest I tried. The other I have to register and research. Don't worry, I'll share it with you in a later post once I get to know it...

Backlinks: The Chains that Bind

My last post covered a little bit of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Diving into the subject, I began to question certian aspects of it and how one would actually increase their number in the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages). Why I got started on this is beyond me, but the chain that seems to tie it all together is the backlinks.

I woke up in the middle of the night, actually the wee hours of the morning, and began doing some reading on the subject. Backlinks are links back to your site, blog, page, or information on the net. Simple enough for me.

Backlinks make search engine algorithms hum. A site with a number of links back to it that is rich in keywords and phrases, offers quality content, and is frequently updated will rank higher.

In Filthy Linking Rich, by Mike Grehan, the Web is looked at as a small world that is intertwined from network to network by paths. It said you could randomly pick two sites and get from one to the other within 4 clicks. I haven't tried it, but it sounds plausible.

The next relation comes from page links. The magic number of links for pages is 19. This comes from a network theory. The entire article is really quite interesting, long but interesting. I suggest giving it a read when you have the time.

Grehan made a comparison using Kevin Bacon and the "erdos number." I remember discussing this topic in some course work myself, so I won't go on about it. Basically, it rings true to the small world theory and we are all connected either personally or are a friend of a friend.

So, the backlinks to our sites drive traffic to our content which increases page views. Increased page views combined with a number of backlinks will increase page rank. Once you rank higher in the search engines you will get more hits.

For some reason I have an image in my head of a water wheel. Like the one from Little House in the Prairie. I see the wheel turning round and round--the wheel is the net. I see the water spilling onto it--the water is our content. I see the sawmill powering up--the mill is our computer. I may be reaching with that, but I thought it, I was inspired, and so I wrote it.

SEO-Choo: Bless You--Sneezing out those Topics, Keywords, and Whatnot

Remember my keyword density post? I wanted to update you. The ranking is so far down that even a shovel couldn't dig it out. I attribute this to SEO. As we all know, SEO means Search Engine Optimization.

There are a few problems with that post. One is basic, and something I should have known, the term keyword is flooded in the search engine. How flooded? 769,000,000. Keyword Density is at about 1,860,000.

One of the main things about SEO and keywords is that ever looming topic choice. My chances would have been better had I chosen a topic like Luna Moth (which is at 159,000). However, that topic is better suited for a lepodopterist--speaking of which is at 71. Maybe that's what I should be writing about: Butterfly specialists (I know, butterflies and moths are related but different insects).

Another problem with the post is my credibility. I'm not up there in the rankings with this blog yet: not enough posts, I stagnate too much, and my topics jump around. Those are all easy fixes, if I never had to sleep and I found my niche. I'm working on these problems.

With SEO we have this phenomenally called SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). Those numbers I mentioned above are those pages. Some sites do well while others lurk down the ranks.

SEO Strategy tells me there is a formula to follow:

1. Build a quality content based web site with original content.
2. Gain relevant backlinks with varying keyword anchor text to get indexed.
3. After indexing occurs create 1 new content page for the site every week.
4. Continue to gain relevant backlinks with varying keyword anchor text.

There is an entire "plan" offered through SEO Strategy, but let's start with the basic formula.

• Build a quality content based web site with original content.

We all know what quality content is: it is well written where spelling and grammar errors are non-existent. The spelling is easy, just run your spell check. Grammar, well that comes over time. You should know your basics, like every sentence should have a subject and a verb, then go from there.

How about original content? You can take a stale topic and make it fresh: add a new twist, merge related topics to make something new, or come up with something undiscovered (unflooded).

• Gain relevant backlinks with varying keyword anchor text to get indexed.

I link back to myself all of the time. Remember the Linking Myself Together post? Perhaps that's not what SEO Strategy means by backlinks (I'll look into that).

There's that word again: keyword. So, we have to vary our keywords and anchor our text together in order for the SERPs to index us high. Basically we have to stay on topic and talk about the same thing over and over again. Just tell me how that is keeping subject matter fresh?

• After indexing occurs create 1 new content page for the site every week.

I guess that's how you keep it fresh: after you've done the work and talked about your topic until you're blue in the face, you add a bit of new stuff. There's where the credibility/expert thing comes into play.

• Continue to gain relevant backlinks with varying keyword anchor text.

This last thing may be my main problem (and something mentioned twice in the formula): backlinks and keywords. I bet the backlinks have to be from other sites to me. At this point I'm only linking to myself and to others. I need to get more links back to me.

I'll research the backlink thing further and post my results...

Keyword Density, What the Heck?

I've been playing around with keywords. Why is that so difficult? Trying to be a Web friendly writer can be a daunting task. You write something then run it through a tool like textalyser and find yourself needing to add more to get yourself up to that 3-5% density.

It's funny how some say just write and the keywords will come naturally. Sure, if you're a keyword guru. I discussed the phenomena somewhat in my Keyword, Keyword... post. (I also visited some keyword tools in my Learning Seo post.)

How do you know when enough is enough? That 3-5% keyword density sounds easy to achieve; and it really is when you concentrate on using something specific. Take what I've written here so far. The word keyword is at 8.2%. Keywords is at 3.3%. Man, that tool is kind of cool.

Okay, the textalyser also tells me readability and the stats (like frequency, word length, syllables, and gives me a word count) among other things.

So is my density to high for the first two paragraphs? Why is keyword and keywords differentiated, other than the obvious plural? For that matter, why would the plural make a difference? I thought Google eliminated connective and frequently used words as a part of their search engines paring out. Wouldn't the plural of the same word work its way into that?

I guess that's not for me to figure out. Running the text at this point puts my density at 5.6 and 3.2%. They say that's good. Now, to see how well this post ranks I guess I have to post and wait to search something like Keyword Density (per my title).

I'll test the density theory in a future post. Stay tuned for part two...

Promotion: Using the Tools to Link Myself Together

I did it. I took the plunge. I know, I've been straddling the fence on this for quite some time--I set up a myspace profile. That's why I have not posted in a couple of days.

The process was a two day affair. I wanted to do a few things to increase traffic to my articles. This morning I put up a blog post on myspace and I had a brainstorm.

I've started to link everything I'm doing. That's how promotion works, right? I've touched on it in my previous posts. (this one too). All of that research I've been doing is finally clicking in my brain.

Basically, If you want to gain readership you must bring it all together. Put all of your eggs into one basket, so to speak. However, I was always told not to put all my eggs into one basket. That was then, this is now.

Back to my brainstorm. I went to my blogcatalog profile and invited friends from my lists to myspace. I've already added myspace's link to the forum at Associated Content and have gained a few friends. Now I have to invite more friends.

I read other blogs, articles, and profiles and comment. Doing this has helped me, to not only learn more about others like me, to gain readership and Internet friends.

I have yet to link this blog and my me page to myspace. That I hope to get done today.

When I have it all together, I can concentrate on content. I know, I have some content here, there, and everywhere, I have to build more. Especially on the foundation: my articles.

There is a method to my madness. It's all becoming clearer the more I dive into this. Once I lay out this foundation, I will be able to branch out! Now that's inspiring.

Tag! You're It: Deciphering Tags

What the heck is a tag? Since I began, I've been using keywords as tags. Apparently, I was wrong, kind of. For Search Engine Optimization (SEO) you must choose your tag wisely.

Tags categorize your posts. Hmmmm. So tags are "labels" on Blogger. Tags are determined by me (the poster) and not the search engine. Tags can be any word or simple phrase to describe your work.

From what I've been learning about the tag phenomenon, search engines crawl sites that have been pinged (yet another funny term, pinging occurs when your site or blog has a new entry). Certain tags are more popular and will rank higher in search engines, especially if your content has a certian percentage of keywords related to the tag. The higher your stuff is ranked, the more hits you will get, thus your popularity will increase. This is the basis of SEO.

To get an idea of popular tags visit sites like Delicious, Digg, and Technorati (there are lots of social bookmarking sites to choose from). They have a list of the most popular tags for their site. If you join the site you can get even more information and peruse the stuff that has been bookmarked.

When you hit the right tag, you are bound to gain rank. When you rank high, you will be read. When you are read, you will become popular. When you are popular, you...Well everybody knows about popularity.

Now I'm getting it. I need to write about topics that can be umbrellaed under the popular tags. Doing that should make my work at Associated Content produce higher payouts and gain popularity. Easier said than done, this tagging thing should be inspiring, I'll let you know how it goes.

Some sites I've been learning this SEO stuff from:

• SEO 20/20
• Chris Garrett's blog
• Web Ink Now

Keywords, Keywords? Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are!

Here we go again. I am still working on this keyword thing. I figure the more adept I become at creating articles with keywords that the search engines like, the better my page views will become. Of course I want to keep my articles in form where they don't sound like I'm just spitting out a bunch of keywords.

So we've already reviewed some keyword search tools I've learned about (here). Well, I've got a couple more for you. There are actually three and they are all on one website. The main one is a keyword search tool and there are two other tools for assistance in organizing and brainstorming. Be prepared because this is a download site. I downloaded the tools and my computer hasn't exploded yet. The site is Good Keywords. There is also a little beginner's guide to keywords ebook there to help you out if you need it.

I also found an article post that was pretty tip full: Part 4: Choosing good keywords. The website is useful for more than just keywords, and that's why I'm pooling it in. There's spidering, seo, web design, html, and a lot more. It's called Website Helpers.

Now if you want to get the skinny on what people are searching for, you should check out Google Trends and Yahoo Buzz. These two, I should really say, steer you more into article ideas but they are useful.

Applying all of this to my own stuff is just going to be a piece of cake! Right? I know, I've still got a lot to learn. But you've got to have the tools to guide you.

Knowing and doing are two different things. Some say that keywords should just come naturally. Well I've found that to be the case in some instances. But if you choose a keyword that isn't searched then you are dead in the water. If you over use it then you are spamming.

Talk about a catch 22!

Taking Advantage of Promotion Information

Since I started my quest to becoming a work at home mom, I have come across a lot of great information. I've posted some blogs on web writing, promotion, seo optimization, and keyword tools. I want to mention a blog I came across recently: Chris Garrett's blog

Now, the blog is not necessarily geared toward writing per se; it guides you in promotion, writing content to draw in and help readers, and lots of how-to information. I subscribed because I liked the first blog entry I read about promotion. Now I am updated whenever a new post is published.

Just to lure you in too, check out this article: 35 Guaranteed Ways To Increase Your RSS Subscribers. The article offers real tips and information not just fluff. I like that even though I tend to generate a lot of fluff in my stuff.

That being said this is my personal inspiration blog. I may get fluffy every once in a while so don't mind me if I go "off topic" because that is how I am inspired.

Promotion

How the heck does one do that? I've been working on promoting my material to no reward. I email my friends and I have come to the realization they think my emails are spam. I've been blogging about my trials and errors else where, so I'm going to let off some more steam here.



I really have been working hard at trimming up my article submissions to be more tight, include more keywords for SEO, and write about subjects I think will be around for the long haul. That seems to be what the Associated Content content managers/editors say they are looking for. But as with everything else, it's all pretty vague though when it comes to what they want, what they take, and what they pay for. One minute you hear they want this, but what they are really looking for is that. Isn't that a little tit for tat?


As far as promotion, I have been reading and commenting on other producer's work. That has been of some benefit. I set up accounts with stumble upon, digg, and delicious. Which I believe is helping somewhat.

I was reading an article on self promotion and it suggested Myspace. I had been hoping to avoid signing up to yet another site, but you gotta do what you gotta do. So I guess I'll have to take my non-techno self over there to learn how to set up a page.

I'm still learning how to link things here. Yikes my brain hurts.

Well, my motto is learn something new every day. How about upgrading that thought to ten something news every day.

Learning SEO

I just don't know how some people do it. I have been reading everything I can about search engine optimization and I haven't been able to make heads or tails of this keyword thing. I have found a lot of great keyword tools:

• Live Keyword Analysis
• Free Keyword Suggestions
• Overture Keyword Tool
• TagCrowd
• Textalyser
• SEO Book

I even went as far as getting an SEO ebook. It was all Greek to me.

So what I have decided to do is take my written articles, put them on TagCrowd, and develop a title from the keywords I generate. Sounds simple enough, but applying it is for not.

Update on the butterfly book I talked about in my Rejection post. I changed the title again. Now it's Butterflies: Apollo to Zephyr Metalmark. Why? Because the editor program in the titles on Associated Content would not let me use the capital letter "A" in the title. I searched the new title and found that I may fair better with it anyway. We shall see.

I guess that is what the keyword thing is all about. That kind of search: to hone in on the words that are going to get the most hits in the search engines.

I'm sure this will not be the last time I talk about it. Stay tuned.

Today's inspiration finding the right title.

A Moment to Spare

Just look at that beautiful sunset! Talk about an inspiration. I know I said I was only going to make a weekly post, I lied. I felt the urge to write, but not research write, work write, or review write--I want to write for me!

I think I'm doing pretty well with Shared Reviews. I've written 9 (which count as ten) reviews so far, gotten paid for 5. I've done some promoting also to get some referrals under my belt.

I don't how many more reviews I'll write. I have been neglecting Associated Content. I really think that is the pay off for me. My page views are really getting up there and I seem to be on the right track.

Research is really bogging me down. I've been studying keywords in an effort to produce better paying articles. You know, keywords are what the search engines look for. I found a series of really great articles about them and I'm going to sit this weekend and see what I come up with. Maybe even write an article or two on the subject. Or maybe just write here about it. There are a lot of Associated Content articles about it already and I wouldn't want to step on any toes.

The household is beginning to think I've turned into some book worm (article worm?). Read, research, study, write--shesh it's like I'm back in school again. Okay, I know it's all going to be worth it.