Find the courage to write: author Ralph Keyes provides direction and hope
Finding the courage to write “I worry that I’m not good enough,” says Joy Bautista Collado, although she can’t define precisely why. “I need courage.” And, even though other people encourage her to write, she
Over-confidence is one of deadly sins of writing: tips on managing your ego.
Deadly sin of over-confidence: managing your ego Now, I usually don’t brag. I really don’t. But, in this post, I’m going to do so, openly and without shame. Through my entire elementary school career, I
How to critique writing effectively: find tips from professionals.
How to critique writing effectively Last week, our blog post on critiquing focused on: finding the right critique partner(s) for your writing helping you to eliminate feelings of defensiveness to get the most out of
Quality writing critiques are a gift: here’s how to be open to receiving them
How to be open to receiving quality writing critiques In 2008, I had an opportunity to pitch a script for an historical fiction play that highlighted the role that people in northern Ohio played during
Writing mentors: read examples of positive mentoring relationships
Celebrating writing mentors Recently, the head of the Cleveland Job Bank, Kelly Blazek, made the news – at first locally and then nationally and then internationally – for writing harsh responses to younger job seekers.
Break through writer’s block with these helpful writing techniques.
The dreaded writer’s block – and ways to smash through the barriers If you ask 100 people how to define writer’s block and/or what causes the blockage, you’ll get at least 101 answers, ranging from
Editing and proofreading expert K.D. Sullivan shares tips & experiences
The Search Guru chats with K.D. Sullivan, CEO of Untreed Reads Publishing For four years, I edited a full-color print magazine, one that was costly to produce. The tone of the publication was friendly, cheerful,
Finding expert sources can feel challenging, but it doesn’t have to be hard
Catch 22: expert sources or engagement first? At first glance, the formula for creating great content (that can be promoted on social media channels) might look simple and straightforward: Google likes and rewards websites with
Discover the power of storytelling in your blog, marketing copy and more.
The power of storytelling in your online copy When I was young, I wasn’t allowed to play in our front yard. I couldn’t choose when I could – or couldn’t – flush the toilet. I
A defense of jargon in quality content: did we just say that?
Defending jargon as part of quality content (sort of) In 1981, my sister and I went to the movie theater to see Stripes, a film starring Bill Murray and co-starring Harold Ramis. Murray plays a
3 Mobile Ecommerce Optimization Tests You Need to Be Running
Content strategy: does outrageous behavior reap rewards online? For content creators and marketers – to paraphrase Charles Dickens’ book, Tale of Two Cities, now in the public domain – it is the best of times,
Obtain keyword performance data in the (not provided) era. Here’s how.
How to obtain keyword performance data in the era of (not provided) Much of the talk in the search engine world recently has centered on Google’s move to secure search, and its effects on the
Quest for the best domain names: how should you handle a domain name change?
The quest for the best domain names: how should you handle a domain change? Maybe you’re not getting the online traffic that you’d like. Or maybe you’re ready to push to become even more dominant
Trusted sources for your journalism interview: find helpful tips.
Trusted sources: how to select the best interviews for your article or blog post In the late 1990s, I was asked to appear on a local television show about writers. I was happy to be
Craft persuasive targeted content through the creation of personas.
Craft persuasive targeted content through the creation of well-researched personas. Before creating effective targeted content for your site, it’s important to understand your site’s audiences – meaning both the current audience and the desired audience
Google’s 100% secure search: how to make lemonade from lemons
Making lemonade from lemons: Google’s new 100% secure search This week at The Search Guru, we’ve been hearing a lot of buzz from clients about Google’s move to secure search (and the
SEO and web marketing teams: collaborating on Internet marketing strategy.
Discover how SEO and web marketing work hand in hand to boost success: what your marketing department needs to know about SEO. When your company is looking to hire a search engine optimization company, the
Here’s what the Google Image Carousel debut means to your site.
On June 18, 2013, Google debuted its “Google Image Carousel.” Here’s what it means to you and your site. Because of its impact on local search – after all, this is the biggest change to
Google Shopping feed management: how to thrive during this Google update.
Google Shopping transition and what this means for your site: are you ready? One of this year’s most important Google update is happening right now, and if you haven’t started reacting, you’re already behind. I’m
Book writing for buzz marketing puts you on the fast track to success.
Book writing for buzz: fast track success by hiring a ghostwriter You’ve got terrific original ideas and plenty of knowledge to share. You’ve tried to position yourself as an online expert to capture your share
Search engine optimization news: get SEO advice on Google Webmaster Tools.
Webmaster Tools Google update: the search giant makes some important changes to Google Webmaster Tools. Things are ever changing in the SEO world. Today we’re reporting some recent search engine optimization news that involves updates
How Google now rewards quality content online: find out more.
A look at how Google is now rewarding quality content online On August 6, 2013, Google released information about its in-depth articles. With this new feature, when people search on broad topics – such as