Ever shared an article that you posted or a video that you uploaded on social media and had no attention paid to it? It happens every minute of every day. You can create the greatest content ever made on any given topic in the universe and no one will see it.

So, it would seem only natural to just share it again, right?

There are actually "experts" out there who say that you shouldn't post the same thing more than twice to social media. But if something doesn't perform well, it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it. Just as with anything else, you don't just share something once, have it do badly, and say "oh, well." The trick is, when you do reshare the same piece of content, how do you do it, and do it well?

Truth is, resharing old content that's still relevant is probably the most important thing you can do. After all, you can't write a killer article or create a killer video, picture, or meme every day. OK, maybe you can. But the point is, there's no point in wasting what you've already done, especially if you're sharing something that's done well in the past.


Sharing Your Content Right the First Time

Of course, there's nothing like first impressions. Sharing a piece of content for the first time should be done as well as possible, of course. You'll want to have a great catchy heading for your content share, plus relevant hashtags, and of course, the link to your amazing content! Then, you share it on as many networks as possible, taking into account the audience on each platform.

The hope in sharing one piece of content so broadly is to help ensure that you give that content the best chance to succeed. Hashtags, for the platforms that have them, allow your content to have "trending" potential. That's because hashtags are frequented by social media users all the time. Popular and niche hashtags are very powerful ways to get new eyes on your content or the same eyes that always want to see that sort of content.

Then, of course, the message on each platform is going to be somewhat different. On Facebook, you talk about the content like you're telling a friend about it. On Twitter, you're giving a short and sweet hook to your content. On LinkedIn, you're telling how this post can add value to its viewers' lives. On Google Plus, it seems like trying to start a conversation about your content with an unknown amount of strangers is the best way to go. You could go on forever with all of the other niche networks, but you get the general idea.


But, Who Actually Sees Your Social Media Share?

Fact: most things that are shared on social media go completely unnoticed. Sure, you can choose to post whenever traffic is high on certain networks. However, impressions aren't everything. In fact, most social media shares get – gasp – scrolled past! Yet, as long as they appear on someone's feed, they count as an impression.

Truthfully, during high traffic times on certain social networks, there's so much noise that your post can simply be missed. During low traffic times, posts to your content may be seen, but still ignored if they're not your target audience. Unless a good number of your target audience gets your notifications or something, there are going to be posts that are shouting into the wind.

Impressions are NOT what they seem! This is why analytics can be so frustrating. How can my post on social media be seen 2000 times and yet my post has 10 views? Without diving into the exact nuances of why that is, the short answer is that your share got attention, but not the right attention.


So, How Do I Reshare My Content on Social Media Effectively?

If you really think a piece of content is valuable, it's perfectly OK to reshare it again, even a week or two after the initial posting. It could even be posted a year from now if it's still valuable and relevant. But, you want to do it right.

The obviously wrong way to reshare content is spamming it. Despite all of the advice to the contrary, people will reshare the same piece of content once every hour. This includes people that you would think should know better, even marketers. While that may not technically be considered "spam" by social networks themselves, it is considered as much for users.

Basically, if something didn't do well the first time, there's no need to force the issue. Sure, the right people probably didn't see it. Saying ICYMI – In Case You Missed It – is fine if you do it later in the day or sometime during the same week. But beyond that, if your share got missed the first time or two, it's because it didn't get the right attention.

With all of the algorithms that define what social media users see in their feeds now, there's all this talk of "beating" the algorithms. Truthfully, there's no need to try and cheat. Believe it or not, what you need to do is actually rather simple. It takes a little extra work, but the payoff can be doubling, if not more, the amount of traffic to any given content you promote.


Add Variety to Your Social Shares!

It never hurts to add variety. Even if you're sharing the same exact post or content, you can find different ways to promote it. Sounds like common sense, doesn't it? It's actually not common.

We've all done it. You fall in love with a post and you just want to shout it from the rooftops. While it seems like shouting is necessary to be heard on social media, it's actually not. Like in real life, you just have to switch things up every so often.

Let's use Twitter as an example. You want each of your tweets to be unique, right? This isn't true of most people. But it's quite a good idea. Even if you're promoting the same post several times in a day, you actually can do it correctly and effectively. One of the best ways of doing this is to alternate between create varying headlines for your posts and discussion questions about it.

Here's the "meta" aspect to doing this. If people come across your Twitter feed and just see a bunch of the same links shared over and over again, this isn't going to inspire them. In fact, you may just look like a desperate fool who's shamelessly self-promoting. Worse, you may even appear arrogant. You don't want that, for sure.

People like seeing you try something new all the time. Even if you are sharing the same thing, at least try to provide value. That's very important, and can actually encourage a healthy level of engagement with your tweets. You definitely want that.


Examples of Adding Variety to Your Social Shares

There are countless ways of redressing and re-framing the same piece of content on social media. But whenever you're feeling sad about a post's lack of traction on social media, you'll want some simple examples to turn to. Here are five simple ways to share the same content more than once while still making the share unique.

1. The Direct and Easy Method – Sometimes, just posting the Title, Link, and Hashtags for the content you're promoting really works. If you haven't shared a particular piece of content in more than a week, it's OK to do this again. Still, you may want to tweak the hashtags a bit to try to find a new audience for it.
2. Ask a Question – Ask your audience an engaging question to hopefully spark conversation. If you can get some replies going, it can help keep your content relevant and interesting to people. It greatly extends the life of your share.
3. State a Fact or Figure or Two - Share a fact or two along with some figures in your post, which adds value to the share.
4. Share a Quote – Take a quote from your article that would make a good social media message. This is a popular method, and you can take many different quotes from the same piece.
5. Add Intrigue – If you're good at writing teasers, this is a great place to practice your art. Attention-grabbing headlines can be hard to use when optimizing content for SEO. But on social media, while using keywords is important, you can do a good old fashioned teaser without worrying about that. You just want those who see it in their feed to be attracted to clicking on it.

The great thing about these five simple strategies is that they let you experiment with your audience. You don't have to be the most organized person to tell which sorts of shares perform the best. Just watch how many clicks, replies/comments, likes, and shares you get on each share. That will tell you what sorts of shares work best for your particular audience. It also shows you what doesn't work.

Take note of shares that work particularly well,. Then, you can make variations on what's worked in the past later. When you're constantly experimenting like this, it makes your social media feeds fresh and engaging. No one wants to see the same thing over and over and originality freshens up even the dustiest of content.

What link sharing and content sharing strategies have worked best for you?

by R.A. Rowell; Co-Owner ofIntent-sive Nature & theBrand Shamans network

Many website owners are familiar with the Yoast SEO plugin for Wordpress, probably the best known SEO content analysis tool. Of course, any help you can get with improving your website’s SEO is important to getting your website to rank well and get organic traffic. Still, while it can be a helpful tool, not every website uses Wordpress, or wants to purchase the premium version of a SEO plugin. Fortunately, SEO content analysis isn’t all that complicated to learn. Here are a few steps on how to analyze your own content to optimize it for the best on-page SEO results.


How Do You Choose Focus Keywords for SEO?

While doing keyword research, you’ll likely come across some keyword phrases that seem like they would be easy to rank for in search. One great way to do this is to use Google Autocomplete tools such as ubersuggest.io or keywordtool.io to find phrases that are related to your industry, product or service. Once you find some low-competition search phrases with decent traffic, you can use these as focus keyword phrases to build your content around.

You don’t want these focus keywords to be too general, such as “marketing” or even “online marketing.” It’s far more difficult to rank your content for keyword phrases that are only one, two, or even three words long. Because these sorts of keyword phrases are so general, they are extremely competitive. Focus keyword phrases should be four or more words, although sometimes you’ll find phrases of three words that are fairly easy to rank for due to low competition. The more specific a query you focus on, the more likely searchers will find exactly what they are looking for from your content.



How Many Times Should I Use Focus Keywords in My Content?

How many times should I use my focus keyword or keywords? The conventional wisdom was to make sure that you used each focus keyword phrase in at least about 1 to 3 percent of your total content. But really, there is no exact amount of times to use a particular focus keyword in order to make your content rank. What you should instead focus on are what are called LSI keywords.

LSI keywords are phrases that are related and similar to your focus keyword. They are phrases that can naturally show up in content together. One great way to find these LSI Keywords was a free tool called LSIGraph -  which isn’t currently available as of this writing, so you will have to search for another LSI keyword tool. By using related keyword phrases to your focus keyword throughout your content, not only isn’t your content going to be keyword-stuffed and spammy-looking, but it will likely rank for more search terms than you might expect. Ranking for more terms means more traffic.


Can I Improve My Content for SEO Beyond Focus Keywords?

The creators of many SEO tools suggest that you keep your content easy to read, use plenty of subheaders and short paragraphs, and use as much active voice as possible. Generally, these are already good things to do in online content. How much weight that search engines actually give to these factors is unknown. However, subheaders in particular make sense as good SEO signals since they usually contain valuable keyword phrases. 

Pretty much everyone will tell you just to use your keyword phrases naturally and not be too conscious of how many times they are being used. It’s suggested to just keep those keywords in front of you as you’re writing content. However, when you are done, it’s good to go back and see how many times your focus keywords are being used. If you’re using your keyword phrases too obviously, try to change a few of them to related LSI keyword phrases if possible. If you’re using them too sparingly, it’s OK to work them in a bit more often.


What Can Help with SEO Content Analysis Do For My Business or Blog?

Now that you know the basics of content analysis for SEO, you might think it sounds pretty easy. Honestly, this advice is certainly enough to get you started. However, sometimes you’ll write a great blog post that doesn’t really focus on any keywords. Other times, you’ll write a web page that focuses mostly on keywords without truly being a valuable resource.

The idea is to find a balance between SEO and good content. You need to let the search engines know your content is relevant to keywords that people are actually searching. Then, you also need to be creating great content that is both valuable and good to convert visitors into subscribers, leads, or customers. While SEO content analysis seems simple, and there are free online content analysis tools out there, how do you know that the tools are actually giving you good advice?


Even with a popular tool like Yoast, being told that your content’s readability needs improvement may not be useful feedback for you. Sometimes the content analysis tools won’t work properly, or not work at all. You may need to seek out someone to do your SEO copy editing for you. Fortunately, it’s usually a quick task. The tweaks not only could help your content rank better for important keyword phrases. Your content will also read better and be more valuable to your target audience as a result.

Questions, comments, concerns? Let us know in the comments!

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Sometimes ads can be annoying. So, you may be enticed to install an ad remover app or program. Before installing ad blocker or ad remover programs, consider all these reasons not to. Doing so can actually be harmful in many ways.

Ads Keep Your Information Coming

In order to be able to display that information you’re reading, website owners often rely on payments from those ads. Without impressions (aka you viewing the ads), this can’t happen. If not enough ads are getting impressions (and clicks and sales), that means the website owner no longer can afford to display said content and you lose that reading venue. It costs money to maintain a website (hosting, domain, time and effort, possibly employees and freelance creators, and so on). Therefore, when website owners don’t earn enough via ads, they sometimes have to downsize or close that venue.

Many Content Creators Get Paid Solely From Ad Views and Interaction

Similar to the website owner, many writers, videographers, and photographers get paid based on the ad revenue made from their content. If the ads have little to no impressions (due to the ad blocker or ad remover), that person makes little to no money on the content and can no longer afford to display it or create more. Therefore, you may no longer see content from this person and they make no money from the hard work they did getting the information out there for you to see.

Can you imagine going to work every day, say 5-8 hours per day, and then getting no paycheck as a result of that work? This is what would happen to a content creator if everyone blocked the ads. Sure, not everyone does. However, each blocked ad does ad up and count toward a loss for the people who worked so hard to create that content you love. Just like you deserve to enjoy it, they also deserve to be paid for the work put into it.

Blocking Ads May Encourage Publishers to Charge For Their Info

The display of ads is often the only way publishers and writers can afford to freely display their content to the public. Without funds from ad revenue, many publishers look to other options, such as paywalls, eBooks, subscriptions, and other paid access choices. In order to keep information free for all to access, sometimes those seemingly annoying ads just have to be there without the intrusion of ad blocking and ad removal programs. I think most people would agree that seeing an annoying ad here and there is  a much better option than having to pay for each item they want to view online.

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section.

by Richard Rowell; Co-owner of Brand Shamans & Write W.A.V.E. Media

What are you most passionate about? Do you have something to say about it? Chances are you already have somewhere. Whether it's in conversations with friends or in comments on a popular media website, blog or forum, you’ve likely made your voice heard. It turns out a lot of websites make most of their money from user generated content, right down to your comments and suggestions. So why not take what you're otherwise giving away for free and make something out of it?

Perhaps you're already a writer, but you don't really have your own place to post. This is one reason why we created Writers Helping Writers at Write W.A.V.E. Media. The W.A.V.E. stands for Writing Advocacy Visible Everywhere. It's very hard to get on your feet as a writer. With all of the major paid writing sites drying up, you're often forced to post your content for free on places like Blogger, Wordpress, and Weebly. Or worse yet, you’re posting your content on websites that promise you payouts and only end up giving you pennies that you’ll never be able to cash out. All the while, they’re making money off of you, and sometimes even get the exclusive rights to your content, too!

What Writers Helping Writers aims to do is two-fold. One, we offer Web design and content services at half of our regular rate to fellow writers. It often takes a lot of content to get off the ground. But better yet, our advice is free. Believe it or not, you probably have plenty of potential content gathering dust on your hard drive, already. We can help you identify just how to give it the most exposure possible. Also, any technical help you might need, again, is offered at a discounted rate. We’ll do what we can to get you up and running as soon as possible.

Secondly, if you really don't want to bother with starting your own site, that's OK. We have plenty of sites on which to post your content. Even better, we can help you set up your own affiliate program accounts to make money from your content. Also, posting to WWM sites is non exclusive, so if you decide to put your content elsewhere later,  you can. We only have non-exclusive display rights. So if you decide to post it exclusively on your own sites later, you’re free to do so.

The benefit to us is that we get to display your content,  but you control your ability to earn on it. We do earn from the sidebar, header and footer ads present on all of our blog pages, but anything within the article is your own. So while it may seem that you’re still giving away your user generated content for free, you’re actually not giving it up at all. At the very least, you're getting exposure that is difficult to get for a brand new blog. You only keep your content on our sites as long as you want to keep it there. We already have users doing just that, helping to create exposure to their own personal sites. You can do that, too. So, if and when you decide to expand into your own blog, we can help you expand your ability to earn using platforms such as Weebly or Wordpress.

User generated content is where many media sites make their money. You deserve a part of that pie and we'll help teach you how to get it. We're not going to promise a piece of revenue sharing to leave pennies on an account that you'll never be able to actually receive. Sure, some sites pay per thousand page views, but how much do they make off of your content in the long run? We’ll teach you how to make your own money so you can take control of your content. Eventually, with our help and your hard work, you can earn what you deserve.

Learn more about Writers Helping Writers on Article Writer for Hire.

One of my favorite things about siteprice.org is the sheer amount of information that it gives you in determining the value of a site. First off, we get the basic info, including the page title, meta description, domain age and hosting provider. Plus, we get the keywords currently driving the most traffic to the site.

The site visibility section includes Google pagerank and how many pages on that domain are currently indexed by Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Obviously, the more pages you have, the better. The Pagerank shows how much Google “likes” your site, also the higher, the better. A low pagerank suggests that Google’s algorithms aren’t especially fond of your site for whatever reason. This is not the end of the world, but that’s a whole different article.

The other big things here are Alexa Rank and Website Speed. Alexa is known as the best website tracking tool in the world. It's responsible for the traffic estimates for most, if not all, website worth valuations. In this case, it’s the lower, the better. Also, website speed is important, too. Since MLB Trade Rumors likes to display all its current posts on the main page, this can slow it down. I’ve never found it particularly slow, but from a machine’s point of view it is.

The Social Media Visibility shows how many shares the home page of the site has. Obviously, this is good info, but it doesn’t account for the many shares of individual pieces of content within the site. In this case, MLB Trade Rumors does quite well on Twitter and reasonably well on Facebook.

The backlinks section seems odd. The tracker couldn’t detect Google’s backlinks and Yahoo and Bing have an oddly small number. I’ll go with Alexa’s number of 1,282 here. Backlinks to your site are obviously a good thing if they’re from legitimate places. If I were MLB Trade Rumors, though, I’d find out why those other backlinks are so low. It’s probably hurting the valuation a bit here, as I’m sure that total external backlinks number can’t be 0.

Of course, why do these websites exist? They make revenue! Alexa estimates have MLB Trade Rumors receiving about 100,000 unique visitors a day, with almost 150,000 page views. Again, this is probably only including the homepage, not including the individual posts within the site. Also, the average time on site is almost 4 minutes, which is very good. People are almost always stopping to read it.

In this case, siteworth.org is estimating revenue based on having 3 Google AdSense ads on the homepage. I guarantee that this site makes far more than $300 a day in ad revenue. Even so $9,000 a month and $105,000 a year isn’t too shabby. But as the site has more than 3 ads on its homepage, that estimate is extremely conservative.

Siteworth.org also displays the top 10 competitors for a given site. However, the numbers should be taken with a grain of salt as many of them are outdated. While these estimations aren’t perfect, they give you an idea of what a successful site looks like.


What is a Piece of Content Really Worth?

We’ve come to the conclusion that MLB Trade Rumors' net website worth is based upon homepage traffic alone. But it does factor in how large the website is, using metrics such as Google Index. What would MLB Trade Rumors look like if you split it into stocks? Well, let’s go with an average of the Indexes to determine just how many pieces of content are on the site. In this case, that’s 56,900. So we can imagine that MLB Trade Rumors has almost 57,000 “shares” of content on the site. Divide the $344K estimate by 57,000, and you get a “share price” of about $6 USD.

By the metrics of siteworth.org, each article would be worth approximately $6 on average. As I’ve already mentioned, that number is probably extremely conservative. Still, it’s a good baseline, especially considering how niche this content is and how much of it is extremely time-sensitive - being news.

Now while I don’t expect there to be a stock market where websites are selling shares to become a thing anytime soon, this is a good exercise to understand how the market values websites. You can try this exercise with your own websites, and granted your numbers most likely won’t be anywhere near this. What this exercise can really tell you is giving you a market estimate of what your site really can be worth if it’s monetized properly. Also keep in mind that affiliate revenue is not at all estimated in this price due to the uncertain nature of most affiliate programs - their earnings tend to be all over the place and very hard to estimate.


Would a Content Stock Market Work?

The idea of a stock market is for third-parties to invest in an asset in order to potentially reap the rewards later. While I don’t really expect, and wouldn’t necessarily want, content website owners to be selling stock in their properties, the idea is a fascinating thought experiment. Perhaps there could be a program similar to Patreon, which allows fans of content producers to “subscribe” for a monthly fee with various levels of benefits. Content producers could offer “stock” to fans of their website and offer similar “dividends” or benefits to them depending on investment level. It could be a purely virtual thing simply to work as a promotion engine or perhaps even have a real money component to it.

Whatever the case, I firmly believe in content creators retaining their rights to their work as they see fit. I don’t like the idea of trading content sites like public companies so much, however, I do think that to a point it’s fine, especially for niche content creators, to have interested “investors” who help shape the content being created. I think for some people that would really help, as I have seen happen with many content creators, especially YouTubers, on Patreon. Getting feedback from invested consumers seems like an awesome idea, and Patreon is already making that work to a great extent.

All you would need for a program like this to work is an algorithm like siteworth.org to give you an idea of the “market value” of your content. No one is seeing your actual revenue, of course, but having a publicly available number is highly important. There are algorithms you could use for YouTube and other content publishing sites, too. The overall idea here is to give interested investors a chance to support their favorite creators and have a say in what’s done. Of course, the creator doesn’t have to listen necessarily, and therefore gives people free reign to invest and pull out whenever they feel like. There’s real profit to be earned from it, too, though properly managing could make for quite an interesting feat.


Your Content is Your Retirement Plan

I like to think of content you create as an investment in your future. The money that you make from it can make you a living, but if not, you can instead save the money towards a retirement plan. Honestly, the thought experiment surrounding a content stock market is highly provocative to me. However, it’s very important not to lose sight of the fact that owning your own content can be the best long-term investment you can ever make in yourself.

Think about all of the authors and entertainers that can live off of royalties from work that they’ve done in the past. It’s no different for online content providers. Every post you ever make, whether it’s an article, photo, video, or anything else, is an investment in your future. How you decide to monetize that content is up to you. If you can get invested parties willing to give you upfront payment or royalties for the rights to publish your work, and this does actually happen, that’s even better. But I have never been fond of the idea of surrendering your works’ rights - unless, of course, it’s millions of dollars and will change your life forever. For most of us, we’ve been durdling along making pennies a day in AdSense just writing and creating content because we love it. But there’s so much more potential for content, and a lot more money to be made if we realize that our content is far more valuable than that. We have to love and nurture our content, which is what has made big content sites so successful.

If you think of your content as shares in an investment portfolio, whether there is ever a real-life or virtual realization of that idea, you will most likely see that it’s a lot more valuable than you initially might have thought. A website is only worth what you put into it: sweat equity plus a bit of luck.


Food for Discussion

How do you view your content? How much do you think your content is worth? Do you think you could retire on the money invested from your content’s revenue earnings? And do you think that selling “shares” of your content portals is a good or bad idea? I’d love to hear your responses to any and/or all of these questions.

Nowadays, people are spitting out content left and right. A lot of it is written hastily and being pushed out all over social media. It seems to becoming the trend towards posting something to your website every single day just to stay relevant and in front of people. While being prolific can be a good thing, it becomes rather tiresome to see the same old topics being written about over and over again.

While repetition of subject matter restated somewhat differently can be used strategically in marketing, it's important that you are posting quality content on a regular basis. If that can't be every day, then you will need to adjust your content plan somewhat. It's still possible. You just need to be careful.

The last thing you want to happen is having to go buy an article cheaply to fill a hole on your content marketing calendar. You shouldn't let these holes happen, although they can. This is why it's so important to work ahead. Having a content calendar is something some people do in order to know what topics are most relevant at certain times of the year. This is a great idea, because if you realize you're stuck for something, you can redress older content and update it to make new posts based off of them.

I probably don't need to talk about finding your keywords and writing content around them. That's a tired and old strategy that rarely works anymore except in the most niche areas. Really, it's all about just writing content, seeing what works, and writing more around those topics. That's what writing has always been about in the first place: understanding your audience and writing for them.

There is one way to keep your content fresh that is fairly easy, as well: curation posts. This is when you find great content around the web and write some commentary about it in a post. Of course, these posts can get outdated if that material is no longer around. However, when you're stuck for a post, these can be quite helpful. Just be sure that you link to major reputable websites that figure to be around for a long time. Also, don't focus on doing these compilation posts too often. You want to have plenty of fresh, original content in the pipeline. But having posts like these to fill in gaps can be very useful.

So the real trick here is to not overdo anything. Really, you only need 300-500 word articles most of the time. Sure, if a topic is deserving of 1000 words or more, go for it. But more often than not, if an idea is worth that many words, it's very likely you could split that topic into two or even three articles. Then you just come at the topic from different angles, focusing on different elements of that topic.

If you find that certain articles inter-relate to each other, you should always include links in them to one another. Linking to another one of your own articles within the text of another of your articles is known as deep-linking. Not only does this help your site architecture, but it also makes your information that much more valuable to your readers. And, of course, who doesn't want to keep visitors on their sites longer?

What I'm saying is that you don't have to publish a white paper every week. There are plenty of questions out there that need to be answer in every field. As I've written time and time again, your audience will always have questions. So, it's your job to provide content that offers up answers. If you don't have the answers, then offer suggestions on how best to proceed.

People like to see that other people are thinking the same things they are. Making those sorts of connections is the way to truly create great content, not just maintaining well-oiled content machines. Focus on the human need, not scientifically or methodically, but organically. Your audience and future fans will thank you for it.

Photo credit: Flickr User Sean MacEntee, via Creative Commons License v2.0

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Are you worried about being late turning in writing assignments? Have you missed some deadlines, but still have more work ahead? All is not lost. This is the kind of experience I don't like to admit to. But hopefully my past mistakes will help someone else manage late or missed deadlines with more writing on the horizon.

Apologize and Explain but Don't Overdo it

Your client may need an apology and explanation for your tardiness. I say 'may' because some clients are more relaxed than others and would rather you just get it done without explanations. But if you don't know how your client will react or you know they are expecting the writing, they need an explanation. Don't tell them your whole sob story. A simple explanation that outlines why you were late and when they can expect the work is good enough. Some may not even want a why, but a definitive date they can count on is pertinent.

Don't Panic

When you have a pile of wok due in a short time - or worse, past due, it is very easy to panic. But doing so could reduce your productivity. Instead of panicking about the late or missed deadlines, just relax and enjoy the writing as you would normally. Forcing it might show in your work. Many clients would rather have late work that is exactly what they wanted than on-time work that looks like a 5 year old produced it. If you simply cannot produce a quality product on time, don't panic. Explain and then relax and get it done.

Why do content marketers and web design experts constantly have to fix the mistakes of supposedly professional marketing firms? Not that we mind. It’s more business for us! Still, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen businesses pay marketing firms that clearly didn’t know what they were doing.

This is definitely not to disparage those that are trying to earn an honest living doing good SEO and content work for businesses. Anyone can make honest mistakes. Who gives us all a bad name are those that call themselves "experts" and do such a deplorable job - even under contract. Then, others have to come in just to fix those mistakes. Sometimes, it's at a fraction of the original cost, since the marketing budget was blown on low-quality work. Learn how to spot poor marketing firms, so you can save your hard earned money for quality work instead!



Beware of Marketing Firms Who Promise Too Much!

Before I was self-employed, one of my employer’s affiliate companies brought in a marketing firm to overhaul their website. The website, as it was, actually was not ranking too badly in the search engines. The SEO was good enough that it was bringing a fair amount of local organic traffic. But the director of the affiliate wanted more leads from online traffic.

So, a company came in and overhauled the website design to the point that it looked nice, at first. But then, most of the important text was stuck in images or in weird I-frames that the search engines had difficulty reading. The search engines were puzzled and started looking away. There was nothing to keep the creepy-crawly search spiders interested. Then, the site's existing SEO was ruined and content that might have been OK if properly optimized simply wasn't doing its job.

Previously, I had done considerable SEO work on this website. The original design had been clean and simple. The logo was crisp and well-designed – also made in-house. This company threw everything out, and even changed all the page names from .htm to .html. Changing page name extensions in this way without proper redirects is a major no-no in SEO. As you might expect, traffic plummeted. The website dropped off the front page of search results across the board. My boss was furious.


The Website Had to Be Fixed In-House!

So guess what? We tore down the site in-house and rebuilt it from the old version we had. Within a few months, the rankings were back to where they had been before. Of course, the traffic still wasn’t enough for our affiliate. So, they brought in a pair of online marketing “experts.” I was there for the interview with them and found that I knew more than they did. I made the suggestion to not hire them. I could do everything they could already. But, my suggestion went unheard.

I had been absolutely correct. We had no intention of giving them direct access to the site, and it’s a good thing they didn’t get it. They sent me “fixed” HTML pages in emails. Sadly, they were a mess. I would continuously fix the stupid mistakes they had made in both the HTML and the title tags. It seemed as if we were paying them just to annoy me.

The final straw came when they asked me to go out and research inbound links. As the “webmaster,” it was apparently my duty to go and ask for links. Wasn’t that supposed to be part of their job? They didn’t make any good suggestions, either, except for spammy directories which would have actually hurt the rankings rather than helped them. They just told me to go and do it as if I were working for them. I told my boss about this, and fortunately, I was heard this time. They were subsequently fired. Unfortunately, it was only after they were already paid too much to begin with.


The Poor Quality SEO Marketing Firm Still Got Paid Upfront!

In the end, they were paid rather well for such lousy “work.” I ended up undoing everything they did, anyway, besides a couple of useful keyword phrases I was able to use. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses get duped all the time by people acting like they know what they’re doing. Then they simply turn to in-house staff, who are often making a fraction of what they had just paid out, to fix the mistakes.

Businesses need to stop doing this and actually make those doing outside work for them prove their mettle before paying them the big bucks. Otherwise, pay your in-house staff better. You’ll attract much better content writers and web designers into your fold. Then you'll better motivate those that you already have.

Just some friendly advice from someone who's been there and done that as an SEO Consultant!

If you're looking for quality copywriting and SEO services, see what the Brand Shamans can do for you!

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

While it’s true that writing often can lead to a successful web writing career, that isn’t the only way to success. In fact, your business strategy should involve more than being productive. You should also know how to make the most of your existing content. As a career freelance writer and advocate to fellow web writers, I have years of experience doing just that.

Submit non-exclusive work as often as possible.
The more rights to your content that you can keep, the better. While exclusive pieces can sometimes net you more upfront, you won’t always make the most from exclusive work in that piece’s lifetime. If done right, evergreen (ever-relevant) non-exclusive work can net you more over time.

Save all of your work in more than one place.
Always have more than one copy of everything you write. For instance, if you save it in an online word/drive program (like Google Drive), make sure you also save it to your computer and also to a flash drive. This ensures that if something happens in one of those places, you’ll still have your work stored in another place. It never hurts to over-store your writing. But it can often hurt to under-store it. Just because one thing is reliable does not mean it always will be. At the very least, have your work stored in two places. But I recommend more, if possible.

Re-use your non-exclusive submissions whenever possible.
The reason you want to submit your work as non-exclusive wherever possible is so that you can re-use that writing elsewhere. Many venues will accept work that has been previously published. This means that you can get more use out of one piece of content than if you had originally submitted it as exclusive. In fact, you can republish that content as many times as you wish if it isn’t exclusive to a particular venue or individual.

Keep your published content updated.
Generally, when you post content online, most of the time you’ll have access to keep it updated. This way, its “shelf-life” is longer. Links and information can get outdated. If you always keep your content as up-to-date as possible, readers will trust your work and you’ll be able to direct people to your content for longer periods of time. Many online venues pay per view. No one wants to look at stale content. But if your content stays updated, you can continue to promote it and keep people interested long after its original publication date.

Reference and promote your existing content often.
Don’t forget to link to existing content that is relevant to new things you publish. Also, when promoting new content, always remember to cycle promotion of your existing content as well. This keeps attention on your content for longer periods of time, which means more views and usually more money.

People often say “Work smarter, not harder”. I say “Work both smart and hard for the best results”. You still have to write often to keep people interested. But making the most of your existing work will help you earn more from each piece of web writing you produce.

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

One very common mistake I often advise new writers about is the incorrect use of images with their written content. Many believe that if they search Google Images or Yahoo! Images for a photo, they can then use that photo and credit Google Images or Yahoo! Images as the source. This is incorrect usage and can get you into a large amount of trouble regarding copyright. Google Images and Yahoo! Images are search tools, not image sources.

Can I use images found via Google Images or Yahoo! Images?
You can likely use some of those images. But you will need to go to the original source and verify the licensing and usage rights. When using these images, you should not credit Google Images or Yahoo! Images as the source. Rather, you should credit the photo as outlined in the licensing terms at the original source. Yahoo! Images does make it easier by integrating Flickr photos and an advanced search option to find commercial use photos.

What are Yahoo! Images and Google Images for if not an Image Source?
These resources are merely tools to help you narrow down the search. They are not meant to be used as the original source, which is why the original source is always linked with each photo. This is so that the person searching can go to that original source for more information, including licensing information, if applicable.

How do I credit an image properly?
This depends on where you are posting the image, as well as the licensing terms. If you are displaying the image on content you will profit from, also make sure that the licensing rights include commercial use. Generally, you'll be listing the photographer's name, as well as the source and/or a link back to the original image. But again, the method of crediting the image may vary.

What if the original source has no licensing info?
If no usage information is listed, don't use the picture. But can't I just say where it came from? No, you cannot. Not all photographers would like their images used and if there are no permissions specified, then you don't have the right or proper permissions to use the image. If there is contact information on the site, ask for permissions that way. However, it is much easier to prove granted permissions with a link to the licensing info online. So, I recommend sticking with images that prominently display such info.

Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi

I originally published this elsewhere (no longer published there)

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer


So you've decided to be a web writer. Now what? If you've done any writing besides your average day-to-day writing, then it will be easier to get started. Prior writing experience is helpful, but not a necessity. Although, writing skills or the ability to learn them is an absolute must. Getting started in web writing is not as hard as it may seem. It can be a simple way to make money for people who have a genuine love for writing and the talent that goes along with it.

Study, study, and study some more.
From print journalist to hobby writer, you'll still need to learn more to become successful at writing for the web. There are many aspects of web writing that just aren't present in other outlets. Style guides are a must for every writer, web or not. I find the Yahoo! Style Guide to be very helpful and essential for web writing. Potential web writers should study up on that, as well as other common style guides to help gain the most skills and insight into the field. Also, ask experienced web writers every question you have, small or complex. Gaining insight from experienced web writers can help you get started with better understanding of how the field works.

Decide on a platform.
What type of clients or venues do you want to write for? Will you be going for various independent contracting or are looking to get hired on full time? Do you need a structured environment or can you come up with your own ideas? Would you rather submit to individuals, online magazines, content sites, or something else. Figure out where your focus will be. If you'd like to write for individual websites, some have submission guidelines and procedures to follow. With others, you may have to contact the editor or watch for writing gig listings. Content sites will have a submission process to follow. Remember that you should never have to pay in order to write for someone. You should be the one getting paid.

Study that platform.
Once you know what type of venue or platform you'd like to submit to, study it well and learn the ropes before jumping in without a clue. You don't need to know everything about it, as some aspects will only be learned by doing. But at least learn the basics of what this potential client wants and needs before submitting work. If you are submitting to a an online mag, read articles and observe what the readers respond to. Pay attention to the style, length, and tone of the work. The same is true when submitting to content sites. Know the audience, as well as what type of content fits with that platform.

Submit your first work.
Now that you've learned a little about the company, write and submit your first content. If you get accepted, keep at it with that venue and even try others when you are comfortable doing so. If you get rejected, don't let that discourage you. Rejection is only a lesson on what to do next time around. Some waiting times will be longer than others when it comes to review. While you're waiting, learn more and submit more.

Learn and grow.
This is one of the most important aspects of web writing. Whether you are just getting started or are an expert, there is always something new to learn. Keep writing and consistently apply new knowledge to your work as you learn and grow. Before you know it, you may become a full time web writer and be able to help someone else get started.

I originally published this on Yahoo! Contributor Network

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Just discovered Yahoo! Contributor Network (YCN)? Perhaps you've been there a while and are ready to take it more seriously. The most common question I get as a writing peer mentor is "How much money can I make writing for Yahoo! Contributor Network?" The answer to that question depends on you and here's why.

What is your average upfront offer?
This will help you determine how many articles you should be writing per day to earn the figure you are looking for. You may want to start out with a low figure, such as $20 per day. As your skills increase, so should your earning amount per day. You may also find that within time, the number of articles you have to write to get to your daily goal decreases as your upfront offers go up. There are also assignments that come with higher upfront offers than unsolicited work. When those come along, it will take even less articles to get to your daily money goal.

How many articles can you write in a day?
Knowing the average number of articles you can produce daily can help you figure out what you should expect to earn as a Yahoo! contributor. Because payment will vary for each article, you may want to keep the number of articles you write in a day a little higher than what you think you need to write. If you can't handle writing the number you would need to in order to earn what you want to, you may not do very well at YCN or in article writing in general.

How well do your articles perform?
Are your articles getting a good amount of views? If not, study up on SEO skills to increase your performance bonus. Some people like to add this in the equation when calculating their monthly earnings. I prefer not to count it so that it ends up being a bonus. However, if you want to use this as part of the earnings potential equation, look at the average amount you earn each month and add that to your total from upfronts.

Can you be consistent?
This is extremely vital if you want to make money writing for YCN. If writing articles is not something you can do all the time, then you cannot make a living doing it. You've likely heard people say that article writing is an easy way to make money. It is -- if writing is easy for you. If not, then you may need to look elsewhere or learn to adapt real quick.

What are people searching for at the moment?
This falls in line with the performance equation. If you write about big blue bunnies and it happens to be a popular topic at that moment, you will likely receive more views (thus make more money) than you would if you write about tiny yellow chicks when no one is interested in that at the moment. That said there are also timeless topics, which most web writers refer to as 'evergreen' topics. Those are the common things people search for all the time, like puppy care tips or household hints.

How are your writing skills?
If you don't have writing skills, you are not going to make much, if any, money writing for YCN. You need to have decent grammar and spelling skills in order to expect decent upfront payments. If you want readers and staff to take you seriously, you better be able to form sentences that make sense. Otherwise, you are not going to earn top dollar for your thoughts. If your writing skills are especially bad, expect to receive rejections until you can learn how to pull it together. The Yahoo! Style Guide is a great resource for basic grammar and style guidelines. But if you need more than the basics, grammar and writing classes will be very beneficial to your writing career.

Earnings are up to you.
Because there are a variety of ways to earn at YCN, it's hard to give people an exact figure. However, the fact that exact earnings per article are not set in stone also leaves earning limits up to the writer. That's you. The limit to your earnings is determined by what you are willing and able to do. One person may be able to write ten articles per day and another may only be able to write one. Of course, both may still make a similar amount if that one article gets more views and/or a better offer than the ten.

I originally published this content on Yahoo Voices:
voices.yahoo.com/how-much-money-writing-8731643.html

I also published it here:
http://www.bubblews.com/news/286098

*Note: Author is currently a staff member at Yahoo Contributor Network, but was not at the time of this writing.

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

"Please subscribe to my work. I promise I will read yours too." Those are words many web writers hear on a daily basis. But should those words be put to rest? In mentoring fellow writers, I often get asked about promotion. Many times people ask me what to do. Now I'm going to tell you what NOT to do. Here are 5 of the many marketing no-nos for web writers.

Don't blast the same links on twitter all day long.
Not only is this annoying, it is considered spamming and can get you banned from twitter. It makes me cringe when I see fellow writers sharing the exact same article link every hour all day long. If you want to reshare an article, wait for another day or share it elsewhere, not continuously in the same space. The same goes for when you're sharing on other social networks or anywhere else you promote your links. Oversharing could be a TOS violation. When you violate one thing, readers and clients may question your ethics.

Don't use social networks purely for link posting.
If you join a social site, then be social. Posting only links is not considered being social. Even if you click on links others post, you still aren't being social. Have conversations. Participate in the community. If you aren't going to do anything but post links, then you are probably promoting to dead air space because that's considered spamming.

Don't demand reciprocation.
If you follow another writer's work, don't expect them to follow yours. Sure, they might want to return the favor or they might like your work. But just because you read their work does not mean they are required to read yours. Think about it from their perspective. How do you feel when people expect you to do something? It's not a fair way to treat people. Instead of asking for or demanding reciprocation, leave people to make their own decisions about your writing.

Don't expect family and friends to read everything you write.
This is something many web writers will deal with. It's definitely a good feeling when family members and friends want to read your work. But don't make them feel as if they have to. Not everyone is going to understand your passion for writing. That doesn't mean they don;t support you. They may just have other interests. It's one thing to drop a quick link on facebook where everyone you know can see it. It's quite another to repeatedly email the same links to family members and friends.

Don't use shady promotional tactics.
If you want readers and clients to take you seriously, avoid certain marketing tactics. Selling traffic traffic clicks, using pyramid schemes, and other such promotional tactics may sound tempting at first. But these type of marketing campaigns are often frowned upon and are even against the TOS of many content sites and publications. Keep the trust of your clients and readers by only using trusted promotional techniques. Your clients will trust your work ethics when your traffic is verifiable and your readers will trust what you say if you are ethical in all your actions.

*I originally published this content on Yahoo! Contributor Network

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

What does it take to make money in web writing? What's the formula to success? Throughout my career as a web writer and peer mentor, this is one of the most common questions people ask. One key component that I see in every web writer who stands the test of time is leadership. If you want to make yourself well known in the world of web writing, be a leader, not a follower.

But Mr. So-and-so does it this way. It's perfectly fine (and recommended) to learn from your peers. But never try to replicate exactly what they do. But why not, if it works? It's simple. Each writer has their own unique style, voice, and topical expertise. What works for one person may not work for another because there are too many variables.

Readers trust authenticity. If you want to be a true voice in the world of web writing, you need to actually keep that voice true. Leaders use their own style and voice in their work, not someone else's. When you see a fellow writer who seems to be miles ahead of you, it's natural to want that for yourself. But if you want to succeed, you need to stand out and that means you should figure out what works for you. Be yourself and people will notice that more than if you follow after everyone else.

Leaders are more visible to potential clients. If you want to be noticed, be a leader in your topics. Be unique by being yourself. Clients will more readily notice a writer who isn't like every other independent contractor out there. Give them something they can't refuse by staying on top of your expert subjects, as well as the latest style guidelines. Your leadership skills should be evident in every single piece of writing you put out there, even emails.

Mentoring your peers shows you know the field. Once I started learning the ropes, I began helping fellow writers simply because I knew what it felt like to be in their shoes. There's not a day that goes by that I am not answering questions, giving critiques, connecting people with potential clients, and so on. While I do this for the love of helping others, I discovered that it also shows current and potential clients that I know what I'm doing.

Leaders are more likely to move to the top quickly. Look at all the successful web writers you can think of -- that ones who have been at it for a long time. I can almost guarantee you that each one of them stands out for their individual talents and style. When looking for web writers, do you think the person who mimics another's style will get picked first for an important project if they both apply? Of course not. The leader with the proven track record and unique qualities is the one who will rise to the top.

*This content was originally published on Yahoo! Contributor Network by Lyn Lomasi.

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Often friends and family of online writers don't understand their lifestyle or career. It's not something they do on purpose. They just really don't understand. Here are some of the top things family and friends of online writers need to remember.

Just because we are at home does not mean we are available.
Online writers work at home. Yes, this means we are at home more than some others might be. But it does not mean we can always answer the door or the phone. All of a writer's home hours are not hours that the writer is available. We have hours that we work, just like everyone else. It just so happens that our work is done at home. Just like you would not want someone calling your job to interrupt your work, we feel the same.

If the phone is off, we are most likely working and probably not dead.
The phone being turned off is not an invitation to bug a writer on messenger or facebook. It's also not an invitation to keep leaving messages or show up at our door. It simply means we are working and will get back to you when the work day is over. Writing is no different than any other job. If we don't do the work, we don't get paid. So if the phone is off, please don't take that as an invitation to interrupt our work with other means of contact.

Call before coming over.
Online writers might be working at various times of the day or night. Our schedule is flexible. However, because writing requires a specific thought process, when we are in the middle of it, interruptions can actually ruin our work. So, even though our work day is flexible, we need to be able to be the ones to choose the hours. If you'd like to visit an online writer, call first. If the phone is off, the writer is probably busy.

Facebook and other networking is not playing.
Online writers get paid by page views on many of their pieces of writing. Just because your online writer friend or family member is on facebook, it does not mean that person is playing. We need to stay social to keep connected with each other, as well as our readers. Both conversations and posting article links helps us with this aspect. Just because we are posting on facebook, it does not mean we are not working. It also does not mean we are available. Facebook, twitter, and more can be an important part of an online writer's day.

Online writing is a career, not a hobby.
When you ask your friend or family member how their 'little hobby' is going, expect them to be offended. Why? Online writing might be a hobby for some, but to many, it is actually their career. Does your friend or family member get paid for their writing? If you can answer yes, then it is not a hobby. Online writers are business owners, which makes writing their career. Just like everyone else, we have to file taxes, we have to put in the hours, and we get paid. Please do not call an online writer's career their hobby.

*I originally published on Yahoo! Contributor Network.

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Do you know what it takes to get noticed? Unsure how to get more attention? It's as simple as being unique and innovative. People with fresh, new ideas get more readers, more clients, and more opportunities. Their quality is often impeccable all-around. Why? Because they keep learning and growing all the time. This is one of the very first lessons I learned as an experienced web writer.

Readers want something different. Think about it. When you look up information, do you want to hear what you have already heard a thousand times over? No, of course not. You want information that you can apply to your existing knowledge about the topic. That's how your readers think as well. Give them something they can actually think about and apply soon after reading your work. Sure, the basics may pay for a while. But if you want to stay successful and keep people interested, you need to give them what they want and that involves being different from the crowd.

Just because Jane did it doesn't mean you should. This is one point I constantly try to make with my writing peers. People will ask me for my exact formula. The problem with that is there is no formula. My way of doing things works for me. Jane's way of doing things works for her. Jack's way of doing things works for him. Learn from others, but don't try to duplicate their success because each person operates differently and writes to different audiences. Make your own success by discovering what works for you and being innovative.

Potential clients notice innovative people. Readers look for innovation. It's also one of the key components many clients look for when seeking out new writers for gigs. Who wants to hire someone who will give their target audience common information they likely already know? Not me. In addition to my steady writing career, I also own a network of niche websites. Do you think I publish every submission I receive? Of course not. I pick the ones readers will enjoy, largely based on their unique qualities. Writers who think outside the box will have the most luck in any venue that cares about their audience.

Those with newer ideas may get better pay and opportunities. Some sites base pay on a variety of factors, such as quality. In that type of model, unique content is more likely to receive a higher than payment than information that is more common. The same goes true with flat rates. Clients are more likely to choose submissions that offer their readers something new and innovative. Overdone ideas will quickly get tossed to the side. Looking to move up in a client's company? That's not going to happen unless you set yourself apart from the rest.

Thinking outside the box improves your writing overall. Besides increasing opportunities and readership, being innovative helps you improve as a writer. The more you learn and apply, the better your writing will get in time. There is always something new to learn in the world of web writing. On person cannot possibly know all there is to know. Things also change and grow. Be the person with the new ideas if you want to stay ahead of the game instead of falling off the cart while the horse leaves you in the dust.

*This content was originally published at Yahoo! Contributor Network by Lyn Lomasi

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Authenticity is the key to returning readers. Being the true you creates trust.

You may not win over everyone by being you. But your goal is not to please everyone. If you think it is, you may need some serious rethinking time.

No matter how much it may seem that you have different thoughts than others, there will always be someone else who can relate. I am finding this out lately as I open up more on a personal level with certain friends.

Even if no one agrees with you, it is better to be authentic than to fake it just to save face. Readers like honesty and although they may not always agree with you, they'll respect you much more for being real than they will for being fake.

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Are you targeting the right people with your writing? Who are you focusing on either intentionally or unintentionally? How do you know? As I am constantly telling my writing peers, knowing your audience is vital. During my career as a web writer, I've learned several ways to figure out what my potential audience wants and needs.

Consider the topic. What are people looking up your topic interested in? If you want to write parenting tips, think about common issues parents face and what you've done to solve those issues. If you want to write about writing, think about all the things you once looked up. Know what people into that topic are going to be interested in. Be very specific and gear your writing toward people who would be interested in that topic. For instance, if you are writing about dogs, don't veer off into talking about cats or mice. If someone clicks onto your dog article, they want to read about dogs.

Pay attention to reader comments in your niche areas. This will help you determine what people want to read. Readers may ask questions, express their disinterest in another topic, thank the writer for the info, and more. There is often much to learn just by reading the comments on your own articles, as well as others. What better way to learn what readers like than by looking straight to them for their thoughts? Another benefit to this gaining loyalty from regular readers. If they know that you actually care and pay attention to what they want, they'll interact more often.

Keep up with news and information changes regarding your topic. Staying on top of things helps readers trust what you say. It's also part of knowing who you're speaking to in your content. Don't write about a topic, unless you know what you are talking about because readers will call you out on it. On the other hand, if you do keep up with the latest in your niche area, readers notice that as well and will thank you instead. Periodically, I check my tutorial and how-to articles to make sure that the information is still accurate. If not, I will make edits where the venue permits it to reflect newer information. This helps give my audience what they want whether they access my article the day it publishes or months from then.

Study websites and blogs related to your topic. While it's beneficial to also study the venue where you are publishing, don't be afraid to also look outside that source. Take a look at how readers are responding to your niche topic elsewhere. Also, look at the methods each writer uses to interest the audience. See what you can learn from what other writers are doing. While you don't want to copy someone else, you can always learn from others and implement the lessons into your own style.

Pay attention to how your readers respond to what you write. Are readers responding negatively or positively to your work? How is it affecting the frequency of traffic on your articles? Do they blog about your work elsewhere? Are they asking you questions or sharing your work on social networks? If they're sharing, is it in a positive or negative light? These are all things you want to look at to see what your audience wants. When you can figure out what they respond to, you will have a better chance at reaching your intended audience.

***Note: I originally published this on Yahoo! Contributor Network