I learned lots at BlogHer. I am happy with all the classes I attended. I went to learn about some more technical behind the scenes stuff. I know some of you read my tweets and I feel pretty passionate about where blogging fits in to our marketplace. The Americans are so far ahead of us. …
I learned lots at BlogHer. I am happy with all the classes I attended. I went to learn about some more technical behind the scenes stuff.
I know some of you read my tweets and I feel pretty passionate about where blogging fits in to our marketplace. The Americans are so far ahead of us. I know some of the bloggers who went didn’t feel this way, but I did. Maybe it was just the classes I attended that made me feel that way. I was impressed. I want to become a real blogger after seeing them in action. 1.4 million page views a month is “pretty average“. HA!
When I say America is so far ahead, I mean it in terms of how brands work with bloggers. To them, blogging is not NEW media. It’s media. American brands realise that bloggers have huge impacts on their products and we have an audience (and some have BIG audiences).
I won’t go on and on about everything I learned, but I will say it is going to be a goal of mine to keep encouraging, networking and pushing brands to work with bloggers in innovative, remarkable and positive ways…
You can see some of my tweets here. I really got in to it…
Today I thought I’d give you a few quick short tips you can take away with you….
Firstly, I hope you have Google Analytics added to your site. If you don’t, then I will write a post this week about how to do that.
Google rankings
Google will rank your blog lower if it’s not fully mobile friendly. That’s correct.
As an example – over 70% of the London Olympics was watched via MOBILE (ie. phones + tablets).
Find out what popular devices readers are using to get to your site.
These are mine:
So, if the majority are viewing my site via a device then it has to be mobile friendly. I’ve installed WP Touch Pro.
This makes it also tricky for those of you who have sidebar advertising. If only 30% of readers are seeing your sidebar advertising (ie. via a desktop device), then are you giving your advertisers the best exposure? Have you integrated your Advertising into your mobile friendly layout?
Also, look at what your Bounce Rate is… if it’s less than 1 minute it’s considered poor. The aim is to keep your readers on your page as long as possible (AND get them to view more than 1 page). All of this is available in your Google Analytics data. If you have analytics installed but don’t know how to find these details, then google the topics and you’ll find it 🙂
Submit a sitemap
Tell Google which pages are/are not important to you, so when someone searches your blog they can see the most important things:
Go here. Add your site – click on the newly added site, click Optimization and Sitemaps. You can’t just copy and paste pages in to the webmaster sitemap tool. Go here to read more. If you use WordPress here is a plugin which can do some of the work for you! You can tell Google which pages you don’t want.
Gadgets and Sites
Broken Link Checker – run this once a month on WordPress sites to make sure people you’ve linked to, or your own links are still working.
Hootsuite – this is the best to use for twitter. Use their shorten links when posting a link because it has a good measuring scale ie. you can see who has clicked on to your link. It’s a good measure to see if posting to twitter is working.
Google Calendar – we’ve yet to become friends, but we will be this week! Cozi is another calendar which can be shared easily. Great for husband to check where we are up and what we’ve got on!
Dropbox or Evernote for storing ANYTHING. You can bring up Dropbox from any computer, tablet, phone – anywhere in the world. No more external hard-drives!
Google docs – if you are collaborating documents with other people.
Docusign Ink – no more printing things off, signing them and scanning them back in! Love this!
SEO
SEO is not a silo any more. The rules have changed. You just can’t tag things any more and think you are done with SEO. 30% of your SEO is based on your on page stuff – the other 70% of SEO is based on what steps you physically take to contribute to your SEO.
The best SEO? It’s video. Watch this space. I’ll show you more.
Being on Google+ is a must for higher google rankings. Makes sense! Google will love you if you love it!
Test your site load time with this: tools.pingdom.com/fpt.
Eliminate unnecessary plugins.
The best SEO plugin for WordPress is yoast.com/wordpress/seo.
Oh, can you see a pattern here with WordPress? Yep, it’s the winner. NO ONE even mentioned Blogspot. Ever. Google loves WordPress!
Vlogging and Apps
These are the new waves of blogging. Not just words on a page. I walked away from these 2 classes with a hundred ideas. I’ll be working on those in the coming months.
In the meantime, you guys can help me! I need a good PR Company who wants to work with me on this blog? I’m not turning my words in to advertisements, but I have some ideas on how I can work with the companies who approach me in a different way. So, over to you… Email me if you know of a PR Company? I know you’ll help me, because I’m helping you with these tips! 😉
In summary, I got a lot out of BlogHer. I’ll be trying to go back next year (it’s in Chicago). Watching intelligent, savvy and business driven women in action up on those stages at BlogHer gave me goosebumps. It’s a pocket I want to be in… striving to push my blog upwards and upwards.
I’m no blog guru. I’m just interested in learning and sharing what I can along the way (and fumble as I go!). PS. If you really don’t know what any of this means, or it sounds like it’s too intense, please don’t attempt to add and change things on your blog (I’d hate for anything to happen to it!)…
See you next week! X
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Comments
Jane
Oh Katrina, this is gold. You are so generous to share all this with us. I am hanging off every word. Time to re-read it. And save up to get you to switch me over to WordPress ☺. J x
Katrina
I’m glad you like 🙂
Michelle Hayward
I’m hearing you! Loving the ideas…the tips and hints! As Jane said – you are very generous 9and kind!) thank you!!!!!!! It helps immensely to share! And I so appreciate it when others (like you) do! I’ve just sent you an email! Talk soon x
Katrina
I just read. I’ll respond in morning if that’s ok? X
Michelle Hayward
🙂 NO RUSH! I imagine you are very tired…and this is your bed time normally, never mind the jetlag on top of that (I suffer terribly when I travel!) I am NOT good on no sleep, that’s me last night, thanks to husband snoring! Sigh! 😉 lol Oh well, at least ONE of us was sleeping! ha ha! Sweet dreams!
A-M
A good PR company? Hmmm. Let me know when you find one! Great wrap up! It pays to run between sessions to get in the front row! #nerds loved it! A-M xx PS doing the John the divine visit today on your recommendation. Might get on that bus of yours… Tell Mr Chambo I keep seeing water tanks. What are they all about? Xx
Katrina
He’s still going on about them! Have a great day. I’ll steal your church pictures because my phone was dead when we went!
Red Roses and Crystal
You’re such a good sport for sharing these tips Katrina but I gotta say I probably only understood a fraction of all this info! Lol
So much to learn….
xx
Katrina
Hahah yes it can crazy! It’s taken me 6 yrs to get a little bit of knowledge. So much to learn!
Lia Halsall
I concur with everyone’s comments in being appreciative that you’re so willing to share all this information with us, this information is gold. Like Jane, I’m hanging off every word and vicariously living through your experience at BlogHer ’12.
I’m planning on going next year to learn first hand about blogging and the endless possibilities of it.
Lia xxx
Katrina
Thank you! Glad you got something out of this post!
Scandi Coast Home
Hi Katrina,
I must be the only person who doesn’t know what SEO stands for???
Thanks for sharing……it’s very generous of you ;o)
Tania xx
Katrina
Search Engine Optimization- so how your site is found. Gets confusing and very technical! I only know 1% of it all I’m sure!
Deanne
Most of this is way over my head, but I am looking forward to you giving us more step by steps on all this stuff.
It is really mind boggling!
rosierose
Hey Katrina,
Thanks so much for advice. Just wondering though if its possible Australian blogs (with mainly Aussie Specific content) can get that many hits given our small population. Given we r all on the world wide web would we then need to taylor content for US market to get our views increased? Would Aussie brands want similar view rates to US Brands? I only started blogging two months ago but luckily on WordPress.org and hooked up to Google analytics and +, just to be prepared, though increasing Aussie blog traffic isn’t easy seeing as 80% of the people I know say what’s a blog?
Anyway I’m waffling sorry but I find it all very interesting..
Katrina
Well it depends on the product. But yes it would be hard to get those numbers in Australia. We would adjust our pricing to compare per capita I think. Yes I find it fascinating too! Love all this geek talk though 🙂
Lisa Barton-Collins
Thank you SO MUCH for this great information! I get so many wonderful blog hints and tips from you 🙂
xx
Ness Lockyer
Love it all. I tried to do some of the things you said, but now it is coming up that I have to verify my account and I dont have access!!!!!! HELP. What have I done?
Ness xx
Katrina
Morning! Uh oh, what’d you do? Email me? You will have to verify it. Do you have google analytics on your site?
Ness Lockyer
I have emailed you luv! I do have analytics, but not sure if it is installed properly =0( Thanks for helping.
Ness xx
julienne
I so wish I knew what you were talking about!!!!!! Need to read your connecting Google analytics and then maybe it will become clearer!!! The day I sign the house away will be the day we get together to put my blog together on WordPress!!!!!!! Have truly enjoyed your trip! J
Martine@themodernparent
Thanks for this Katrina. Particularly love the bit about submitting a site map, one of those things that’s was on the ‘list of to do’s’! And interesting points about how people are viewing your blog and missing the sidebar advertising. I guess this is true for those that subscribe and read via email or a reader too.
Julie
Thanks Katrina, really interesting. Why is WordPress better? I have read this before on other sites but they have not really gone into it. Why don’t professional bloggers like blogspot?
Cheers Julie
Katrina
I wrote a post somewhere I think about why one is better than the other… it’s here: https://katrinaleedesigns.com/2011/11/google-friend-connect-to-be-abolished-my-google-analytic-numbers-why-wordpress-and-advertising.html
Tatum
Love your wrap up! there is an adelaide based company http://www.hughespr.com.au that might be worth getting in contact with to see if they can point you in the right direction @prakky on twitter does a lot of their social media training, she is really lovely…perhaps tweet her?
So so many ideas swirling around, I’ve nailed down a name and have come home and registered it everywhere 🙂 Exciting times! Tatum xx
Katrina
Ta love! I’ll check it out!! X
Sam
Hi Katrina. I love your blog – and I am new to even reading blogs!! I know you say that blogging is not new media – but it is to me & just about everyone I speak to, still have no idea about it. Maybe you could dumb up the introduction for those few of us who have no idea about blogging so we know that perhaps today’s post is not for us. I’m not really whingeing as I love your posts & follow yourself and A-M everyday. I know twitter & blogging is huge for you, but I’m afraid I am one of those few who still just don’t get it all yet.
Sam xx
Katrina
Hi Sam, sorry but I’m not sure what you mean? Tell people what I’m blogging about before I blog it? This is my blog – me and blogging. I have a blog design business, so I write about blog stuff. I reckon you would have guessed from this title that this post wasn’t for you? I am sure thousands of people read my blog for all different reasons 🙂
Sam
Hey Katrina, Sorry I know as soon as I posted it that it had come out all wrong. All I meant was, I know nothing about this new technical world we live in. I love your blogs as not only because of who you are and your busy life as a mum but you are taking your life a step further with blogging, design & business. I am fascinated about all this and I am slowly learning bits and pieces from what you write about. This was a particularly technical post – and I guess I just felt like I should know more – as one lady wrote, I didn’t even know what SEO was either.
I appreciate you replying.
PS – Yes you are right, I should have realised from the title that this one was a bit beyond me. 🙂
Katrina
It’s fine! It’s just that I went to a blogging conference to learn about blogging and this is what I learned. People who are serious bloggers ask me to teach them what I know and I do. Others come to my blog to read about my boys, others about my shoes… that’s what I do – write about anything and everything 🙂 I cover blogging from the basics – right up to the advanced (when I can). It’s just MY thing 🙂
Sam
🙂
Nicole
One thing I have noticed with some of the popular US blogs is the overly “commercial” aspect of them which, in some cases, has completely changed the feel of them and taken away what probably attracted readers to start with. There certainly seems to be clear indications of subtle selling taking place which sometimes changes the genuine aspect of many blogs. How do you see a balance being achieved ? Fab posts by the way !
Laney @ Craah Test Mummy
There was some really great things to take away from BlogHer. For me it was mobile and video. I’m pretty keen on Google+ too. Would love to shift my FB fans over 😉
Nguyễn Thế Anh
Mobile web design.
http://gooddesign.vn
Brenda Brown
These are awesome tips!!! Thank you!