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How to improve customer service

November 12, 2019November 12, 2019 by Peter Hanley

How to improve customer service. This is not magic it is basic everyday common sense applied to a business. Things you can do to improve your image.

Where does customer service start?

I started writing this blog following a cup of coffee with a friend this morning. We started talking about customer service because we have worked together for many years and also in similar industries over time.

We understand that Customer service is absolutely paramount to your business success and that when you get it wrong it will impact immediately on your bottom line.

The chat over coffee lead us to think of writing a manual or training course on the things you must do to achieve a superior level of interaction.

So let’s go over a few items that can make a difference.

How is customer service originated?

Any form of contact either verbal, written or visual with a customer sets up an expectation. The customer wants his position to be considered as a priority and in front of all else.

A report by Right Now technologies indicated that a huge 86% of USA citizens were willing to pay more for good to great customer service.

The article went on to say that 68% of people with a bad customer service experience would tell family or friends.

When you consider that the average person has 155 facebook friends things can get out of hand quickly.

So where does it all start?

Live one-on-one consultations
Fault and complaints
Email and virtual communications
Post-sales experience

The art of listening

Image of a light bulb moment — The most critical ability to maintain

This is one of the most important functions in communications and one that is so often ignored as we try to impress with our wealth of knowledge.

What is the customer trying to tell you and how can you best respond to the request?

I recently worked with a bunch of young people on a display stand that had a stream of people wanting information.

One of the girls was a champion, full of enthusiasm and ready to talk to anyone that would listen.

She would grab passers-by and virtually nail their feet to the floor as she put them in a place she wanted them to be.

I started gently explaining that an oversell never works before I had to actually find her stop button.

Anne is a lovely girl and really wanting to tell people about the great proposal and was doing a wonderful job except she would not listen.

She wanted to fix every problem with a solution no matter what the objection.

The short version is She talked too much and lost most of the potentials that just wanted to get away.
We just need to get her to answer questions and concentrate on hot points.

A guy walks into a car dealer and says I want to buy a Ford, the salesman says “No you don’t Chevs are a far better car” So starts an argument about which there can be no winner.

Perhaps if the salesman had said, ” what is it about Fords you really like?”

Many of us want to tell, explain, verbalise layout a whole picture with irrelevant crap.

The roll with customer service is to satisfy a need and make the customer happy not for the customer to fill your needs.

When you have made the sale stop selling.

This is a Golden rule of selling and one that you should never forget.

It is an awful moment when you realise you should have stopped and the customer with pen in hand says “you know what, I believe I want to think about this?”

The sale is gone and there is nothing you can do or say to recover it. We have all done it at some time and absolutely hate that moment.

When the deal is done talk about anything else that can distract the buyer.

Is upselling a good thing in business?

This is an exception to the above rule because it is a new sale, a new situation and new rules.
Upselling can increase your sales turnover by a considerable amount.

A great example is in the automotive industry.
If you have ever purchased a car you will understand the role they play.

They do a deal on the car right through to signing the papers, getting finance and ready to roll out the door but wait.

Would you like new floor mats to protect the loverly carpet, maybe some paint protection or extended warranty? The sale was done and now they go for the extras that have a great margin that make them money.
These are simple yes-no commitments.

I went to the Butcher on the weekend, wife wanted a half a Portuguese chicken at just $10.
It does us for a meal so it is good buying.
While the lady is wrapping the chicken she points out a couple of filo pastries that would really go well with the dinner, only $5 a great idea.

Did I buy them? Off course I did and her sale went up by 50%

My point is that the original need is satisfied and committed to before you move on

Should you admit to a fault in customer service

Most time consumed and problems originate from avoiding the issue.

A recent example was the carmaker Volkswagon. VW had bypassed the law on Diesel ommissions and it was discovered accidentally in a USA test on various other models.
VW went into denial and now the whole management team has gone. They were in the wrong but tried to cover up the fault. a process that can not end well. For VW a $30 billion problem.

The role of a service provider is not to cover up, it is to negotiate the best solution for vendor and customer in an economical manner

I contacted Weber barbeques recently about a faulty igniter on my three-year-old Baby Q.

Their answer was to ask my current address and say it would be in the mail today and at no cost.

I had explained that the battery had leaked and it was probably my fault.
Not a worry Sir, if you have problems installing the new one call us and we will help you.

Would I buy another Webber product, before anything else I certainly would?

The igniter probably cost them $10. A half-hour phone call debating with me is worth more than that, they are in front, I am happy and customer service has been satisfied.

Do emails work in Customer service?

How many times do you see an email that says along the lines of;

“Your request has been received, we endeavour to respond within three working days”

This is just not good enough when I have a problem now. I want your support and not a three day wait.

We all understand that time is important but if you are running three days late fix your problem so you can fix mine.

I don’t believe this is acceptable in any form particularly when they do eventually return an email and ask a mundane question

If you are using emails, and I am not opposed to that, ensure there is a timely response.

Do chat boxes work in customer service?

This is a relatively new concept that is fast fulfilling a market need. You can ask a question and get the answers in a timely manner and probably handle a couple of calls at the same time.

For me, it takes a bit longer than a phone contact as you type back and forward but certainly has a place in today’s market.

Are there jobs available in the service area?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (USA) projected customer service representative job growth at 5% between 2016 and 2026. That’s close to the average for all occupations.
Investopedia

Online shopping will contribute to this and help this area grow. The use of customer service agents will never go away and you provide a valuable service to the business and the community.

Post-sales customer service specialists

The role of post-sales can be one of many activities.

Survey format to see if you are happy
Feedback on the whole business deal
Upsell opportunity
Preparing for the next sales cycle opportunity.

I get a lot of mail from Charles Tyrett, they are an English based men’s clothing shop.

They are really good at fixed mail marketing and spend a small fortune on attracting business.
After any purchase, you will get a thankyou note with a discount voucher for the next spend.

Sometimes a shoe special to go with the shirts you just bought, a cross-sell.

When I purchased my last car they came back with a low ball three-year service contract.

The customer now knows, likes and trusts you so strike when the fire is hot

The after-sales opportunity opens many doors to a wider market and increasing your customer spend.

Conclusion

Customer service will become increasingly more important as our market changes from the traditional walk-in model.
Online shopping will continue to grow and this brings its own challenges for the retailer, a challenge to grow a customer spend and not settle for a one time hit.

Management of online problems and returns can really impact on profitability so the customer service will become an expanded role.

However, the need to get this correct is an increasing challenge that is not often met.

How to improve customer service by Peter Hanley

Do surveys work?

November 7, 2019November 7, 2019 by Peter Hanley

Do surveys work? There is certainly a plethora of surveys around at the moment and I get bombarded with them daily. Here we look at results and opportunities.

How would I judge a survey

This is always an interesting question and it depends on the Database.

Generally, you would forget the top and bottom 10 % results when calculating a return because these are probably a biased result.

That is not to say that the bottom dwellers should be ignored. Sometimes they are people with a legitimate complaint and this is your chance to fix any problems presented to you.

We did a satisfaction review for a customer where we sent a Vehicle service reminder.

The idea was that they would book the car in for a service and that was the stat that was important.
However, some very disgruntled customers would vent their spleen by replying to the message and telling us where to go. Some were quite emotional and angry in their response and needed attention.
By highlighting these to the company they were able to call the customer and in many cases settle the dispute. Some were beyond redemption and some were just downright rude but in general, it had a positive branding result.

How would I mark a survey review?

Are you honest or system wrecker? I try and be reasonable with my answers because oftentimes someone’s head is on the block and I don’t want to be the axeman.

If it is too bad I will most often pass the survey unless I have something I want off my chest. Do I ever give a straight 10 not often because that is perfect?

Are paid surveys a con?

I think in a whole lot of cases these are a waste of your time, I tried it when because of the riches I could earn but alas, nothing eventuated.
I just Googled a lot of sites and so many have no contact details and a lot are paid to advertise so my friends just be warned.

If anybody is making big money from online paid surveys, it’s probably the middleman-site owners, not those actually taking the surveys. Most surveys “pay” only token rewards in the form of goods, services, coupons, or samples. One legitimate survey opportunity pays those survey-takers drawn from cash sweepstakes.
Online careers

Can you make money doing surveys

Yes, you can make money from paid surveys but it is so minimal you need to make up your own mind if spending hours to make pennies is worth the effort.

One other option is local marketing, go to local businesses and offer to canvas a bundle of customers with some set questions on an hourly rate. Then collate the answers and prepare a short presentation. This could provide regular work with three or four businesses.to
Don’t be greedy it is good to work in your own time from the lounge chair.

What are the best survey companies to run my surveys?

The field is pretty wild but let’s line up a few;

Survey Monkey. Probably the best known with a small free sample
Zoho Survey. Prices run from $0 to$39 a month
TypeForm. Gets good reviews but paid surveys
Sogo Survey
Client Heartbeat
Survey Planet
Google form

The best of the field chosen by those that do this is Google forms. A free survey product but hold the press, the free one is for personal use only.
With a business you need to use Google G forms that has a small cost depending on the size of the base. However, the small cost looks to represent excellent value.

What sort of questions should I use in a survey?

First of all, determine what result you are after. Is the issue staff performance, product use, delivery times, support, branding or anything else.

Start with a few really easy questions to ease the reader in, general branding questions that take a little thought process

Only use yes / no questions or tick boxes that are not ambiguous.

Try your questions on others before you fire away, what you think is possible may be difficult.

Work towards a result that you want to achieve.

Always end with a comments box to give them a chance to have a say.

If your acceptance is low, offer to make a small donation to a charity of their choice for each completed survey. Pay the money.

Do a trial batch first and fix any problems, questions that don’t get answered are usually bad questions and ? are a sure sign of a problem, fix it and move forward.

How can you use your survey after sending it out?

Make note of the answers and then take action steps to remedy any problems.

Don’t wear your emotional cap when looking at the answers. If you performed below standard fix the problem and remember it is business and not personal.

You will spend time and money doing the survey so never just ignore the results because you don’t like the answer.

Are Voice surveys better than internet-based ones?

This will depend on a product, customer and the number of questions.

If you are doing telephone-based questions you need to use trained personal.
Drop out rates can be high and interrupting a busy day can get people offside.

I have a small BMW and recently took it back for a recall, usual Airbag thing and a couple of small issues however it took all day.

My serviceman went out of the way to make sure I was happy to the point of making me promise I would give him good marks in the survey, his job depended on it.

Now, that was no problem for me but I can understand some people taking issue with it.

Lo and behold I got the phone call from the dealer after about two days.

Was the job done to my satisfaction?
Do I have any problems resulting from the repairs?
Was the serviceman that attended me efficient or good.

What could I say? Yes, yes and yes so was it a good survey, I am in some doubt.

Next BMW themselves send a written survey on the dealer.

At this stage, I am getting a bit over the whole deal. I had my car returned for their faults to fix, It was for a whole day plus I was without a car and now I am wasting time doing surveys.

This is when a bad mark could be given just because they have irritated me.

Now I can’t knock BMW, they are a big operation and should know exactly what they are doing but it did leave me wondering.

Conclusion

Surveys can have a real place in your business if done properly and for the correct reason. However, get it wrong and you chance annoying customers.

It does provide a great whiteboard for customers to tell you where you are falling down in your business. Not just one or two but when 50-60 say the same things you have a job to do.

You also have a great opportunity to tell your customers about the survey.
” 20% said our opening times were too short so we fixed it”

What a great opportunity to respond and show you care

PS. Do surveys work? I operate an online survey operation as a customer service.

You might also be interested in “does Voice search work” a look at Mobile Voice commands.

Does google voice search work

November 6, 2019November 6, 2019 by Peter Hanley

The question does google voice search work for business is the most important point for business in 2020. You need to get this right. here we tell you how.

Hey Google search my business

I am sure you or someone close has done a voice search in recent time. My kids all mid 40 use it at the drop of a hat, In fact, they have competitions between ios and analogue devises to see what comes up the fastest and best result.

When they voice search

It may be Siri, Cortana or any other service but Voice searches are on the increase.

Nearly everyone that matters now has a Smartphone and know how to use it to the best experience. That use includes Voice search.

Furthermore, Mobile phones are used more often now to search for businesses.

In many cases, particularly driving, it is far easier to use Voice search than type in a word

Finally, that would indicate that Longtail keywords will be used more often

My research indicated that;

In fact, 50 percent of all searches could be voice activated by 2020, according to ComScore. This amplifies what we already know to be true: Voice search optimization isn’t the afterthought that it once was.
Brafton.com

When Voice search really started in 2017 it went to a high use however this settled back in 2018.

This was predictable for new technology and that the bounce back will now take over.

So what does all this mean for your business?

In that same vein, research from BrightLocal found that about 75 percent of smart-speaker owners search for local businesses at least once a week. More telling is the types of searches conducted:

54 per cent make food and drink reservations.
46 per cent inquire about the price of a certain product from a local business.
40 per cent want to find out if a certain product is available at that business.
35 per cent book a beauty appointment.

So what does voice search mean for your business?

image of a long tail keyword — It is coming to you

It means that you must be prepared to meet this new challenge and change some of the old ways, they won’t work any more.

First is the greater use of longtail keywords This needs to be in all you do because Voice search is far more specific in what is asked.

You will never pick up a phone and say Search for food because the result won’t work.
You may say Chinese food in the Latin quarter of LA to seek a result.

Therefore the use of Longtail keywords in your pages and posts must answer questions
in search terms

Is your branding important in a voice search?

This is my second important point because your branding will become a search term.

Searches like where are McDonald’s in London, find a Subway store near Zen street etc.

Now they are pretty big brands but your brand can be as important even if you are the local Fish and chip site. Hey Google, find opening hours of Zeno’s fish shop in Balcatta?

Therefore many searches will include branding in the future.

Will voice searches help my SEO?

It has been shown that your SEO will improve because of several key issues.

It has been shown that most voice searches, in fact over 70% use an HTTPS link in the search thus increasing the site security.

The loading speed of a Voice search is also a lot faster thus adding to your overall SEO
slow loading is a very big deterrent to your site.

Finally, Google looks for both Domain and Page authority and a Voice search increases your Domain authority.

Will increased searches show up in analytics

It is an interesting area where Google Analytics will not show all the upsells, cross-sells, Down sells etc, therefore, minimising your traffic.

However, Google searches will remain very important to ensure your ongoing exposure to the market.

That brings us to automation in handling Voice searches

Automation in 2020 will also be on the agenda. A faster and more consistent response will be required and the management of Social media and advertising links will come under pressure.

The speed of reaction is now a measure of performance and the players don’t want to wait. This is the now society so pander to it.

Conclusion

I have seen the growth in voice traffic being used and initially ignored it as a time-waster. I now am making changes for next year to ensure that I am at the very least considerate of it. At the most active performing my duties to encourage Voice traffic to my sites.

It makes life better for all of us.

Does Google voice search work by Peter Hanley

how to marketing on the internet

October 31, 2019October 31, 2019 by Peter Hanley

How to marketing on the internet and not break the budget. Here we look at low and no cost internet marketing to move your business forward.

You want to get into internet marketing and know where to start?

You have come to the right place. I will take you on a quick journey of discovery that will lead to more sales and an easy lifestyle.

Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
SEO
Blogging
Email marketing
List building
Youtube

One thing about marketing is you can not do too much or you will do it badly.
I understand you have a business to run and it might be real or virtual but it is a long term
journey

Do you really need to do Social media and will it make a difference?

The answer is yes and yes in case you are confused. However, you should understand that this is only business media, not your personal projects. Although you will need a personal Facebook account to get a business one.

Let us consider LinkedIn as a starting block.

It is simply good business to have a current LinkedIn account. This must include a photo of you and a properly constructed Bio.

Suppliers, customers and recruitment agents will look at your page for information about you.
It may not sell goods but it will sell you and your brand which in turn leads to business.
You can market or advertise on LinkedIn and in many professions, this is the place to be.

However for us street traders it is possibly not our market but we MUST be seen. It takes little time to set up and keep it current and working.

Sell your self, your business and your brand in the best way possible.

Facebook for business will drive customers to you.

The purpose of Facebook is to gather a Know and Like following that will move to your sales centre, the trust will follow.

is Facebook still worthwhile as we head into 2020?

As purchasers, we use Facebook to gather information about your business. We make decisions on the content and how current it is to see if we want to work with you.

Therefore your pages and posts need to be entertaining and informative and appropriate to create a move to a selling account. Your webpage or shopfront.

Here is my secret about Facebook, it is one of the few places that encourage message scheduling. You can plan your messages a day, week or months ahead and do them in one time, or get someone else to complete them for you.

I explained this in full in a Post for Business that explains how to do it.

Customers use Facebook, they make opinions based on your posts so you need to be involved.

Instagram for business can work really well

First of all, Instagram is owned by Facebook and is the creators darling product so it has a big future. t will change into a sales-driven entity within a short time.

Currently, however, it has a dominantly female audience in the 18-45 age group. If this is a target audience you are in luck. I do believe in more recent times the older group have followed in the footsteps of the young mothers needing to view the snaps. This has and will continue to expand the audience.

It is an ideal local marketing product as you can present your wares in a viewer demanding way. Instagram does not encourage scheduled posts as they want to be a live storyboard. There are products that will help with this but I believe you are better off with a quick daily hit.

Again you are trying to deliver customers to a selling point so you need to wind them up with some attractive proposals. Is Instagram better than Facebook? In some situations yes it is because of the audience and it is more in your face than a newsfeed.

Search engine optimisation or SEO for the masses

Back in the good old days, SEO would and could cost you a small fortune. I probably still get a lot of emails everyday promising me Nirvana so spend your hard-earned very wisely.

Your website needs to be active, it needs change and posts created on a regular basis and the consistent use of good Keywords.

If you are local marketing use your location as often as possible. If I wanted a Mechanic as an example I would search for mechanics in my area, I might add for BMW service at the best price to further target my search.

Use the best of longtail keywords to increase your reach with a better client.

One very important issue is if your website is suitable for Mobile phones. Older websites may not be so forgiving.

Google now search Mobile first so if you are not there you are severely restricted in any search query.

Blog page on your website is a requirement

A blog is simply marketing content in a different word. You may tell people about products, ways to do things, staff, other opportunities. These are all opportunities that with the correct Keyword selection will bring you, customers.

Readers want information and that information usually stars with a problem. So grab a problem, stir it up, create conflict and solve the drama with a great answer. It will work every time.
Naturally, pick subjects related to your fast sellers if you have them or more topical issues.

Blogs can be between 300-2000 words and done by guest writers.

Email Marketing and newsletters are a must for business.

I believe Newsletters at about once a month is the cheapest and most effective media you can own. It is all about Touchpoints for your clients and this is just like a short-form blog.
again it is about entertaining and educating not hardball selling.

Emailing is still a promising sales option in both bulk delivery or one-on-one mail. I did a lot more on this including using Autoresponders a while ago.

There are endless companies that will support your emails and I generally use Constant Contact because they are low maintenance. I can even get you a free voucher to try them.

Emails are now working better than ever if you construct them properly.

List building or asset gain?

A list is an asset you can sell, it can be used every day and has a real dollar value.

Your list will be constructed from every contact you have with a client. Invoices, quotes, handshakes and card swaps to name a few.

It matters not if you keep them in an excel spreadsheet or a paid-for software package. as long as you have a usable list.

Your list can be segregated into a bundle of sub-locations. In fact, I have about 20 different lists that I can mail to either individual or as a whole. Your business will have potential customers in different areas so keep them alive with regular mail.

YouTube is a business must

Nearly as many people search Youtube as Google so that is a lot of traffic. In fact, the how-to section is the first port of call on many products. Bewarned though that people get really lost in Youtube flitting among different subjects. If it is embedded into your website this is great for SEO.

Making videos is now pretty simple and cut across to the boys at Content Samurai to see the many advantages of video. They will give you a free trial and tell you how to do it.

Conclusion

I have given you some ideas to try and some you must do. It is all about touch in this business and the more a prospect sees you the greater the chances of success.

Keep it up, it is not an overnight product it is a planned approach with a definite goal in mind.

However, it can be too late although never too early so get it together and start your journey.

How to market on the internet by Peter Hanley

Download video maker

October 29, 2019October 29, 2019 by Peter Hanley

Download video maker for free and start making professional videos today with this free trial offer and keep the videos you make earning traffic immediately.

Is video making really that good?

YouTube is searched as often as Google for general enquiries, so my answer is yes.

Youtube videos keep people on your site for longer increasing SEO so another positive.

Many people want a video and not have to read all the details.

Image of SEO cheet sheet — ***Free cheat sheet***

This is my first offer to show you how this can work as a YouTube product.

It is simple to make your first video

The video can be lots of different varieties.

Action video
Talking head
Presentation
Podcast
Interview
Testimonial
How to do things

If you are afraid of making a video, don’t panic because we have an easy way for you.

At Content Samurai everything is done except writing your script, plus we can even help with that.

A professional Video done in an Hour

Well maybe a bit less or a bit more but it will be close.

That’s Pictures done
Voice over completed
Music attached
Downloaded to youTube

Plus another bonus The digital Productivity Playbook yours for free
to help you create a better product in less time

We are halfway there to an exciting package. I am sure you are going to want to try a
video for your self, in fact, why just one why not as many as you can knock up in 7 days,

I guarantee you’ve never seen anything like this before…
Mark my words, it’s going to completely change the way you do digital marketing forever.
Why?
As you know video is now critical for just about every aspect of digital marketing today…
However, because creating videos has always been a laborious, expensive and highly technical process, in the past it’s really only been available to big businesses with BIG budgets.
But finally that’s all changed…
Because Content Samurai’s revolutionary new video creation system is SO EASY to use, generating tons of professional videos that produce an avalanche of traffic is now anyone’s game…
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So, if you want the ultimate shortcut to start killing it with video, do yourself a favour and check out Content Samurai out now…
And best of all, it’s totally free to get started!
You can get free access here:
Content Samurai

What is stopping you now?

I use Content Samurai and have done for some time and that is why I am comfortable recommending it to you. I Have suggested a free SEO Tool, a Free book and A free trial so what more can we do. Well drop me a line and I shall do it all for you but have to charge you for my time LOL

Conclusion

I have been short and sweet with this because it is my bonus readers only package that you probably won’t find anywhere else.

You may get one of the offers but not all three in a bundle.

It will be fun and creative and you will really find the Movie Director in you.

Steps to start a successful blog

October 27, 2019October 27, 2019 by Peter Hanley

Steps to start a successful blog laid out in an easy to follow format. Whether it is a blog, content or page your writing has an effect on the end result.

Step one to writing is to have a plan.

This may seem a pretty basic statement as you won’t head off anywhere without a plan but it not only includes a destination but what happens along the way.

Over a period of time, you will write on many topics and they may be a shotgun or single-shot blogs.
Having a cornerstone block allows you to build a series over time.
Say for instance you are a wine writer, then you have many tangents on which to travel.

Making wine
Drinking Wine
Growing Grapes
Wine varieties
Wine-growing areas by country

Each of these could include a hundred pages of content along the way. When people start to read about a subject the continuing flow is easy to find.

Therefore your plan will include a continuous flow of information along those lines.

Your Keyword and title

Many people ignore this step because they forget the importance of Google search.

A good keyword tool will tell you several important things.

The volume of traffic that will look at your chosen keyword
Remember over 80% never go past page one
The level of competitive pages in that exact phrase
An estimate of your site being looked at by readers

This is a whole subject on its own so if you are unsure have a look at some tools
Keyword tools
In all of my writing, I only suggest free or low price products that I personally use.

A keyword tool in a basic format, suitable for most of us is free. For the pro’s there is an upgrade if you so wish.

Preparing to write

You should first of all put together a couple of authoritative sources to support your ideas.
This is an aid to SEO and gives your reader confidence in what you write.

At this point, you can also prepare an outline of your page.

Generally, an outline consists of an introduction that frames the main point for your audience, a body, which is where you’ll break down the main point with more details and supporting statements, and a conclusion to wrap up your thoughts and leave the reader with a final statement.
Jennifer Calonia Grammarly.com

You will also pic a few pictures that relate to the article and have them ready to go

Drafting your work

At this stage, the aim is to set out your headings. This will better set you up to have a nice flow of information.
Generally, we start with a problem that should be solved.

Next, we stir the problem and show how it exists, the conflicts that exist, how others adapted to it and finally a solution.

When people search google they generally have a problem, a how-to or why a situation exists.

It is important that you arrange your # headings in a down method and not one that is wiggly Piggly. Start with a #1 or #2 and end with a # 4 or #5.

Furthermore, each picture used must be such that it draws the reader to that subject. It must also have an Alt tag Description filled in and a description.

Writing your award-winning article

The aim is for an average of 1500 words in an article or blog. This number is generally agreed as the best structure for an article. Yes, I do shorter ones and one yesterday at over 3000 words but my average is a smidgeon over 1500 and rated well.

Under your headings aim for about 300 words in short sentences and short paragraphs.

We, readers, are a fickle lot and our attention span is not great so pander to the mob.

Having your headings in place makes the writing process a lot easier as the words can just flow between the subject in a natural and proper way

Revising your work

This can be done along the way or at the end of the process.

You could have multiple revisions and changes along the way to get the right structure that flows.
Spelling mistakes should be corrected at all times using a good spell checker.

I recently ploughed through a hundred articles looking for errors because a site check disclosed a problem.

I use Grammarly.com free version spell checker and the WordPress one as well and still manage to stuff things up.

Spelling is not my thing, try as I do it still remains a problem. Make sure you check every time.

Google likes good content following the rules so to be rated don’t try bucking the trend.

Although the writing process involves core principles to follow, feeling comfortable with writing and the evolution of your writing style doesn’t happen overnight. Following these steps can help you learn the fundamentals so that you can refine your skills over time

Grammarly.com Jennifer Calonia

Proofreading

This is past the revision period and I believe getting a second opinion is always helpful.

Not an opinion on the subject but more the structure, words and setup. You may not agree with them and that is fine just consider the opinion and move on.

I always do an after post mental list. This is where I go through a checklist of what should be included and do a tick summary.
As careful as you can be you will often miss a step that should have been included.
Internal links
External links
Authority links
Have these all been attended to?

Further training on Blog building

I always use the free training at Wealthy Affiliate. Again when you are compfortable they have a monthly plan for those that want to host several websites and look at affiliate marketing.

There is a community page with a free chat line that can give endless advice on any subject you can think of.
Furthermore, a free Keyword tool is included and a writing platform for the newer members.

Conclusion

I have become a writer ( of sorts ) in my later years and enjoy every word I lay on a page.
I generally write about 5 blogs a week on a variety of subjects.

However, this is all about you, the reader the person we talk to. Always remember to talk to people because they are interested in themselves and not our humble life.

Most people blog for money, to earn from their labour and that is justifiable.

They also blog to entertain and communicate and they will appreciate a comment on any work they complete.

Bad comments will be trashed but good ones cherished so give it a go.

Steps to start a successful blog by Peter Hanley

How to check my site rank

November 7, 2019October 22, 2019 by Peter Hanley

How to check my site rank and is it really important. There are many ways to track your progress to a page one position where you may actually be read.

Check My Site Rank

Your site rank is important and constant checking is required to maintain your position in search engine queries.
This is not all an everyday thing but it is information you must be on top of.

I search my analytic site at least twice a week to establish call patterns and see variables in traffic patterns.

The reasons you need to rank.

We all want to be seen, want to be noticed, be the top of the pile or whatever lights you up but the idea of a website is to be found and a customer or buyer delivered to you.

We do this in two ways; when they know your domain name or when they search keywords in your site that bring the post and page shoppers to view your work.

It’s a pretty simple idea really but it needs to be done correctly.

Domain names

It all starts with a domain. For instance, the domain name for this page is www.onlinebusinessmarketing.info and this will always appear as number one on the page when searched.
That is however under the paid advertising that always ranks first.

The keyword for this page is check-my-site-rank

The exact search, however, is www.onlinebusinessmarketing.info/how-to-check-my-site-rank/

Searching your website Performance

Google Webmaster Tools v Google Analytics

These are different products by Google and a simple way to describe the difference between Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools is this:

Webmaster Tools provides information, or you can say, insights on how search engines interact with your site, while Google Analytics provides an information on how website users interact with your site.

Google search console

This provides information on your SEO potential and covers several very important points.

It provides an overview of your site plus the performance and coverage.

Importantly it shows mobile usage a feature that must be included in any current website. If you are not set up as mobile-friendly your SEO score will be downgraded

https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly

image of Mobile friendly site — Every page needs to be tested

Google now ranks mobile before fixed sites so make sure you use a Mobile-friendly appearance for all your sites.

Sitemap

This is essential on every website. I use mine with an SEO plug-in and a search today showed that every post was listed on a sitemap.

Google uses this to understand your site and crawl the pages so make sure yours is current.

Google Analytics

A must-have for every web-page.

This is not a toy, in fact, it is imperative for every website to link every page and post to Google for analysis.
It contains such a wealth of information starting with traffic numbers, country, time of day weekly monthly results. Demographics, bounces, time on site and lots more

Alexia Ranking

This is a bit of a big boys toy and requires considerable traffic to show your ranking.

Semrush

Much the same as Alexia and mostly for the big kids. You can, however, get a good idea on Backlinks and Keywords plus the cost and ability to pay for traffic.

They report both organic traffic and paid traffic and provide an analysis of each. They do push you to the paid version quickly

Nibbler

This is a new site that completes a pretty good summary of your site performance http://nibbler.silktide.com
In fact, when looking at it I found something I was doing wrong. I scored highly on nearly everything except Social media a very important part of today’s world.

It is important that my site scores well when I am telling people what to do
so I need to really adjust this and check later.

Here is how I ranked

The experience is based on the site age and as this site is only 6 months old we are marked down. However, it will grow to 10 in about three more months.

Wealthy Affiliate stats

When hosting with Wealthy affiliate you get backup stats available at all times.
The first and arguably the most important is Google ranked. Without ranking, you are nowhere to be found.

Next is site trust where any black marks are not nice to have.

Furthermore is regular posting and article quality having an effect on the site. Articles should aim for 1500 words without Keyword stuffing.

Checking your website

When you are unsure about your site you can always do a web page audit so that you can see your SEO rating as well as performance levels.

This can be found using a simple webmaster tool at https://web.dev/

This may be a bit over your head but it comes with a guide to fix any problems they encounter. Take a note of the address you may want to use it again in the future.

Another free site is Neil Patel. At Ubersuggest.

I like this as I get to check keywords against other tools and check my website for errors.

I have now used three different sites with a similar answer and I can take out of them what I want.

Spelling and alt tags

I recently went back and checked every page for spelling and that the pictures had alt tags filled in. This took a bit of time but the exercise proved to be worthwhile.

I updated some pages and generally had a cleanup of any issues I found.

Conclusion

This is an important page, I have given you both free and paid versions of tools to check your site’s performance. These are mainstream products that are not going after your money but selected as recognised authorities on the web.

I have shown examples of the page you are on and my current results so you can visualise what you need to know.

It is also important that you fix critical issues where you can and even I have some homework to do.

How to check my site rank by Peter Hanley

How to start a business at home

October 19, 2019October 19, 2019 by Peter Hanley

How to start a business at home and have any chance of making money. Here we give you the ground rules to greater income.

Can you really work from home?

Not everyone can operate a home business.
You need to have a bit of willpower and understanding that work is work.
It is easy to be lazy but getting the sales done takes effort. Everyday persuing the
the goal of making money is required.
The big distractions are partners and children as well as surfing the internet and other idle pastimes like cups of tea.

Am I qualified to offer advice?

Peter Hanley

I have had a home office for about 6 years operating several businesses and being involved in countless activities. I have staff that have home offices and we mostly communicate over the airwaves.
However, I do have an office space that I can lock away from the home so when I am at work the level of disturbance is minimal.
I am an early riser so I get a lot done before many people would even get to work. No travel time or stuck in traffic so you gain hours in the day that can be put to good use. I shut down early and spend family time at the end of a day to have balance in my life.
However, you do need some outside activity to discuss problems or situations and this escape is sometimes missing with work at home people. Don’t be a hermit mix with like people and share like problems.

What do you need to start a business from home

The world has advanced so far in recent times that most things can be done without excess paperwork.
A computer and Internet and probably a mobile phone can be your world with nearly everything else on the internet.

The first real issue for a home business is a plan. You must have a written plan that details what you want to do, where you are going and by when.

Cash flow is also really good because you will control expenses far better when you are actively following a plan and monitoring results.

I still maintain daily cash flows. It provides trends as well as making you focus on the input and stay within a budget. It is simple to do with an excel spreadsheet without spending money.

What are the legal issues?

The answer is going to be general because it changes from country to country but generally, you will find that.

There is a minimal amount of money you can make before declaring yourself a business.
Other than the personal tax you have things like GST, withholding taxes etc to consider.
When you register as a BUSINESS you start a long term campaign of complying with the rules.

Many areas and countries will have a small business group that support your activities and help with the legal bits. These are generally free services.

Choose an appropriate business

Affiliate sales. *Wealthy Affiliate*	Amazon agent. *Amazon*	E products *JV Zoo*
Real goods *Alibaba*	Virtual goods *JV Zoo*	Keywords *Jaaxy*
Coach *Home jobs*	Social media *Facebook, Instagram*	MLM *Herbalife, Tupperware*

Local Marketing *Social media*	Blogging Your best products
Writing *Content marketing*	Making videos *Content samurai*

Emails *Things you must do*	Newsletters A must-have
Starting out *No money*	Marketing *21 Tips to start you*

SMS marketing *A real winner*	Loyalty products *Still working*
List building *A gold mine*	Branding *Signs*

The number of things you can do is only limited by your imagination. The internet is a hive of opportunities and all you need is a bit of a leg-up.

Do other people do this

Crowd scene — People just like you and me

I mix with thousands that are regularly making money on the Internet, a few dollars here and there to hundreds of thousands a month. It is limited only by your self.

A friend of mine sells websites, builds them up gets traffic and flogs them, the last one for
us $40k.
My daughter taught herself Facebook marketing and freelanced in the market. One client wanted her full time so she put a price on it. Now working full time with shares in the company.

Another had a daughter in a shop so she organised an online store to sell all the women’s wear
to a broader market, works a treat.

I have seen MLM cheques at $100,000 a month for the top earners

What are the pitfalls

It takes time. nothing is done in a short period as you build a reputation.
You must understand the basics and work them to your best advantage so continual learning is required.
Remember your idea is to build a business from scratch, put your shingle up one day and start the journey.
You will have good days and bad days, you will lose faith in yourself and your ambition and you will feel like giving up. It happens to us all and the ones that work through it get to a finish line.

Set your self daily tasks and time and stick to it. You can start early, finish late, shop at midday however you want to design your day but fulfil your commitment first.
I will do that tomorrow does not cut it. If you don’t do the necessary things then nothing happens. Pretty simple when you think about it

It takes time and effort and if you are not prepared to give it you’re all then do something else.

Will it affect family life

It will affect family life until you find a balance. When you start the journey you will be filled with enthusiasm and excitement and there will not be enough hours in a day. Others won’t understand and you won’t have time to explain as you plod the road to success.
However, life is not all about work, take some time for others and for yourself.

How much money can you make

The answer is as much as you want. I can paint the wall with success stories and glorious sums of money however like anything the 80-20 rule applies. The big money is with the top 20% and the rest of us are plodders.

One important issue is what you are selling, the price and the return.
If you are selling Amazon books at $10 each and you make 7.5% or $0.75 a book you need to sell a whole heap of books to make any money.
However, if you are selling $1000 watches and make a 20% earn then $200 each means a lot fewer sales.
It is an important balance issue and that is why I like recurring income products.
When I sell a low-cost product like Wealthy Affiliate I earn about 30% of the value every month.
That way we earn a regular growing income that will build a business over time.

Image of a crystal ball — Your future is in your hands

What is your future?

It is all in your hands, everything is there for the taking and all that is required is learning, time and consistency. Most fail because they give up.
I said before that you need a plan for the whole journey, part of that plan will sometimes require a change and a drive around the obstacles and no entry banners but you can do it.
If it was really easy we would all be doing it, life is not generally that good to you and makes you sweat for results.

Conclusion

A home business is an ideal lifestyle. No traffic no pesky coworker problems, no water fountain politics.
It can be done in your own time and your own pace so you are the BOSS.
As they say, just add water and see it grow

How to start a business at home by Peter Hanley

Senior internet plans

October 21, 2019October 14, 2019 by Peter Hanley

If you are searching for Senior internet plans and ways to save and make money while enjoying the journey, look no further.

Is there a place on the internet for the older folks?

Let me start from where I sit behind my computer at 75 years old, that’s me, not the computer although the black box is not really new either. I still run window 7 and get hounded to upgrade nearly every day.

Many years ago when webpages were new I hired someone to construct a webpage for me. I had a business and decided to join in this new marketing idea with a pretty cool web page.

The page did nothing, no one looked at it and no one bought from it.

I thought to my self that it could not be that hard to learn this stuff so I started a journey of discovery.

It was about 10 years ago and you needed to have an understanding of computer code as well as solid marketing techniques.

What I did back then was to learn what I wanted from a site, and how I could achieve results and then got someone else to build the site. My plan worked and that construction is still being used today.

The internet is now much easier.

Nowadays anyone can build a good website, in fact, you can have one online in a couple of hours without any understanding of coding or any of the technical jargon they used to prattle on about.

Pricing has come down to a point where you can start all this for free whereas in the olden days I paid several thousand dollars for a site and $500 a month for SEO and I did all the work.

A website can be a business where you sell product online.
It may be a Blog, which is writing content about your favourite subject
Perhaps a funnel that captures readers and delivers them to a sale
Or even a family site shared among those that are close to you.

Cheap internet access is almost anywhere

Home internet is usually very cheap, yes it varies from county to country but Google your area and see if you can get it for $20 a month.

Most shopping centres have free internet, libraries and recreation areas allow you to log in.

Some older folk even contact there younger neighbours to share with them. WIFI signals travel up to about 100 meters so an easy test.

Your Ipad or iPhone can come with data access but always understand about Data use

You just need a cause.

The technical term is a Market Niche. Your place on the internet that can be easily found and reward you for your effort.
(You will see words in blue throughout the article that take you to more information on the subject, sometimes technical sometimes other pages to read.)

Many of you will have some grounding or knowledge on this subject so you can skip these early bits but for the new ones I want to simplify things as much as possible

I have many friends in the 60s, 70 and 80-year-old bracket that do internet blogging and in fact, do it very well. Some are writers, others want to make money and there are those that just want to keep the brain working and manage new skills.

What is important is that anyone can do this and achieve great things and as a hobby or business it is addictive in nature.

How do you make money on the internet?

The easiest way is to buy and sell things on eBay or your local alternative.

My wife is a bit of a gun on this, she sells for herself and her daughter with all sorts of things.
Currently a Watch, a Bonzai tree, a painting, a bundle of Ties I no longer wear and some ladies shoes my daughter discarded.

My son does the curbside pickups and gathers interesting items and then sells them on eBay.

As they say someones trash is someone’s treasure. Everything has value.

We are about to Downsize our home so we are getting rid of a lot of items we no longer use, They get advertised first and what does not sell ends up at a local charity collection.

Furthermore, my wife has made headbands for kids and other useful items to sell.

Plus she wrote a book covering her first 12 years of life, Friends and family all got a copy. I asked why not the next 12 years and she patiently explained that it may not be good reading for the young ones.

Selling other peoples products

The most famous of all is Amazon. Most products at Amazon are sold by what is called Affiliate marketers. These are people like you and me that market products and the buyer is taken to the Amazon site. If they buy you get paid a commission.

You can sell one product or a hundred products because Amazon doesn’t care.

Amazon University has a lot of information for you.

My early and important warning to you

Warning sign image — Important to read this

The internet, like the real world, is full of people wanting to take your money. Us elderly folk are often a soft target because we don’t understand or are open to the hard selling experts that look so appealing.

You do not need to spend any money until you have a good idea of what you want.
Did you get that, spend no money until you have a bit of grounding in this.

When you search something on Google or Bing etc the first Adverts are usually paid ones.
They pay money to be the top of the list so they get your click.
You will see a little blue A before the listing so tread carefully because they pay to get your attention thus they need a return from you.

Buying product to sell on the internet

You can buy any number of products at really cheap prices from places like Alibaba These are a Chinese distributor of just about any product you can imagine.

You should ALWAYS do a sample test before you buy a lot of product. Hey, I have a few boxes in my shed that I Can’t sell so I am not a great authority on this. Some do it very successfully but it does require some technical skills in marketing and purchasing.

Is dropshipping different

When you are selling product you need to allow for delivery costs, returns, failures in your selling price. However, when the manufactures take this over and deliver the product it saved you a whole lot of trouble.

Hang about I am coming to the easy bits very soon.

The internet is a very large shopping centre and information provider and there are many things you can do.

You can build an online shop using Shopify or similar and stock it with products just like a real shop.

You just need some basic information, products and time and away you go.

What is blogging all about

The internet has its own language and a blog is one of the words that you will come across.
It is not a mystery, it is simply something you write about and put it on the Internet. In fact, you are reading a blog post now.
It can be a page, a post, an article or content and all are basically the same thing.

I blog about all things Internet for business as my principle theme, however, I do branch out like today into other subjects.

If you have a subject (niche) that you know all about, are experienced in or just want to talk about this is a great place. The rules are pretty simple and the most important part is understanding how you can be read. With millions of Blogs, why would they pick yours?

Most people write blogs with a view to making money. It may be direct or indirect however the anticipated result is the same.

You can refer readers to a site that will pay you a commission. Affiliate Marketing.
People can advertise on your site and you get paid
You can sell both real and virtual products
Perhaps even write blogs for a living and post on other peoples sites

Affiliate marketing how can you use it?

image of affiliate marketing — The best job in town

Affiliate marketing is simply recommending other peoples products and when they make a sale you get paid a predetermined commission.

This is the best job in town particularly when you earn a recurring income every month for the client life.

I will give you an example. I often recommend a site that teaches and hosts videos, some are saved on You Tube others on a web page. Noble Samurai charge a monthly fee to all subscribers and I get paid a percentage of that fee, in fact about 40% so a good earn.
We offer a free book on creating a video and it builds from there.

I am very careful to only recommend products I use myself and that don’t have a huge upsell tail. $40 today, a hundred tomorrow and a grand next week. Believe me, it happens so don’t let it happen to you.

We all need to start from somewhere.

When I first started my journey I did course after course, often having to buy them and waste time trying to learn everything I could from poor quality material.
The Internet loves people like me who are happy to hand over money seeking all the answers.

I eventually found a resting place that had nearly everything I wanted and the cost was free. I now pay them a monthly amount because I host a dozen websites with them and I need high -quality hosting, but I also earn money as an affiliate.

With the Internet, you always have a question to ask, nothing is that easy or straightforward and you can waste endless hours searching the web for a simple solution.

At my sight you have several options;

If it is a host-based question there is 24/07 support
A technical question has a chatbox
More involved issues have a technical area
And not least is a great forum of people all wanting to help

I can link you to many of the older generations that are really active contributors and making money along the way. Some have fallen on hard times, others like to write and even to keep the grey matter bubbling along.

I do not recommend paying out any money. No credit card required and no high-pressure upgrades.
What I do recommend is being involved in the group for a few days and doing a couple of the basic training elements.
No one but you understands how ready, or not, you are for an internet journey.
However, my promise to you if you do what I have said above and you develop a basic understanding of the whole thing, then move forward at your time and pace.

Everything I have talked about is there for you. Let the members tell you about the service and how they believe it is the best place to hang out. Click to get to WA

You arrived at my site for a reason

You did not come here by accident, I know you searched what we call a Keyword and you were seeking more knowledge. That Keyword is found with a simple tool that tells me how much traffic I will get and on what page of a search I will appear.
It is not magic and guess what? you get it all at no cost.

I want to see more of you seniors taking this ride. It is fun, addictive and you can achieve anything you want.
Yes, you will get people saying it is a waste of time and energy and that nothing will come off it.
But do you know what? If you do nothing what do you get?

I spend about six hours a day on my blog. I am an old guy and my two fingers don’t type that quickly plus I need to have my spelling checked along the way. (another free tool called Grammarly).

Oh, and by the way, I still have a business and have a very active life. We no longer count the days behind us and the ones ahead are getting less all the time.
I have a facebook site dedicated to rescued cats that started as a bit of a lark and many other online activities

It is time to take action.

Conclusion and final thoughts

My objective is to show you what is possible and how you can achieve it without having a breakdown.
There is a hard way and an easy way and I have tried them both. I have a cupboard full of internet courses and the scars from many an adventure. I am still here and loving it.

I am helping others to achieve their goals, I make a bit of money along the way and am comfortable I am matching it with the younger people, what more could a man want.

I am actively involved in Social media and email marketing.

Senior internet plans by Peter Hanley

Image of author — Peter Hanley
About me

PS

PS Don’t hesitate to leave a comment below we can use it to help others.

Create a blog free, the steps you need to take

October 14, 2019October 11, 2019 by Peter Hanley

Create a blog free, the steps you need to take to make life easy and be on the road to success as a writer and money earner. Here I give you the tools.

Why do you want to write a blog anyway?

People have many reasons to take up a writing habit and what they want to achieve over time.

It may be changing the world, expressing a point of view, having an opinion or the most common reason. making Money.

In fact, I write for several reasons that help others before helping me.

As a small business owner and trainer, I write to support small business owners with online marketing. So many don’t understand that the world has changed and online is now a necessary part of the business.

Secondly, as I market to them it gives me an introduction to my own business.

Next, I am also an affiliate marketer for appropriate business products that they can use.

Finally, I really enjoy writing as an escape into reality. Why not blog?

Where do you start for a new Blog

With a name of course, who are you and what do you do. What is your Brand going to be?

We call it a URL and it is your internet signature. You buy these from places like Name Cheap, GoDaddy or Wealthy Affiliate and pay very year.
However, there is a cheaper way and we will get to that in a bit.
The URL for this page is marketmybusinessonline.info because that is what I am promoting but I also have others including CoachHanley.com

When you have a domain you need to have it hosted.

A host looks after your domain and traffic as well as lots of important issues like security, spam blocking and page building techniques. Your host is really important. Therefore we will get you the best for free, just read on and get a bit more learning behind you first.

Writing in computer language and coding

image of wordpress SEO — It is no longer that hard, in fact, we can all do it.

I started to laugh when I did the header because but a few short years ago you needed to know all this techie stuff. Now you just write away and follow a few rules.

You can use WordPress a free site builder or templates supplied by others at a cost.
I am biased like nearly 60% of the world that use WordPress.

In fact, the recent upgrade to WP makes it even easier, kids or old guys like me have no problems with it.

Where to start your blog for free

I have used many sites over the years and none come close to Wealthy Affiliate. You can select a free Domain name and change it later to a paid one when you are satisfied that you are on the way to stardom.

Your first blog site is free and if you want to do more a small monthly fee.

They provide training on everything internet. You can do a full course, in fact, several different ones or just pick the ones of interest.

The community forum is there to help you. Ask any question and they will be lined up with solutions. We all hit roadblocks and spend hours trying to weave our way through them when a solution is usually on hand.

The site is fast, secure and has both a chat line and 24-07 support so you are never on your own.

Wealthy affiliate use WordPress

This is the most used product in the world and you can use it directly or opt for their writing template that takes you on a journey to a great product.

They advise on Plugins and SEO and back you up in every possible way

Make money from day one by recruiting others

When you join Wealthy Affiliate you automatically qualify for affiliate income so you can earn from day one by simply recommending others to this great product. However, this option is personal.

They are a great web Host who grows membership from referrals but there is never any pressure to do so.

In fact one of the important points is they have no upsells, they don’t want extra money for extra features it is one price fits all.

Did I promise a Keyword tool

When you join wealthy affiliate it includes a free Keyword tool in basic format by Jaaxy.
This tool can be professional or basic to your need and can be used as often as you like.

I also use another keyword tool at Ubersuggest a site by Neil Patel

Different opinions sometimes help and for that reason, I give you two of the best on the market

and what’s more, they are both free

Spell check and grammar examine

How much more free stuff can I give you, the list goes on at Grammarly.com a site set up to check your writing. Never leave home without it. We all make mistakes and this goes a long way to eliminating most of them.

Now let’s move on to the writing part

picture of an old man writing a blog — The fun stuff

If you have a blog or have now structured a new one you really need to know what to do.

The rest of this is about your writing journey so make notes and remember the points because they all help.

Finding a niche (subject) that you want to write about.

As your mind explodes with a perceived difficulty just hold tight this is the easy bit.

It is called breaking it down.

Weight loss is a huge niche and one you can be lost in and never found.

However, weight loss in teens might be a bit easier or Weight loss for teenage girls gets a bit easier.

It is all about a Keyword

A keyword is what searchers type into google to get an answer to a question. In this case, it was get a blog free. By Using a keyword tool you can know how many people are likely to view your site in a month.
Around 80% of lookers never go past page one and after page thee you are down to less than 1% of searches. So if your Keyword was Weight Loss you would probably start at page 100 and your chances of being read are non-existent.

This is a really important concept. I don’t care how well you write and construct your blog if it is not read it is a waste of your time. Therefore we give you tools to do all this and give you a small chance of success. Your free keyword tool, domain and host will magically appear soon.

Your title and description in a nanosecond frame

When I say in a Nanosecond that is the time that you have to get someone to read your article once the search is complete.

example of a serch enquiry — A paid advertisement

On most pages, the first articles are paid advertising followed by all the free ones.
I chose the above as an example.
The URL in Green is what the site is about.
The Keyword is Struggling to lose weight
and the description follows.

The keyword and description are the entry to your world and as people search you must grab some attention

Other keywords that people may search for
healthy teenage diet plan
teenage diet plan for a flat stomach
diet plan for 14 year old female
teenage weight loss pills
weight loss plan for teenage guys
exercises for teenage girl to lose belly fat
diet plan for teenage girl
teenage girl wants to lose weight
how to lose weight without going outside
how to help my teenage daughter lose weight
food guide for teenage girl
20 day fat loss
weight loss in 20 days exercise
how to drastically lose weight in 20 days
how to lose weight 15 year old boy
healthy diet for teenage girl to gain weight
teenager diet
weight loss for minors
teenage weight watchers diet
how to boost metabolism teenager
teenage period stories
bmi calculator
weight loss for teenage guys
how to lose weight for 11 year olds
how can a 14 year old boy lose belly fat
sudden weight gain in teenage daughter
unexplained weight loss in teenage males
good diets for teenage guys
teenage weight watchers
why is my child losing weight
3 year old losing weight
child fever and weight loss
baby losing weight at 1 year
fast weight loss teenage girl
unintentional weight loss normal blood work

So you can see that for a simple idea there are many ways that people search. Your job is to find the best one that has sufficient traffic and not too hard because of excess competition.

Writing your blog article and some simple rules

One of the most asked questions is how long should my article or blog be?

Most of the influencers that I follow tend to agree on an average of 1500 words in a blog.

That is not to say a 350-word blog is all wrong if the subject is covered or a 5000 word won’t work. Personally I try and Average 1500 words and over my past 13 blogs was on 1423 words.

When you start to write the journey looks long and it is hard to fill so many pages. Just do shorter blogs as you build your expertise and you will find everyone is a bit longer.

My best trick is to write my heading first. We are writing short sentences and short paragraphs and 20-30 headings are easy to cover. Just fill in the words and the journey is done.
You should always err on the side of over-explaining and not tale short cuts.

Pick topics that relate to your niche

If you are a weight-loss writer don’t wander off into selling tractors or unrelated issues. You will, over time, build a following that wants information on weight loss or associated subjects.

Stay with your knitting or do another blog.

You can however really zone in on industry trends and evergreen subjects because they stay in focus for all time.

The skill of linking and why you must do it?

There are many types of links however the three most important ones are

Internal links	External links	Authority links
Too other pages in your blog	To outside resources	People who know

Internal links

As you build many posts under your site you will have covered issues that relate to the current post, perhaps more fully than you have currently so take the reader back to them for that information

External links

You may refer to other sites that have a common interest and information relating to your article. I write on a couple of different blogs and often go between the two

Authority Links

This may be to a School or University or even the old favourite Wikipedia to get a summary of a word or style

Get them to come back to your current article

I have clicked on the link tab and entered the site I want them to go to. I then clicked on the little down arrow and clicked open in a new tab.\ before hitting the left arrow to submit
What this does is bring them back from the other site when they log out

That my friends are a great trick that you will not find easy.

Affiliate links	Sales links	Advertising links
Take the reader to an affiliate site	Take the reader to say Amazon	Online advertising links

I will send you to affiliate links so if you join I may earn money, I have no hesitation in this because part of my blogging journey is to be financial. However, I don’t have advertising or selling links

Do you invite guest writers to your blog

Absolutely provided they are on the subject and have reasonable competency. I have a guy Ryan Smith a Uni graduate that posts for me to increase his skill sets.

Ryan puts all his training into a post and I have no hesitation in posting it and giving him naming rights to the article.

Are comments on your blog worthwhile?

Comments are great for your blog unless they are really negative of course. I work for comments and on this site, I have more comments than posts.
Google loves it and SEO improves plus they are included in your word count thus increasing the blog.

What about pictures in a blog

Absolutely necessary provided that;

man jumping to get attention — Here he is trying to get your attention

They relate to the article or subject
You fill out the alt description box
They are sized to fit the page
You may add a link to them as well.

Peoples attention is taken by pictures and many of us scan read articles so the picture brings them to a stop.

Write for the small screen

The google search engines rate your business on a small screen first. If you are not mobile compatible you will not have a chance with SEO.
Fortunately, most templates now are automatically Mobile friendly so It is not a huge concern.
However, a couple of rules stick out.

Don’t have pictures too close together
Nor having links close together
Pictures too big are bad
Large writing also affects it

Always test a blog on a mobile phone when you finish or use one of the
web-based checkers for a reading

Using testimonials

The use of testimonials adds to the page credibility and can be used throughout a blog.
Don’t fall for the old trap of making them up, it looks false and is deceptive.

Link to Social media

The purpose of most Social media is entertainment or to take you to another place.
Use your Facebook site or Instagram to promote your blog as often as you can to get new readers actively engaged with your Blog.

Video and blogging

people making a video — a great opportunity

Your entire blog can be made into an audio or Video script either in full or in part and used as promotion material or another way to get a message across. If you want to try this go to Noble Affiliate and do a free video saved on YouTube. It will be worth the experience.

Promote your blog posts on multiple channels

Have a link to your blog site at every opportunity, web pages, on your email signature and of course on all social media channels. Link to it from other pages/ sites and get a mention as often as possible. SEO can only do so much.

It is OK to include offers for related resources or services. This is good for you and your reader.

Conclusion

I ended up telling a lot more than how to get a free web site. This is a pretty full background on what needs to be done so make use of everything I have said because a good site must follow the rules.
Best wishes writing your award-winning article