Prism Enterprises

Preparing Your Article for WordPress in 9 Steps

Rick Brock — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 03:43:47 +0000

Some people who have a WordPress-based website will sit down and start writing their blog posts directly into the New Post screen of WordPress.

There’s nothing wrong with that for a short article with just a few sentences, but I think you will achieve a better result if you prepare everything before you even log in to your WordPress dashboard.

I believe there are nine important steps for posting an article in WordPress.

1. Draft Your Article

Whether you prefer to start your article drafting process with a pad of paper and a pen or by sitting down at the keyboard, you will need your article in an electronic format so you can work with it easier.

I recommend drafting your article in a word processing program such as Microsoft Word. Word processing programs are designed with features helpful in preparing your article for publishing.

This article is not intended to be a tutorial about the intricacies of how to draft an article, but one of the basics is outlining your article to ensure you cover the main points relevant to the topic of your article.

For example, when I was drafting this article about preparing an article for publication in WordPress, I created an outline that included the main points I wanted to cover. These main points evolved into the nine steps.

2. Proofread and Edit Your Article

Once you’ve drafted your article, you’ll need to proofread and edit it. And don’t forget to use the built in spell checking feature of your word processor.

One of the nice features word processors have is the ability to cut and paste. If you find you want to move text around to word it differently, you can cut a section and paste it where you want.

3. Format Your Article

Once you are satisfied with the content of your article, you’ll want to format it. If you have a short article you may not have any formatting to do. But if you have a longer article with multiple points, you’ll want to create relevant sub-heads.

For example, this article is a list post and each of the items in the list is a sub-head. Sub-heads help to break up long articles into bite size sections. Sub-heads also help to keep the article organized as well as making it easy for readers to skim and find the information they might be looking for.

4. Create a Compelling Headline

Once the body of your article is complete, you’ll want to create a compelling headline to attract people to read your article.

Whether your article shows up on Facebook or in Google search results, your headline is the primary factor in compelling someone to click through to your article.

You also want to make sure important keywords from your article are in your title whenever possible. And, whenever possible you want them at the beginning of the headline.

If you’re not familiar with the concept, keywords in this context are defined as the word, or words, that that are highly relevant to your article.

Notice the title of this article: Preparing Your Article for WordPress in 9 Steps.

In an early draft, I originally titled it: 9 Steps to Preparing Your Article to Post in WordPress but I wanted the keyword phrase Preparing Your Article at the beginning of the headline.

This will help the article rank higher in search results for searches using that term. It will also make it easier to see for the person who is looking for that phrase.

5. Select, Optimize and Upload Images for Your Article

Why use images in your article? Images:

Break up your article’s text
Lead into the text of your article
Help to introduce your topic
Support your article’s content

Images can also help to compel someone to click through from social media websites.

Select One or More Images for Your Article. There are a number of places you can get images for your articles. They can be actual images of what you are writing about or they can be more abstract.

Optimize Your Image. Optimizing images involves both resizing and/or cropping if needed, but also optimizing them for SEO.

Upload Your Image to Your WordPress Media Library. Once your image is ready, upload it to your WordPress website’s Media Library so it will be ready for your use when you create your article in WordPress.

6. Determine Appropriate Categories to Use

This is one of the easiest parts of preparing your article for publishing. Your website may only have one category so it’s obvious where to post it. Many websites have multiple categories, depending on the nature of the website.

Categories help to keep your website organized. If you write about fishing, you might have a top level category about fresh water fishing with sub-categories about fishing in lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.

7. Consider Post Tags to Add

Like categories, post tags can help organize your articles within groups. Using the fishing topic, you might create an article about fishing for trout in small streams in southeast Minnesota.

The category you post in might be Fresh Water Fishing/Streams but you might add the following post tags: trout, brook trout, brown trout, Minnesota, etc.

If someone should do a search of your site for trout fishing in Minnesota, any articles with these post tags in them will show up in that search.

Depending on how your WordPress website is configured, adding post tags may also add additional pages to your website; each post tag may have its own page and can show up on a Google search.

8. Create an Excerpt

In WordPress, the excerpt is an optional article summary or description. When you or someone else posts a link to your article on Facebook or Google+, it is the excerpt that is displayed below the article title.

In some cases, when there is no excerpt Facebook and Google+ may display nothing except the title of the article. The article excerpt, when it is displayed below the title, is another way to entice a reader to click through to your article.

Since you can control this description, why not have a compelling teaser when you post a link to your article on social media websites?

9. Post Your Article

When everything is ready to go, log into your WordPress Dashboard, click on the Add New Post link and create your new article.

Since you have all of the pieces ready, all you have to do is copy and paste the Headline, article copy, post tags and excerpt from your word processor document into the appropriate locations in the Add New Post screen, select the Category(ies) to post in, add your image(s) and you are ready to click Publish.

With these nine steps, you can prepare to publish your article without missing any of the important pieces.

Book Review: Tribes by Seth Godin

Prism Enterprises — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:39:52 +0000

If you are an online businessperson and you have not yet been introduced to Seth Godin run, do not walk, to your nearest bookstore and get a copy of Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us (then download a free copy of the companion ebook from Seth’s blog). This book has served as part manifesto, part bible, to a generation of internet-based entrepreneurs.

Godin’s thesis in Tribes, like most of his work, is extremely simple: There are people out there looking for leaders. If you can become a leader with vision and passion, you can find a tribe of people to lead.

While this may seem commonsensical, Godin goes beyond the obvious. Not only does he explain how to find and lead your tribe, he also tells readers they have an almost moral obligation to lead if they are called to do so. If you have an idea and a passion, you need to find the tribe that’s looking for you because they’re lost without you.

Godin’s words would have seemed absurd only a decade or two ago. How would someone, for example, with a passion for making clothes for potbellied pigs ever find enough of an audience to make a go of a business?

But with the reach of the internet, the lack of barriers to entry for online businesses, and the wealth of free and low-cost tools at your disposal, you don’t need millions, or even hundreds of thousands, of people to create a successful online business. Instead, a loyal tribe of just a few thousand can keep you in sequins and tulle until the end of your days – if you can find them and inspire them.

He uses the example of the Grateful Dead, Starbucks, and CrossFit as strong tribes. And he presents tons of ideas for finding and leading your tribe, from being an example, sharing stories, creating a common goal, and more.

If you just want to sell “me too” products to a faceless crowd, skip Tribes. But if you have dreams of changing the world, Tribes is for you.

Book Review: Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath

Prism Enterprises — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:27:06 +0000

Want to know why some ideas stay around, and others die a quiet, painful death? Well, the Heath brothers are the ones to explain the difference.

Using anecdotes as disparate as urban legends (remember the “organ theft” ring?), the Chicken Soup for the Soul blockbusters, and the movie popcorn brouhaha over saturated fats, Heath and Heath break down and analyze stories that work – and those that don’t – to give readers a better chance of making their own ideas stick.

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

Whether you’re an independent direct salesperson, the leader of a small religious congregation, or an online entrepreneur, the authors’ findings will help you present your own ideas in a more effective manner. Some of their suggestions for sticky ideas:

Make it simple. A confused mind does nothing.
Make it unexpected. Think about surprising people, like the guy who loses 100 lbs. eating Subway sandwiches.
Make it concrete. The more you’re able to ground your ideas in someone else’s reality, the more they’ll stick.
Make it credible. Statistics, graphics, before-and-after photos all help make your claims or story more believable.
Make it emotional. We like logic, but we like emotion more. In fact, some experts argue that most decisions are made emotionally. Appeal to logics AND emotions.
Make it a story. Ever since our ancestors gathered around campfires and shared stories of vanquishing saber-tooth tigers,, we have loved stories. Stories are easy to relate, easy to remember, and thus are stickier.

Using their framework and suggestions, anyone – a business person or an elementary school teacher – can create stories and ideas that stick.

Book Review: Unmarketing by Scott Stratten

Prism Enterprises — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:19:16 +0000

Do you hate selling and marketing in the “Tell-ya-what-I’m-gonna-do” way? Then Scott Stratten is your man. In his book, Unmarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging., Stratten shows you through his personal experience that you can build a successful business – and an audience of enthusiastic customers – without doing the Glengarry/Glen Ross shuffle.

Written in a series of blog-post-length sections, the book is chock-full of Stratten’s personal observations, advice, success stories, and words to the wise. A big proponent of social media, Stratten advises readers on how to maximize these tools to build your audience naturally and comfortably.

In fact, that’s the basis of his belief: That building relationships should be the backbone of your business, and the only way to do that is naturally, and over time. Sure, there are tips and “secrets” for how to make the most of the tools that are at your disposal, but what it comes down to is relating to the people you want to serve.

This book is perfect for new entrepreneurs, or business owners who have been around the block a time or two but don’t know a tweet from a hole in the ground. Stratten presents his lessons in a non-threatening, conversational tone that is easy to read and easy to follow.

You’ll want this book in your business library to refer to again and again. Even though many of the stories deal with “Web 2.0” tools, Stratten’s advice to be yourself and focus on the relationship will be equally applicable into the future as new technology emerges.

Book Review: Crush It! By Gary Vaynerchuk

Prism Enterprises — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 22:13:14 +0000

Who would have thought that a wise-cracking, smart-mouthed 30-something could turn into an internet sensation – with a daily video show on wine?

Well, Gary Vaynerchuk has endeared himself to millions through his Wine Library TV, his keynote speeches, and his best-selling business book, Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion. In it, he shares the secrets of his success, including:

Find your passion. Find the one thing you adore above all else and go for it with all your heart. If you look for the “money” niche, you’ll burn out and give up before you succeed. Or you’ll succeed and hate what you’re doing.
Be willing to hustle. Vaynerchuk credits his willingness to do whatever it took to get ahead – including hosting his show five days a week, without fail, for over a year. Don’t just do something once – do it over and over and over again until people start to notice.
Be who you are. Not everyone warms to Vaynerchuk’s in-your-face style, but those who do adore him. He recommends not even trying to please everyone, and instead doing what you do best.
Build the audience and the money will find you. Vaynerchuk swears that he didn’t try to monetize his rabid and ever-growing audience. Instead, the offers came to him. He thinks anyone can do the same.

In sum, Crush It! recommends finding a niche you love, working your rear off, introducing folks to the real you, and working hard until your audience grows to the point where they just can’t get enough of you.

This book is a perfect read if you’re looking for inspiration to begin – or continue – your journey.

Building A List From Scratch; How To Build A Responsive Subscriber List

Prism Enterprises — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:18:46 +0000

By Celene Harr

When you are new to Internet marketing, building an e-mail list can be daunting. How do you go about doing it?

Is there a process? Are there rules? How the heck to get people on your list? Why do I need a list anyway?

By now I’m sure you’ve heard the term” the money is in the list”. The truth of the matter is that the money is in the list. As an Internet marketer, your income is dependent upon your list. You must have a targeted responsive permission-based subscriber list. This is the single most important ingredient in your business. It’s absolutely crucial to have people to market to.

It is true that the money is in the list. And to take that a step farther, the money is in the targeted list. The quality of your subscribers is more important than the quantity. You will want to grow a list of people who are interested in who you are, what you do and your products and services. It’s better to have a smaller list of people who are interested in your niche, than a huge list of people who could care less. You’re list must be receptive and interested in order for you to convert them from prospects into buyers.

So how do you get started building a list? First you must give your prospects a reason to join your list. You will need to offer a beneficial giveaway to bribe them into giving you their name and e-mail address. This freebie can be anything from a special report, an audio, a video, a teleseminar, webinar, an e-book or a free trial offer.

In order to determine the type of giveaway your prospects would be interested in you have to ask yourself these questions:

What do they want?
What sort of problem do they have that you can solve?
What sort of information are they desperate to get their hands on?

Your free offer should be of high quality content – something that you should be able to sell. That way they will say “Wow if this was free, I wonder what they’re paid products will be like?”

Next you will have to create an opt in page. This page should be kept short and to the point. It should talk about a perceived pain that the prospect has and a promise of a solution to that pain. There should be an opt in box before the fold of the page. You must also give a very clear call to action. For example ” Fill in your first name and primary e-mail address in the box below to receive your free report.”

Your opt in page should be on a stand-alone web page or WordPress blog with a keyword rich domain name. This way there will be no interferences or other things to pull their attention away from subscribing. The keyword rich domain name will help you get organic traffic.

Next you must create an auto responder series. There should be seven or more follow-up messages. A multi-part ecourse is perfect for this. In order to get your new subscribers attention the first autoresponder follow-up message should always over deliver!

The most important aspect of your list is building a relationship with them. They are your bread and butter. They pay your mortgage, make your car payment and pay for your vacations. You must treasure them and treat them well. You must always be thinking about what you can do for them – how can you be of benefit. In return you will build a targeted responsive community of people who want to be in your space, who are receptive to your marketing suggestions and much more likely to buy from you.

Receive Celene’s complementary 3 part audio training at http://myonlinebusinesstraining.com/ to learn more about building your list.

Celene Harrelson teaches and encourages brand new internet entrepreneurs with the “how to” step by step process of building a brand new online business helping them “Make that first $100″ online and beyond; including building their home on the internet, list building, social media and email, article and affiliate marketing in order to start their home business on a solid foundation.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Celene_Harrelson

Article Images; Avoiding Mistakes

Rick Brock — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:00:15 +0000

Just like everything else online, using images in your articles is fairly easy, but it’s also easy to make a mistake. Here are some of the most common image-related mistakes and how to avoid them:

Not Using an Image

It’s better to use a generic image than no image at all if you can’t find the specific photo or graphic you want. Even if the image doesn’t directly support the text of the blog post, it still provides the benefits of breaking up text and pulling people in.

Using Goofy Clip Art

We used to see stick people all over PowerPoint presentations and in corporate newsletters in the early days of the web. With the wide variety of high-quality graphics available online for free, there’s no excuse for using 1990s-era clip art. It makes you look unprofessional, not retro.

Using Unrelated Images

If I see one more sidebar ad with a bikini-clad woman and the words “Obama wants moms to go back to school,” I am going to scream! Sure, people may look because there’s a good looking babe, but using unrelated graphics to pull people in is rude. They won’t stick around once they know they’ve been misled.

Not Resizing the Image

While images can make your article looked polished and professional, having images that hang over into the margins or that are cut off is sloppy. Use a free software program or, if you’re on a Mac, your preview tool, to resize the image to the right proportions.

Stealing Someone Else’s Images

There are so many places that you can get non-copyrighted images, there’s no excuse for stealing someone’s copyrighted work. Many photographers and illustrators rely on their work for their livelihood; don’t get yourself in hot water by usurping their stuff.

Using Too Many Images

Yes, it is possible to overdo it on the photos and illustrations. Make sure each graphic you use adds to the quality of the overall blog post. If you don’t need it, don’t use it.

Using Images Your Audience Cannot Relate To

Just as the bikini woman is probably not a great draw when trying to reach middle-aged moms, you can easily miss the mark with graphics and photos if you don’t know who you’re writing for. This is where knowledge of your market is critical; know what they want, and give it to them.

If you’re worried about using images properly, just start slow. Begin by using your own photos so you don’t have to worry about copyright issues, and practice resizing, uploading, and tagging. You’ll soon be ready to take on bigger challenges, and your blog will thrive as a result of your efforts.

Twitter Tip: How to Search and Save Searches in Old and New Twitter

Rick Brock — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:51:28 +0000

Sometimes you might have a need to do a search on Twitter and find all tweets related to a certain term.

Perhaps you’ve heard about a new product related to your niche (area of expertise) and you want to see what’s being said on twitter. No problem!

Old Twitter

In the old version of Twitter, the search box is on the right side of the screen. Enter your search terms and click on the magnifying glass.

On the search results page, click on Save This Search to keep a record of your search.

Your saved searches will appear in the right menu whenever you want to view them as shown below:

New Twitter

In the new version, the search box is at the top of the screen to the right of the Twitter logo. Enter your search terms then click on the magnifying glass to search and click your mouse.

On the search results page, you can click Save this Search Just like in the old version, you can click on Save this Search to save your search for future use. However, as you can see, the button to Save this Search is larger than in the old version of Twitter.

Then your saved searches will appear in your top menu anytime you want to access them. For example:

Twitter is known for being a great source for news so if you hear of something going on in the world, do a search and you will most likely find some tweets about it.

Twitter is also a great tool for doing research. Thinking of writing an ebook on “weight loss for women”? Search Twitter periodically to find out what people are saying about your topic and what questions they are asking.

PS; Don’t forget to follow @PrismEnterprise on Twitter!

Optimizing Your Images for SEO

Rick Brock — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:00:59 +0000

Savvy bloggers know to take every opportunity to increase their appeal to search engines. Why should you care?

Because every time your website or article comes up in the search engine results, you have the opportunity to drive additional traffic to your website… and that means more readers and, if you are selling something, more customers!

Here are some easy ways to use the images you place on your website for SEO (search engine optimization) purposes:

Optimize the File Name

Your camera may automatically generate an image file name like “234455.jpg.” The search engines have no idea what to do with that! Instead, before uploading to your website, rename the file to something distinguishable like “easy-pumpkin-pie.jpg.” Make the title descriptive with a few of your keywords, but don’t go overboard with a fifteen-word title.

Use the alt Attribute

Search engines use the alt attribute field to help determine the content of the image; if the alt field is empty, the engines don’t always know how to interpret the image.

If you’re using WordPress, it’s simple to change the alt information. Upload your image using the “Add Image” function, and then in the “Alternative Text” field, add your alt text info, again using your descriptive keywords.

Use the Title Attribute

The title is what shows up when your cursor hovers over the image. Fill in the information for the title just as you would the alt attribute, using the same method from the “Add Image” function on WordPress.

Use Your Keywords in Your Article

It seems obvious that you’d want to use your keywords in your text, but some bloggers forget, thinking it’s enough to mention them in the title and/or the attributes above. Not so!

If your article is about how to make home décor items from dryer lint, then you should mention that phrase several times in the text of your article, and illustrate the post with a photo of revamped dryer lint. The file name of the photo, as well as the alt and title attributes, should all support that keyword phrase.

SEO is mostly common sense. Think about what people would type into Google or their favorite search engine to lead them to your blog post. Then use that phrase wherever you can – without overdoing it.

Next up: Article Images; Avoiding Mistakes

Twitter Tip: Who to Follow Feature in Old and New Twitter

Rick Brock — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:04:25 +0000

The absolute best thing about Twitter is the connections you make with other people. To help you make connections, the new version of Twitter has a new menu item called Who To Follow.

Old Twitter

Old Twitter included the following options under Find Friends.

New Twitter

The new version of Twitter now calls this Who To Follow and it does not include the option to Find on Twitter or Invite By Email.

In the new version, click on Who to Follow.

You are given three options: View Suggestions, Browse Interests, and Find Friends.

Let’s look at View Suggestions first. Click on the link that says interesting accounts to see some suggestions from Twitter.

The next Who To Follow option is Browse Interests. As you can see in the screenshot below, there are categories to choose from and Twitter will also suggest certain twitter accounts.

The final option under Who To Follow is Find Friends. This option allows you to connect to various email accounts you own as well as LinkedIn. When you click on one of the choices, you will be presented with a screen to enter your login information.

For example, if you choose Gmail, you’ll need to enter your Gmail login to access that account. Only those people who have agreed to be found by email address will be shown.

With the Who To Follow feature in the new version of Twitter, you can find and follow people and companies you are interested in. And when you find yourself following a lot of people, you may want to make lists to make it easier to follow the threads of conversation.

PS; Don’t forget to follow @PrismEnterprise!

Prism Enterprises

Preparing Your Article for WordPress in 9 Steps

1. Draft Your Article

2. Proofread and Edit Your Article

3. Format Your Article

4. Create a Compelling Headline

5. Select, Optimize and Upload Images for Your Article

6. Determine Appropriate Categories to Use

7. Consider Post Tags to Add

8. Create an Excerpt

9. Post Your Article

Related Articles:

Book Review: Tribes by Seth Godin

Related Articles:

Book Review: Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath

Related Articles:

Book Review: Unmarketing by Scott Stratten

Related Articles:

Book Review: Crush It! By Gary Vaynerchuk

Related Articles:

Building A List From Scratch; How To Build A Responsive Subscriber List

Related Articles:

Article Images; Avoiding Mistakes

Related Articles:

Twitter Tip: How to Search and Save Searches in Old and New Twitter

Related Articles:

Optimizing Your Images for SEO

Related Articles:

Twitter Tip: Who to Follow Feature in Old and New Twitter

Related Articles: