Moved Over to Blogger

This blog has been moved over to Blogger.  I will give my reasons over there as well as make a post on the technical details on how to import your blog.  Here is the link to the new blog.  I’m tweaking it a bit to be all around self-employment oriented rather than just related to web content writing.

 

Transparency Issues – HubPages vs. Suite 101

HubPages and Suite 101 both have a revenue share program for their writers through Google AdSense.   I recently updated my hub that compared writing for both sites along with Squidoo with a comment on the transparency issues at Suite 101.

In the article, I initially stated that if I had to choose one out of the three to write for it would be Suite.  But that has changed to Suite and HP being about on the same level.   The reason is one main transparency problem I see with Suite.  Writers at HP use their own Google AdSense ID and can create a URL channel to keep track of what articles earn the most.

Suite does not allow this.  While writers can view what articles have the most traffic, this does not tell them what articles are earning them money (the two aren’t necessarily the same).  This is a major drawback of Suite and one reason I haven’t devoted more time to it.

Suite also does not state what percentage of the earnings writers receive.  HP states that they split Google earnings with their writers 60/40.  However, I don’t consider this a true transparency problem on the part of Suite since HP doesn’t tell you exactly what ads are earning for them and when they are placed.  I assume there are contract issues with Google for both sites, though I don’t know for sure.

As I’ve stated before, I will continue to write for Suite.  But for new web writers, HP is a better place to learn what interests they have can be turned into articles that earn them money.

Related article:  A Comparison of Squidoo, HubPages and Suite 101:  Why I Write for All Three

 

Why Suite 101 Writers Should Reach the 50-Article Mark

Web content writing is still an experiment for me.  I can only commit to very part-time writing, so I want to make that writing count.  There are pros and cons to every site, and Suite 101 is no different.  If you’re a Suite 101 writer, then you know that once you reach the 50-article mark you’re given a 10% performance bonus on what you earn each day.

I admit that there are times I don’t feel the Suite love.  It’s easier to write for HubPages than meet the third-person requirement needed for Suite.  Technically, I earn more from AdSense at HP, but I have over double the amount of articles there over my two IDs than I do at Suite.  Once, I look at it that way, my earnings at both sites are on par with each other.

What if you just don’t think it’s worth it to keep plugging away for Suite and you want to leave?  I won’t try to talk you out of leaving, but I will urge you to try to reach 50 articles, especially if you’re already in the 30-something range.   That 10% revenue increase will maximize the earnings on all the hard work you’ve already done.

If, after that, you don’t think Suite is for you, then go ahead and leave and chalk it up to experience.  But in the meantime, you may just learn more about good SEO and keyword practices that will help you earn more in the long run.  You’ll also have 50 articles published with a respected online magazine as part of your portfolio.

 

AllPosters/Art.com Changes Affiliate Program

AllPosters/Art.com sent out an email recently informing their affiliates of a change in their program.  I signed up for them when I started using Squidoo so I could have pictures for my lenses with the off chance that someone might buy a poster and I would earn commission.

I confess, I haven’t sold one, but I noticed that some customers did click through my links.  I initially just wanted a place to find pics but planned on focusing on sales this year.  Well, those plans have been squashed.

Basically, you have to sell a minimum amount per program year in order to earn what they term commission credits to be able to earn a payout.   I’m sure there are people who don’t have to worry about this who do really well with sales each year.  But I don’t want to have the poster pics disappearing from my lenses thereby making them suddenly incomplete because I haven’t earned the right amount of credits during their program period.  As a business, they have a right to do this.  But why would they?  It seems they’re only hurting themselves.

I’ll be pulling all of my poster links from Squidoo.  I had just started using text links other places and I’ve been using backlink sites to drive more traffic to my articles, so I probably could have made a few sales if I focused my effort on the right things.  Ah well, I’m sure there are other businesses that will want potential customers sent to their sites.

 

Google Tips: Is it Worth Using Meta Tags Anymore?

Early on in the world of blogs and websites vying for attention, meta tags were used to get a higher ranking in search engines.  But does Google still rank websites through meta tags?

In the video below, Google software engineer Matt Cutts says that keyword meta tags aren’t relied upon to rank the page.  He does go on to say that Google doesn’t ignore every meta tag.

This past week I’ve been doing some research on how to add meta tags to my Blogger blog which is why I’m bringing the subject up.  I’m still up in the air about it, but I’m leaning toward adding meta tags to blogs that will allow me to do so, both keyword and description to help draw traffic.

Here is a discussion on the WordPress forum about the use of meta tags.  Basically, you can’t add them to a WordPress.com blog.  I’m unsure of WordPress.org.  What do you think?  Have you added meta tags to blogs?  Both WordPress and Blogger have areas to add tags with each post, which I think works well.

 

Affiliate Advocacy for Online Writers

I’ve been turned on to an excellent site founded by Melanie Seery.  It’s called Affiliate Advocacy and is dedicated to bringing you the latest information about trends in the affiliate industry.

One of the ways web content writers earn income is through affiliates such as Google AdSense, Amazon and eBay.  These are the big three but there are so many more to choose from and for some writers has become their main source of revenue.

Affiliate Advocacy is keeping on top of state tax issues.  On the legislative updates page, you’ll find out which state is butting heads with Amazon and how it affects your bottom line.  I don’t make much at all right now from Amazon, but I am slowly making sales.  It’s good to have an organization to keep updated on where my home state is headed on this issue.  She’s also keeping track of the internet sales tax and advertising tax that affect online marketing.

To learn more about Melanie’s ongoing efforts and see what you can do to help, visit the Affiliate Advocacy website.

 

Plugging Into the Power of How-To Titles and Article Formats

Why is eHow one of the biggest article sites out there?  Because almost all of has have searched the internet for how to do something.  It’s like the fast-food way to quickly learn how to fix a recipe, household problem or a myriad of other questions we might have.

I know a lot of people bemoan the fact that there’s a lot of crap on the internet, but our desire for quick information isn’t going away any time soon.  As an article writer, why not cash in on that?  I would be willing to bet that many of the writers who think how-tos are for hacks have themselves used information taken from the web to make some aspect of their lives a little easier.

How-To Formatting

How-to pieces don’t necessarily have to follow a standard format.  I believe the titles, however, should contain the phrase how to, learn to or some other variation that you think readers will search for.  Think about what your own search engine habits are.

Even if at first glance you don’t think your topic lends itself to being how to, you might want to reconsider these points:

• Does your piece have any aspect that could be considered instructional?

• Will it lend itself to a bulleted list approach somewhere such as with a list of ingredients or steps to perform?

If you’ve already written a paragraph or two that includes ingredients or steps, try to reimagine them in list form.  You can even make a list of related concepts, not just steps that need to have action behind them.

Room to Read

I believe that the computer screen is easier to read when the information is presented in chunks with subheadings and lists where they fit.  I often scan an article for these things to try to ascertain if the writer is even going to address what I searched for.

If you feel this process is forced, then don’t do it.  But by putting yourself in the fast-food mindset of your readers, you keep them interested in your article instead of clicking away in frustration because you didn’t bother to leave room for their eyes to move.

 

Tip for Making Blogger Blogs DoFollow

I only have time for a quick post, so I wanted to share a tip I received via Deborah Aldridge at Women Who Write Online.  I still have a lot to learn about dofollow and nofollow sites, but I just started a blog at Blogger and didn’t realize that the comments were nofollow.

Deborah pointed out this article: How to Make BlogSpot Blogs ‘DoFollow’ and the Difference Between DoFollow and NoFollow Links.  It’s a good quick tutorial on how to change the HTML in your Blogger template to dofollow.

I’ve seen other web pieces stating that people are too worried about this concept.  Being the curious creature that I am, I will have to do more research, especially in regards to WordPress and Blogger blogs.

 

Keyword Exercise 2 – Spruce Up Old Low-Performance Articles

In the second exercise of the keyword series, I’d like you to take a look back at some of your older articles when you might not have known anything about keyword research.  How are they doing?

I’ll be the first to confess that when I first started writing for the web at Associated Content and BellaOnline, I knew next to nothing about keywords.  Seriously, the most I knew was “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of that.  I’ll have to look into it.”  Sometimes, I seemed to get lucky and create the right combination of content and search-engine optimized articles.  There are still others that could use work.

But why leave things to chance?  Keyword research and writing isn’t the drudgery it’s sometimes made out to be.  Here is a quick exercise for sprucing up some of your low-performance articles.  Obviously, this can only be done with sites that allow you go back and edit your work.

• Pick 5-10 of your lowest performers.

• Do basic keyword searches on the topics.  If you’re new to this concept, check out my Google Keyword Tool post for the basics.

• Organically place 2-4 keywords (this can include phrases) in your articles.  By organic, I mean try not to force something where it doesn’t belong just for keyword value.

• Keep track of the performance of these articles.  Give them some time to gain momentum.  In about 3 months, decide if this exercise was worth the trouble or if you learned anything from it you can use in the future.

You might look at some of these oldies and think you just want to rewrite them.  By all means, go ahead, but this time, do your keyword research.  Better yet, leave the old article up and write a related one, then interlink them both to get traffic between the two.

Some people may feel uncomfortable changing their work later and believe it may harm their Google ranking.  This hasn’t been the case for me.  I’ve even changed titles to be more search engine friendly.  Personally, if I can breathe new life into a piece by adding a couple of keyword phrases, then I go for it.

Related:

• Keyword Exercise 1 – Maximizing Revenue on What You Know

• Google Keyword Tool

 

2010 Writing Goal Check – New Michigan Blog and Changing My Mind

I’m slowly tackling the writing goals I’ve set for myself this year (outlined in this post).  Here’s how I’m doing on two of them so far.

Showing Michigan Love

I wanted to start a new blog on some aspect of Michigan in support of the writing I do on that subject.  This one really was a no brainer.  Since any vacation my husband and I take usually revolves around visiting lighthouses, my new blog is Michigan Lighthouse Lovers.

It’s a work in progress as far as the design goes.  I’ve decided to try it on Blogger instead of WordPress since Amazon Associates has teamed up with Blogger to make it easier to add products related to your topic.

Without further ado, here’s the link to my new lighthouse blog.  I hope it encourages people to visit Michigan.  We really are so much more than Detroit.  Not that Detroit is bad, but sometimes, even Michiganders forget the riches we have in our own backyard.

When Goals Need to Be Changed

On my goal list, I also mentioned a niche I was researching for keywords.  It was in the field of collectibles.  I’ve done the research and it seems that it isn’t a good choice for a high-paying keyword topic across the board.  I would also have to hunt down pictures in the public domain which will take more time than I have.  So, I’ve let this topic go for now and switched gears to others that I think will be more lucrative and interesting to me.

That’s the thing about web writing or any writing.  You just have to roll with the punches.  It’s wise to not get your heart too set on one topic, especially if it isn’t a good return on your investment of time and energy.