Send us a text Email isn't new anymore... it's an acceptable and expected means of communication. Preferred, in fact. And it's time for the double opt-in to go away. Double Opt-In Disliked for Personal Reasons : Double opt-in processes are often seen as unnecessary and can lead to a loss of interest in the content. Double Opt-In Reduces Barriers for Subscribers : Eliminating the double opt-in process makes it easier for subscribers to quickly receive lead magnets and content, enhancing their exp...
Oct 31, 2023•7 min
Send us a text There has been some speculation that Google is flagging blogs with affiliate links as spam. Fortunately, having affiliates does NOT automatically mean that your site is flagged. Google hates thin affiliate posts... lucky us... they also appreciate the good ones. What makes a "good" affiliate post? Google breaks it down, right there in the documentation. We cover those FIVE things in this episode. Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it a...
Oct 30, 2023•21 min
Send us a text The "spending money" season is around the corner, and it's time to brush the dust off your affiliate efforts. One of my favorite ways to send affiliates in a timely manner is via trigger links in my email and on my blog. But don't stop there - they are fantastic for affiliates year-round AND for brand deals. Here's how they work 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...
Oct 27, 2023•10 min
Send us a text I get this question a lot... should you unindex your tag pages or category pages? I've got several reasons why you should consider it... and a few exceptions to the rule. Plus, I tell you where to do it! 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 in...
Oct 26, 2023•10 min
Send us a text This is a question I get asked repeatedly. For the most part, I think a second blog is a bad idea. But there are always exceptions. In this episode I explain why it's NOT good idea... and what those exceptions are! 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...
Oct 25, 2023•16 min
Send us a text Last year I told you my strategy for leveraging the MSN partnership. Their rules have changed, and there are people flooding the program. With that, my strategy has changed. Here's how. 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 li...
Oct 24, 2023•12 min
Send us a text Nearly a year ago I shared that I was not opening my Booking and Hotels.com links to the Stay22 LMA Script... but I've changed that approach. In this episode I share - what is new to the script (as of last week)... - why I'm using the script for everything now... - my upcoming webinar with Stay22 - why it's important you know I don't make affiliate $$ by telling you about Stay22 Link to see the script example I shared (search "wildlife") Link to register for the Insight Series Gra...
Oct 23, 2023•11 min•Ep. 208
Send us a text I'm talking newsletters again today because they impact every part of your business... and Google can't get to them! I'm sharing 2 reasons why you need to minimize the number of links in your newsletters... one of them is my all-time favorite study. 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 ad...
Oct 20, 2023•13 min
Send us a text I'm seeing a significant uptick in traffic from Pinterest right now. Are you? If so, this might be the time to hire help (I use Virtual Powerhouse ) or to build some new pins for your high-performing posts! Second, a FREE tool called GoViral can help drive traffic... and if you use it strategically it can help grow your email list as well! 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.co...
Oct 19, 2023•9 min
Send us a text We know that Google can change the prescribed meta description up to 70% of the time. What makes them do this? What can you do to lower the chances of this happening to you? And what makes a meta description "good"?? 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 ...
Oct 18, 2023•10 min
Send us a text As if the Helpful Content Update wasn't enough... here comes a Core Update. It's still rolling out, but I've been studying the winners and the losers and I've come to the conclusion that this update did TWO THINGS to the creator industry. I give you the skinny on that AND explain why it "looks" like ads are to blame, but that might just be a correlation to what's really going on. Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here. ===== FO...
Oct 17, 2023•19 min
Send us a text Instagram is the ideal place to grow your subscriber list, and ManyChat is the tool to make it happen. In this episode I explain ManyChat and how it works - and then give you several ways to leverage it. 1. Using the MULTIPLE lead magnets you already have on your site 2. When to use direct links to posts 3. Using it with clients and in brand contracts 4. How to use it for product sales Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here. ==...
Oct 16, 2023•19 min
Send us a text Today I am asking you to rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 .... These 15 questions will help you evaluate your blogging business and determine where you need to focus in order to close out the year in a well-rounded position. Where are you doing well... where do you need to focus? And.. what questions did I miss?? 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 Podc...
Oct 13, 2023•20 min
Send us a text Eric Lancheres from on-page.ai published a new HCU report yesterday, and it's really really interesting. Some conclusions mirror what we've been talking about - others are eerily different. Even different than what Google says is happening. I encourage you to check out the full report (link below) but if you want the cliff-notes version... that's what this episode is all about. Full report is here: https://on-page.ai/pages/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Helpful-Content-Update-By-Eric-...
Oct 12, 2023•29 min
Send us a text Here's the #1 mistake I see bloggers making when it comes to content updates. I see it over and over and over again, and it breaks my heart. 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 you to anything I don't ...
Oct 11, 2023•7 min
Send us a text Great question from listener Annie - thanks for emailing me. If you want to change the photos in a post update, will that impact your SEO? We dive into that, as well as ideal sizes for your photos and more. 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...
Oct 10, 2023•12 min
Send us a text You cannot rest on your laurels, expecting that your rankings will magically come back. The changes are here to stay... and the longer you avoid the adjustment, the deeper your traffic will fall. I hit you with some tough love this Monday. (But only because I care!) I also share my KLIMB methodology to help you increase your traffic: K - KNOW your keyword's intention L - LEVERAGE your experience and thought leadership I - INTEGRATE your content through topic clusters and internal ...
Oct 09, 2023•10 min
Send us a text After over a decade of being a die-hard fan, I am leaving SEMrush. The change in price for us that were previously grandfathered in to the lower price has prompted me to see what else is out there on the market, and I've decided to move to SE Ranking . It's a little cheaper for me ($500/yr less) and can be a LOT cheaper for people with smaller blogs (up to $1171 cheaper per year)... but here's the kicker... I think it is better! It has several components that I'm very excited abou...
Oct 06, 2023•19 min
Send us a text Earlier this week I hosted MULTIPLE workshops about the Helpful Content Update and updating your blog posts with that in mind (and with general content decay in mind) and it was lots of of! There are always a ton of questions at the end, and I've picked 7 of those to talk about it today's episode. Enjoy! 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...
Oct 05, 2023•26 min
Send us a text A few episodes ago I shared my biggest blogging regret . Whew - that was a hard one. Today I am sharing some things that I did NOT do in my business - for which I have no regrets. The first one is probably a little controversial! But - to round it all out, I also share the things that I did do that I think made the biggest difference in the long run. Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here. ===== FOLLOW ME ===== FB: https://www....
Oct 04, 2023•18 min
Send us a text Are you on a path to creating as much content as possible? Do you think this is the most important mission in your business? Do you think it's the key to making more money? I want to challenge that belief today - and offer you a few OTHER things to work on instead. 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/ ** Someti...
Oct 03, 2023•12 min•Ep. 194
Send us a text If you are updating a post (or creating a new one, for that matter) then these are the five questions you should ask yourself before you even get started. 1. If I asked Chatgpt to answer this question (the keyword is the question)... how much better will my answer be? 2. Who ranks #1, 2 and 3... and can I write something better? Not longer or with more things... but better! 3. Who is your audience and what do they want to know about the topic? The stuff that is special to them? 4....
Oct 02, 2023•28 min•Ep. 193
Send us a text We're continuing the conversation about the Helpful Content Update... we've got more information about who was impacted positively and negatively. For some blogs, there were MAJOR hits. For others though - most probably - there were smaller hits in the 20% range. I've seen a pattern with those sites... one that we can't do anything about, and another we can. But it requires that the blogger stop complaining that "my content is better than what's ranking now!" It requires the blogg...
Sep 29, 2023•15 min•Ep. 192
Send us a text How lucky I am to have Sharlene on the podcast today - my blogging mentor from way back in the day! Sharlene Earnshaw is the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Trekaroo , and the owner of California Travel Life . Sharlene hired me to work at Trekaroo many years ago, and I stayed there for a year, learning so much from her and the team there. Sharlene still hires writers regularly -and lots of them- so I asked her to share some of those experiences with us. I hope you'll learn as much as I...
Sep 28, 2023•37 min•Ep. 191
Send us a text Sunk Cost Fallacy is when we know that the cost of our efforts outweighs the benefits... but instead of walking away, we double down on the bad decision. I did this... recently. It cost me a LOT of time and thousands of dollars. It is my biggest regret.... And the thing is, I saw the warning signs along the way. I knew better. And yet I kept pressing forward. Here's my story, and 7 signs I had that I continued to ignore. It's embarrassing... but I am sharing so that you don't have...
Sep 27, 2023•15 min•Ep. 190
Send us a text In the pro blogger space, I think it's rare that we write multiple posts for one keyword ON PURPOSE. The question I get most often is how to know if one keyword is different enough to warrant using as a target keyword in a second post... and that's what we talk about today. It boils down to three considerations: 1. Searcher intention 2. Content context 3. Unique anchor text Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here. ===== FOLLOW M...
Sep 26, 2023•13 min•Ep. 189
Send us a text What if I told you there are small tweaks you can make that will significantly increase your email open rates? I've tested them myself with amazing results. Want to know what they are? Check out this episode. One area I've dialed in is email open rates. Most bloggers don't realize the huge impact open rates have on their business. Let me tell you - it's massive. I'm going to share some methods I use to absolutely maximize the number of people opening my emails. Building Connection...
Sep 25, 2023•11 min•Ep. 188
Send us a text I'm always looking for ways to improve my site. Recently I realized my "About" page was way overdue for a refresh. I did a deep dive into best practices for about pages and uncovered some great insights. I want to share a framework that guides how I structured my new About page, along with a few of my top tips. The PROFILE Framework Through my research, I developed the "PROFILE" framework for about pages. This acronym lays out the 7 essential sections every about page needs. I'll ...
Sep 22, 2023•17 min•Ep. 187
Send us a text Bullet points are great ways to highlight the important parts of your article, and get the user to the point - quickly! This exercise has become more and more important with Google... so I did some research on how to use bullets well, when to use bullets instead of numbers, how to correctly punctuate bullets and more. Give a listen! 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/group...
Sep 21, 2023•11 min•Ep. 186
Send us a text Wanting to launch a product, but you feel stuck? This 10-step product launch overview gives you the framework for getting your product off the ground. 1. Ideation 2. Competitive research 3. Planning and market research 4. Creating the product 5. Market plan 6.Sales plan 7. Sales page 8. Sales tool 9. Test 10 Execute and Track My recommended sales tool is SendOwl: https://www.sendowl.com?r=12ff5 My favorite graphic designer is Megan Jurvis Design: https://www.meganjurvis.com/ Grab ...
Sep 20, 2023•19 min•Ep. 185
