Welcome to another edition of Sites Weekly.
In this week’s edition, you will find links to articles about the following:
- Content. 7 common mistakes we all make while starting out on our blog journeys
- Design. 3 ways your web design can better connect you to your audience
- Technology. How web security affects SEO
- Strategy. 7 insider Pinterest strategy tips you need to know (from Pinterest)
- Bonus. Do it because your soul demands it
But first …
Last week on Sites
Now that you have a live website, and you’re publishing posts, and you’re building community and gathering subscribers, it’s time to start optimizing what you’ve got. And there is no better place to start your optimization than with search engine optimization. This episode begins a multi-part series on improving your SEO, and we start by discussing how to optimize your website’s performance.
Listen: [57] 3Q for Optimizing Your Website’s Performance
And now, on to this week’s links …
Content: 7 common mistakes we all make while starting out on our blog journeys
There is a good chance that nothing you read in this post will be new … but sometimes getting reminders of age-old, proven advice can be just what the doctor ordered.
So if you’re new and want a quick preview of how to avoid some pitfalls, or you’re a grizzled veteran who just wants to make sure your i’s are crossed and t’s are dotted … peruse this post.
Design: 3 ways your web design can better connect you to your audience
Here is an oldie but a goodie from Rafal Tomal. It provides guidance on how to design for humans, how to design for emotions, and how to design to tell a story.
I always learn something valuable from Rafal’s posts, which is why I dug into the archive for another look at this one.
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: How web security affects SEO
Search engines want to deliver the best possible experience to their visitors who type in search queries seeking information. A big part of that experience is finding the information they are looking for … obviously.
But another important element in that experience is not arriving on a sketchy site that might put user information at risk.
So yes — while you already know how important web security is for simply keeping your website up and running as intended, don’t forget that it also has a huge impact on SEO as well.
Strategy: 7 insider Pinterest strategy tips you need to know (from Pinterest)
Does your brand have a visual component that you are looking to leverage in your quest to build a bigger and more engaged audience? Then Pinterest should be a part of your social media strategy.
In this post, Donna Moritz relays seven tips for how to use Pinterest properly (for everything from SEO to hashtags) from Pinterest’s own Head of Product Marketing.
Bonus article: Do it because your soul demands it
I sometimes wonder why I spend so much time talking about a college basketball team, and creating content that is outdated 48 hours after it’s posted. (For my side project, The Assembly Call.)
Well, this post pretty much sums it up.
And yes, I do consider it art. 😉
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.