Welcome to another edition of Sites Weekly.
In this week’s edition, you will find links to articles about the following:
- Content. How can YOU produce more creative work?
- Design. Learn some easy ways to create cinemagraphs
- Technology. Get ready for the continued advancement of AI
- Strategy. Are you making the most of Google’s related searches?
- Bonus. What sites does the Copyblogger team read regularly?
But first …
Last week on Sites
Nathan Rice, the creator of the Genesis Framework, shares his insights on maximizing the power of Genesis for WordPress.
In this 28 minute episode, Nathan Rice from StudioPress shares his unique insights into the evolution of Genesis and where the framework is going.
Listen: [29] What Every #GenesisWP Developer Must Know about the Genesis Framework
And now, on to this week’s links …
Content: How can YOU produce more creative work?
Do you ever feel like you are spending more creative energy managing your productivity system than you do producing work? Then Sonia Simone has some big ideas for you. (Doesn’t she always?)
Here’s one of those big ideas:
That “secret” was looking at the reality and individuality of who I am. My goals, my strengths, my weaknesses, and my habits aren’t anyone else’s. So someone else’s system isn’t going to work for me.
Read what Sonia thinks you should do to find your own path to creative productivity.
How to Find Your Own Path to Creative Productivity (Copyblogger)
Design: Learn some easy ways to create cinemagraphs
I love cinemagraphs. The cinemagraph I found and used for this Rafal Tomal blog post on Copyblogger is still one of my favorite featured images ever. But actually making them has always seemed a little difficult to me.
Enter these apps, which help you create cinemagraphs that you can use in social media, blog posts, or just for fun to share with friends.
8 iPhone & Android Apps To Create Cinemagraph (Hongkiat)
Two of the most important decisions you will make about your WordPress website are your theme and your hosting. Wouldn’t it be great if they worked together to make your website more powerful?
Now they can.
Discover why over 213,675 website owners trust StudioPress.
Technology: Get ready for the continued advancement of AI
In 2017, the predictive ability of artificial intelligence (AI) powered many new tools and platforms. So what does 2018 have in store for AI? Robin Kruzer asked some marketers to find out for MarTech Today.
Not all of the advice and insight here will be necessarily applicable for us as soon as the new year, but it’s certainly worthwhile to stay informed on what bigger brands are doing now, and what the trends are, because it will eventually trickle down.
What is the future of artificial intelligence? (MarTech Today)
Strategy: Are you making the most of Google’s related searches?
Understanding a user’s intent sounds impossible at first. How are we supposed to know what people are intending to do?
This is where Google’s related searches come in, which are the eight search results at the bottom of a results page. Using related searches, you can gain sharper customer insights so that you can create relevant and valuable content that they and Google love, thus boosting your SEO.
This article from Smart Insights explains how to do it.
How using related searches on Google helps you boost your SEO (Smart Insights)
Bonus article: What sites does the Copyblogger team read regularly?
Sonia thought it would be fun to wrap up the year with a collection of some favorite blogs and podcasts that teach writing, showcase writing, or help writers. So she solicited recommendations from the Copyblogger editorial staff.
While our team loves the “big guns” like Seth’s Blog and MarketingProfs, Sonia tried to focus on some sites you may have not necessarily found yet. Some of them are quite popular; others are still hidden gems.
(Note: I missed the email and didn’t get my responses submitted in time; but then again, you get a weekly rundown of my favorites here in Sites Weekly!)
Some of the Copyblogger Team’s Favorite Writing and Content Sites
So …
Which of the ideas in these posts will you put to good use immediately?
I’ll be back with a new edition next week.
Keep building.