News

Welcome to another edition of Sites Weekly.

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

• Content. 100+ ways to reuse, repurpose, and repromote content
• Design. 10 ways to increase mobile checkout conversions in 2018
• Technology. What does natural language processing mean for writers, content, and digital marketing?
• Strategy. Visitors need value propositions
• Bonus. A timeless social media lesson we can never be reminded of too often

But first …

Last week on Sites

Are you ready to get more attention, drive traffic, and build community? Social media is a great place to do this ÔÇö but, as with anything else, you should have a smart, coherent strategy to make sure that you arenÔÇÖt wasting your time.

Listen: [51] 3Q for a Smart Social Media Strategy

Social media channels play an important role in driving visitors to your WordPress site. And if you are persistent, reaching influencers on social media can dramatically expand your online reach. In this 26-minute episode, Sean Jackson interviews Katy Katz on the tactics and techniques you can use right now to expand the reach and influence of your WordPress site.

Listen: [52] The Simple Way to Manage Social Media for Maximum Success

And now, on to this week’s links …

Content: 100+ ways to reuse, repurpose, and repromote content

Take a quick look at this post, and it’s very clear the author is targeting the keyword phrase “recycle content marketing.” And you know what? It should rank #1 … because it’s a very useful post!

I’m sure that not all of the ideas listed here will be new to you. In fact, you’re probably doing some of them already. But I bet you’ll find at least a few that are new, and that you can add to your gameplan right now. And for that, it’s worth the perusal.

Read at HeidiCohen.com

Design: 10 ways to increase mobile checkout conversions in 2018

While more and more people are using their mobile devices for more and more of their internet activity, there is one area where mobile continues to lag behind desktop: conversions.

Here is the breakdown for why mobile users donÔÇÖt convert (data via comScore):

• 20.2% ÔÇö security concerns
• 19.6% ÔÇö unclear product details
• 19.6% ÔÇö inability to open multiple browser tabs to compare
• 19.3% ÔÇö difficulty navigating
• 18.6% ÔÇö difficulty inputting information

So clearly there is a big opportunity here. If you can improve the mobile conversion experience on your website, it stands to reason that there is probably quite a bit of room for your conversion percentage to increase. The question is how to do it.

This post provides 10 smart tips about the next steps you can take.

Read at Smashing Magazine

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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.

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Technology: What does natural language processing mean for writers, content, and digital marketing?

Is the continued development of Natural Language Processing (NLP) a threat for creators of online content? Is it a major opportunity for brands who want more efficient ways to create useful content? Is it both?

This essay from the Portent blog will take you a good bit of time to read, but you’ll come away from it with a great understanding of what NLP is, and what it will mean for the future.

Read at Portent

Strategy: Visitors need value propositions

Do you understand the unique value that you, your website, and your content are delivering to your audience? You need to — and you need to display it proudly and prominently on your website.

Otherwise, how will visitors know why they should choose you over the myriad other options out there?

That is the crux of this article, which will probably inspire you to do a deep dive on what your value proposition is. (And if you already think you know, it can’t hurt to reconfirm.)

Read at Conversion Sciences

Bonus article: A timeless social media lesson we can never be reminded of too often

Stop comparing yourself to what other people put on Instagram … or Twitter … or Facebook … or anyplace else. This is a tip that you’ve undoubtedly heard before, but it never hurts to hear it again.

Even the most disciplined among us can have weak moments when insecurities and mindlessness warp and twist our minds into thinking who we are, what we have, and/or what we’re doing are not good enough because they don’t stack up to an example we see online.

When that happens … stop.

As Gary Vaynerchuk says in this post:

“When you compare yourself to others, you forget your own POV. When thinking about what to put on social, donÔÇÖt beat yourself up and donÔÇÖt hold yourself accountable to bullshit fantasies.”

So keep putting in the work to create a great WordPress website, and build a successful online business, and use social media to help you get the word out and connect with your audience. But don’t compare yourself to others; compare yourself to your expectations for yourself. Nothing else matters.

Read at GaryVaynerchuk.com

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.

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 don’t just jump into it head first. Consider these questions to make sure you start a community in a smart and sustainable way.

Click to subscribe to Site Success on Apple Podcasts

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

• The importance of understanding how serious you are about building a community … or if it just sounds good
• Why defining the purpose for your community — for members and for yourself — is essential to getting it right long-term
• Why you should not leave the values, norms, and rules of your community to chance
• The hidden potential for your early adopters and most loyal fans to become your community helpers and ambassadors
• A discussion of the pros and cons of four different types of communities

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

• Mighty Networks

Other links of note:

• Try StudioPress Sites
• Sites Weekly Newsletter
• Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts
• Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

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.

Social media is a great way to extend your reach and influence; if you know how to do it right.

Click to subscribe to Site Success on Apple Podcasts

Social media channel play an important role in driving visitors to your WordPress site. And if you are persistent, reaching influencers on social media can dramatically expand your online reach.

In this 26 minute episode, Sean Jackson interviews Katy Katz on the tactics and techniques you can use right now to expand the reach and influence of your WordPress site.

[episode]

Important links from this episode:

• Try StudioPress Sites
• Sites Weekly Newsletter
• Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts
• Connect with Sean on Twitter

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.

Welcome to another edition of Sites Weekly.

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

• Content. Why great content alone isnÔÇÖt enough to build an audience
• Design. The science of visual marketing
• Technology. A beginner’s guide to live streaming
• Strategy. 6 important marketing challenges that are solved by influencer content
• Bonus. How Laura Roeder raised $300k in 30 days … and why she went to the dark side after being a hardcore bootstrapper)

But first …

Last week on Site Success

If you’ve been following along with our series on Site Success, then youÔÇÖve done a lot of work to get to the point we reached last week. ItÔÇÖs finally here!

YouÔÇÖre about ready to do what you, presumably, are launching a website to do: publish content so that you can build a relationship with an audience.

But before you hit publish on that first piece of content, here are three important questions to consider.

Listen: [50] 3Q Before You Publish Your First Piece of Content

And now, on to this week’s links …

Content: Why great content alone isnÔÇÖt enough to build an audience

This article features Sonia Simone using the phrase “violently agree.” What more do you need to know to be excited to click the link?

Seriously though, this post does a nice job of providing realistic and practical advice.

The question is: How do you get great content in front of the right eyeballs who will appreciate it and take action?

Find out what the pros do here.

Read at Copyblogger

Design: The science of visual marketing

This post serves as a great reminder — especially if you, like me, can easily get seduced into the fallacy that all you have to do is create the right words on a page and visitors will flock to your site, stay there and read, and then take action.

Did you know that visuals with color can affect people’s willingness to read a piece of content by as much as 80%? Learn many more interesting stats like that with this *ahem* colorful infographic.

Read at MarTech Zone

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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: A beginner’s guide to live streaming

Live streaming is all the rage these days … and for good reason.

As this article notes, citing LiveStream.com (so, umm, beware of potential bias), “80% of users would rather watch a live video than read a blog from a brand. With 82% preferring live video to social posts.”

Even if those numbers are inflated, it would be foolish to doubt the impact of live streaming when it comes to grabbing attention and building authority on social media.

I’ve learned the power of live streaming firsthand as we have built our audience over at The Assembly Call. Our audience growth, and the depth of our relationship with our audience, accelerated when we started broadcasting live video.

We’re taking the next step soon, as we will be broadcasting simultaneously to YouTube, Facebook Live, and Periscope. (It took me a long time to figure out the best way to do this. If you’re interested in knowing how, send me an email. At some point I’ll write up a tutorial.)

Anyway, if you’ve been thinking about live streaming but don’t know where to start, give this article a read. Heck, even if you’re a grizzled live streaming veteran, give it a read. I learned about a new site I haven’t been streaming to that may end up being an interesting way for us to reach a younger audience.

Read at Design Beep

Strategy: 6 important marketing challenges that are solved by influencer content

If you’re running a website, chances are that you are doing content marketing of some type. You may even be buying ads to drive targeted traffic to specific landing pages. In which case you’re running into the same challenges everyone else is.

Challenges like …

• Ad blockers
• Information overload for your audience
• Lack of trust (especially if you’re still early in your journey)
• Organic social not providing the boost it once did

And others.

Well, how do you overcome those challenges? One way is by employing a smart, well-thought-out influencer marketing program. And in this post by Lee Odden, you’ll learn how influencer marketing will help you overcome these challenges, and a few more.

Read at Top Rank Marketing

Bonus article: How Laura Roeder raised $300k in 30 days … and why she went to the dark side after being a hardcore bootstrapper)

Laura Roeder, the founder of MeetEdgar, has an impressive list of accomplishments. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her, seeing her speak, and interviewing her on a podcast, and it doesn’t take long to figure out why she’s been successful.

This post that she wrote in February is a compelling story, and it offers several lessons that all of us can learn from … even if we’re never in the position of needing to raise half a million dollars in a few weeks.

My main takeaways:

1. The importance of making a commitment about your budget … and then not budging from it.
2. Don’t put all your eggs into one basket.
3. Never let the passion seep out of your pitch when you’re trying to transfer your enthusiasm to someone else (i.e., sell).

Read at Ropig

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.

Corporate Pro is a smart investment for small businesses and professional entrepreneurs who want to build trust and authority in their space.

The Corporate Pro theme was built by our talented friends at SEO Themes, who want to help you achieve better search engine rankings by providing you with a solid foundation to build your business on.

Some key features of the Corporate Pro theme:

• Gutenberg support — Basic styles for the experimental new WordPress editor which is expected to be merged into Core.
• Custom colors — Corporate allows you to customize the colors of your website, with transparency options giving you even more control.
• One-click demo import —┬áSet up your theme just like how you see it in the demo in 5 minutes or less.
• Amp-ready —┬áEasily setup Accelerated Mobile Pages to make your website lightning fast on mobile devices.
• WooCommerce compatible —┬áFully integrated with the worldÔÇÖs most popular WordPress eCommerce plugin.

View the demo here — it’s definitely worth checking out!

Get the Corporate Pro theme

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.

Now that you have everything in place to build your email list, and you are publishing content, itÔÇÖs time to start getting some attention, driving traffic, and building community. Social media is a great place to do this — but, as with anything else, you should have a smart, coherent strategy to make sure that you arenÔÇÖt wasting your time.

Click to subscribe to Site Success on Apple Podcasts

And one of the questions IÔÇÖm going to propose that you ask yourself may be a bit surprising, because it takes a different view of social media than how we usually think about it …

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

• Why determining which social media channel you NEED to be on is the clear first step
• The importance of being prepared to listen, interact, and offer value more than just posting links
• Why listening to your audience in their natural habitat is one of the greatest, and most underrated, features of social media
• What can you automate? And what should you use to do it?

Other links of note:

• Try StudioPress Sites
• Sites Weekly Newsletter
• Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts
• Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

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.

Welcome to another edition of Sites Weekly.

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

• Content. 3 false beliefs about conversational copywriting that make good copywriters want to scream
• Design. Create better design with a content-first approach
• Technology. Why you should have a good WordPress backup solution
• Strategy. How to know when to install a plugin, or when to avoid it
• Bonus. How to say “no” to opportunities in a way that is gracious and empathetic

But first …

Last week on Sites

Recently, we discussed three key components for adding opt-in incentives to your website. But an opt-in form is only going to be as effective as the incentive you are promising. So last week, we discussed three questions you should be asking yourself to make sure your opt-in incentive is irresistible to your audience.

Listen: [48] 3Q for Making Your Opt-In Incentive Irresistible

And then here is the second part of our interview with Chris Garrett, Chief Digital Officer of Rainmaker Digital, on the best messaging for your siteÔÇÖs opt-in forms so you can build your subscriber base as big (and attentive) as possible.

Listen: [49] The Right Way to Add Opt-In Forms to Your WordPress Site, Part Two

And now, on to this week’s links …

Content: 3 false beliefs about conversational copywriting that make good copywriters want to scream

Nick Usborne has been working as a copywriter, and training other copywriters, for over 35 years. He’s seen it all. And he’s a big proponent of conversational copywriting, which he describes as “the zero-hype, no-BS antidote to the hard-sell approach.”

But there are some myths floating around about conversational copywriting that he doesn’t like — because he thinks they show that a lot of present-day marketers and copywriters just don’t get what is truly at the heart of good, effective conversational copywriting.

Do any of these myths apply to your thinking … even if you may not realize it?

Read at Copyblogger

Design: Create better design with a content-first approach

This is a fundamental concept that is too often ignored. I covered it in a recent episode of Site Success.

How do you know what your design needs to be and do if you don’t know what kind of story you’re trying to tell, who you’re trying to tell it to, and how you’re going to tell it? That is why a content-first approach is really the only way (outside of dumb, blind luck) to end up with an effective design.

Read at Design Modo

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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: Why you should have a good WordPress backup solution

You might not expect a worthwhile summary of the need for a WordPress backup solution to come from a technology blog, but this article fits that unexpected bill.

An important note to remember: “WordPress with its simplicity and ease of use has made possible for anyone to have a blog or set up a website. And this can sometimes pull you in a false sense of security. So one of the most important thing in running any website is to have its fresh backup.”

Don’t get lulled into a false sense of security. Make sure you have a solid backup solution in place. The article lists five good ones at the end. You should also, of course, consider hosting your WordPress website with a host that has a backup solution already in place for you.

Read at Design Beep

Strategy: How to know when to install a plugin, or when to avoid it

As I’ve said many times in many different forums: plugins are one of the greatest strength of WordPress … as well as one of its greatest weaknesses.

Plugins offer incredible power, customization, and potential for good, but they also carry with them risk, the need for ongoing attention, and the potential for trouble.

So it’s important to take the install-or-not question seriously with each plugin you consider. This post from Torque highlights a couple of essential questions to ask yourself before installing any plugin. I especially liked the second question, because it’s not a piece of advice I usually see on this topic.

Read at Torque

Bonus article: How to say “no” to opportunities in a way that is gracious and empathetic

Here is a post from Paul Jarvis that provides advice on a topic that can be especially thorny for so many of us who work online, and who endeavor to build something on our own: how do we assess new opportunities that crop up, and how do we say “no” to the ones that just aren’t the right fit?

It’s so important to remember that “a lot of the time, the cost of an opportunity actually outweighs the opportunity itself.” Paul shares how he assesses opportunities, and some methods he’s used to “kindly” reject those that aren’t right for him to take on.

Read at PJRVS.com

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.

You’ve done a lot of work to get to this point. Now it’s finally here! You’re about ready to do what you, presumably, are launching a website to do: publish content so that you can build a relationship with an audience. But before you hit publish on that first piece of content, here are three important questions to consider first.

Click to subscribe to Site Success on Apple Podcasts

Click to subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts

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

• An explanation for why it took us so long to get to actually publishing content
• Why the pursuit of perfection can actually do more harm than good for your audience-building efforts
• The tricky balance you have to strike when it comes to creating publish-ready content
• Why it’s so important that your headline be more than just good
• The 50/50 rule, the 80/20 rule, and the 4 U’s
• Why you need to stop and assess the reader experience before hitting publish, and how to do it properly

[episode]

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

• Writing Headlines That Get Results — by Brian Clark

Other links of note:

• Try StudioPress Sites
• Sites Weekly Newsletter
• Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts
• Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

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.

This is the second part of our interview with Chris Garrett, Chief Digital Officer of Rainmaker Digital, on the best messaging for your site’s opt-in forms so you can build your subscriber base as big (and attentive) as possible.

Click to subscribe to Site Success on Apple Podcasts

Creating a compelling offer is an essential part of the opt-in process. The right calls to action can drastically improve your response rates, if you know the right way to do it.

In this episode, Sean Jackson and Chris Garrett discuss the messaging and methods for promoting your opt-in forms with specific tactics and terms that can make a huge difference.

Important links from this episode:

• Joanne Wiebe’s articles on how to improve response rates
• The Right Way to Add Opt-In Forms to Your WordPress Site, Part One
• Try StudioPress Sites
• Sites Weekly Newsletter
• Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts
• Connect with Sean on Twitter

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.

Welcome to another edition of Sites Weekly.

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

• Content. A quick tip for the next time you’re struggling to finish a blog post
• Design. 27 useful, research-backed tips to help you design a website that works
• Technology. An in-depth tutorial on how to use Amazon Polly
• Strategy. Durable URLs for SEO: how, when & why to use them
• Bonus. How to decide if you really need to schedule a meeting

But first …

Last week on Sites

This is the beginning of a two-part series in which I give you advice to help you choose the right kind of opt-in forms for your site, and then combine them with an irresistible opt-in incentive to drive major subscriber growth. We began with three questions to help you add the right opt-in forms to your site … without incurring dreaded Google penalties.

Listen: [46] 3Q for Adding Opt-In Forms to Your Website (Without Incurring Google Penalties)

Opt-in forms are an essential part of the online marketing experience. Executed well, your subscriber base can grow dramatically. But if you are not careful, you could alienate your audience, or worse ÔÇö and see no return on your efforts. In this episode, Sean Jackson and Chris Garrett cover the basics of where to place your opt-in forms and discuss several tools you should consider.

Listen: [47] The Right Way to Add Opt-In Forms to Your WordPress Site, Part One

And now, on to this week’s links …

Content: A quick tip for the next time you’re struggling to finish a blog post

The process of writing a blog post so often begins with a flurry of focused inspiration and enthusiasm … only to get bogged down with struggles to find the perfect words, organize too much information, and settle on a perfect (or even just acceptable) way to conclude. At least for me. How about you?

This week on Copyblogger, I came across a great tip from Stefanie Flaxman that I know is going to help me out the next time I get bogged down with a blog post. It will likely help you too.

A taste:

“Length doesnÔÇÖt matter. A short post could be cluttered and convoluted; a long post could be cluttered and convoluted. A long post could be clear and crisp; a short post could be clear and crisp.

Even the busiest readers will make time for focused content, regardless of length, because they know theyÔÇÖll get a payoff for their investment in it.”

Click below to find out how to keep your content focused.

Read at Copyblogger

Design: 27 useful, research-backed tips to help you design a website that works

This is an epic post — and worth the 20 minutes it claims you’ll need to read it.

A few interesting design nuggets I pulled out of this one:

• The “fold” still matters (of course), and there are tools that will help you see where the “average fold” is for your site.
• “The page was 20x longer. The conversion rate went up by 30%.”
• Beware of “false bottoms” (a concept I was not aware of until now).
• Use images with faces … but not stock images that are nothing more than “filler.”
• Faces, arrows, and colors can all be used as attention cues.
• Why descriptive, meaningful subheads matter.
• The power of loss aversion and how to weave it into your design and copy.

There are many more — as it says above, 27 in total. Take the time to peruse them all.

Read at Orbit Media

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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: An in-depth tutorial on how to use Amazon Polly

Last week, I linked to a post at BobWP, and I mentioned that one of the reasons I was intrigued by the piece was its use of Amazon Polly to provide an audio version of the blog post.

Well, lo and behold, Bob has gone and written an in-depth post about why he decided to try Polly, how he set it up and uses it on his site, and what his current thoughts are about how much he’ll use it in the future.

If you’re interested in a low-cost way to add audio versions of your blog post (but definitely not as a way to replace hosting your own podcast), you should read about Bob’s experience.

Read at BobWP

Strategy: Durable URLs for SEO: how, when & why to use them

I have used durable URLs plenty of times in the past … but I didn’t realize they were called “durable URLs.” So this post went in a different direction than I thought it would when I clicked on the headline. But it’s a useful one.

An overview of what a durable URL is:

“A durable URL is one that is stable and could be updated with fresh content in the future while continuing to rank for many original keyword targets and maintaining ranking signals over time.

A durable URL doesnÔÇÖt need to have already been updated to be thought of as durable — and plenty of URLs are updated frequently that wouldnÔÇÖt be described as durable.

ItÔÇÖs simply a way of thinking about URLs, especially while theyÔÇÖre being created, which allows for future success through the accumulation of signals like inbound links.”

This post will give you some good ideas about how you might be able to strategically leverage more power from particular URLs.

Read at Search Engine Journal

Bonus article: How to decide if you really need to schedule a meeting

Meetings suck. We all agree on this, right?

Well, let me be more specific. Because some meetings are necessary and productive. Those are good meetings. Usually none of us are going to complain about those.

But poorly planned meetings — those suck.

Seth Godin has a list of questions to ask about any proposed meeting to decide if it’s worth holding. File this away for the next time you’re going to plan a meeting. If it doesn’t fit Seth’s criteria, you might want to find a different way to achieve whatever objective you had for the meeting.

Read at Seth’s blog

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.