Articles
Simple SEO: WordPress

Properly configured, WordPress can be an extremely effective way of designing, maintaining and managing your site. Not only that, but sites using WordPress tend to rank well organically within the top search engines, once properly configured. However, neglecting some critical configurations can cause pages and posts that make up your site to not even be indexed by the major search engines.
Because WordPress is open-source, thousands of developers are constantly releasing updates and plugins to enhance the functionality of the platform — many of which are free. And some of these plugins are essential to properly optimize sites for top organic results in the most popular search engines. My two personal favorites are Headspace2 and Google XML Sitemaps.
To prevent pages of your blog from appearing to be duplicates of other pages, it’s essential that each page and post have a unique meta title and meta description. Otherwise, only one page or post with the same meta title and meta description will make the cut. Headspace2 adds a widget inside the WordPress edit page/post screen where you can easily fill-out a unique meta title and meta description on a per-page or per-post basis.
The most recent release of Headspace2 has even more essential SEO features, such as the ability to no-index pages that you don’t want to be included in search results — a contact form or privacy policy, for example. More information about the Headspace2 plugin can be found at the WordPress.org plugin directory or at UrbanGiraffe.com.
Google XML Sitemaps will generate an XML-compliant sitemap of your site each time you add a new page and/or post. It also pings Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask.com whenever your sitemap has been updated so they can index the latest version. Although this hasn’t been proven to affect organic rankings, it can certainly speed up the time it takes for search engines to index your new information. More information about the Google XML SiteMaps plugin can be found at ArneBrachhold.de.
Of course, neither of these two plugins alone will cause your content to soar to the top of Google. There are literally hundreds of other on-page and off-page factors that go into determining how your pages rank. However, these plugins will help, and they are very easy to install.
WordPress.org or Your Own Domain?
People often wonder whether it’s better to host a WordPress site on WordPress.org or install and host WordPress on their own domain. Aside from the benefit of not having any out-of-pocket expenses to start, there’s really no other reason to use WordPress.org. If this blog is going to become a source of income, not having full control over the future of it is a big mistake.
For example, suppose the people responsible for running WordPress.org decide to terminate your account for some type of inadvertent violation? Or if the taxonomy of your URLs changes because of a major restructuring that the developers decide to take? Countless hours of your time would be wasted as all of the other external SEO factors such as article backlinks, press releases, social bookmarking, and comment links would no longer point to valid URLs.
Hosting WordPress on your own domain gives you much more control and isn’t that expensive. You can easily register a domain with any one of several registrars for under $10 (search online for coupon codes) and many of these registrars will offer low hosting fees as well. Some will even offer free add-ons and most will have a control panel that includes an easy way to install WordPress.

Guest Post
8 Content Ideas To Boost Your Real Estate Blog

When you have a real estate blog, sometimes it can be difficult to come up with enough topics
to write about on a regular basis. If you want to be successful with your blog, you have to make a commitment to creating new content regularly. Otherwise, the search engines will look past you in the rankings. Here are eight content ideas that you can use to boost your real estate blog.
1. Local Events
One of the best things that you can create content about on your real estate blog is local events. If you are just writing about houses and properties, you’re missing out on a golden opportunity. If you want to sell people in the area, you need to promote the local culture and all of the events that take place there.
2. Write About a Sold Property
Instead of only listing properties that are for sale on your website, you may also want to write
some blog entries about sales experiences. This makes it look like you know what you’re doing, and it also helps people understand the process better. If you have a first-time home buyer story, this makes it that much more attractive.
3. How To
Writing a “How To” post is another good way to get some great content for your website. Whether you are writing about how to refinance your existing home, how to determine home value, or how to do a home improvement project, it can help with some great content.
4. Lists
List posts are a great tool to use when creating content. For example, write an article about
the “Top 5 Ways to…” or “Top 7 Mistakes New Homeowners Make.” These posts are easy to read, and they really can get some attention from your readers.
5. Explain Terminology
You should also be able to come up with some good blog posts explaining real estate terminology. There is a lot of industry jargon that regular people may not necessarily understand. If you can write some blog posts defining some of these words, you should be able to get some traffic.
6. Industry News
While you want to focus on your local market as much as possible, it is also a good idea to
occasionally write about some industry news. For instance, if you want to write about how the real estate market improved nationally last month, this might be some good subject matter.
7. Write About What You Want to Attract
When writing content, you should write about the type of business that you want to secure. Don’t write about selling multimillion-dollar beach houses if your main customer is buying a townhouse in the city. You’ll bring in more of what you focus on.
8. Include Some Video
Instead of always just writing more posts, you may also want to include some video content on
your blog. For example, you could do a video walk-through of some of your properties and put the video up on your site. You could do a video of yourself talking about something relevant to the real estate industry or to home improvement.
Regardless of what you try, just make sure to keep your content fresh. This will go a long way
toward helping your blog rank higher in the search engines and help you get some customers.
About The Author
Ben Sawyer is an internet marketing consultant and a part-time blogger. He is also a consultant and content contributor for www.arvernebythesea.com official blog. In this article, he revealed tips he is using for his internet marketing campaign.
www.arvernebythesea.com official blog. In this article he revealed tips he is using for his internet marketing campaign.
Guest Post
A Tweeter Guide to Branding Marketing Stars-Luminaries You Should Follow

When it comes to your business, marketing is extremely important. With the popularity of social media, gaining marketing tips can be much easier than years before. There are plenty of branding and marketing gurus using social media sites like Twitter to share their expertise with others who are interested in similar topics. If you want to gain more valuable information about branding and marketing your business, then you want to make sure to follow these eight people on Twitter.
1. Chris Brogan
Chris Brogan is a very smart marketing and online communication guru, and if you’re interested in either topic, then you’ll certainly want to follow him on Twitter. He regularly uses the social network to share his opinion on certain technologies and platforms and will even provide his followers with marketing advice and insight on a regular basis.
2. Dan Schawbel
Dan Schawbel is very insightful when it comes to branding yourself or your company, and he’s a great person to follow on Twitter. Along with following him for his branding tips, you will also gain links to his blog that will further educate you on the topic of personal branding.
3. Keith Ferrazzi
Keith Ferrazzi is a very popular marketing expert who has shared his expertise at a number of marketing and branding events. Along with discussing how to market and brand yourself on platforms like social media, he will also teach you a thing or two on how to market your business by building relationships.
4. Maria Duron
When it comes to branding your business, Maria Duron is the person you want to follow. Along with tips on how to successfully brand yourself or your business, she’ll also provide you with tips on how to improve your brand’s image if you were to ever come into a PR nightmare. Her tweets are definitely tips you can’t afford to miss.
5. Karen Kang
Personal and corporate branding in the area of expertise for Karen Kang, and she uses Twitter to share her knowledge on both topics as well as provide her followers with branding ideas and news.
6. Liz Dennery Sanders
If you’re a woman business owner, then you’ll certainly want to follow Liz Dennery Sanders and take in the advice she has to offer. Her focus is on branding for women-owned companies, and she will certainly inspire you to bolster your company’s branding through the use of one of her many great tips.
7. Kim Brater
Kim Brater focuses on branding, telling her followers what works and what doesn’t. Not only will she share valuable tips to help you better brand your company, but she’ll also give you insight into which branding and marketing mistakes to avoid in order to keep your business up and running successfully with a healthy brand image.
8. Jennifer McClure
Branding isn’t just important for marketing—it’s also important when you are personally looking for a job. Jennifer McClure will help you learn how to brand yourself so that you are seen as a must hire to employers. She also offers advice to employers to teach them how to brand their company so that people want to work there, and also so that they know what to look for when it comes to hiring new employees.
Selma Jones is a writer, social media aficionado, and marketer for Cloverleaf Innovation. She currently lives in Chicago where she has practiced her profession for over eleven years.
Guest Post
Lost? Since You Can’t Trust Apple Maps, Check Out These 3 Apps Instead

Maybe you have the new software on your Apple device that has made headlines as not being reliable, or perhaps you’re just tired of the rivalry between Apple and Android. Either way, if you have a smartphone or tablet, you may want to invest in some apps that can get you from Point A to Point B without any hiccups. If map apps are what you want, these three are good places to start.
1. MapQuest
Well, before Google Maps was popular, you probably looked directions up on your computer through a bit of website known as MapQuest. Well, MapQuest now has an app, and if you have a dedication to the web version, you’ll undoubtedly want to download the app.
MapQuest is not only free to use, but it will also provide you with voice-guided directions, which can help you from having to look at your screen while driving. You’ll also receive turn-by-turn directions, so there’s no need to try and guess where the map is trying to take you or how to get from one street to another. You can also use the app to check current traffic or look for restaurants or other establishments in your area.
2. Waze
With over 30 million users, you can rest assured that Waze will help you get to your location. Not only does the Waze app serve as a GPS, but it will also provide you with real-time traffic information and give you route options to take. In addition, the directions are voice-guided, so you’ll never have to look at your phone for directions. And if you end up in a traffic jam, Waze will help you find the best way to get out of the jam and get to your location.
Waze uses the information from its users to determine roadblocks, traffic jams, and times, so if you’re using Waze, you’ll be helping others in the area learn the best routes. And to make Waze even better, you can also use the app to find the cheapest gas in your area.
3. Motionx GPS Drive
If the first two don’t sound appealing to you, you still have Motionx GPS Drive. This app will provide you with real-time and predicted times for your trip. You can view the app in both landscape or portrait mode, and you can also see the designated speed limit for the road you’re traveling on the right on your screen.
This app also has voice-guided directions, and you can choose the voice you want to hear. They will also give you detailed maps to ensure that you stay on track when coming to complex intersections. You also have the option to integrate the app with both Facebook and Twitter, and if you’re not traveling by car, Motionx GPS Drive will also give you walking directions.
Nobody likes getting lost, and sometimes you want something different than Google Maps or a non-functioning Apple Maps. If you’re headed out, make sure to have these apps on hand to keep you on track.
Jacob Smith works for Nissan auto in the sales department. He is an avid blogger and enjoys writing about his favorite car models and the dangers of drunk driving.
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