A Beginner's Look at SEO

A beginner's look at WHAT?

Happy Monday to everyone who found their way onto my site today! So glad you came and I hope you make my blog and website a regular part of your week. Don't forget to subscribe and join my email list, so you don't miss a thing. 

Now, to answer the question, "A beginner's look at WHAT?".  SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. If you are an expert in SEO, I'm sure you won't learn anything new from me today, but you could probably comment with some helpful information for us who are totally new or very new to this concept.

I first stumbled onto this whole SEO thing, when I started creating my website recently. Now, it seems I am seeing "SEO" just about everywhere I look, as I am working to improve my blog and my website. Finally, over the last couple of weeks I decided I better try to figure out what this whole SEO information overload is all about. Information overload is an understatement. To top that off, most of what I read is WAY over my head. 

I tried to glean at least some information that may help those of us that want to improve our Search Engine Optimization. Basically, very basically, that means you are easier to find on Google searches. Some of you may be wondering what this all has to do with you. Well, it may not have anything to do with you, but if you do one of the following, you may want to start thinking about your SEO.

-Business Owner

-Author

-Writer

-Blogger

-YouTuber

-Representative for: Avon, Norwex, Thirty-one, Mary Kay Cosmetics, etc.

-Etsy

-Ebay

That, I am sure, is only a drop in the bucket. If you are going to do the work and take the time it takes to build your business or build a following, you need to do what will draw in those who will be most interested in what you are offering.  The competition for the time of each "consumer" is real. SEO is the competition between every online presence for drawing in viewers to their sites, pages, blogs, channels and so on.

Like I said, the amount of information out there is overwhelming and mind boggling. So, for myself and you I tried to pick some of the simplest tips to help us get started.

1. Write Unique and Consistent Content- You may or may not know this, but last month I celebrated the one-year anniversary of the start of my blog. 🎉 Through this past year, I have tried to consistently post every Monday or if I couldn't post, let people know I couldn't post that Monday and when I planned to return. I guess I have been doing this consistent SEO tip pretty well, without even knowing it. 😁 As far as unique content goes, I basically write about my Homemaker/Writer life and how I am learning to balance life. Since it is my life and my personal journey I am trying to document, it is unique to me. 💯

2. Link to other sites. Encourage other trustworthy sites to link to you- I do link to other sites, but I have not asked other sites to link to me. I'm not sure how to go about this, but it does seem like one of the more doable SEO tips for someone with limited techno skills. Here is an example for linking to someone else's site: These first two tips were learned from Neil Patel. To see more click here. 

3. Content is King, back linking is Queen and Video may be the spawn of the two- This came from the article, 101 Quick&Actionable SEO Tips that are HUGE by Anna Crowe. This article was written in 2017, but still manages to pop up as one of the first choices given when searching for SEO information for beginners. She did something right, obviously. 

4. Create long, engaging content- I've got the long content down pat. In fact I have been trying to make my content shorter, but evidently people actually visit sites that have more content. The question is...is it engaging enough? I have had over 5,000 views to my blog, which doesn't seem too shabby for my first year, but only a handful of people ever comment or follow. So, what does that mean? 

What brought you to my site? If you are a return visitor, what made you come back? What could I do to improve and make you not only want to come back, but also follow, join my email list, comment, share and so on. I can read what other people say I should do, but the opinions that really matter to me are yours. I have never made a secret of my inexperience, but if you have read me very long, you know that I am trying to learn and grow, as a Writer, Blogger, Wife, Mother, Nana, Christian......, so do you have any helpful tips that will help me with my SEO or make me a more engaging blogger?

5.Page Titles and Meta Description- Page titles is self-explanatory. You want your title to make the reader curious enough to click on your site. Sometimes the title comes easily for me and seems to fit perfectly, but other times, I can't seem to come up with one that really says what I want while being interesting or concise. I guess that too, is a learning process. Meta Description is also a new term to me. From what I can tell, it's the words that come after the .com in the web address. The Blogger site and my Wix website, both do this for me, so I have not had to learn this yet, but when I reach the point that I am buying my own domain, I imagine I will need to learn more about that. The idea though, is that the meta description needs to explain clearly what the article or whatever you are writing, is about. I believe that my blogger site makes my meta description the title of my blog, which seems good to me.

Ok, even those 5 little tips bring with them much more information than I shared, but just take one step at a time and improve. That's all we can do. Learn and improve and you will be heading in the right direction. 

Updates: If you haven't checked out my Website lately, you are missing a few new things. I have a contest going on to give away my book from my first Read Review last month. I also have posted that review. I have emailed out my first Newsletter, so if you want a copy of that, make sure to subscribe and join my email list. 

News: I am sooooo close to finishing the edits for my novel. I am probably within a few weeks of sending out my proposals that were requested of me by two literary agents and one editor. Make sure you join my tribe, so that you will be up-to-date on all the new things I am learning and doing. 

Thanks for stopping by and come again soon! May God bless you and your family. Seek His will for your life and follow Jesus. Desire to bring Him glory and you will be a success. 

In Christ,

Sandy

Achieving A Balanced Life

Good Monday Morning!  I hope everyone is ready for another work week.  I am not quite recovered from a full weekend, but that is just the way it goes sometimes.  Monday has come and I'll try to make the most of it.  

If you missed last week's blog post, I hope you will go back and check it out here.  Author Jodie Wolfe honored us, by giving me an interview with her.  I enjoyed the interview and I am happy to say, Jodie and I plan to continue to work together for a while.  We hope to exchange some chapters of our WIP's (work in progress) soon to help each other out.

Today, I plan to talk more about achieving a balance life.  I mentioned this in a past post, but I sort of wanted to give an update on how I have been doing.  Maybe this will even inspire you to start to work toward a balanced life.  This is definitely a WIP for me.  It doesn't happen in a day, a week, a month...I don't think it is something that can be checked off a list.  It has to become an everyday part of life.  So, maybe "Achieving" was not the best word for my title. I guess I could have said: Pursuing a balanced life....or Managing a balanced life....Well, you get the idea.  Whatever you call it, it is hard to do.  In fact, since life is constantly in a state of change, our balance is constantly being thrown...off balance.

First things First-

Reading my Bible everyday and prayer are the first steps to a balanced life.  If I am going to serve the Lord Jesus, my Creator, then I must seek His Will for me each day.  I must read my Bible to know Him and His Will.  I must have a heart of gratitude, reverence and obedience.  God created me for a purpose.  If I am trying to live life without that in mind, then I will be wasting the gift of life He gave me.  We did not create ourselves.  We did not come about by accident.  You will never find fulfillment or joy, if you are trying to live life with no direction, no guidance, no reason or purpose and especially without Jesus Christ. For me, like Jodie, I start the day with prayer.  I ask the Lord to lead me and direct my path.  I can make my plans, but the Lord guides my footsteps.  Some days (not many) go exactly as I planned, but most days, I am thrown one curve ball after another and I have to make adjustments to my plan or ditch it altogether.  When this happens to us, should we give up trying?  No!  We must do our best and make the best out of whatever situation we find ourselves.  Trust the Lord and live for Him and we won't go wrong. https://youtu.be/Jd2DKYKsmm8

Morning Routine-

I have a morning routine I have developed and stick with mostly every day.  I have only had it written down for the last few months and I have added to my list.  I try to check my list every morning as I go through my chores, and mark things off as I get them done.  It helps me remember things my sleepy mind may forget.  My list may look very different from yours, but what matters is if it works for you and your family.  You will see from my picture below, that sometimes I write things in to accommodate jobs that need doing that are not included.  Ooopps- I need to add meal plan for the week and grocery shop. 😣

Zones- #flylady

This was inspired by the FlyLady.  My zones are different from hers and that's ok.  I try to do what works for me.  As you can see from the picture below.  I have made zones of the different areas in my house.  I assign those zones to a day of the week, then on that day, I try to work on that area for a designated amount of time, depending on my day's schedule.  I may choose to clean, declutter, organize or do all of the above in that space, depending on what it needs the most.  

Writing/Editing-

My goal is to make enough progress on the morning routine and zones, that they take less and less time to accomplish each day.  The faster I can get my routines and zones finished, the more time I can spend on my #writing and #editing. If I sit down for hours writing or editing, which I could do without a bit of problem, but haven't taken care of my responsibilities around the house, then life gets off balance.  The other work will build up, take longer to complete the next time and will be a stress inducer for me and everyone else in the house.  Maybe it isn't writing or editing for you.  Maybe it's another type of job or something not work related at all, like: Video Games, Social Media, Reading, Shopping.  You know what it is for you.  None of those things are bad things, in and of themselves, but if you are doing those things to the detriment of other responsibilities, then you are off balance.  When our lives are off balance, we suffer, our relationships suffer, other areas of our lives that need us suffer.

Exercise and Health-

I try to exercise every day.  YouTube has an amazing amount of workouts for every age and fitness level.  Even if you only have 5 minutes or maybe you have an hour to spare, there is a wide variety of choices for you.  Just about any type of exercise you can think of, is available. There are many different trainers, so you can choose the ones who are the most helpful or motivating to you.  Meal planning, healthy eating, recipes...ignorance is really not an excuse anymore.  The internet has so many sites that can help you, YouTube, Pinterest, and many other sites can help you on your way to becoming a healthier you. Want to get out of the house?  Try walking, running, biking or going to a gym.  Even whole grocery stores are dedicated to healthy eating.  There are communities of people who are out there giving and needing support. Will we all look like models? I certainly don't, but I feel better.  I am stronger and healthier than I would be if I weren't trying.  Just do it.  Don't get discouraged. It isn't a race, it isn't a competition.  It is about you being the best you can be.  Just try.  Below are few of the YouTube Channels my husband and I have gone to over the last several years to help us on our fitness journey.

https://www.youtube.com/user/FitnessBlender

https://www.youtube.com/user/popsugartvfit

https://www.youtube.com/user/jessicasmithtv

Beginner or Advanced, each woman is doing something beneficial for their health.

Choices:

We all make choices everyday.  What do we wear?  What do we eat?  What do we do? If we want good outcomes, we have to choose correctly.

Family-

Making time for my family everyday is essential.  I am better at that in some ways than others.  My family makes Messenger Chat groups to try to keep up with each other's lives.  It is so easy to get busy and starve those relationships, especially with the family members we don't see everyday.  Is that a struggle for you, too?  Whatever way we have to make it happen, we need to try.  Some ways I try to manage this:  Working on our Hobby Farm with my husband.  Talking to my youngest son about his life, while driving him to his various extracurricular activities.  Talking with my oldest daughter, while we watch my grandkids play.  Taking trips to visit my other children and grandson, even if it's just for a few hours, babysitting my grandkids, calling relatives in other states or texting.  I'm much better with the texting and even then, I wait way too long between messages.  You get the idea, though.  Are you making a concerted effort to connect with your family members?  

Friendships-

As an introvert, this is not my strong suit. I just want to mention a few things, though.  Find people who have like interests. Find people who will help you be your best, not your worst.  One thing I have recently done, is join with a lady that is starting to host a Writer's group in her home, once a month.  I plan to attend these meetings for the fellowship with other like minded women.  I hope some true friendships will grow from this.  If you are like me and have struggled with this whole friendship thing, maybe it's because you aren't looking in the right places.  I think that has been true for me.  Trying to be friends with extroverted people who like to do things I don't intend on participating in, will not work for me, it never has.  Maybe we just need to zoom in a little closer, to find people more relatable to us.

Errands, Church, Dr. Appts., .....the list seems endless, if we can get to work on getting our lives balanced, even these things can be accomplished, maybe even enjoyed, without disrupting our whole day.


Nighttime Routine- #clutterbug

Before I go to bed,  I have a list of things I try to accomplish or at least work on.  I have found that the more on this list I get done before bed, the better my mornings go.  Am I just too sleepy or exhausted some nights, yes, but even on my most exhausted nights, I try to do at least a couple things on my list.

https://www.youtube.com/user/OrganizedClutterbug

Wow, so much for my plan to have a short post.  When it comes to writing, I tend to get wordy.  Maybe I should Vlog instead, then I could keep it really short...

Well, if you can find a way to improve in each of these areas, you will be on your way to a balanced (sort of) life.  I probably even forgot some things.  Comment if you can think of some other areas we need to make time for in our lives.  Keep it clean, please.  Just because you think it, doesn't mean you have to say (write) it.  

May God bless you and your family, as you try to find ways to "achieve" balance in your lives.

In Christ,

Sandy