Blogging with Lesli Peterson

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One of the most important steps in creating new – and updating existing – content is to really do your keyword research. 

Most of the time we professional bloggers put aside low volume keywords because they just aren't worth writing for... but sometimes we go for it, expecting more that the reports indicate.

This doesn't have to be a "gut decision" ... there is a sweet little secret in AHREFS that shows you how powerful a given term can be in the context of the full article.

It's called Traffic Potential.

Here are some general - and extreme - cases from my own blog as to why this tool is oh so powerful!

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The tool I use to do ALL my planning is Monday  https://try.monday.com/x775pf40k4i6

Semrush is the must-have tool for every blogger and it's what I mention  in this video: https://www.semrush.com/lp/sem/en/?ref=2017039287&utm_campaign=aio_campaign&utm_source=berush&utm_medium=promo&utm_term=23 

RankIQ for semantic terms: https://www.rankiq.com/?fpr=leslipeterson

Keyword Everywhere is free unless you also want to see search volume, but even that is super affordable: https://kwe.ai/KFqNBQ

Where to find AHREFS: https://ahrefs.com/

 *Some links are affiliates

Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here.


===== FOLLOW ME =====

FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leslipeterson

Podcast: https://podcast.leslipeterson.com/

** Sometimes I link to additional resources, and they may or may not include affiliate links. I'll never link you to anything I don't use myself!

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Building links within your content is an important step in growing your Google rankings. 

Hey, it's not called the World Wide "Web" for nothing... that web is built by connecting one article to another article. All the better if those articles are yours.

Just like other link-building tasks in SEO, there are guidelines you can follow to make the most of building your internal links. 

Here are the five you need to commit to memory... and apply to your blog in 2023.

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The tool I use to do ALL my planning is Monday  https://try.monday.com/x775pf40k4i6

Semrush is the must-have tool for every blogger and it's what I mention  in this video: https://www.semrush.com/lp/sem/en/?ref=2017039287&utm_campaign=aio_campaign&utm_source=berush&utm_medium=promo&utm_term=23 

RankIQ for semantic terms: https://www.rankiq.com/?fpr=leslipeterson

Keyword Everywhere is free unless you also want to see search volume, but even that is super affordable: https://kwe.ai/KFqNBQ

 *Some links are affiliates

Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here.


===== FOLLOW ME =====

FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leslipeterson

Podcast: https://podcast.leslipeterson.com/

** Sometimes I link to additional resources, and they may or may not include affiliate links. I'll never link you to anything I don't use myself!

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If you're a blogger, you know the power of backlinks. You probably have even joined a backlinking group (or three!)

There are a lot of misconceptions about how backlinks work, who you should and should not get them from, and some best practices. 

The stats mentioned in this video are from AHREFS, Backlinko and Search Engine Journal.

Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here.


===== FOLLOW ME =====

FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leslipeterson

Podcast: https://podcast.leslipeterson.com/

** Sometimes I link to additional resources, and they may or may not include affiliate links. I'll never link you to anything I don't use myself!

Send us a text

Regardless of whether you are just starting your blogging journey or you've been doing it for over a decade, these are the mistakes you'll want to avoid.

Search engine optimization, email marketing... these are the topics we hear all the time, but I take you a little deeper within these topics and tell you the specific area I see people failing.

These common blogging mistakes to avoid in 2023 will give you the jolt you need to plan a better quarter and see changes to your progress in the coming year.

The common thread? Planning...consistent planning and executing on that plan. 

We talk about planning, post updates, keyword research, editorial calendars and so much more in The Business of Blogging Facebook group. I hope you'll join us there.



Tools I Use:
The tool I use to do ALL my planning is Monday  https://try.monday.com/x775pf40k4i6

Semrush is the must-have tool for every blogger: https://www.semrush.com/lp/sem/en/?ref=2017039287&utm_campaign=aio_campaign&utm_source=berush&utm_medium=promo&utm_term=23 

RankIQ for semantic terms: https://www.rankiq.com/?fpr=leslipeterson

Virtual Powerhouse for your Pinterest Management https://www.virtualpowerhouse.com/

Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here.


===== FOLLOW ME =====

FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leslipeterson

Podcast: https://podcast.leslipeterson.com/

** Sometimes I link to additional resources, and they may or may not include affiliate links. I'll never link you to anything I don't use myself!

Send us a text

How much time does it take to grow your blog? You can do it in 87 hours a month! That's less than 4.5 hours per day!!

The breakdown:
1:16:17 Creating new content
1:56:16 Updating your content
3:14:16 Email marketing
3:55:22 MSN
4:18:21 Pinterest promotion
5:38:08 Answering emails
6:07:22 Sales efforts
7:11:21 Site work
7:42:09 What's NOT included in this schedule
9:46:14 Totals



Mentioned in this video:

The tool I use to do ALL my planning is Monday  https://try.monday.com/x775pf40k4i6

Virtual Powerhouse for your Pinterest Management https://www.virtualpowerhouse.com/

Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here.


===== FOLLOW ME =====

FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leslipeterson

Podcast: https://podcast.leslipeterson.com/

** Sometimes I link to additional resources, and they may or may not include affiliate links. I'll never link you to anything I don't use myself!

Send us a text

My Stay22 Secrets

In the travel space there has been a lot of talk about the Stay22 affiliate accommodations partnership. I’ve been with them since they started working with bloggers at the beginning of 2021 and my relationship with them has evolved. 

I enjoy working with them because I’ve found a WAY of doing it that maximizes my affiliate revenue and I want to share that with you today.

Here are my five secrets

1. Continue using Booking.com deep links directly for the highest payouts … We also use Hotels.com and VRBO links via CJ.

We do this in order to track performance and heat mapping in Affilimate. I’ve only been using this tool for a short time, but it’s already made a huge difference in our bottom line. 

https://affilimate.com/?aid=cRWSMvro8e

2. Add a sidebar map to your city posts. Pass the post’s city to the sidebar map via a custom field. 

3. Add a hotel map within your content also, to include points of interest and “partner” hotels.

Points of interest and highlighted hotels are not features available on the sidebar map, but they are available on maps located within your content.

4. Stay 22’s LMA script is the newest addition to the Stay22 program. It converts your existing links to Stay22 – great if you want to try out the program without investing the time to modify every link on your site. 

The conversion happens dynamically…so if you decide you don’t want to work with Stay22 any longer, simply turn off the script and your links continue working as they did previously.

If you don’t want it to convert every link on your site, then you can “opt out” of conversions with certain platforms. We opt out for all Booking, Hotels and VRBO links…we want to stay “direct” with those products.

Secondly, the script loads a pop-up window on a new tab every 40th load. This window opens a booking.com window for the location the reader is viewing…this sets your cookie for all Expedia properties – even if they never click on one of your deep links.

This new feature has raised our average booking numbers from 20-43 per payout period to NINTEY-TWO bookings! That’s more than double… and it’s not even our peak booking time…. And it’s on top of the usual direct booking conversions we are still making every day.

5. Finally, their new ListView tech launches in Nov 2022 and it will be epic, allowing you to quickly and easily create hotel list posts with a large map, much like the restaurant list Eater uses frequently.

I’m looking forward to diving into this feature when it launches …and testing the SEO-ability of a post with this feature. I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

If I’ve convinced you to try Stay22 go to stay22.com and sign up. Please tell them I sent you. They do not have an affiliate program but when you tell them I sent you it keeps me in good graces with them and pushes my case for an affiliate, which will also benefit YOU in the future when you fall in love with them too.

Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here.


===== FOLLOW ME =====

FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leslipeterson

Podcast: https://podcast.leslipeterson.com/

** Sometimes I link to additional resources, and they may or may not include affiliate links. I'll never link you to anything I don't use myself!

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EMAIL MARKETING TIPS FOR PLANNING AND WRITING YOUR NEWSLETTER CONTENT

Staring at a blank page can be intimidating even if you're a full time blogger. Most creators tend to just send the last article they wrote, and they call it a day.

In this post we talk about more *thoughtful* ways of selecting content for your newsletter...AND we discuss how to make that content successful!

If you're a full time blogger and want to increase your revenue quickly, we recommend starting with a refresh of your existing content...

Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here.


===== FOLLOW ME =====

FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leslipeterson

Podcast: https://podcast.leslipeterson.com/

** Sometimes I link to additional resources, and they may or may not include affiliate links. I'll never link you to anything I don't use myself!

Send us a text

Have you heard about the Microsoft Start blogging program? Is it for you? If you’ve been invited, should you join?

The Microsoft Start blogger program is relatively new, and there are a world of debate on the interwebs about whether this program is a good one for full-time bloggers, if it really helps your SEO, if reposting to the feed is the right use of your time, and more.

After being in the program a few months, I must admit that it is almost too good to be true! I’ll share what the program feed looks like, whether or not it’s good for SEO and your bottom line, how to move your posts over for syndication, and how to -ethically- stay on top of the feed.

Haven’t joined? We talk to you about the application process, also!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN

:40  What will your MSN article look like?
1:20 How else will people see your article on MSN?
1:56 Getting dofollow backlinks from a nofollow canonical
4:34 Affiliate links on MSN
5:40 Why the Microsoft Start Program is valuable
9:10 How to move content from your site to MSN (plug in method)
12:10 Understanding the canonical link
14:35 Understanding the implications of the MSN feed
15:50 How do you stay on top of the MSN feed (and should you worry about it)
19:54 Managing a daily send to the MSN feed (using Monday.com)
24:30 Rejected posts
25:49 The application process for the program


===== IMPORTANT LINKS=======

https://www.msn.com/en-us/creator/login (Please tell them Lesli Peterson sent you*)

Check out Monday.com for your project management needs

Grab ALL the freebies I mention on the podcast PLUS so much more. All FREE! Grab it all here.


===== FOLLOW ME =====

FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leslipeterson

Podcast: https://podcast.leslipeterson.com/

** Sometimes I link to additional resources, and they may or may not include affiliate links. I'll never link you to anything I don't use myself!