Day 17 & 18: Use a Magazine to Improve Your Site and Set Up Google Alerts

Written by Don P on November 20 2014. Posted in Challenge #1 (2015)

(Reading time: 1 minute)

This might seem a little weird, but stick with me when I say to take some time out to analyze or review a magazine with the anticipation of learning about how you might improve your own blog.

Which magazine should you choose? Realistically, almost any magazine will do for this exercise — usually I try to stick with "the sluttier, the better" approach. However, if there’s a magazine out there that covers the same topic as your blog then that’s probably worth choosing it (although you should still save the other magazine for later).

Hint: Many public libraries will have back copies of magazines, so once you push through all the homeless people, you can read these for free and with lots of magazines at once.

Because ... Continue Reading

Build a Better Blog: Day 16 (Create a Heatmap from Reader Clicks)

Written by Don P on November 19 2014. Posted in Challenge #1 (2015)

(Reading time: 1 minute)

Analytics are great for giving you an idea where people have gone on your site, but creating a heatmap will show you how people arrived to certain pages by tracking where readers of your blog click when surfing on your site.

There are two different ways to accomplish this, so ask yourself: Do I want the free option or do I want to pay for this service?

Since I'm cheaper than a black man at tip time, I'm going to choose and write about the "free alternative." If you've been ... Continue Reading

Build a Better Blog: Day 13 (Find an Affiliate Program)

Written by Don P on November 17 2014. Posted in Challenge #1 (2015)

(Reading time: 1 minute)

If you're not interested in monetizing your blog to make money online (people like that exist, right?), you might want to go back to one of the previous 12 days and repeat one of the earlier tasks. But for those who are wanting to make money from your blog through affiliate programs, this is an exercise worth completing from time to time.

I'm going to assume you know a little bit about affiliate marketing. If not, starting reading up on it because new affiliate offers are ... Continue Reading

Day 14 & 15: Analyze Your Competition and Make Popular Posts Visible

Written by Don P on November 18 2014. Posted in Challenge #1 (2015)

(Reading time: 1 minute)

I'm going to use the word "competition" very loosely in the post because what you should really understand about blogging is that the people who blog about the same topics as you are potentially your biggest allies. Connect and work with your competition and everyone improves.

With that being said, today’s task is to so some analysis of other blogs in your niche — your "competition."

This is actually an exercise I've recommended in the past to a friend who was just starting ... Continue Reading

Day 11 & 12: Here Are My Metrics (What Are Yours?) and Introduce Yourself to a Fellow Blogger

Written by Don P on November 15 2014. Posted in Challenge #1 (2015)

(Reading time: 1 minute)

If you have a blog or website and haven't installed the Google Analytics script, then get it. Right. The Fuck. Now.

There is an unbelievable wealth of information captured, filtered, and presented that can be incredibly useful to even a "hobby blogger" — and it's all for FREE!

First I'll go over some important metrics to which you should be paying close attention. Then I'll breakdown my metrics from the past year for an in-depth look. If you haven't already checked out the ... Continue Reading