PureBlogging

Over the last few days, I’ve started to get requests from bloggers who would like to submit articles for inclusion here at PureBlogging. While it’s not something that I had really considered, I have to admit it is an intriguing possibility. Additional authors could offer differing points of view and expand the appeal of this blog. So, I have decided to extend an offer to the PureBlogging Community.

If you have a passion for blogging, enjoy writing about it, and want to earn a little extra money, I would love to hear from you. I’m not looking for the next great novelist, but I would like to find a few people who can put together interesting and engaging content.

Here are a few reasons you should consider writing for PureBlogging:

• Get free exposure for your blog or website.
• Improve your writing and research skills through daily usage.
• Establish your reputation as an expert in your field.
• Be part of a growing community.
• Earn more money!

Each post will link to the author’s profile page and can include a short blurb about the author and their blog or website. A list of authors will be displayed in the sidebar on every page of Pureblogging with a link to the author’s profile page. The profile page can include a link to their website, contact information, biographical information, and a list of all articles written for PureBlogging.

Authors will also earn 75% of all AdSense revenue generated by their posts and can post as frequently as they want but I would like to see at least two posts per month.

Possible Topics (Other topics may be considered):

• Blogging
• Website Promotion
• Search Engine Optimization
• Affiliate Marketing
• Website Design & Development
• CSS

Basically, I’m looking for creative people who really get blogging, enjoy sharing their opinions, and want to be part of a growing community of like minded people. If this appeals to you then I’d love to hear from you.

Welcome to this week’s edition of Weekend Links! Every Friday, I reward the active members of this community by featuring an interesting post from the top commentators.

If you would like to see your post featured here, just join the conversation by commenting regularly and next week you just may make the list.

Here’s this week’s list:

• Review My Blog - Get A Free Linkback and A Free Nintendo Wii! by Search Engine Marketing
• Where Is Your Focus? - Daily Motivation by JoLynn
• Blog Withdrawal by Bobs
• Top 5 Must-Have Blog Monitoring Tools by egon
• Have Firefox And Thunderbird Use The Same Profiles On A Dual-Booting Machine by Saman Sadeghi
• Passion and Productivity by Adam aka PixelHead
• Cult of Apple - Part 3 by The Thinking Blog
• Choosing The Right Affiliate Programs by Website Revenues
• What is an Omentum and What does it Look Like? by JoLynn Braley

There you go… we have 9 links from 8 different blogs this week. Jolynn makes the list twice and for the second week in a row, Manny makes the list but doesn’t leave an URL for his blog.

Have a great weekend!

Every blogger would like to get more search engine traffic so here’s a list of WordPress plugins that can help make your blog more search engine friendly.

1. Google Sitemap Generator - Generates a compliant XML sitemap for your WordPress blog that is supported by Google, YAHOO, Ask, and MSN Search.
2. Permalink Redirect - Helps you avoid duplicate content penalties by making sure that pages and posts are always accessed via the permalink. If a requested URI is different from the permalink, a 301 permanent redirect will be issued.
3. SEO Title Tag - This plugin makes it easy to optimize every title tag for every post, static page, or category page on your blog.
4. Dup Prevent - Helps you avoid being penalized by Google for duplicate content by inserting NOINDEX meta tag in pages that might trigger Google’s duplicate content filters. (Update: It seems that WPSEO.com is having technical difficulties but you can also try All in One SEO Pack which offers the same functionality plus additional features.)
5. WWW Redirect - This plugin allows users to have more control over the URI in which search engines and users access their blog. By doing so, you’re giving search engines and users a consistent link for accessing your content.

What are some of your favorite WordPress SEO plugins?

This post was written to take part in Darren’s latest Group Writing Project.

This is the second and final post in the series on converting first time visitors into regular readers. If you haven’t already, make sure you check out part 1 of this series.

So, let’s get started. Here are 5 more tips that should help you convert more readers.

1. Use Descriptive Titles
   Your post titles should tell the reader what your post is about. With so many blogs and so much content available, readers tend to scan a page or feed looking for relevant or interesting information. Make it easy for them by clearly describing your post’s content in your titles.
2. Include Related Posts
   You should always include links to related information below each post. When visitors find an interesting post on your blog, why not point them to other posts with similar information? Doing so can greatly increase the chances that they will become regular readers.
3. Include a Post Archive or Site Map
   A lot of your traffic will come from search engines and as a result, many visitors will be visiting your site for the first time. Providing an archive or site map is an excellent way to let users scan your entire collection of posts. It’s kind of like having a Table of Contents for your blog.
4. Include a Search Function
   As mentioned previously, we want to make it easy for visitors to find relevant information and many will look for a search function. You could even use Google’s SiteSearch, which not only allows visitors to search your site but also adds another potential income stream.
5. Promote Your Feed… Again
   After every post, you should include a link to your RSS feed. What better time to ask for a subscription? If they found your post to be interesting or helpful there is a good chance they may subscribe.

I know there are many other ways to convert first time visitors into regular readers but I’ve found these methods to be very effective. I hope you find them useful as well.

If you have any ideas or suggestions on converting readers, feel free to share them below.

Blogging Tips is one of the feeds that I read every day so when Kevin requested a review, I was more than happy to oblige. The following are my thoughts and opinions on his site.

URL
http://www.bloggingtips.com

About
The tagline says, “Take your blog to the next level!”, and I think that is a pretty accurate description of what this site can help you do. Kevin has been involved in web development since 2000 and has managed several webmaster related resource sites and forums in that time. Blogging Tips was created to share the things he has learned over the years and help you improve your blog.

Pros
There is a lot to like and here are a couple of things that stand out to me.

1. Content: Content is king and Blogging Tips does not disappoint in that area. The site may be relatively new but the archives are already packed with many, many excellent tips and ideas. Some samples include:
   • A Beginners guide to installing Wordpress
   • Creating an Archives page in Wordpress
   • Flip Your Blog To Stand Out From The Crowd
   • Look mum, I’m an Internet Entrepreneur!
   • Is it wrong to blog for money?
   • 21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic
2. Design: In general, I like the 3-column design with the large content area in the center. I think it provides a lot of flexibility and does a good job of framing the main content. The ads also blend well with the overall design and are not intrusive at all.
3. Extras: Kevin has included an excellent blogging FAQ page and has a couple of nice free Wordpress themes available for download.

Cons
I know how hard people work on their site and it’s tough to criticize something that they have worked so hard on but there are a couple of things that I feel I should point out here.

1. Sidebars: I like the layout of the site but the sidebars seem to be a little too busy and distracting. It’s hard to focus on the main content area because my attention is drawn to the sidebars.
2. Search Bar: Maybe a little too creative… it took me a while to realize what it was. I didn’t think the site a search function at first.
3. Feed: Some of Kevin’s posts are very long so I certainly understand the use of the more tag to split his posts up. Unfortunately for feed readers like myself, the more tag is not feed friendly and may cost him a few subscribers in the long run. I would suggest either not using the more tag or installing Full Text Feed, a plugin that prevents Wordpress from adding the more link to your feed.

Final Thoughts
Blogging Tips has a ton of high quality content and is regularly updated with great advice for both new and advanced bloggers. If you get a chance head on over and take a look around. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Note: The preceding post was sponsored by BloggingTips.com.

One of the challenges that we all face as bloggers is turning that first time visitor into a regular reader. This is particularly important on those days when you get dugg, stumbled, or farked. In order to survive and grow your blog, you need to have a plan in place to convert new visitors into regular readers.

I have put together a list of 10 things that I believe will help you accomplish this and I’ll talk about them here over the next couple of days.

1. What’s Your Message?
   Ask yourself a couple of questions – What is the purpose of my blog? Is it obvious? Visitors should be able to easily identify the purpose of your blog or you will quickly lose their interest. You need to give them a reason to add you to their bookmarks or subscribe to your feed and if you make your message clear, you will be a step ahead of most. Your blog will have purpose and meaning.
2. Tell Them Who You Are
   Don’t blog anonymously, include an about page and let people know more about you. Include some basic facts, like where you live, your experience, your interests, or any other biographical information. Your blog reveals your personal views and expertise, so introduce yourself to your readers and they are more likely to connect with you.
3. Create Conversation
   Write posts that have a call to action… ask your readers to get involved. By doing this you will create an environment that will encourage new visitors to get involved in the conversation. If you can draw them into the conversation, they will be back.
4. Build Relationships
   Don’t forget to get involved in the conversation yourself. Your readers will be more likely to participate if they see that you respond to comments and questions. A great way to build relationships is to show your appreciation to those who get involved by sending them a thank you email or by rewarding your top commentators.
5. Make Things Easy
   Make sure your blog is easy to navigate and use. You should prominently display links to your RSS feed and email subscription form, include links to your most important pages, and display a list of your most recent posts, as well as, your most popular posts. If your blog is easy to use and important information is easy to find you will be more likely to convert visitors into readers.

Tune in Wednesday for the second and final post in this series on converting first time visitors to loyal readers.

Update: Part 2 has been posted and can be found here.