Your Blogging Mentor

Demystifying SEO: What It Is & Why You Should Care

Demystifying SEO! Does the word SEO make your head spin? Read this beginner's guide to understand what it is and get started!

Guest post by Micah Klug from HomeFaithFamily.com

About six months into starting my blog, I had one of those unforgettable blogging moments where you can barely contain your excitement and it makes all of the work and effort invested into blogging so worth it!

I had woken up at 4 a.m. (which is when I currently get up in order to fit in time to blog!) and I decided I should check my Google Search Console and learn more about keywords.

I was so excited with what I discovered that I just couldn’t help myself… I woke my husband up and exclaimed, “Oh, my goodness, Travis, one of my blog posts is ranking in the first spot on Google!”

(Thankfully, my husband forgave me for my display of enthusiastic excitement, and I promised that I wouldn’t wake him that early in the morning again!)

How did I manage to have a blog post rank in the first spot on a Google search? Well, I could talk about searching for your perfect keywords, strategies to rank on Google, and tools you can use to help you craft your next perfect blog post, but before I do that, we first need to talk about what search engine optimization (SEO) is and why you should care about is as a blogger.

Why You Need to Build a Platform (+ My Top 3 Tips to Get Started)

Blogging Tips • Featured Question 3 Comments

Rachel recently wrote in and asked, “You talk about platform a lot, but what does that actually mean?”

This is such a great question, because if you want to be a successful blogger, it is so important to know what a platform is and how to build one.

What is a platform?

Honestly, the word “platform” is one that makes me pause. I’m not totally comfortable with the word and its implied meaning, because here’s the thing…

When You Want to Be a Blogger, But You’re Not Techie…

Blogging Tips • Featured Question 6 Comments

Do you feel called to write but you don’t want to deal with the technical aspects of blogging? (And you don’t have the money to pay someone else to do it for you?)

Sarah wrote in with this great question…

“I definitely want to start a blog and have started a couple over the years but they’ve fizzled out for various reasons. I love writing and want to do that, but I hate web design or anything tech-related. Is there any way to just blog and write and that be it? Any advice for someone like me who loves writing and feels called to do it but hates anything dealing with web design, web hosting, and tech stuff? And of course isn’t in a current position to pay someone else to mess with it? I’m sure I’m in the minority, but any help would be appreciated. Thank you!”

First of all, Sarah, let me reassure you that you’re not in the minority. I think tons and tons of people feel this way, and it’s actually a really common struggle.

Should you use your own name as a domain name?

Blogging Tips 9 Comments

So many people ask me whether they should use their personal name as a domain name or a titled domain name that has good SEO (i.e. highly searched words).

Just in case you’re not sure what I mean by this, here are some examples:

CrystalPaine.com — This is a domain name that uses my personal name.

MoneySavingMom.com — This is a domain name with great SEO because of the common words in the title that people often organically search on the Internet.

YourBloggingMentor.com — Again, this is a domain name with pretty good natural SEO.

Are you ready to start a blog, but you’re deliberating on what domain name to choose?

7 Ways to Avoid Legal Mistakes as a Beginning Blogger

Blogging Tips • Featured Question 7 Comments

Jennifer recently wrote in with this question:

“I am such a rule follower and I’m so worried that I will do something wrong on my blog. Are there any basic legal things we should know about when first starting out?”

This is a great question and there are so many people I’ve talked to who want to start a blog but they’re so scared of doing the wrong thing or accidentally doing something illegal.

How to Make More Money as a Blogger: 3 Questions to Ask Yourself

Making Money • Product Creation 2 Comments

Are you wishing you could make more money as a blogger? Or do you just wonder how to get started making money in the first place?

So many people write in to me or have come up to me when I’m speaking at an event and said, “I have a topic I want to write on, but I don’t think I can monetize it as a blogger.”

While some blogs may seem easier to monetize than others, I am a firm believer that you can monetize just about any kind of blog. The way you monetize might look different than the way someone else monetizes, but you can find creative ways to successfully monetize any topic.

You see, when you build up a loyal following of people who respect what you have to say, believe in you, and trust you, they are definitely going to pay attention when you share about a product, resource, or special offer.

So when thinking about monetization, I wouldn’t stress so much about the topic of blogging, but rather how you’re going to go about setting up multiple streams of income.

4 Things You Should Do If You Want to Have a Successful Email Newsletter

Email Marketing 6 Comments

So you’ve decided to stop making excuses and and start sending an email newsletter. Now what?

If you’re going to prioritize sending an email newsletter on a regular basis, you’ll want to make sure it’s successful so that it’s worth the time and energy you invest in it!

All kinds of online experts will have varying ideas on what goes into creating a successful newsletter, but I like to keep things simple. I believe there are a few key ingredients that go into a successful email newsletter, and that if you stick to these guidelines, you’ll reap huge benefits over time!

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