News

Essence Pro: A Theme that Allows You to Focus on the Essentials

Announcing Essence Pro, a beautiful, clutter-free theme for sites in the health, wellness, and lifestyle niches.

Imagined and built by our own Rafal Tomal and Chris Hufnagel, it’s designed for simplicity, both at the exterior and on the back end, allowing you and your readers to focus on the essentials.

Essence Pro

Some key features include:

  • Customizable header┬áÔÇö Express yourself and communicate your purpose with a large, airy visual hero area.
  • Flexible widget areas ÔÇö ┬áMore control of what goes where on your homepage.
  • Magazine style┬áÔÇö Put your best content to the fore with the magazine-style layout.
  • Dedicated footer opt-in section ÔÇö Convert more visitors to long-term readers with the footer opt-in.
  • Custom colors┬áÔÇö Customize the colors of your website to your own needs, with transparency options giving you even more control.
  • WooCommerce compatible┬áÔÇö┬áFully integrated with the worldÔÇÖs most popular WordPress eCommerce plugin.

View the demo and refresh your site with Essence Pro today.

Essence Theme Details & Pricing

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

[59] 3Q for Optimizing Your Keyword Strategy

How do you attract more search visitors to your site? And more importantly, how do you make sure that the majority of those visitors are members of your target audience? Your keyword strategy will play a huge role in this, and this episode you will discover three areas of focus that will optimize your keyword strategy for success.

Click to subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts

Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll find in this episode:

  • A recap of our SEO series thus far
  • Why you need to trust your intuition, but also inform it further
  • The power of creating cornerstone content to target short-tail keywords
  • Why long-tail keywords shouldn’t be overlooked — and why they can sometimes be even more valuable than the short-tail ones

Other links of note:

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Sites Weekly: How Web Security Affects SEO

Welcome to another edition of Sites Weekly.

In this week’s edition, you will find links to articles about the following:

  • Content. 7 common mistakes we all make while starting out on our blog journeys
  • Design. 3 ways your web design can better connect you to your audience
  • Technology. How web security affects SEO
  • Strategy. 7 insider Pinterest strategy tips you need to know (from Pinterest)
  • Bonus. Do it because your soul demands it

But first …

Last week on Sites

Now that you have a live website, and youÔÇÖre publishing posts, and youÔÇÖre building community and gathering subscribers, itÔÇÖs time to start optimizing what youÔÇÖve got. And there is no better place to start your optimization than with search engine optimization. This episode begins a multi-part series on improving your SEO, and we start by discussing how to optimize your websiteÔÇÖs performance.

Listen: [57] 3Q for Optimizing Your WebsiteÔÇÖs Performance

And now, on to this week’s links …

Content: 7 common mistakes we all make while starting out on our blog journeys

There is a good chance that nothing you read in this post will be new … but sometimes getting reminders of age-old, proven advice can be just what the doctor ordered.

So if you’re new and want a quick preview of how to avoid some pitfalls, or you’re a grizzled veteran who just wants to make sure your i’s are crossed and t’s are dotted … peruse this post.

Read at Torque

Design: 3 ways your web design can better connect you to your audience

Here is an oldie but a goodie from Rafal Tomal. It provides guidance on how to design for humans, how to design for emotions, and how to design to tell a story.

I always learn something valuable from Rafal’s posts, which is why I dug into the archive for another look at this one.

Read at Copyblogger

StudioPress logo

Two of the most important decisions you will make about your WordPress website are your theme and your hosting. Wouldn’t it be great if they worked together to make your website more powerful?

Now they can.

Discover why over 213,675 website owners trust StudioPress.

Technology: How web security affects SEO

Search engines want to deliver the best possible experience to their visitors who type in search queries seeking information. A big part of that experience is finding the information they are looking for … obviously.

But another important element in that experience is not arriving on a sketchy site that might put user information at risk.

So yes — while you already know how important web security is for simply keeping your website up and running as intended, don’t forget that it also has a huge impact on SEO as well.

Read at MarTech Zone

Strategy: 7 insider Pinterest strategy tips you need to know (from Pinterest)

Does your brand have a visual component that you are looking to leverage in your quest to build a bigger and more engaged audience? Then Pinterest should be a part of your social media strategy.

In this post, Donna Moritz relays seven tips for how to use Pinterest properly (for everything from SEO to hashtags) from Pinterest’s own Head of Product Marketing.

Read at Socially Sorted

Bonus article: Do it because your soul demands it

I sometimes wonder why I spend so much time talking about a college basketball team, and creating content that is outdated 48 hours after it’s posted. (For my side project, The Assembly Call.)

Well, this post pretty much sums it up.

And yes, I do consider it art. ?

Read at Gaping Void

So …

Which of the ideas in these posts will you put to good use immediately?

I’ll be back with a new edition next week.

Keep building.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

[58] 3Q for Local SEO Done Right

As we continue our series on SEO, we’re diving into local SEO this week. And we have a special guest to help out with this week’s lesson — and it’s a voice you know well: Sean Jackson. He provides insight on what NAP means, how to harness the power of reviews, and why images make such a big difference for local SEO.

Click to subscribe to Site Success on Apple Podcasts

Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll find in this episode:

  • Who needs to pay attention to local SEO
  • What NAP is and why consistency is so important
  • The difference that reviews make, and strategies for how to get more of them
  • The power of encouraging an open feedback loop
  • How to harness the power of images for local SEO success

Other links of note:

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Sites Weekly: How to Improve Your Facebook Data Privacy

Welcome to another edition of Sites Weekly.

In this week’s edition, you will find links to articles about the following:

  • Content. 3 simple ways to get started with relationship-building webinars
  • Design. 9 fundamental UX principles that will boost your conversions
  • Technology. How to build a diverse & healthy link profile
  • Strategy. 9 things Darren Rowse wishes he knew about blogging (that will accelerate the growth of your blog)
  • Bonus. How to improve your data privacy on Facebook

But first …

ALERT: Get the Pro Plus All-Theme Pack for a huge discount this week

In case you missed it, there is a big-time promotion going on over at StudioPress.com. You can currently get the Pro Plus Pack — which includes all themes designed by StudioPress as well as a few generous handfuls of third-party themes.

It’s easily the greatest value in the StudioPress universe.

If you’re interested, don’t hesitate to check out the details. The offer is good until next Monday, May 14 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

Click here to learn more about this week’s big Pro Plus discount.

Last week on Sites

You can waste a lot of time creating amazing content if you donÔÇÖt invest similarly in writing irresistible headlines. WhatÔÇÖs the point of great content if you canÔÇÖt get anyone to click on it in the first place? In this episode, we walk you through the mindset and techniques you need to write the kind of headlines that will fill your audience funnel with the kind of people you need so that your content can work its long-term magic.

Listen: [55] 3Q for Writing Irresistible Headlines that Will Accelerate Your Audience Growth

Brian Clark has written a lot of headlines. And the vast majority of those headlines have been very effective in achieving their simple goal of getting you to click on a post and read it. In this discussion, we tease out BrianÔÇÖs best and latest advice on how to write magnetic headlines that readers wonÔÇÖt be able to resist clicking on.

Listen: [56] Brian ClarkÔÇÖs Best Advice on How to Write Better Headlines

Wait, wait — there is a Copyblogger book club now?!

Indeed. I’m very excited about this development. It’s an idea that has been bandied about on editorial calls since I joined the company, but the timing was never quite right. Now it is, and there is no better person to be hosting it than the incomparable Sonia Simone.

Want to find out more about the first book selection? Announcing: The Copyblogger Book Club!

And now, on to this week’s links …

Content: 3 simple ways to get started with relationship-building webinars

I’ve hosted a lot of webinars in my time working for Copyblogger/Rainmaker Digital. And no one has been my partner on more webinars than the esteemed Chris Garrett.

And let me just tell you: There was no greater feeling of confidence and security as a webinar host than knowing I was being flanked by Chris. So I was quite excited when I saw that he published an article on Copyblogger last week about webinars.

Where Chris really excels is in the Q&A section of webinars. And in this blog post, he offers three simple ways to move past any fear you might have about that portion of the presentation.

Read at Copyblogger

Design: 9 fundamental UX principles that will boost your conversions

If you are planning to redesign your website at any point in the future, I have two pieces of advice for you:

One, browse the latest themes in the StudioPress Showcase, of course. ?

Two, read this blog post from Portent. It will give you some great ideas right now for elements of your website that can be improved. I also recommend bookmarking it where you put especially useful posts that you want quick access to at some point down the line when they are more immediately relevant.

Read at Portent

StudioPress logo

Two of the most important decisions you will make about your WordPress website are your theme and your hosting. Wouldn’t it be great if they worked together to make your website more powerful?

Now they can.

Discover why over 213,675 website owners trust StudioPress.

Technology: How to build a diverse & healthy link profile

We’re talking about SEO this month over at the Site Success podcast, and you can bet this post by Andrew Dennis will feature prominently in the episode we’re going to do about link building.

I knew I was going to recommend this article as soon as I saw this line, in reference to guest posting as a way to drive new links:

“A good rule to remember while guest posting is to ask yourself whether you would contribute to the site if all links were rel=nofollow.”

Chalk up another victory for the best SEO strategy being the one that leads you in the direction of serving your audience as best you can. It also discusses the concepts of broken link building and unlinked mentions in ways I hadn’t thought of them before.

Read at Search Engine Journal

Strategy: 9 things Darren Rowse wishes he knew about blogging (that will accelerate the growth of YOUR blog)

Darren Rowse is one of the legends in the world of blogging and online content. He’s also one of the nicest and most genuinely kind people you could ever hope to interact with.

So it comes as no surprise that the first of Darren’s lessons about blogging that he wishes he knew earlier on is: Understand and engage with your audience. Know your readersÔÇÖ needs.

Or maybe it is a surprise? It’s easy to assume that someone like Darren always realized this right from the beginning. But it just goes to show that even the greats have faced a learning curve on their paths to success.

That is one of the reason why people like Darren and Brian Clark have always been such great examples to follow. They started earlier than the rest of us — which allowed them to make their mistakes earlier than the rest of us — and they’ve kept at it ever since, showing their work along the way as their experience, expertise, and success have multiplied over time.

This post includes audio and slides from Darren’s presentation at Social Media Marketing World, as well as a full transcript.

Read and Listen at ProBlogger

Bonus article: How to improve your data privacy on Facebook

If you’re going to stay on Facebook — so far I am, less out of personal choice than professional necessity — then you need to make sure your data is protected. That means updating your privacy settings to be more stringent than they are by default.

This post will help you take some important steps in that direction.

Read at Hongkiat

So …

Which of the ideas in these posts will you put to good use immediately?

I’ll be back with a new edition next week.

Keep building.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

[57] 3Q for Optimizing Your WebsiteÔÇÖs Performance

Now that you have a live website, and youÔÇÖre publishing posts, and youÔÇÖre building community and gathering subscribers, itÔÇÖs time to start optimizing what youÔÇÖve got. And there is no better place to start your optimization than with search engine optimization. This episode begins a multi-part series on improving your SEO, and we start this week by discussing how to optimize your website’s performance.

Click to subscribe to Site Success on Apple Podcasts

Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll find in this episode:

  • A description of why optimizing for search engines is actually just optimizing your human users
  • How to find out some “low hanging fruit” in terms of ways to make your site load faster
  • How to determine if your site is delivering an optimal mobile experience
  • Why you should be making the most of Google Search Console

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Other links of note:

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

[56] Brian ClarkÔÇÖs Best Advice on How to Write Better Headlines

Brian Clark has written a lot of headlines. And the vast majority of those headlines have been very effective in achieving their simple goal of getting you to click on a post and read it. In this discussion, we tease out Brian’s best and latest advice on how to write magnetic headlines that readers won’t be able to resist clicking on.

Click to subscribe to Site Success on Apple Podcasts

Other links of note:

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Sites Weekly: The Key to Content Marketing that Works

Welcome to another edition of Sites Weekly.

In this week’s edition, you will find links to articles about the following:

  • Content. Why empathetic storytelling is the key to content marketing that works
  • Design. 6 ways to apply the principles of design to your life
  • Technology. Google wants to make audio content searchable
  • Strategy. Aggressive sell or soft sell — what works better?
  • Bonus. Becoming the obvious choice

But first …

Last week on Sites

As you start building your audience, you may find yourself wondering how you can increase connection and give people more reason to interact with you and your ideas. One great way is to establish a community around your content. But donÔÇÖt just jump into it head first. Consider these questions to make sure you start a community in a smart and sustainable way.

Listen: [53] 3Q for Establishing a Community Around Your Content

How do you build a community up from nothing, attract the right kind of people, and repel the kinds of fanatics and fools who threaten to derail all of your hard work? In this edition of Site Success, Sean Jackson and I discuss some of the fundamental elements of building a community the right way … from the start.

Listen: [54] How to Build a Community that Attracts the Right Kind of Members

And now, on to this week’s links …

Content: Why empathetic storytelling is the key to content marketing that works

I have half a mind to not link to this article … because I hate the headline. It’s clickbait-y and misleading, and I wasn’t about to use it for the subhead of this section.

The original headline is “Does Content Marketing Actually Work?” Pretty provocative, right? But before the author is even done with the intro, she presents evidence that content marketing does work and then moves on to dissecting why it works.

That’s when we get to the good stuff. And it is good stuff. She dives into the importance of storytelling and provides advice for how to use storytelling in content to drive results.

So it’s worth reading … just not for the reason the headline may lead you to believe. ?

Read at Portent

Design: 6 ways to apply the principles of design to your life

This post is unlikely to help you improve the design of your WordPress website, but it might help you make meaningful changes to your life, which is what your WordPress website should help you achieve anyway.

So let’s take a break from specific design tips this week to indulge in some tips for ourselves that are inspired by the principles of design.

Here is a taste:

“If you lose momentum, just acknowledge that it’s bound to happen, and then go back to the life plan you mapped out and remind yourself that there are certain things you need to be applying. Don’t beat yourself up about going off track.”

Read at Creative Bloq

StudioPress logo

Two of the most important decisions you will make about your WordPress website are your theme and your hosting. Wouldn’t it be great if they worked together to make your website more powerful?

Now they can.

Discover why over 213,675 website owners trust StudioPress.

Technology: Google wants to make audio content searchable

Okay, so I’m a gigantic nerd about all things related to online content and marketing. You probably know this by now.

Which is why this line made me laugh out loud and nearly caused me to snort coffee on my laptop:

“LetÔÇÖs just hope it doesnÔÇÖt lead to podcasters repeating words over and over again in attempt to rank for certain keywords.”

It’s a ridiculous notion … except for the fact that you know podcasters would start doing it if they thought it would translate to more traffic, downloads, and listens. ?

In what context was the line provided? A post about Google wanting to make audio content more searchable. I’m intrigued and excited about this … but I have no desire to keyword-stuff my episodes!

Read at Search Engine Journal

Strategy: Aggressive sell or soft sell — what works better?

In this post, Sonia Simone coins a new term to describe a marketer who is in between using white hat tactics (the purest of the pure) and black hat tactics (lying and manipulation).

She describes an “orange hat marketer” as someone who is … exceptionally comfortable with cheese. You’ll have to click and read to find out what she means by that.

Here is the crux of the article:

“If a ‘salesy’ approach works for you, and youÔÇÖre not lying to your audience (or yourself), keep doing it.

I donÔÇÖt think itÔÇÖs immoral or wrong to use cheesy sales and marketing techniques.

I just donÔÇÖt happen to believe that ‘it works’ all that well for most audiences today. But if your tests are demonstrating otherwise for you, more power to you.”

If you’re deciding whether you need to be less aggressive with how you’re selling or if it’s time to put the pedal to the metal, make sure you peruse Sonia’s guidance.

Read at Copyblogger

Bonus article: Becoming the obvious choice

And to close this edition, here is a short but profound reminder that “itÔÇÖs not just what we say that counts, itÔÇÖs also how and when we say it that matters.”

Read at The Story of Telling

So …

Which of the ideas in these posts will you put to good use immediately?

I’ll be back with a new edition next week.

Keep building.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

[55] 3Q for Writing Irresistible Headlines that Will Accelerate Your Audience Growth

You can waste a lot of time creating amazing content if you don’t invest similarly in writing irresistible headlines. What’s the point of great content if you can’t get anyone to click on it in the first place? In this episode, we walk you through the mindset and techniques you need to write the kind of headlines that will fill your audience funnel with the kind of people you need so that your content can work its long-term magic.

Click to subscribe to Site Success on Apple Podcasts

Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll find in this episode:

  • A review of the section in Episode 50 where we discussed headlines, including: the 50/50 rule, the 80/20 rule, and the four U’s.
  • Why your headline has to make a promise, and why that promise needs to be benefit-driven
  • An explanation of explicit and implicit benefits (and when you need to use one or the other)
  • Additional questions you should ask yourself (see below) once you’ve arrived at a headline you’re satisfied with
  • Why your content absolutely must deliver on the promise that your headline makes
  • Jerod’s unexpected mini-rant on why delivering on your headline’s promise is so important

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Here are the additional questions you should ask yourself about your headline:

  • Have you looked at templates for successful headlines to see if one might fit your content a little better?
  • Look at your recent headlines — are you falling into familiar patterns? Do you need to shake it up a bit?
  • Do you have two competing ideas that might be worth testing?
  • Have you spent a few minutes wordsmithing it to see if you can get the main keyword closer to the beginning? (Not just for SEO, but to make sure itÔÇÖs visible in search and podcast directories)?
  • Is there a verb to make it more kinetic?
  • Are you using the passive voice? DonÔÇÖt!
  • Is your headline as short and to-the-point as it can possibly be (while still including main keywords, clearly articulating a promise, and describing a benefit)?

Other links of note:

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

[54] How to Build a Community that Attracts the Right Kind of Members

How do you build a community up from nothing, attract the right kind of people, and repel the kinds of fanatics and fools who threaten to derail all of your hard work? In this edition of Site Success, Sean Jackson and Jerod Morris discuss some of the fundamental elements of building a community the right way … from the start.

Click to subscribe to Site Success on Apple Podcasts

Other links of note:

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.