Jane Lynch searches for her new memoir at a local bookstore. Doesn’t every author want to do this?
October 21st, 2012
Sunday’s Author Book Trailer: Jane Lynch
October 19th, 2012
Google’s Disavow Links Tool and “Negative SEO”
In response to Google’s latest algorithm update (the Penguin update), they recently announced the launch of a new tool called the Disavow Links Tool.
For authentic and legitimate SEO professionals, like the ones we have on staff here at Monkey C Media, Google Penguin was welcome, as typically all of Google’s updates are, since Google’s ultimate goal is to serve up quality and relevant search results to its users, and to punish the SEOs out there that are trying to “game the system” via trickery, spamming and other bad SEO practices.
With Penguin, Google announced that Websites experiencing a lift in search engine rankings from “negative SEO” — expressly inbound links that were either purchased or gained through spamming — would see their page rank fall.
This is great news!
But, in order to 1) give these spammy sites a chance to clean up their act and start with a clean slate and 2) protect legitimate sites that were unknowingly receiving “spammy” inbound links, Google also launched the Disavow Links Tool, which gives you the opportunity to tell Google which inbound links it should ignore when crawling and evaluating the page rank of your site.
It’s not the type of tool everyone should jump in and use unless you really know what you’re doing, but it’s a great resource for experienced Webmasters to utilize if they’re worried about the potential negative impact of select inbound links.
Read more about Google Penguin.
Read more about Google’s Disavow Links Tool.
October 16th, 2012
How to curate content (properly) on your website or blog
One traffic-driving strategy that is consistently championed is the importance of keeping your website fully loaded with as much fresh content as you can manage. It’s all about content, content, content. And, the more of it that’s original (i.e. you or someone on your staff created the post from scratch in-house) the better. But, that doesn’t mean ALL of your content has to be original.
Another savvy way of keeping your website fresh and continuing to engage your readers is by curating relevant content from other sites and showcasing it on yours. This practice, when done correctly, can help save you time, can help engage your readers and can help you network with other, similar content creators out there on the Web.
Now, you may ask: What is the correct way to curate content?
It’s an important question, since content curation can easily slip into the blogger no-man’s land of stealing and plagiarizing if you’re not approaching it with an arm-load of know-how.
Here are the basic how-tos for legitimate and successful content curation:
First, find an article that you think would be of relevant interest to your site’s existing readership, and then create a new post on your site that includes: Read the rest of this entry »
October 12th, 2012
To Pay with a Tweet or not to Pay with a Tweet?
Posted by Nancy Hunter: SEO consultant at Monkey C Media.
One of our recent clients created a downloadable e-version of a children’s book she wrote, and wanted to offer it up for free in exchange for email sign-ups, as part of an overall promotional campaign for her latest novel.
Marketing-wise, I wanted to see if there was something more we could do with this quality freebie as fodder, so I took to Google in search of ideas. And, that’s when I stumbled upon the Pay with a Tweet concept, which touts itself as “the first social payment system, where people pay with the value of their social network.”
Like most online marketing tools, it has its share of fans and foes. The basic idea, as it would relate to Read the rest of this entry »
October 11th, 2012
Have you looked under the hood of your website lately?
At Monkey C Media, we love building custom WordPress author websites because they give you the power to control your site, make updates at 4:00 a.m., fine tune your message, and connect with social media in a seamless and highly effective way. But, how many authors use the awesome potential of their WP sites? Few. Very few. Too many sites are like old cars that collect in the field of my grandpa’s farm: some of them run, just not very well.
Creative Commons: Photo by by Dina Sotira
Her are a few things you might consider doing every few months or so, just to check in and make sure your site is in top-top shape.
Maintenance Tips for WordPress Websites:
- Broken Link checker: run a check to ensure that you don’t have any broken links. Read the rest of this entry »
October 9th, 2012
SEO is Dead: ‘Optimize,’ a new SEO resource by Lee Odden
I clicked a Tweet link from Business and Marketing Strategist Danny Iny of Firepole Marketing the other day that teased: “SEO is dead.” Hmmm…. What? I was intrigued.
This particular link directed me to a video (below) and a book plug by TopRank blog CEO Lee Odden, for his book Optimize: How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media, and Content Marketing (Wiley, 2012).
In the video, Odden clearly states: “SEO is dead.” But, what he really means is that SEO, as it’s largely been written about over the past several years, is dead. And that, in his opinion, meant it was time for a new book on the topic — one that talks about SEO from a more evolutionary perspective. And this makes a lot of sense.
Since search engines are constantly evolving and changing their algorithms, so do the best ways to optimize your content and your websites for those search engines. And, since that’s a lot to keep up with and battle against, Odden claims (and I agree) the better way to think about optimization is to make sure you’re optimizing for your customers, not simply for the search engines. In his book, he discusses ways to do this by focusing on brand marketing, and by creating awareness, interest, discovery and engagement among customers and users. Read the rest of this entry »
October 6th, 2012
How to Protect Your WordPress Content
Recently we’ve seen a rash of database crashing. Imagine posting to your blog, adding a photo, editing a sentence—you click update and the whole thing disappears. You go to the home page and click refresh and there is nothing—no posts, no pages, the content of your entire site is gone in a flash. Now if that’s not enough to instill panic, I don’t know what is.
The truth is, anything can happen with your website, it can get hacked, the server can go kaput, the database can crash, and if you don’t have a recent backup of your content, you could be out of luck. People always ask me after something like this happens: “What can I do to ensure this doesn’t happen again?” Read the rest of this entry »
October 3rd, 2012
How to Write Sticky Content For Your Blog—Engage and Retain a Loyal Audience
The author’s blogging conundrum begins with this question: How do I build an audience of loyal followers?
Answer: Write sticky content so people remember you and want to come back.
So how do you do that? The popular answer is simple: Say something people want to hear. You’ve likely read lots of marketing articles and have sat in on seminars where they tell you to answer a burning question, provide valuable resources and information, give something away for free, pull at someone’s heart strings, etc.
I don’t think it’s that simple, so I’ll turn it upside down and start at the end of a successful marketing funnel.
What makes an online blog successful? At the end of the day there are millions of websites that provide valuable insight, information and resources. So, what will make your blog more successful than your competition’s? Read the rest of this entry »
September 30th, 2012
Keyword Generator: Using Ubersuggest for content optimization
I’m a big fan and heavy user of Google Suggest and the Google AdWords Keyword Tool, but am always on the lookout for keyword alternatives. Now introducing: Ubersuggest! They claim to be “Google Suggest on steroids,” so at least they’re exuding quite a bit of confidence.
Ubersuggest is a free keyword generator that uses the information provided by Google, and then expands upon each of your submitted keywords and keyword phrases by combining them with other popular search terms. So, you’re getting longer keyword phrase ideas (or, blog post ideas) based on real user search trends.
Although it’s being especially highlighted for its usefulness in managing pay-per-click (PPC) ad campaigns, it’s also another interesting tool to add to your basic SEO arsenal.
Here’s a blog post I found that describes how Ubersuggest can be used to help with writer’s block. The example used here is based on the popular and overly saturated “how to” model — to see what people are commonly searching for helpful tips on. But, the same step-by-step process can be used to help with other content ideas.
And, speaking of “how to,” here’s another post I stumbled across that’s actually titled: How to Use Ubersuggest for Content & Optimization Ideas.
I’m always interested in hearing about new, helpful content and optimization tools, so please share your latest finds in the comments section below or get in touch via social media. I’d love to check them out!
Note: I used Ubersuggest to optimize this post. 
April 30th, 2012
Throwing good money after bad?
Today Microsoft threw $300 million into the Barnes &Noble e-reader business (17.6% stake). It’ll be interesting to see how this whole Windows 8 vs. Android vs. iOS shakes out in the next few years.
