Most Valuable Keywords FOR SEO and PPC ~ Image Credit SitechGroup.com

Keyword tags are used for two very different purposes and how many you use depends on that purpose. Most of what you read will be related to selecting keywords for SEO or Pay Per Click (ppc) purposes.

For SEO you want to target one phrase of two to three words

This is because search engines use an algorithm with percentages in it. Here is an example of how that percentage affects your content being found:
If you use two words, each word is worth 50% in that algorithm (equation). If you use four words each word is worth 25%; 10 words = 10% and so on.

If someone searches for affiliate marketing and you have targeted that exact phrase with 2 words your site is 100% for that part of the equation.

If you used four words and their search hits on two of them your site is at 50% for that part of the equation and all sites at greater than 50% will be ranked above yours (for that one factor – yes there are other factors but this one is very important).

If your page uses 10 keywords you are only at 20% – more than that even less. I know that many advise using lots of keywords. Either they don’t understand simple math or they are intentionally misleading others to make their own ranking efforts easier to attain.

I personally know many top SEOs and have listened to them discuss getting top rankings for really tough industries like mortgages and insurance. I guarantee you they always target only ONE phrase of 2-3 words per page. They just don’t admit publicly how they do it.

If you’re still not convinced or would like more details on that specific recommendation, Pay Per Click Strategies just wrote about the very strategy for selecting meta tags in their recent post simple B2B Search Marketing Tactic to Beat the Competition.

Tags used for other purposes are different. On Social Networking sites you want to use as many relevant phrases as each site allows. They aren’t calculating percentages for search rankings. They are using them to decide how many different places to put your content.

For WordPress tags and most Social Media purposes More Tags = more opportunities for visibility.

Note that you have to know what a site is doing with the keywords to know whether to use one phrase or multiple phrases. If they are searching and ranking the way search engines do, use the most important 2-3 word phrase only.

If a site uses keyword phrases to put what you share in multiple locations the way StumbleUpon or Delicious does then use many phrases.

You can either test to see which works best on each site or decide what is more important to you: maximum laser-targeted traffic or more less targeted traffic.

Here is a real life example so you can be really clear on the difference between the various uses for what are called keywords, keyword tags, meta tags or simply tags.

I just wrote a post about Deadhead Sinker Cypress for Good Millwork.Notice that I used the phrase Deadhead Sinker Cypress as my anchor text in that link and that is the primary phrase I’m targeting for SEO for that post.

When I run pay per click ads to that page I will target multiple similar phrases because there are many different ways someone would search for that type of wood.

When I selected the WordPress Post Tags for that post those tags are totally different than the Keywords aka Meta Keywords aka Tags I entered in the SEO field in their blog or the keywords I selected for their AdWords ads.

If this were a WordPress.com hosted site instead of a self-hosted blog, the Post Tags would decide who at WordPress will see that post. For these tags we want to think very broadly about who we want to reach.

For that post I chose the tags for architecture, construction, green building, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Lumber and specialty woods. Anyone interested in construction, architects drawing up plans, builders interested in green building or LEEDs and those searching for lumber or specialty woods would all be a good target audience for that post.

None of them are likely to be searching for Deadhead Sinker Cypress right now and it is unlikely that there is a WordPress category that is so narrowly defined. The point of Post Tags is to show your posts in the categories where the target audience for that post is likely to see them.

NOTE: WordPress global tags pages only display the blog posts that are hosted on WordPress.com and NOT self-hosted blogs.

Even though posts on self-hosted WordPress blogs do not appear in the WordPress global tags pages, those tags are still important because search engines and sites like Technorati crawl your blog and use those anchor-text links to categorize and index your content.

While researching links for this post it became very obvious that not everyone agrees with me about the best uses for tags and categories. Some excellent bloggers and I have different points of view and in the end some decisions are personal perference.

I mention this now because I want all my readers to remember to make their own decisions about what they feel is best for their own blog or Web site. There is always a pro or con to how we decide to do things as those who are following the KeywordLuv CommentLuv dofollow debate have seen.

In the end each of us must decide where are priorities lie, who we are, and what is most important to us.

These two other posts are particularly useful for Understanding Anchor Text and Selecting Keywords First to Make Your Content Easier to Find.

WORDPRESS HOW-TO:

NOTE: Many posts below mention an Ultimate Tag Warrior Plugin. It is no longer supported and since tagging has been incorporated into WordPress a plugin for that function is no longer necessary.

• WordPress Global Tags
• WordPress Support: Categories versus Tags
• WordPress.tv Adding Categories and Tags to Your Posts VIDEO
• WordPress Training Managing WordPress Tags VIDEO
• WordPress.org Official Getting Started with WordPress how-to information
• FreeWPTraining How to Use Tags in Your WordPress Blog Posts – Detailed post on using tags
• WordPress Training
• DevDuff WordPress Tags versus Categories

• Theme Lab How to Add WordPress Tag Support to Your Theme
• Simple Tags WordPress Plugin for Technorati Tags

TECHNORATI TAGS:

• Technorati The State of the Blogosphere 2009

SEO WORDPRESS:

There is far too much disinformation about what does and does not work. Use what you read to gain information and then VERIFY that information by your own observations. If you are not doing your own testing be careful whose advise you rely on. Here are some sites I have found to report honestly:

eMarketingMatador ~  Keith Hagan aka eMatador

• eMarketing Search Engine – Searches and filters content from the top related sites; search engine for all Internet Marketers whether you are an Affilate, Blogger, in MLM or just looking to learn.

SEOWizz ~ Tim Grice

• SEO Must’s When Blogging
• Google SEO – Using Keyword Proximity Correctly

New GrowMap Logo

Creating a consistent brand across all of your interactions both online and off is critical to your success.

The primary method for doing this is the use of a distinctive logo design. Your logo creates an immediate image – that all important first impression – responsible for how someone feels about your brand.

Done well, your logo makes your business
instantly recognizable wherever it appears.

Logo styles vary greatly depending on the niche you operate in and the size of your business. There is a distinct difference between the types of logos used by Major Corporations and businesses that interact with them and logos that will appeal to marketers, creative types and in specific niches. This difference is the first of many reasons for the wide range of prices charged by logo designers.

Do you need a $50 logo or a $1000+ logo
design package? Read on to find out.

Smashing Magazine has two articles that clearly define what factors are involved in the most effective Logo Designs. Their 10 Common Mistakes in Logo Design is critical reading for any business that goes beyond a Web site. It spells out common mistakes an inexpensive designer is likely to make. More importantly, it explains what is necessary to transition a logo design for other uses – and THIS is where the major differences come in!

Rather than write about the details, I recommend you read the excellent article 12 Essential Rules to Follow When Designing a Logo. It provides excellent background on how to ensure a logo design is memorable and suits your business. Also be sure to read What Makes a Good Logo by David Airey because he adds additional factors not mentioned in the other posts. He wrote:

“My good friend Lee Newham taught me about five elements that can be seen in every iconic logo:

1. It’s describable
2. It’s memorable
3. It’s effective without colour
   
4. It’s scalable i.e. works when just an inch in size
5. It’s appropriate

The image below from 5 Useful Logo Design Tips (on David’s site in a guest post by Jacob Cass clearly illustrates how it meets the above criterion:

McDonalds Logo

Before you have a logo designed I strongly recommend reading David’s post and the others I am including in the body of this post. Each was carefully chosen to convey specific information you will need to make the best decision FOR YOU. Each person’s needs are different and the purpose of this post is to make it obvious what level of logo design to select for your project.

One tip I did not see in those excellent articles I shared recently jumped out at me when I read about the new logo design for the Limeade Studio Graphic Designer blog. He wrote:

“I made a firm decision to stick with colors that work in both CMYK and RGB. This really limits brighter greens and blues. Yet, the colors I have chosen are brilliant and bold.”

Beyond the design itself there is a major difference in deliverables between logo designers. If all you need is an image to use on your Web site you can consider the lower priced options (but seriously consider finishing this post first to make sure you won’t have regrets if you do). Any business that intends to use their logo for other purposes will have additional requirements that are unlikely to be provided by lower end design companies.

You may want to use your logo on:

1. Printed materials (large format printing, stationary, catalogs, mailings, etc.)
2. Advertising (color and most likely black and white too)
3. Signs (on your building, at events, billboards, trade show booths, etc.)
4. On promotional items (corporate logo pens, business card holders, mousepads, etc.)

This is an important consideration BEFORE you select a designer because these other logo applications require your new logo be provided in different formats. They make color, font choice, and especially scalability more critical. Logo designs often use modified fonts which can be extremely difficult to recreate if you want more materials later.

TYPICAL LOGO DESIGN DIFFERENCES:

• Low End Designers:
  • May charge as little as $30-$50 with $100 being common although some may charge up to $500+
  • Are far less likely to be aware of all the factors brought up in the posts above
  • May not do background research on you and your company
  • May not interview you or ask you to fill out an interview document
  • May skip creating preliminary sketches
  • More likely to “borrow” logo ideas or use stock art
  • May only provide images in Rastor (.jpg .gif .png) file formats commonly used in PhotoShop instead of Vector based images (.ai and .eps) created by programs such as Adobe Illustrator
  • Less likely to provide images in grayscale or black and white (b&w)
  • Consider using inexpensive logo design options ONLY if all you need is a logo for a Web page and a matching Avatar and Favicon or you manage to locate a Logo Designer in this price range that provides what more expensive designers do. If you need logo images for any other purposes be sure they will be provided in the appropriate formats and the design meets those requirements too. Remember that the results of attempting to match your logo later may be less than desirable.
    
• Mid-Range Logo Designers:
  • Prices range from $1000-$5000
  • The number of unique concepts created and the number of revisions strongly affect the price quoted
  • Should use an interview process or form to determine what type of logo will fit your business and your preferences
  • More likely to research your industry, competitors and audience
  • Have a deeper portfolio making it obvious what their design style is
  • Should use Industry Standard Logo Design practices including providing both Rastor and Vector file types
  • Can create logos that are more unique and memorable
  • Will modify the fonts used 90% of the time to make your text distinctive
  • Usually provide additional deliverables such as:
     
    • style guides (specs for using your logo)
      
    • color codes (RGB CMYK) – see also Color Fundamentals
      
    • multiple file formats
      
    • b&w along with color & grayscale
• High End Logo Designers:
  • Prices range from $5000 to $15,000
  • Like all specialties, Logo Designers command higher prices because they are more talented, have more experience, have more extensive portfolios, have won design awards or other recognition, or work with a more upscale clientele
• Firms and Logo Design Agencies:
  • Prices range from $15,000 up to $250,000 or more
  • Normally work with largest Corporations, Fortune 100/500
  • Prices they can command are based on experience, industry recognition and current client list

Before you hire a logo designer:

1. Know what you need based on the above information
2. Review portfolios and ensure their designs match the type and style you desire for your own logo
3. Ask specifically what items you will receive in which file types. Vector designs are preferred over only Rastor file types. (If you do not have an in-house graphics department be sure to request additional file types you can open on your PC.)  Ask which file types are included and which incur extra charges
4. Determine how many concepts and revisions you need. The more of each the higher the cost will be. Too few and you may not be satisfied with the results. Too many and the cost can be higher than necessary. Consider asking if you can pay for a smaller number and then pay extra for additional concepts or revisions. It is only fair that your designer be compensated for any additional work required.
5. Read online testimonials or reviews regarding not only their design skills but also how they communicate, their work processes, and whether they complete projects in a timely manner.
6. Remember to ask if there will be an additional charge for other file types.
7. You will need a matching Avatar (for Social Networking) and Favicon. Ask if they are included or how much additional they will cost.
8. Plan to really spend some time and invest thought into answering the questions during the interview process. The more specific your answers the better your results would be. I was very impressed with the 1981 Logo Design Questionnaire for gathering my input on the new logo for GrowMap. By the time I had finished it I had a much sharper idea of what logo designs I preferred and which I did not care for – and more importantly so did he.
9. You can get a good idea about what various Logo Designers are charging by reading through some of the comments in How Much Does Logo Design Cost. Get another take on what I have shared above reading How Much is a Great Logo Worth?

Now that you know what to ask you can move on to How to Choose a Logo Designer. When I began researching Logo Design I wrote Freelancer Challenges – Logo Graphic Designers. That post lead to several logo designers providing me with answers to my many questions – especially Joshua Geiger, the designer behind NineteenEightyOne.

Anyone who reads me knows how many questions I have about the what and why. Until I thoroughly understand a subject I can not clearly explain it equally well to those who have no background in the subjects involved, in this case graphics, file types, color codes, scalability and so on. A major reason for consultant dissatisfaction is this disparity of knowledge.

Interested in Citrix certifications? Find a complete range of 1Y0-A05 dumps and 1Y0-A08 dumps with accurate braindump answers so you will pass your exams on the first dive.

A small business owner who barely uses computers has different questions than a Corporate client with a Graphic Design department. Logo Designers who regularly deal with a certain type of client will not provide the information required by others with different skills. Some already know what scalable (looks good no matter how small or large), vectorized (doesn’t look grainy) or CMYK (type of color codes used for printing) or .ai (Adobe Illustrator file format) refers to and the others don’t.

Joshua has done something that high end designers do and that all Logo Designers should seriously consider. He has provided his Logo Designer process online for us so we know exactly what to expect when working with him. Notice the detail he provides:

• how long each step will take
• what the process includes (research, support)
• confirmation that no clipart is used
• exactly what files are included
• how many concepts and revisions are included
• links to the questionnaire and payment method
• contact information

What you can not tell by reading his site is the exceptional communication skills Joshua has. While creating the new GrowMap logo I knew exactly where we were in the process, what he needed from me, and what he was providing. This may be a larger area of concern in logo design than you might think.

Some designers are intensely creative and visual and are not nearly as comfortable or talented at writing, communicating, time management and running a business. If you visit many design sites you’ll notice that some have almost no text on them. Some designers have commented that they would not read long posts or could not understand my previous post on Freelancing Logo Designers. That is unfortunate as they won’t be benefiting from what I relate here.

Clearly, Joshua was an excellent fit for me to work with because he was willing to answer all of my questions and understood that my intention was not only to take GrowMap to the next level with a professionally designed logo; it was also to help my readers know precisely how to select a designer that best fits their needs.

GrowMap could have gotten by with an inexpensive graphic design because my intentions are 100% firm on being online only. I doubt many other businesses could say the same. Are you positive you will never publish a catalog, sponsor a local event, be featured in a newspaper or magazine (oops – maybe even I was not 100% there), order stationary, buy promotional gifts with your logo on them (got me again), or have any other reason to use a different format.

More importantly, I love the new logo. It even passes all of David Airey’s tests of being describable, memorable, effective without color, scalable, and appropriate. That sounds like another blog post. I wonder how many would be interested in seeing the answers I gave on the questionnaire, the various other concepts and colors, what we chose and how we then developed the logo into the header you see here today? Let me know in the comments if you would like me to post it.

Now that you know that creating a consistent brand across all of your interactions both online and off is critical to your success AND you know what to ask I am certain you will find the perfect logo designer for your needs. I can highly recommend Joshua Geiger’s Nineteen Eighty One Logo Design for your consideration.

I challenge Logo Designers to provide all of this information online and develop your own process. Establish relationships with people outside your niche who are in a position to recommend your services. If you are also talented at writing, follow David Airey’s lead and provide quality information for the public on what you do. I know of David because of his writing – not his design work – and he has more visibility than most logo designers because of his articles and posts.

What designers who are not writers can do is what Joshua did. He recognized an opportunity to raise awareness of what he does, assist businesses in understanding how to hire a Logo Designer, and have his work featured at GrowMap, a blog whose whole reason for being is to assist businesses to grow. This is a strong potential market for mid-range logo designers.

Although we could, we choose not to charge for offering proven strategies to small businesses. We do this because many of them either can not afford us (especially during the current economic climate) OR even more importantly – they simply do not yet understand the value of what we offer. Because of this we do not have resources to spend; however, we have something that can be far more valuable: time.

We spend that time answering questions, communicating at Twitter, FriendFeed, cliKball and elsewhere, and in providing personal recommendations. Joshua knew that and saw the benefits of providing our new logo. He also knew that we always tell the truth and as of this moment although he knows we are very happy with his work he does not know what will be in this post and won’t until he reads it after it is published.

We guaranteed him credit for his work including a valuable link in the footer. (Footer and sidebar links appear on every page of a site so the larger the site the more incoming links you receive and the more valuable they are for search engine rankings.) He knew we were going to do this post and he would receive at least one link in the post.

We knew his work and since we will see it far more than anyone else we would not have gone ahead if we were not certain we would like the results he provided. We did not know the process would be so excellent or we would learn so much that we can now share with our readers.

We have learned that small businesses really need more than just a logo. They need a consistent image in many formats from a designer who really understands all we have shared above. There could be inexpensive designers out there who are this qualified and if we come across them we will let you know.

We know that Joshua has these abilities, charges at the lowest end of the mid-range logo designers, and can provide complete graphic support of his logo designs for small businesses – and they are our target audience and who most need such support.

You can see his work in his portfolio (click the arrows to see more) and also where it has been featured:

Showcase Galleries:

Articles & Interviews:

We leave you with a quote from Joshua:

“We need to keep your “brand” seamless across all mediums. It is best to have your logo designer create all the collateral materials. Only the designer really knows exactly how everything should look.”

If you have a small business consider investing in a Logo Image that gives you the look of a major corporation without having to spend anywhere near what they do. If you do Logo Design, consider focusing at least some of your efforts on small businesses. Also consider raising awareness of your work by trading a custom design to a deserving Non-Profit or high profile blog in exchange for attribution, incoming links, and recommendations.

WHY INVEST IN LOGO DESIGN?:

• 4 Reasons Your Blog Needs a Logo
• 6 Reasons a Logo Should Cost More Than Your Lunch

Is anything in this post unclear? Do you have any questions that were not answered? Are you a Logo Designer with something to add or another viewpoint? Please consider leaving a comment.

If you are a logo designer you are also invited to leave a brief bio and additional links to your portfolio, process, or other relevant information. Comments with additional links in them do usually end up needing moderation; however, I will approve all real comments with relevant links.

LOGO GALLERIES:

• Logo Moose for Logo Design Inspiration ~ Interview with LogoMoose Creator Dirk Leys explains its purpose.

Favicons are those tiny images (16×16) shown in your browser tabs:

Favicons visible in FireFox Browser

In the screen capture above you can see our new Favicon followed by one for Adam Singer‘s blog The Future Buzz and Andy Beard‘s blog AndyBeard.eu. Favicons can be created from almost any image file type (.jpg .gif .png .bmp) and are saved as the .ico file type.

Every Web site should seriously consider having a distinctive Favicon created that matches their Avatar and Distinctive Business Logo. You can use one of the Favicon generation tools below to create one from an existing image and the Favicon WordPress plugins to install it on your site. The process is similar for installing Favicons in Non-WordPress sites.

FREE FAVICON GENERATORS:

1. HTMLkit Favicon Generator – recommended by Mikael from Retire Rich – creates still and animated favicons from regular images
2. Dynamic Drive Favicon Generator – create a Favicon from an existing image [input images: gif, jpg, png, and bmp]
3. FaviconGenerator – create a Favicon from an existing image [simple - no options - square images only]
4. Favicon-Generator - create a Favicon from an existing image [input images: gif, jpg, png - few options]
5. ProDraw Favicon Generator – create a Favicon from an existing image [Supports JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP and TIF file formats for uploading. Output size from 16x16 pixels (favicon.ico icon size), 32x32 (desktop icon), 48x48 (large XP icon) up to 128x128 pixels (Windows Vista icon size) in the *.ICO icon format.]
6. Favicon CC - create Favicons in a paint type program

WORDPRESS FAVICON PLUGINS:

• Shockingly Simple Favicon – plugin to add a Favicon to a WP site without editing Theme files
• Plugin to Add Favicons to Blogrolls in WordPress

When you first get interested in blogging it is not obvious how complex creating a successful blog will be. Like any other business, there are many variables that must be addressed correctly. The more of these you understand and handle, the faster your blog will grow and the more success you will have.

While you could start with a free WordPress.com blog, if you are serious about turning a blog into an income generating business we do NOT recommend doing that.  If you aren’t sure you’ll like blogging you could use a free blog to find out. Other than that do NOT use a WordPress.com based blog for business because there are restrictions against using the free version to make money.

Their system is also usually painfully slow, so if you’re serious don’t waste your time there. Go directly to buying your own domain and installing WordPress on it.

If you are not technically inclined, we strongly recommend hiring someone to handle the technical details for you. Let them:

1. Buy the domain you desire
2. Recommend the best place to host it
3. Install WordPress
4. Install a custom Theme
   
5. Install desired plugins and Widgets.

Unless you are a programmer able to create your own, your Theme should be one that is professionally designed, thoroughly tested, and that offers ongoing  support (important so that your blog continues to work as WordPress versions, plugins, and widgets may change). After years of research we decided on Thesis.  All of our blogs are now using that Theme and it is what we use on any new blogs we decide to create.

Themes and especially Thesis can be customized in both layout and design. Your Theme installer can alter the number of columns and where sections appear on the page. If your budget allows consider also paying for custom design features. Someone who installs blogs will have some design skills and more complex changes will require someone who specializes in design.

EVERY BLOG SHOULD HAVE:

1. A Blog or Business Name – ideally one that is memorable, easy to spell, and not terrible common so it can be easily found online
2. A Blog Logo that can also be cropped or reduced and used as your Avatar on Social Networking sites, your Gravatar in blogs and a Favicon.
3. Blog / Business Slogan also called a Tagline – critical to make it instantly obvious what your blog site is about
4. Search function – ideally in the top right in either the header or the right sidebar
5. Pages for about, contact, and any others specific to your business
6. An obvious way to  Subscribe to RSS, Subscribe to email, Follow on Twitter and other options you desire

Serious bloggers all use over a dozen plugins and widgets that they have researched and configured. These are important for getting your blog indexed in the search engines and to improve your interactions with your readers. Let your expert do this for you too.

Never invest your limited time in learning something that you only need to have done once.

If you desire to become an expert then by all means learn this; if you are primarily a writer or running a business focus on those skills instead.

Here is where we are so far:

1. Domain purchased and directed to your hosting company
2. WordPress installed
3. Theme installed
4. Theme Design customized
5. Widgets and plugins installed
6. Blog Name, Logo, Slogan and Favicon, pages, subscription options

By having all of the above completed by someone who has vast experience knowing what to do and how to get it done, your new blog is now ready for content and traffic.

Instead of spinning your wheels and wasting time learning all of the above you can focus on learning how to use WordPress including how to use tags, keyword phrases and fill in the SEO plugin information. You will also want to improve your copywriting. Create some quality content first and then you can move on to how to use various methods to drive traffic to your blog. See the links in the reference sections below for additional information.

Do NOT be tempted to skip any of what we have recommended above because to do so will limit your success!

These recommendations are the result of hundreds of hours of research and collaboration on Web design, usability, SEO, blogging, WordPress, plugins and widgets, copywriting, and testing what drives conversions.  Choosing the wrong Theme, failing to add SEO friendly content behind the scenes, not making it obvious what your site is about, not making your blog easy for your readers to interact with  – any of these mistakes will hurt you.

Ready to get started? While there are many who can assist you, we rely on Derek at Threaded Web (@dereksemmler) for both this blog and our new Joint Venture niche blogs that include related stores full of affiliate products. Derek is enormously talented at working with affiliate product feeds. More on that in a future post.

Sammy at SearchFriendlyWebDesign (@searchfriendly)provided our original installation and Theme and still works with us. He is usually extremely busy for good reason. We recommend you contact him if you need a custom search friendly business Web site built.

How do you make money with your new or existing blog? Subscribe now so you won’t miss future posts on that very subject.

[NOTE: Thesis is so flexible and can be modified so much that there are many design mistakes or omissions that can be introduced. Do NOT assume that anyone who can figure out how to make changes is qualified to make them!]

MORE ON CREATING A SUCCESSFUL BLOG:

• NEW: Extensive information on how to create a highly successful blog step-by-step can be found at How to Make My Blog
• Blogging Best Practices: Enabling Your Readers to Subscribe to Comments – adding plugins for  CommentLuv, KeywordLuv, Subscribe to Comments

SUCCESSFUL BLOGGING:

• If I Could Start My Blog Over Again – Points to give thought to BEFORE you buy your domain name or start blogging.
• How to Become an Authority Blogger
• Master Your Muse and Multiply Your Blogging Effectiveness
• Why Should YOUR Business Have a Blog? Blog Your Way to Credibility and Authority
• ProBlogger: How to Treat Your Blog Like a Business
• Joe Paluzzi Junta42: Building a Marketing Asset (take the red pill)
• Najeda Online Marketing: Why Your Web Site Should Be A Blog

COPYWRITING:

• Don’t make this major common mistake: readers DO NOT care about your business – they care about themselves! Copy MUST BE about What’s In It For THEM.

BLOGGING INCOMES:

• Reality Check on Average Blogging Incomes
• Don’t Fall for Those Who Are Living the Pro-Blogging Lifestyle By Selling YOU The ProBlogging Dream
• Peter Lee shares an example of a REAL Blog Income: Work From Home April 2009 Blog Income Report – We recommend his blog to any serious bloggers. He shares what works as he learns and tests new methods.

ABOUT THESIS:

• WordPress 2.7 Works in Thesis – Contains many links to Thesis reviews and additional information about Thesis

Regular readers of GrowMap will be happy to know that Derek turned on WP 2.7 threaded comments. For those who may be interested in using this feature here is some information on who can immediately use this particular method of allowing specific comments to be answered.

In his excellent post Seven Great Examples of Using WP 2.7 Threaded Comments Jeff Chandler at Performancing shared this:

“With the public release of WordPress 2.7, end users now have the ability to enable threaded conversations to take place on their blog. However, your theme must support this ability before you can turn them on.”

Some free and advanced themes already support this feature and many others will not. If yours doesn’t read How to Implement Threaded Comments in WordPress Themes for how to tell if your Theme supports it and what to do if it doesn’t. If you need more assistance visit the WordPress Support Forum.

This is yet another reason we installed Thesis and why I recommend serious bloggers consider doing the same. WordPress and plugins get updated all the time and every change is another potential technical issue. By using Thesis we know that our theme is supported and fixes for any issue will be provided.

Every theme can be customized and all features can have a different look. The Seven Great Examples post mentioned above shows just a few of the changes you can make. I wonder how many new bloggers realize that the look of a site is laid on top of the Theme being used so every implementation of any feature or Theme can look totally different. For example, all of these sites are built on Thesis:

• GrowMap – The blog you’re reading now.
• NoBogies Golf Store and Blog
• PSP Living – Minimal design changes so far as it is brand new
• Threaded Web

No matter which theme you are currently using as soon as you start getting a large number of comments you will wish you had threaded comments installed. If your theme does not support the new WP 2.7 version you can use a plugin, contact the theme designer and ask if they’re planning to add support, or – if you’re the do-it-yourself type – use the links we have provided in this post to add it.

If you are considering upgrading your theme we can highly recommend Thesis. Most of the major blogs about blogging that we frequent have selected it as “THE” Theme to use including these:

• ProBlogger – @ProBlogger – Excellent review of the support and benefits of Thesis
• CopyBlogger – @CopyBlogger – Details on Thesis WordPress Theme
• Michael Gray – @GrayWolf – GrayWolf’s Wolf-Howl SEO Blog – His Take on the Benefits of Thesis

INTERVIEW WITH THESIS THEME DESIGNER CHRIS PEARSON:

• ProBlogger interview with Chris Pearson about Thesis

NEGATIVE REVIEWS OF THESIS:

• WassupBlog -  My First Impression of the Thesis Theme + Thesis Theme is Just Not Flexible Enough

MORE THESIS REVIEWS:

• SugarRae – @SugarRae – Review of the Thesis WordPress Theme
• PremiumThemesReview – Thesis WordPress Theme Review
• Binary Turf @BinaryTurf -  Thesis WordPress Theme – A Critical Take
• Logos for WebSites – Recommends Thesis WordPress Template
• I’m sure I’ve forgotten some in my niche so if I forgot you don’t stress – just let me know and I’ll add your link

Since we’re on the subject you might be interested in checking out all the cool blogs that are based on Thesis. Here are two galleries you can visit to see more customized Thesis themes:

• Thesis WordPress Theme Showcase Gallery – Almost 200 sites – all very different – based on Thesis
• Thesis Gallery Showcase – Here are 46 featured sites (some are on both lists).
• Official Thesis Web Site – Disclaimer: This link contains OUR affiliate link as does the yellow ad in the left column of our blog.

[NOTE: Any blogger using Thesis probably has an affiliate link to Thesis so if decide to buy it you can support your favorite blogger by clicking on the link in their blog just before you buy. It does not cost you any more money to do this and bloggers are using it because it is that good - not because they might receive a commission. ]

UPGRADE YOUR COMMENT SECTION:

• Video Tutorial: Styling Threaded Comments
• Disqus versus WP 2.7 Threaded Comments Versus IntenseDebate
• WordPress 2.7 Comments Enhancements

WP PLUGINS FOR THREADED COMMENTS:

• Official WordPress Plugins Search for All Threaded Comments Plugin Options
• Brian’s Threaded Comment Plugin – Best known and widely used; however, not appearing in the search of the WP list.
• WordPress Thread Comment Plug-in

CUSTOMIZING THESIS WORDPRESS THEME:

• 4 Great Ways to Customize a Thesis Theme

Regular visitors to GrowMap are bound to have come across some great ideas in the comments left by Dennis Edell. Hopefully you’ve already visited his main blog DirectSalesWebMarketing. Dennis really knows what he’s doing as he’s come up with a contest that increases the number of subscribers to his blogs and benefits the sponsors donating the prizes while generating suggestions to improve his two new blogs DennisEdell.com and EasyCashContests.com.

I have several reasons for participating in Dennis’ contest:

1. The reviews I write benefit other bloggers as my suggestions are likely to apply to their blogs too.
2. Supporting the efforts of those who support yours is always a good idea.
3. We’ll get to visit those who support Dennis’ blogs and by doing so invite them to visit us.
4. I’ll take this opportunity to mention the most important things Dennis did right – and there will be many – which means his new blogs become good examples for other bloggers.

What’s Right: Best Blog Design:

• DennisEdell has this right although I would make the square image shareable (read on for details).
• EasyCashContest needs an image and that one I would make as described below.
• Using the same image on your blog that you use across all Social Networking sites is very important.
• Use the same image as your Favicon.

TIP: Make sure this image can be shared on FriendFeed, StumbleUpon, etc. so that those who know how can “brand” content they share for you.  While DennisEdell is using his Avatar it is not currently shareable.

See NoBogies and DerekSemmlerDotCom for examples of how this is done and check out how these logos appear when I shared posts from DerekSemmler at FriendFeed and NoBogies at FriendFeed.

* SITE NAME: Belongs just to the right of your header image.

Fine on both sites although I would change the font and size on the Eash Cash site so that it stands out more. Making a shareable image like the one Derek made for the NoBogies site that includes the business name, URL and slogan would be best because that strengthens your branding wherever it is shared.

* SLOGAN: Every site should have a slogan that lets visitors immediately understand why they want to be there.

Even though the slogan for DennisEdell.com is rather long it has character. I love it. The slogan for Easy Cash Contest is a little long and not catchy enough. I’d have a contest to come up with one that is more unique and memorable.

* SEARCH: All sites – including blogs – absolutely MUST have a search function and it needs to be VERY easy to QUICKLY locate.

WHY you ask? I’m glad you asked. Let me count the reasons:

1. So people like me who are always online and on the lookout can quickly find something they know you have and share it somewhere else.
2. So your readers can quickly find other posts of interest. In many blogs content is fairly timeless and good for reference material. Making it easier to find will increase page views, make new readers more likely to subscribe, and provide additional opportunities for others to share what they consider best (or that is related to their interests) from your content.
3. What do you call visitors who can’t find what they want? GONE!

TIP: Search boxes should be located near the top right either in the header, the navigation just below the header, or at the top of the right sidebar.

Both of these new blogs really need to have search boxes added because great content is meant to be shared!

* SOCIAL NETWORKING LINKS: Feature links to the Social Networking Sites you use most so visitors will know where to find you.

Make these VERY obvious. You might also want to add Share This or Tweet This or some other options to encourage your posts to be shared. You’ll notice I’ve chosen to feature Twitter and FriendFeed links from GrowMap to make it easier for my readers to connect with me there.

* ASK FOR SUBSCRIBERS: I recently visited a blog somewhere that suggested subscribing to their blog and offered a link just under the submit comment button! What a brilliant idea! If I can find it again or find where I saved the text they used I’ll add it here.

BloggingWithoutABlog uses something similar. When submitting comments there you see this text:

“Don’t risk missing another lesson, link or observation – Subscribe for free in a reader. Catch them all, and come back to share your thoughts. Have a question? Feel free to leave it in the comment section. I’ll do my best to help.”

* About Pages: All sites including blogs must have one. Why? Because some of your visitors want to know more about why your site exists, what your site offers them, and a little more about you.

• Dennis Edell – This about page tells us a lot about Dennis’ personality and writing style. While it isn’t “professional” it is fun – and isn’t that more likely to bring you back?
• Easy Cash Contests – This about page tells us what the blog is about and why. The WHY is very important! Did you know giving someone a reason or stating something is BECAUSE greatly increases the possibility that they’ll listen or take action on what you write?

I’ve previously discussed Enabling Your Readers to Subscribe to Comments. We know Dennis already knows about these concepts. He is also familiar with Threaded Comments and Enabling Comment Editing.

While we’re reviewing let’s mention all the things Dennis did right in this contest:

1. He was very specific about what he wanted entrants to do.
2. He got those who entered to subscribe to all three blogs.
3. He not only received at least two links to each of his blogs – he asked for and obtained links for all of this sponsors who donated the prizes.
4. His blogs receive exposure from each blogger who enters.
5. He will hopefully receive some suggestionsfor improving his blogs that he will decide to implement.

ADDITIONAL CONTEST BENEFIT:

Finding More Quality Blogs with experience to share – especially about making money blogging. If you don’t have time to visit them all, do make the effort to check out these:

• Peter Lee’s Work From Home Business Blog - Making money from home including blogging techniques, affiliate programs, link building and How Blog Commenting Got Him 1200 Backlinks in Five Days.
• SuzanneFranco.com – Teaches How to Make Money Online. Offers a Blogging For Bucks Bootcamp

BLOG REVIEW CONTEST PRIZES:

So what did you miss by not entering this blog review contest? Here is the list of prizes Dennis lined up:

Sponsors & Prizes:

CASH VIA PAYPAL:

Dennis Edell @ Beginner Marketing Tips – $25

Dennis Edell @ Win Cash Online – $25

Dennis Edell @ DennisEdell.com – $25

Yep, I’m personally putting up $75 .

Mirjam @ MeMyselfAndIBlog – $10 Blog Subject: Make Money Blogging.

Rodel @ Professional Cebu Blogger – $25

Suzanne Franco @ SuzanneFranco.com – $30

BANNER ADS (1 month ea. w/value if available):

Sherry @ SherrysShopping – 125×125

Sherry @ AnotherContest – 125×125

Superman Joe @ PostBlogger – 300 x 250

Sharmin @ ContestSpot – 125×125

Erwin Tan @ ErwinTan.com – 125×125 ($20)

Jonathan @ How To Blog – 125×125 ($15)

Garry Conn @ GarryConn.com – 468×60 ($70)

ZK @ WebTrafficROI – 125×125 ($20)

Yan @ Blog Setup – 125×125 ($20)

Archie Pennies @ SomeExtraPennies – 125 x 125 for 4 months

TEXT LINKS:

Collin @ FeedFlare – life time blog roll link

Harish @ BloggingKid – 1 month text link ad

Archie Pennies @ SomeExtraPennies – site wide blog roll link for 4 months

EBOOKS:

Peter Lee @ Make Money Blogging – New Home Study Course,”Quit Being a Wage Slave in 10 Easy Steps” ($47) – Peter Lee authors the Work From Home Business Blog

Ben Pei – @ Make Money Online – Instant Blog Traffic ($47)

Kathy Hendershot-Hurd @ VirtualImpax – 8 Week Power Blog Launch product ($77)

BLOG REVIEWS:

Mirjam @ MeMyselfAndIBlog – Blog Review ($25)

Superman Joe @ PostBlogger – Blog Review

Nishadha @ rumblinglankan - Blog Review ($20)

ENTRECARD CREDITS:

Sherry @ Name Sherry – 500 EC
Sherry @ SherryGo – 500 EC

Rodel @ Cebu Pacific Promos – 1000 EC

Nishadha @ rumblinglankan – 1000 EC
Nishadha @ YeastInfectionInDogs – 1000 EC

Wiehanne @ Wiehanne Lounge – 500 EC
Wiehanne @ Medan Daily – 500 EC
Wiehanne @ SimplyWP – 500 EC

OTHER:

David R Young Jr @ Niche-It – custom squeeze page template package ($7)

Brian D. Hawkins @ ExtremeEzine – one year Pro membership to YourAdTracker ($39.95)

RELATED BLOG DESIGN POSTS:

• The Perfect WordPress Design Part 1: Backgrounds, Style, Number of Columns
• The Perfect WordPress Theme: Headers, Search, Sidebars, Footers
• 4 Reasons Your Blog Needs a Logo

ADDING FAVICONS TO BLOGS:

• How to Favicon For Your Blog For Blogger and Self-Hosted WordPress
• How to Change Your Favicon in Blogger
• Tips for Adding Favicons in WordPress and Joomla