JUMP START Blog and Online Community

Would you be surprised if I told you that YouTube is the second largest search engine on the internet. 

WHO KNEW?

If that's true, then are you getting the most out of the videos you post?

Are you optimizing for SEO? 

Are you making it as easy as possible for users to find other great content you've posted? 

Do you even know how to do all this???

If you have a WordPress site or blog, plugins are your new best friend.

Plugins are easy to install and offer your site added functionality and new features. Think of them like an app on your phone. They add extras to your site.

There are thousands of plugins, both free and paid premium, out there – so if you’re hoping to add sliders to your site, or allow users to comment on your blog or add social icons to your pages, chances are, a plugin will allow you to do so.

How do you install a plugin on your WordPress site?

WordPress has made it easy on you – follow these simple, step-by-step instructions and you’ll be on your way to plugin paradise.

For this How-to, I'll walk you through the steps of adding a plugin that will allow your users to share your content via social (tip: if you're not doing this...you should be!).

Are you blogging with little to no reward or measure of success? It's frustrating, right?

We know...we've all been there. But what if I told you actually writing and posting your blog is really only half the battle?

Want to know how to IMMEDIATELY make your blogs more effective and more engaging?

I'll be honest – there is a lot to learn, know and do, but I promise you this: if you follow these (read: very simple) 11 tips, you'll begin to see more results from your blogging efforts, virtually right away. And isn't that what it's all about anyway? 

Check out the full infographic below!

(and, if you want to read more in-depth notes on the topic, you can check out my full blog too). 

I recently posted a blog on how to write killer content. In it, I discuss the top five resources the Flair team regularly uses when we create content. I thought I’d keep the convo going and let you in on our top tips for what we do just before we hit publish. Think of it as your pre-posting checklist.

1. Don’t write in long chunks of text – a recent study by Microsoft Corp. shows the average attention span of most humans went from 12 seconds in 2000 to just eight seconds in 2015. (For comparison, a goldfish’s attention span is thought to be about nine seconds...but I digress…)
   TOP TIPS: 

   • Short blocks of text, bulleted lists, headings and subheadings (brownie points for bolding) are your best friends when blogging. 

   • Keep in mind - you basically have about seven seconds to capture your readers’ attention – ultra long paragraphs and chunks of text will lose ‘em.
     
     

2. Link – embed high quality links, both to your own content and to others'. Link to older content you wrote (hello, thought leader…), link to studies and research, quote people you admire, be a resource to your readers.
   TOP TIPS: 

   • Be sure to set your links to “open in new page” so readers aren’t leaving your post.

   • Make sure you check your links – you definitely don’t want to include any broken links.

   • Find balance – don’t over-stuff your post with too many links.