Send us a text Content Decay.... it happens to every blogger, and every post. And if I'm honest, it's downright disappointing. You put so much effort into writing the perfect post, sharing all the tips and tidbits you know, celebrate when it reaches the top of Google's SERPs ... and then POW, like a punch in the gut it starts to tumble. That's the decay. There are FOUR reasons why this usually happens... and FIVE easy things you can do about it. We're covering those today, so you don't have to f...
Sep 19, 2023•6 min
Send us a text SHOULD FULL TIME BLOGGERS SPEND THEIR TIME ON Google Web Stories? (While I am away on a travel assignment, I'm pulling one from the YouTube archives.... still relevant today!) Early in 2021 I was part of a small group of content creators hired by Google to beta test Google Web Stories. I created *at least* two GWS every week for 6 months...following Google's recommendations to the letter. After that project, I made the decision to STOP creating further web stories...mostly. In thi...
Sep 18, 2023•8 min
Send us a text Yesterday Google announced a new HCU rollout! Let's discuss... There were 4 changes to the documentation that could impact a blogger, and I go over those for you in this episode. Do you have "third party content" on your site? Watch out. Do you have YMYL content? You can have it reviewed by an expert. Are you changing the update date without offering value? Stop Are you removing old content to keep your site fresh? This one seems complicated. Also - correction. I said in this epis...
Sep 15, 2023•19 min•Ep. 182
Send us a text Do you send a newsletter? No? Get on it, friend! If you do (or you're about to start) then this sneaky little "trick" will help you sell more products, affiliates and more. It's not rocket surgery... it's connection. In this episode I give you a few techniques I use to write the "letter" part of my newsletter in order to increase connection and relatability... which always drive more sales. Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all her...
Sep 14, 2023•16 min•Ep. 181
Send us a text Tim Leffel is a multi-award winning travel writer, 5-time author, and blogger and teacher... and also a well-respected member of the travel writing community. Tim's book Travel Writing 2.0 will be released in it's third edition later this month. I encourage you to get on his email list for great stories about some of travel's best authors... and you'll be notified when the new edition is out. In this episode we talk about how Tim got into travel writing and how it's evolved over t...
Sep 13, 2023•28 min•Ep. 180
Send us a text Spoiler alert: No. It's not. But we will have to pivot, as an industry. I share my thoughts on the changing landscape in this episode, plus THREE THINGS every blogger needs to consider in order to adapt to the changes. 1. Keep updating your content 2. Craft a product for your audience 3. Work on your email list 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 Podcas...
Sep 12, 2023•20 min•Ep. 179
Send us a text Do you ever get bored with simple listicles? Me too! Here are 6 other types of posts (or new ways to look at lists) that you can use to spice up your next article. 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.com/ ** Sometimes I link to additional resources, and they may or may not include affiliate links. I'll never link y...
Sep 11, 2023•12 min•Ep. 178
Send us a text This episode wraps up our mini series on the first 100 days of starting a new blog! We cover more about your newsletter, and your product! I also walk through an overview of the SBS framework for selling your products. Recommended in this episode: https://www.sendowl.com?r=12ff5 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....
Sep 08, 2023•14 min•Ep. 177
Send us a text Are you working with a brand or destination that wants to repurpose your blog content, but you are not sure if that's a good idea? Here are three ways that I've done it in the past - and two of them are GREAT for gaining backlinks. Don't be afraid to let a brand use a small part of your content on their blog or in their newsletter. I t can benefit you both! And if the want to use the whole thing... be sure to use a canonical link and include additional internal links so that you g...
Sep 07, 2023•10 min•Ep. 176
Send us a text Professional Blogging - it's when you decide to change your mindset to run your blog like a business and not a hobby. But what does that mean? How do you know you're doing it right? Here are 9 areas where I see bloggers making mistakes at when they "run their blog like a business" 1. Niche confusion 2. Weak SEO 3. Neglecting their email list 4. Ignoring analytics 5. Not diversifying their monetization plan 6. Poor outreach and networking 7. Not diversifying their traffic source 8....
Sep 06, 2023•16 min•Ep. 175
Send us a text SGE (Search Generative Experience) is here to stay - even if it's only in Labs right now. What is it exactly? What's the point; why did Google do this? What do they hope to achieve? How does it play into the removal of the FAQ schema? How will it impact bloggers? All these questions answered, PLUS I'll break down the things you need to do NOW to minimize the impact of what's coming in Google's Brave New World. Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All F...
Sep 05, 2023•22 min•Ep. 174
Send us a text In an earlier episode I shared what I would do in the first 10 weeks of starting a new blog ... and today I break down the next two weeks. In this episode I share a little about email set up, secondary channels (like social media), Pinterest and why I encourage you to ONLY write 1 post a week in thee first 100 days. I mention a few businesses and previous episodes in this recording. Find them here: Drip (my email system tool of choice): https://try.drip.com/xjzja5vvqpb3 Virtual Po...
Sep 04, 2023•17 min•Ep. 173
Send us a text Do you sometimes feel like keyword research makes you inauthentic or that applying SEO strategies makes your voice counterfeit? I get that comment periodically... and I want to speak to it. Here are three reasons why I believe keyword research and SEO are not just an authentic means of sharing your message... but actually critical to being a good steward of resources and delivering value to your reader. Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Gr...
Sep 01, 2023•11 min•Ep. 172
Send us a text Should you use an image in your lead magnet form? How long should you wait to show the pop up? Is it ok to ask for their email AND name? All these questions and more are answered in this week's podcast. I'll share with you five take-aways from a recent study of 1 billion pop ups... so you can take action on your OWN pop up forms immediately! Here is the study: https://www.drip.com/blog/popup-statistics Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Gra...
Aug 31, 2023•18 min•Ep. 171
Send us a text We've been talking about topic clusters a lot lately... this may be a new phrase for some of you. If that's the case (or you need a refresher) this post is for you! In this episode I explain: 1) The THREE components of a topic cluster 2) FOUR reasons why you should use them 3) The ONE thing you need to make sure Google knows you're building a cluster 4) THE area of most confusion 5) Your NEXT STEPS to ensure you've nailed this strategy Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcas...
Aug 30, 2023•23 min•Ep. 170
Send us a text Listen to Part 2 here: https://podcast.leslipeterson.com/2214188/13514176-starting-a-new-blog-part-2 Whether you are starting a new blog for the first time EVER... or you are starting another blog from scratch, this episode is for you. I break down how I would start a blog today... the exact steps I would use in the first 10 weeks. Success is all about planning. If you use my plan, you won't even write your first post until week 4! But it will be worth it! Define your niche/do com...
Aug 29, 2023•37 min•Ep. 169
Send us a text If you've got your email list going... you're feeling good about your lead magnet... your newsletter is consistent... and you're looking for that next level email action - I got you! The best email marketing studies for best practices and effectiveness are in the ecommerce space - and that's why we as bloggers should look there for ideas that we can apply to our business model. Int his episode I break down FIVE ways ecommerce companies are leveraging email pop ups -- and I tell yo...
Aug 28, 2023•31 min•Ep. 168
Send us a text In April of this year, we lost about 3% of our traffic overnight. I thought it was the Helpful Content Update, but after a consultation with Dr Marie Haynes it became more apparent that it was the Reviews Update. But wait - I have less than 5 product reviews on my site! How can that be?? This in-depth episode reveals three of the eye-opening insights that my consultation revealed. I'll share you how I thought I was doing all the "right" things when it came to demonstrating experie...
Aug 25, 2023•30 min•Ep. 167
Send us a text Podcasting. You, like me, are blown away by the potential podcasts hold for our business. I know this because our previous podcast episode (in my mini series on takeaways from TBEX) is our most popular episode, by far. That is why I am thrilled that Gary Arndt (who encouraged my foray into the practice of podcasting) agreed to sit with us for an extended interview. His podcast, Everything Everywhere Daily , reaches over 1MM listeners every month! So yes, he knows a thing or two ab...
Aug 24, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 166
Send us a text If you're looking to rekindle an old email list - to re-engage or reactive an inactive list of subscribers - then this episode is for you. Here I share with you 3 RULES to be clear about before you consider the breath of life. Second, I share with you the exact 3 EMAILS you need in your campaign, when you're ready: 1. Problem...solution + HOW they came to be on your list 2. Gift a tool + WHO you are 3. Most popular + WHY you're worthy of their inbox Grab ALL the freebies I mention...
Aug 23, 2023•21 min
Send us a text When you have clarity in your business and in your life, big things happen. I don't just mean you have defined clear goals for your tasks tomorrow... or the goals in your next major project. I mean REAL clarity. Clarity of purpose. Clarity of identity. Clarity of your best self. For me, practicing clarity comes by doing two things: Observing and Recording. In this episode I take you through the process I use in the morning, the evening and when I'm stuck... I give you examples (TM...
Aug 22, 2023•22 min•Ep. 164
Send us a text Hiring a VA for your blog... writers... updaters... an editor... someone to be a part of your strategic business decisions... we've done it all! In this episode I break down the types of roles we hire for including a business, partner, a virtual assistant, and an editor. And don't forget the writers. I share the various ways we pay them. And I give you tips for making your hiring process easier: The Devil is in the details - know what you want to hire for and how they can be succe...
Aug 21, 2023•23 min•Ep. 163
Send us a text With an unexpected interuption in today's schedule, I thought I'd bring one of our older (still applicable, still valuable, still popular) YouTube videos to the podcast. If you prefer to SEE me , you can watch this here: https://youtu.be/3a43g7U1p7k If you're a blogger, you know the power of backlinks. You probably have even joined a backlinking group (or three!) There are a lot of misconceptions about how backlinks work, who you should and should not get them from, and some best ...
Aug 18, 2023•15 min
Send us a text We had such a great response to the B2B Newsletter episode – so much feedback about how you want to start this effort and amp up your sales efforts. With that in mind, here are 8 principles that reflect the foundational ideas or concepts that guide our sales efforts. 1. Be Specific (Niche Down): - Focus on what you do best - Serve a specific target audience 2. Be Yourself (Unapologetically): - Your unique skill set is your strength - Don't be afraid to be bold and different 3. Be ...
Aug 17, 2023•24 min•Ep. 162
Send us a text Understanding search intent will allow you to make vast improvements in getting your content ranked. I'm not talking about the 4 labels that the SEOs and keyword tools always touch on (informational, navigational, commercial and transactional) Those are great, but the real masters go a step beyond that. 1. Use Chatgpt to help you understand EXACTLY what the important concepts are for the specific term you are writing about. 2. Use those concepts to build your outline - put them at...
Aug 16, 2023•20 min•Ep. 161
Send us a text B2B newsletters are a vital part of our sales strategy. If you listened to yesterday's podcast you heard ONE of the things we share in our quarterly sends (stats!)... When I tell people that we do this, they often ask what VALUE it brings... and what to INCLUDE in theirs. I'm breaking that down for you today int he form of a S.H.A.R.E. S - Stay top of mind! H - Highlight your achievements A - Ask for help R - Reveal your stats E - Educate your audience Just remember - don't send t...
Aug 15, 2023•12 min•Ep. 160
Send us a text Today we are discussing my favorite product that I offer as a blogger: Featured Listings. I feel like a lot of bloggers yawn and roll their eyes when I talk about this, so today I am sharing a little bit more about why I think it's so valuable: SIX FIGURES. There have been several years (this one, for example) that we make more money from Featured Listings than from (what I predict will be) our annual ad revenue. That is nothing to shy away from. For that reason, let me share with...
Aug 14, 2023•32 min•Ep. 159
Send us a text Today we are talking about the POWER of a newsletter editorial calendar! They make it easier to plan, keep you from feeling frozen at your keyboard, allow you to easily rotate personas and share with clients, and prevent you from sharing the "same ol' stuff" every season. 1. Pick a tool. I highly recommend Monday. I use it for ALL my blogging organizational needs (but a spreadsheet will work in a pinch) - https://try.monday.com/x775pf40k4i6 2. Add a spot or two on your list for ea...
Aug 11, 2023•17 min•Ep. 158
Send us a text Do you have a lead magnet up yet? Maybe a few? I'm so proud of you! Now it's time to follow the delivery of that opt-in with a Welcome Email.. but what the heck goes in a welcome email? That's what we're talking about today. These SIX things will help you create the welcome email that dreams are made of! 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: http...
Aug 10, 2023•26 min•Ep. 157
Send us a text Hey bloggers - today I am in the wilds of Southwest Colorado, with no way to bring you a podcast - but don't fret! I am re-sharing the audio from an earlier YouTube video - still valid, still important, and still often overlooked information (even by the most seasoned of writers!) Updating your content will allow you to double - yes DOUBLE - your current page view numbers. Just get started... just do a few... just try it for a week and you'll begin to see immediately that it's no ...
Aug 09, 2023•6 min•Ep. 156
