SEOBook

Moz

SEMRush

Yoast SEO

Rank Math

Marketing Land

Google Search Console

The post 7 SEO Resources for Bloggers appeared first on Bloggin' Mamas.

Tips for Getting Your Blog Organized

Create an Editorial Calendar

While you can opt to use a special calendar or blog planner, your editorial calendar doesn’t need to be anything fancy. Many use Google Sheets to have a spreadsheet template for their editorial calendar. Creating an editorial calendar helps get your blog organized in a way that keeps you productive and on task.

Use your editorial calendar to remain on point, with consistent content topics from week to week. You can have motivational Monday and work from home Wednesday. While you opt to share some humor on Friday. Whatever you determine to be the best fit for your blog, remain steadfast in being consistent with your content plan.

Proofread All Content

To gain and keep readership, you will want to ensure your blog posts are free of typos and grammatical errors. Take time to proofread everything that you put out on your blog prior to hitting that publish button. If possible, have someone else look it over too! A second pair of eyes can help catch mistakes.

Insert Relevant Images

Your potential readership will see your images first and foremost when you share your content on social media. Remember to insert relevant images with all content you publish. The best tip for your images is to also create ALT Text for them. This is easily done within  the WordPress blog media upload area. All images should be saved with rich keywords that pertain to the content you will be inserting them into.

Remove Clutter & Be Consistent

It doesn’t matter what days you choose to post, but do so on a regular basis. If you are only posting three days a week, do so every single week. Remain consistent to keep readers coming back. Also, this allows you to have fresh content being pushed out on your social media accounts.

As far as clutter goes, it may sound appealing at first to sell a lot of text or ads for your sidebar. Refrain from filling up your sidebar with too many distractions. You want readers to come visit your site for your content, not to be distracted and click off your blog to advertisers.

If you utilize each of the tips listed in this article, then you are well on your way to having your blog organized in the best possible manner. We wish you much success and hope you will share some of your own blog organizational tips by commenting below.

For more blogger resources and opps, sign-up to become a Bloggin’ Mamas member here: http://blogginmamas.com/profile/register

The post Best Tips to Get your Blog Organized appeared first on Bloggin' Mamas.

50 Blog Topic Ideas

Food/ Recipes

1. BBQ Recipes
2. Salad Recipes
3. Healthy Snack Recipes
4. How to Make your Own Popsicles
5. Roundup of Summer Recipes
6. Back to School Recipes

Travel

1. Summer Road Trip Tips
2. Travel Instagrammers to Follow
3. Write About your Favorite Summer Destinations
4. Camping Tips and Tricks
5. What to do with Family on Vacation
6. How to plan a Family Mini-Vacation
7. How to Plan a Weekend Road Trip

Summer Camp

1. A Day in the Life of a Camper
2. How to Prepare Your Kids for Summer Camp
3. When To Know if Your Child is Ready for Summer Camp

Pool/ Beach

1. Beach Day Ideas
2. Pool and Beach Safety Tips
3. Proper Grooming for Bathing Suit Readiness
4. Sun Protection Tips
5. Best Shoes to Wear to the Beach
6. Best Ways to Dress for the Beach

Fashion/ Beauty/ Fitness/ Health

1. DIY Summer Beauty Products
2. Share Your Summer Fashion Rules
3. Weekly Fitness Post
4. Best Ways to Stay Cool This Summer

Activities/ Entertainment

1. Summer Printable Activities
2. New Movies to Watch This Summer
3. How to Survive Summer Break with Kids
4. The Ideal Summer Date for Couples
5. Create a Summer Playlist
6. Create “Books to Read this Summer” Post.
7. How to Unplug and Enjoy Family this Summer
8. Create a Summer Activities Bucket List

Summer/ Holidays

1. Write an “on this day in history” Post
2. Childhood Memories of Summer
3. Write from a Child’s Perspective about Summer Break
4. Share Poems about Summer Season
5. Create Holiday Posts for All Summer Holidays
6. Research “National Day of’s” & write a post on each that stick out to you.
7. Tips to Survive Working From Home on Summer Break

Home/ DIY/ Crafts

1. Roundup of your own favorite DIY/ Craft/ Home Projects
2. Garden Tricks and Tips

Back to School/ End of Summer

1. Back to School Tips and Tricks
2. How to Prepare Kids for School When Summer Break is Over

Getting Personal with Your Community

1. Write a Public Thank you Note to Someone Special
2. Have a Blogging Poll to Determine Who Your Readers Are
3. Share Some Unique Info About Yourself
4. Feature Favorite Bloggers
5. How to Volunteer in your Community this Summer

What are some of your favorite blog topic ideas for summer writing? Are there any special tricks you would like to share with others to help them steer clear of writer’s block during summer break?

For more free blog resources, sign-up to become a member of Bloggin’ Mamas!

The post 50 Blog Topic Ideas for the Summer appeared first on Bloggin' Mamas.

While we can’t tell you what will work for your particular blog, there is a general consensus on what won’t. Today we are going to shed light to those 5 mistakes people make when monetizing their blog as a means to help you avoid them during the challenging times of learning what will work to bring you revenue.

5 Mistakes Make when Monetizing Their Blog

Not Knowing Your Value

Stop for one moment and think about what you’re worth. Think about your audience and niche. Think about your stats. Think about the time you take to produce quality content. Think about your experience. People undervalue themselves to make a quick buck and as a result, they struggle to make more. Stop doing that! Make sure your value matches with what you have to offer your clients.

Overload on Banner Ads

Consumers have become semi-oblivious to sidebar banner ads. They just don’t click on them like they used to. Banner ads are being overused and website visitors are sick of being bombarded with an overload on banner ads. While this can prove to add a little revenue, overall you won’t see a large lead generation from banner ads.

Forgetting About Content

What is going to sell your blog most is the ability to have and write amazing content that people want to click over to read. Bloggers tend to get so caught up in trying to monetize their blog that content goes away. The key to ensuring your value set is worth anything is to maintain decent traffic stats, which stems from amazing content.

Not Building a List

Some call this a community; others call it a list. Whatever you call it, you need one! Building a list is important because it gives you a list of people who have opted in to receive your latest blog posts, products and other information pertaining to your brand. Many bloggers overlook the potential earning power a list can bring to them. Hence, they are losing out on this potential money.

Too Focused on Numbers

Let go of your traffic stats. Some bloggers won’t hit the big leagues, even with high visitor stats. The key is to have a nice group of engaged followers that you know will click over to buy or share any new sales you may have available. Loyalty and trust are two key factors and with high stats you may lose that personal connection.

When it comes to mistakes people make when trying to monetize their blog, the overall gist is that they focus too far in advance, suffer from low confidence in their abilities and neglect the theory that you must build a list to have people to market to. Monetizing your blog is important if you want to earn a bit of revenue, but don’t do it at the cost of selling your soul. Always remain true to your brand and who you are as a person.

The post 5 Mistakes People Make when Monetizing Their Blog appeared first on Bloggin' Mamas.

Here are the Top 5 Free Blog Sites

WordPress.com

Not to be confused with the self-hosted version of WordPress, this is an easily customizable platform that allows you to setup a blog for free. With ease of use and the ability to select a design from an extensive list of free themes, WordPress.com is a valuable resource when looking to start a blog for free.

Blogger

This is a Google-based blogging platform that is completely free. While it doesn’t offer as many customizations as WordPress.com, it is starting to catch up. It is also easy to transfer to a self-hosted plan later on. You will need to have a Google account setup in order to create a free Blogger blog. If you are seeking an easy way to monetize your free blog with Google Adsense, then Blogger is the best start.

Tumblr

This is sort of a mix between a blog and a social media site. It allows you to “tumble” pictures and “reblog” posts onto your own blog page. You can create your own posts as well.  It’s important to note that if you intend on turning your blog into a money-making blog, you should focus on your own content. You don’t run into any issues over copyrights and such.

LiveJournal

This is a great place to build a community while starting a blog for free. Started in 1999, this free blog site allows you to mix a bit of social media with blogging all in one place. We would recommend using this free blog site as a way to journal about life or thoughts rather than starting to go the professional blog route.

Weebly

This is the perfect free blog platform is you are looking to have your blog setup as a website because you also have items to sell or an etsy craft store, etc. If you are seeking to write a blog that will ultimately be promoting some sort of products to sell, then starting off with a free Weebly site. It will certainly allow you to expand your business by having a website with a blog in one location. Plus, you can eventually buy a domain name to direct there.

While the list could go on and on regarding free blog sites, these are the top five we recommend. They also make more sense for you as a start-up blogger. Take into consideration what each of these free blogging sites offers you. Also, consider what you are looking to do in the future, business-wise, before jumping in and starting your blog!

The post The Best Free Blog Sites to Start your Blog appeared first on Bloggin' Mamas.

It doesn’t matter how great you are at writing or how fast you type, blog content takes time to create. The amount of time you put forth in the planning stage is what determines whether that post succeeds. (Or disappears into the depths of internet darkness).

Writing Blog Content

What You Need to Know # 1

• Research and take time to know the topic at hand. Write based upon opinion, experiences and factual information to combine the data into one well written blog post.

Not only do you need to complete proper research and take time to develop content around facts, life opinions and experiences, but you must write about a topic that you feel passion for. Blog content is best read by people who can feel the passion behind your written word. Learn to write about topics that matter to you, because they will be the most inspirational and catchy posts.

What You Need to Know # 2

• Passion wins over facts every single time when it comes to writing blog content. People want to feel the emotions you felt when writing that blog post.

Once you have chosen a topic that you are passionate about and completed the appropriate research regarding this topic, it’s time to formulate how your blog content will flow. Make sure to follow a similar voice as well as structure with all of your new blog content. This gives your readers a feel of what to consistently expect when they visit your blog.

What You Need to Know # 3

• Keep true to a blog content structure that works for you. Be sure to follow it with every new blog post you write.  This will build consistency in your brand.

Headlines matter the most when it comes to blog content, because it is the first thing anyone online will see before they even think about clicking through to your blog. Learn to research headlines that stand out and make you want to click over and use those titles to benefit your content. It’s perfectly acceptable to rewrite a catchy title for you blog content based on what someone else used.

What You Need to Know # 4

• It’s okay to rewrite other people’s catchy titles for blog content, but it’s never okay to completely duplicate their content.

The list of things you need to know when it comes to writing blog content could go on for hours on end. We hope that the four tidbits of information shared here today will help you excel in writing blog content on a regular basis that compels users to visit your site on a regular basis.

To join our community and receive even more tips and resources, register here: http://blogginmamas.com/profile/register

The post What You Need to Know About Writing Blog Content appeared first on Bloggin' Mamas.

What are some other reasons as to why fresh content can influence rankings?

Fresh Content = Re-indexing

While you shouldn’t be confused in thinking fresh content will guarantee you a higher ranking in search engine results, it does help. The more often you update your blog with new content; be it articles, downloads or new pages, the more those search engines will pop in to index your blog. When the search engines visit your blog more than that one time upon creation of your blog, they are doing something called re-indexing, thus allowing for a chance to get you seen higher in search engine results.

Search engines use web crawlers, most call them bots, which are high-tech programs that are programmed to scan the internet for website content. Once the bot finds a new blog or website, it then indexes the site based upon an algorithm that each search engine company predetermines. Some information taken into consideration by the bots would be the number of incoming links to your blog, the number and type of keywords used as well as how often fresh content is available.

Each time you update your blog with a new blog post; the search engine sees this and re-indexes your blog ranking. The number one rule of thumb when creating new content for your blog is to make sure it is of high quality and you maintain high standards with what you publish on your blog. The key to this information is that your fresh content equals re-indexing and re-indexing equals a higher percentage chance that you will rank higher in search engine results.

More Content = More Keywords

Publishing fresh content means that you have more of an opportunity for bots to index your blog under more categories, thus showing up more frequently in search engine results. Keywords are a huge portion of the bots algorithm they use to index your blog and determine your ranking. Bloggers have a higher chance at building rankings up because they have a daily or consistent schedule of fresh content being published to your sites.

When you update your blog with fresh content using keyword optimization you are essentially directing the bots to index you properly based upon what keywords you hope to rank higher in. Learn to be tricky in using the same keywords in different phrases as a means to get those bots to rank you higher in the search engines for your desired keyword.

Key to Higher Rankings

While this information is meant to educate you on how bots work and why fresh content helps you to hit higher rankings on the internet, there is never a guarantee to get higher rankings. What you can do, as a blogger, is to maintain your high standards for fresh content and continue on creating keyword rich articles so that the bots will see your blog as a valid, live website that deserves higher rankings on the internet.

The post How Fresh Content Can Influence Rankings appeared first on Bloggin' Mamas.

1. Think about a theme that will compliment your content- Do a search for WordPress themes based solely on what your content will be about. Examples could be: Mom Blog, Foodie, Lifestyle, Magazine, etc. Start reviewing the results based upon your niche.
2. Think about keeping it simple- While many bloggers want to have the frills and color variations to make their blog look pretty, it’s unnecessary and in fact can hurt your search engine optimization. Too much extra code can confuse the robots on how to index your blog properly.
3. Think about mobile readers- Trends are showing that more and more consumers are reading websites via mobile devices such as a smartphone or tablet. Make sure your WordPress theme is responsive and looks clean across all mobile devices.
4. Don’t forget about multiple browsers- There are still people who view blogs via the computer or laptop and use various browsers. Be sure your WordPress theme functions and looks good across all browsers available to your readers.
5. Plugin compatibility matters with all WordPress blog themes- Some free themes may not support the WordPress plugins you desire to ensure your blog is functioning properly and able to be shared across social channels. Confirm all plugins will work with your selected theme.
6. Support availability for selected theme- Some themes will come with limited or no support. If something goes wrong it is going to be on you to pay to resolve unless you read the fine print on the WordPress themes you are comparing to ensure it includes some level of support.
7. Think about search engine optimization- As stated above, too much code and extra fluff in the CSS file of your WordPress theme can deter search engines from indexing or re-indexing your blog content. Make sure your blog theme is SEO-friendly.
8. Read reviews with an open mind- All WordPress blog themes will have a rating of up to five stars and written reviews by those who have used or are currently using the theme. Be sure to read the reviews with an open mind and read many before deciding on the perfect theme.

There you have it, a few tips on how to select the perfect WordPress theme for your blog. We hope that each of these tips helps assist you in choosing a theme that will entice readers to come back and allow search engine robots to index your blog properly.

The post How to Select the Perfect WordPress Theme for Your Blog appeared first on Bloggin' Mamas.

• Plan to Write Something That Interests You – Choose a topic that resonates with you, something that ignites your typing fingers into full speed mode. Writing about something that interests you not only keeps you efficient in writing content, but it allows your blog posts to flow naturally without much work.
• Research the Topic – Take time to research information about your next blog post, even if you have a lot of experience, as this will help add more value to your blog post. While experiences are wonderful to add to blog posts, having additional information from various sources gives you more traction for SEO and readership.
• Create an Outline – Follow a specific outline for each post; introduction, explainer paragraph, additional info paragraph then closure paragraph. Having the same outline for every blog post keeps you from getting stuck on writers block when trying to write your next awesome blog post and allows your blog to have a consistent flow.
• Confirm Facts – If you are including any factual statements in the blog post, be certain to confirm the information is valid. There is a lot of information on the internet, some of which is false. Be certain that you are sharing actual facts about the topic, unless your blog post is completely an opinion post of course.
• Optimize Blog Title – Plan to use a catchy blog post title that not only compels people to click through, but also allows robots to index you appropriately. In addition to this, make sure that your blog post links are optimized for SEO, rather than formulated using random numbers and letters. There are plugins for self-hosted WordPress to automatically make SEO friendly links.
• End with a Question – Be sure that all of your blog posts end with a call to action, such as a question to engage comments on your blog post. Ending with a question makes your readers feel as if they are important and a part of the conversation, this builds blog community.

Sitting down to formulate your own plan of attack for each new blog post written based on the steps listed above will increase your efficiency when you are ready to write content for your blog. Any steps that you can take to organize your blog post writing will enable you to write blog posts quickly and allow readers to get used to a specific format when they visit your blog, thus increasing revenue and visitor counts.

The post How to Write Awesome Blog Posts appeared first on Bloggin' Mamas.

The first tip is to work from an editorial calendar, using Webmaster Tools keyword data and research completed online for topics you wish to cover for the month. Each day have an idea of what topic you are going to write new content about. Start your day writing new content and scheduling it out for the next publication date you have set.

After you have worked on blog content for the day, spend about one hour on social media networks. You should already have an Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook social media profile setup for your blog. Leave ten engaging comments per social media network on posts that are similar to your blog niche. Spend the next bit of that hour scheduling your social media content for the week, use a program like HootSuite or Buffer to schedule content across all social media platforms.

Next up on organizing your day of blogging is to set aside time to leave comments on other blogs, this builds your blogging community. Spend one hour each day leaving comments on similar niche blogs, being certain to also read other comments and replying to those as a means to build some link backs to your blog and build your online reputation.

Additional tasks that you should set aside time for when learning how to organize your day of blogging are; planning for the upcoming month, thinking about national holidays and how you can use affiliate links to promote products for each holiday and reviewing your analytics to see what keywords are bringing visitors to your blog.  Designate a bit of time within your blogging day to review how well your blog is running, using tools that check the speed and load time of your blog as well as to make sure all plugins are working properly.

Last but certainly not least, for each day that you have new content, add a task to ping your blog to sites like Pingoat.net and Ping.in so that they will automatically notify search engines of your new content. No matter what you do to organize your day of blogging, each day try to learn something new. Be it something about SEO, how to properly organize your blog posts or learn more about using social media to market your blog; take time each day to also learn a new skill or marketing secret that you will implement on your next blogging day.

The post How to Organize your Day of Blogging appeared first on Bloggin' Mamas.