Send us a text When I talk about newsletters, most bloggers just roll their eyes. You know you need to do them - consistently and with a plan... and yet, you DON'T! Stop putting it off! If money's not enough to push the needle for you, then here are seven OTHER reasons to get going on your newsletter (or pick up the pace on your existing one!) Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here. ===== FOLLOW ME ===== FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/le...
Aug 08, 2023•11 min•Ep. 155
Send us a text Megan Bannister from Olio in Iowa is a woman after my own heart. Why? Because she understands the POWER of building systems in your business! Listen to Megan's 4-part framework for building lasting systems in your business... Auditing your processes, building workflows (not generic ones... ones that really work for YOU), finding the right tools, and repeating iteratively as you and your business grow. We talk a lot about Monday.com in this episode. Here's a link if you'd like to t...
Aug 07, 2023•46 min•Ep. 154
Send us a text Time on page... dwell time... avg session duration. These are all kissing cousins, and while they are extremely important KPIs for bloggers, they are not direct ranking indicators. Wild, right? SO why are they important?? And if they are so important, how do we increase time on page? And how do we measure time on page or dwell time? Awesome questions - and they are all answered in today's podcast! Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it ...
Aug 04, 2023•9 min•Ep. 153
Send us a text With Google playing hardball as of late, there has never been a better time to focus on your email list. If you want to get a list started... or you want to maximize growth with the list you already have.... nothing works like the T.A.R.G.E.T Framework. T - Tailored A - Actionable R - Relevant G - Generous E - Exclusive T - Trackable Learn more about it here, in this episode! Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here. ===== FOLLOW...
Aug 03, 2023•18 min•Ep. 152
Send us a text If you have seasonal traffic, it's time to stop complaining about the "down time" and do something about t. The answer for me was to build topic clusters, or silos of content, that would work well during those off times. It transformed my business, and it can do the same for you. Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here. ===== FOLLOW ME ===== FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leslipeterson Podcast: https://podcast.leslipeterson...
Aug 02, 2023•9 min•Ep. 151
Send us a text Managing poor quality content... freeloaders... used to be a best practice. Today, it's a necessity. In this episode we talk about why that's the case, and I break down my 4-step process for removing "crappy" content from Google's vision. 1. CRITIQUE - Determine what in your current content needs to be managed 2. CRITERIA - How will you define "poor" quality? What about support posts? 3. CONSIDER - What are your options for handling this poor quality content? (Tip - delete is not ...
Aug 01, 2023•20 min•Ep. 150
Send us a text Food blogger, cookbook author, and TV personality Heather Johnson of The Food Hussy joined me in a conversation about how she moved from blogging as a side-hustle to blogging as a career. Grab your coffee and come hang out with us as she shares the opportunities (and challenges) along this journey. PS - Here is Heather's book if you want to grab a copy: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/150722009X Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Gr...
Jul 31, 2023•34 min•Ep. 149
Send us a text Back to our regularly scheduled programming... 25 things I do to grow my blogging business. Today we're talking about number 12 - your posts' TITLES! (Curious about the previous episodes in this series? They are listed below!) I'm going to break down 4 things you need to consider as you craft your titles. Why do they matter so much? Because a great title means that your post is more likely to be opened. And when your post gets opened more, it increases the ranking potential. Here'...
Jul 28, 2023•18 min•Ep. 148
Send us a text It’s the final episode in this mini-series on my favorite take-aways from TBEX, and we’re talking about AI! At the conference keynote Julia McCoy, President of Content at Scale , shared her C.R.A.F.T. framework for writing with AI. In this podcast I share the details of that framework and why it’s a great one (even if you don’t use AI) I also share with you the details of my free trial with Content at Scale (TL;DR it was 50/50 good/bad) I also implore you maintain your integrity i...
Jul 27, 2023•26 min•Ep. 147
Send us a text Today we’re talking about 3 considerations you need to know as you consider your worth, especially as you work with brands. It’s the third podcast in a series where I am sharing the lessons that hit home for me at the most recent TBEX event – but these take-aways bring value to ALL niches. There are THREE things I want you to consider as you contemplate (and hold your ground on) your worth. The first is your SPECIAL SAUCE . What skills do you excel at? How can you use those to ben...
Jul 26, 2023•21 min•Ep. 146
Send us a text I'm sharing my notes from a fantastic speaker I heard at TBEX, Shelley from Mexico Solo Travel, about affiliate marketing. Shelly's workshop was direct, to the point, and PACKED with great information that really challenged some of my assumptions about keywords and affiliates. And with the revenue she's generated in only a few short years, man... she's one to listen to! Here are three actionable steps I took from her workshop, some dos and don'ts, and a call to YOU to rethink your...
Jul 25, 2023•23 min•Ep. 145
Send us a text It's my first "real" podcast episode --- not just an audio conversion from YouTube. And we're going "semi-daily"! ( Is that a thing? haha.) I'll be releasing episodes 5x a week, with a "combined" podcast on the weekends that allow you to catch up on everything in one single episode. In this episode I start a multi-part series on the amazing things I learned from a recent blogging conference... and how fitting that I start with WHY I am transitioning into daily podcasting. TL;DR it...
Jul 24, 2023•25 min•Ep. 144
Send us a text We’ve talked “topic cluster”… “pillar posts”…. And “support posts”… all valuable SEO strategies that build on top of each other to improve your ranking and reinforce your architecture and topical authority. This week we introduce the final ingredient in that effort – hub pages. (If you want to SEE a hub page example, check out the YT video here: https://youtu.be/3XgAEH2sjjo ) Many people think their category pages perform this task, so they ignore hub pages. DON’T MAKE THAT MISTAK...
Jul 18, 2023•4 min•Ep. 143
Send us a text Brandy Gleason, owner of https://gleasonfamilyadventure.com/ joins us this week to discuss her mind-blowing Facebook Group, Ohio Road Trip https://www.facebook.com/groups/2642861779333257 This group is nearly 900,000 members at the time of this recording… and it’s likely to surpass 1MM by the time we publish the video. Here are some of the questions we ask Brandy…. 👉 Why did you start this group? 👉 How long did it take to grow? 👉 Groups vs Pages and what difference it makes in ...
Jul 11, 2023•40 min•Ep. 142
Send us a text Last week we talked about silo structures, which consist of pillar posts and support posts. This week I talk to you a little more about Support posts. Support posts are critical elements to reinforcing your authority on Google (and with your readers!) These are the posts that “dive deep” on the information you casually mention in your pillar content. If you’re a new blogger – starting with a topic cluster plan, and then developing pillar and support posts for those topics, is how ...
Jul 03, 2023•13 min•Ep. 141
Send us a text Building silos of content on your site is an effective and easy way to build authority and expertise with your readers and with Google. The problem is that most bloggers don't go deep enough on the content they write. You need authority in your niche, but also on every topic you write about within that niche. In this video I give you an example of "going deep" on a hyperlocal travel site - but the concept applies to every niche out there. Auditing your silos is just ONE part of th...
Jun 27, 2023•13 min•Ep. 140
Send us a text I'm thrilled to share this interview with Claudia Laroye of https://claudiatravels.com/ , who recently published her first book... You can find A Gelato A Day here: https://amzn.to/3NbzlxY We talk with Claudia about her new book... and the process of pitching to publishers, curating the content for her anthology, and the possibility of doing it again. We also talk about how Claudia began as a "hobby" blogger in the family travel space... how that morphed into freelance writing... ...
Jun 20, 2023•37 min•Ep. 139
Send us a text Backlinks are the cheerleaders of your blog posts... defining for Google the pieces of content that are worthy of sharing. Is that always fair? Maybe... maybe not. But today, they are an important part of the ranking model. In this video I cover why they are valuable... and I offer a few ways to get them including my favorite (which is always scary, but oh so easy!) Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here. ===== FOLLOW ME ===== ...
Jun 13, 2023•5 min•Ep. 138
Send us a text Internal Links are often built into your blog posts as an after-thought... but they should be front and center in your mind as you build your content. In this week's video I talk about why internal linking is so valuable, and I share a few best practices to get you going. https://leslipeterson.com/ for the FREE blog post update checklist discussed in this video (If you love this but want even MORE info about updates... a step-by-step process you can consistently repeat... my Conte...
Jun 06, 2023•5 min•Ep. 137
Send us a text Deborah Niemann -Boehle from https://thriftyhomesteader.com/ joins me this week to talk about how her blogging business has transformed since 2006. Deborah talks with me about how a book deal was the catalyst to changing her mindset... but neither her book deal nor her blog is her primary revenue source. With a podcast (https://thriftyhomesteader.com/category/podcast/), books, a teach gig at UMass, courses, speaking engagements and more.... there is a lot to learn from her transit...
May 30, 2023•49 min•Ep. 136
Send us a text In our 25 Things I do to grow my blogging business series, we're on #6 - which also begins the second pillar - SEO. The most important thing that a professional blogger can do, in my opinion, is update their content consistently. ALL OF IT... That's why I've offered my free blog post update checklist for a while now... but this week, I break down each step in the checklist. Grab your copy from the link below, and let's walk thru it! https://leslipeterson.com/ for the FREE blog pos...
May 23, 2023•6 min•Ep. 135
Send us a text It sounds cliche, yet it's anything but. The key to maximizing revenue in your blogging business is to double down on what you're great at, and ignore everything else. In part 5 of my 25-part series I give you an example of how I ignored this strategy and paid the price. I also walk you through three steps to narrowing your focus... and building a filter thru which to evaluate all future projects. No more SOS (Shiny Object Syndrome)... it's time to get serious about your business!...
May 16, 2023•9 min•Ep. 134
Send us a text Jody Halstead from https://irelandfamilyvacations.com/ talks to me this week in an extended interview about how her business changed from a traditional blog to something vastly more robust, stable, and profitable. We'll talk about her ideas for maximizing affiliates, how she uses her two published books to drive revenue (it's not what you think), and how her newest project... the Traveling in Ireland Podcast (https://irelandfamilyvacations.com/podcasts/) has elevated her brand and...
May 09, 2023•51 min•Ep. 133
Send us a text We're on Part 4 this week of the 25 part series on how I have grown my blogging business. We're still in pillar 1: Strategy. And this week we're talking about Time Blocking In this video I tell you WHAT Time Blocking is and WHY it works. I'll also share 11 tips to get you started on a Time Blocking journey that almost guarantees you can get MORE done in LESS time... allowing you to take your blogging business the extra mile. Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so m...
May 01, 2023•6 min•Ep. 132
Send us a text We're continuing this 25 part series on how I have grown my blogging business to over 660K page views a month! We're still in pillar 1: Strategy. And this week we're talking about Keyword Research. In this video I tell you WHY keyword research is still important in 2023 (hint: watch the last video in this series to make it valuable) I also share THREE critical keyword research considerations... And, I give you three TIPS for finding keywords to align with your topic clusters. Grab...
Apr 24, 2023•5 min•Ep. 131
Send us a text Kirsten Maxwell from https://kidsareatrip.com/ talks to me this week in an extended interview about creating and selling itineraries on her site. We'll talk about her (very cool) strategy for reaching buyers beyond her blog, what she thinks is the secret to successful itinerary offers, challenges she faced, and so much more! PS. In this video we mention "Megan" as an amazing graphics artist that both Kirsten and I have used. Megan Jurvis is a sensational resource and if you're int...
Apr 16, 2023•35 min•Ep. 130
Send us a text Before you write the first blog article.... before you do any keyword research... you need to identify the topic clusters you will cover on your blog. SEO has evolved, and topic clusters are critical to your success. If you already have a blog, it's not too late! Identify what you have on your site already so that you can fill in the gaps! This is part 2 of a 25 -part series on growing your blog. Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it a...
Apr 11, 2023•4 min•Ep. 129
Send us a text I'm about this new series: 25 Things I Do To Grow My Business. I'll break down one of the 25 for you over the coming weeks, and this week we start with #1, Planning. Is it glamorous? Seductive? A mind-blowing secret that the world is missing out on? Not in the least. But it *is* the MOST important thing I do in my business. ***************** Semrush is the must-have tool for every blogger and it's what I mention in this video: https://www.semrush.com/lp/sem/en/?ref=2017039287&...
Apr 03, 2023•5 min•Ep. 128
Send us a text Whether your gathering keyword ideas for yourself or for your team of writers, it can be hard to prioritize your efforts and keep track of your ideas. In this video I show you how to use either SEMrush (as a great option) OR SEMrush with AHREFS (the best option) to manage and prioritize. ****************** The tool I use to do ALL my planning is Monday https://try.monday.com/x775pf40k4i6 Semrush is the must-have tool for every blogger and it's what I mention in this video: https:/...
Feb 14, 2023•9 min•Ep. 125
Send us a text If you sold shoes or candy or lawn mowers online, this type of email would be the FIRST one you create! It consistently makes MAJOR BANK for traditional businesses. So why are bloggers worldwide just ignoring it? Regardless of your niche, browse abandonment emails are key to expanding the return on your email list. Yes... even if you don't have a "cart" like a traditional business. In this video we dive into this more, including HOW to make money on this type of email, what tools ...
Jan 31, 2023•6 min•Ep. 124
