Google Penalizes Sites that aren’t Mobile Friendly & Other Digital Spring Cleaning

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Time for some digital spring cleaning.

I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but here in South Carolina spring is definitely here. And with it comes the inevitable urge I have to throw open the windows and get my house back in order.

But this time of year isn’t just a good excuse to shine up my house, it’s also a good time to do some digital spring cleaning. There are some changes on the horizon that we all need to be ready for, and it’s important to freshen up our social media pages on a regular basis.

So let’s get to work!

Item One: Upcoming Google Changes

Take note of upcoming Google changes.

This one’s important, so listen up. As of April 21, 2015, Google will begin penalizing websites and blogs that are not mobile friendly. And it’s not going to be a small penalty either. When someone searches for something—even on a regular computer—if the site isn’t mobile friendly it will show up much lower in the rankings. Here’s a link to Google’s announcement.

If you’re not sure if your site is mobile friendly, you can use the Mobile-Friendly Test that Google has set up.

For those of us with Blogger sites, we’re in good shape. Blogger is owned by Google and was modified to be user friendly several years ago. But for those with other sites, and with self-hosted sites, I recommend you check and see if your site passes the test.

Item Two: Check Your Links

Another thing that can drastically affect your search engine ranking is the presence of broken or dead links on your blog. The negative affects are more pronounced if the links are on one of your main pages. They’re slightly less of an issue if they’re buried within an old blog post.

I recommend taking a few minutes and clicking on every live link on the main page of your site. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it’s important that these links work. First because of the search engine issue, but also because a dead link irritates and frustrates your audience.

Update any social media changes

Item Three: Update any Social Media Changes

If you’ve added a new network to your list of go-to social media sites, be sure there’s a link to follow/friend you on it.

Item Four: Tidy Up Your Blog’s Sidebar

It’s easy for things to get out of order in your blog’s sidebar. But these gadgets/widgets are vitally important when you’re growing an online presence. Make certain they’re in the order of importance you assign them.

It’s also important to toss any gadgets/widgets that are no longer relevant. Spring cleaning isn’t just about organizing, it’s also about getting rid of the junk that’s accumulated.

Item Five: Give Your Site a Facelift

Spring is a good time to update the overall look of your site. This could be a minor font color change, or a major overhaul. If you’re thinking about making a few changes, I’d say the time is right.

All of these may seem like minor tweaks. But each one can have a major impact if it’s in disarray. Now it’s your turn. What digital spring cleaning tips do you have to share? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie 

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands each month. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains ChristianWriters Conference and the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy. She’s also the Military Family Blogger at Guideposts. Com, Social Media Director for SouthernWriters Magazine and the Senior Editor for NovelRocket.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Don't miss her new book from Worthy Inspired, WHILE MY SOLDIER SERVES.

8 Tips to Rekindle the Romance of Writing

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Between deadlines, edits and rejections it’s easy to fall out of love with our writing. It can get so bad that we begin to dread sitting down at the keyboard.

When that happens to me my mind begins to reprioritize my life. I can suddenly find a million things more important than putting my rear end in the chair and pounding out words. 

When I begin arguing with myself, stating that clean baseboards are more important than word count goals, I know I’m in trouble.

Today, in honor of the upcoming holiday of love, I want to share some tips that help me fall back in love with writing.

8 Tips to Rekindle the Romance of Writing

1. Realize that love is a choice—not an emotion. I know that sounds more like marriage counseling than advice for writers, but truth is truth. I’ve made a commitment to what it means to be a writer, and the means not quitting when times get bad.

2. Stop the negative talk. The more you bad-mouth writing—even if it’s just in your mind—the more you’ll begin to believe what you’re hearing. This is an important step in returning to that bloom of first love. Don’t taper off the negativity, just stop . . .  immediately!

3. Make a list of all the things that made you fall in love in the first place. There was a reason you answered the siren call of words. It’s up to you to remember it and then—write it down.

4. Set the mood. Just like a marriage is better with an occasional candle-lit dinner, writers also need a little romancing. Choose someplace you love and write there. It could be a coffee shop, or a cozy chair by the fireplace at home. Then add a little mood music. Even if you don’t usually write to music, sometimes the change can be just the spark to rekindle the love.

5. Make Writing a priority again. When we take something for granted, we tend to push it further down on our priority list. It's time to remember why you started writing and re-establish it as a major priority.

6. Dress it up—your writing space that is. This may mean sprucing up your office, investing in a new writing program (Scrivener anyone?) or it might just be a new bit of wall art. It doesn’t have to be expensive, just make sure it’s writing related.

7. Add a little mystery. Start your writing time with a writing prompt. If you’ve never used one before, you’re in for a treat. It’s something that gets your creativity flowing. You can type writing prompts into a search engine on the Internet and get thousands of them.

8. Rekindle the romance. Revisit the things you love to write. If you’re working on book revisions, take time to write a poem, or short story, or devotion. Or maybe just spend some time with old-fashioned pen and paper, journaling.

These are the things I do when I need to fall back in love with the written word. What tips do you have. Be sure to share them in the comments section below.

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands each month. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains ChristianWriters Conference and the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy. She’s also the Military Family Blogger at Guideposts. Com, Social Media Director for SouthernWriters Magazine and the Senior Editor for NovelRocket.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Don't miss her new book from Worthy Inspired, WHILE MY SOLDIER SERVES.

12 Key Differences Between Successful and Unsuccessful Writers

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

As writers, we’re warned early on to avoid the trap of comparison. Each of us has a different path to success—and a different path to publication. These varying ways of living life as a writer aren’t good and bad or even better and best—they’re just different.

Today I want to encourage you to do just the opposite.

While we shouldn’t judge our value as writers by looking at one another. There are some comparisons that can make a difference between fulfilling our dreams or losing heart and quitting when success is just around the corner. These are some key differences between successful and unsuccessful writers.

1. Goals vs. Wishes

A successful writer sets goals.

An unsuccessful writer makes wishes.

2. Striving vs. Complacency

A successful writer finds others who are further along on the writing journey and strives to catch up.

An unsuccessful writer finds others who are further behind on the writing journey and relishes being ahead.

3. Taking Responsibility vs. Whining

A successful writer takes responsibility for making the dream happen.

An unsuccessful writer whines about all the reasons the dream will never happen.

4. Acting vs. Talking

A successful writer invests time, energy and money in learning how to write better.

An unsuccessful writer talks about writing better.

5. Belief vs. Unbelief

A successful writer believes in her dream.

An unsuccessful writer believes it will never happen to her.

6. Positive Companions vs. Negative Companions

A successful writer surrounds himself with others who are willing to pay the price for success.

An unsuccessful writer hangs out with others who make excuses for not attaining their dreams.

7. Talks About Ideas vs. Talks About People

A successful writer talks about ideas.

An unsuccessful writer talks about other writers.

8. Takes Responsibility vs. Places Blame

A successful writer takes responsibilities for failures.

An unsuccessful writer looks for others to blame for failure.

9. Rejoices in the Success of Others vs. Rejoices in the Failure of Others

A successful writer takes joy in the success of others.

An unsuccessful writer takes joy in the failure of others.

10. Embraces Change vs. Avoids Change

A successful writer looks for ways to embrace change.

An unsuccessful writer looks for ways to avoid change. 

11. Afraid of Mistakes vs. Afraid of Trying

A successful writer isn’t afraid to try something difficult and make mistakes.

An unsuccessful writer believes that not making a mistake is better than ever trying at all.

And ultimately... 

12. Keeps Trying vs. Gives Up

A successful writer never gives up.

An unsuccessful writer quits.

This is my list. What would you add? 

Don't forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands each month. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains ChristianWriters Conference and the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy. She’s also the Military Family Blogger at Guideposts. Com, Social Media Director for SouthernWriters Magazine and the Senior Editor for NovelRocket.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Don't miss her new book from Worthy Inspired, WHILE MY SOLDIER SERVES.

Why Blog—Define Your Audience

Today we’re continuing our Why Blog series. If you’ve missed the first post or the second one, take a moment and visit. Today we’re going to talk about defining your audience. This is vitally important to your blog’s viability.

A poorly targeted audience is a frequent reason for a blog’s lack of success.

The target of your blog may seem like an obvious thing, but I’m continually amazed at the number of writers who get off track here.

Common Misconception
I’m a writer, so my blog should target other writers.

Truth
Unless you’re teaching writers about craft your audience isn’t other writers.

The Fix
This goes back to the purpose of your blog. Many novelists use a blog to connect with their readers. If that is the purpose of yours then your audience is your reader—not other novelists.

So what does this look like in application?

For a suspense writer it would look like Brandilyn Collins site. She does a great job of connecting to her readers. She also has a site that targets other writers because she is a popular conference instructor and teaches others the craft.

Suppose you’re a freelance writer, then your site should showcase your work and connect you with the people you write for. My site, for instance, targets businesses who need someone to write web content. This provides me with the opportunity to teach writers the craft of writing for the Internet and proves my expertise to potential customers.

Now it’s your turn. What have you found that works to connect you with your audience? Have you seen some things (maybe tried some things) that haven’t worked? Let’s learn from each other.

Don't forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands each month. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains ChristianWriters Conference and the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy. She’s also the Military Family Blogger at Guideposts. Com, Social Media Director for SouthernWriters Magazine and the Senior Editor for NovelRocket.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Don't miss her new book from Worthy Inspired, WHILE MY SOLDIER SERVES.

Why Blog—Defining the Purpose of Your Blog

I promised we’d dig into the murky subject of blogging and today we’ll start with the rock bottom foundation of any good blog.

The Purpose
For years there has been an unwritten—oft repeated—rule of speaking.

• Tell the audience what you’re going to say
• Say it
• Tell the audience what you just said

Even though this formula is a cliché of epic proportions there is a foundational truth of communication found within it. It’s vital that your audience to know what to expect before they’ll invest time in reading what you have to share. People are busy and they have to make choices about where they’ll spend their time. It’s your first job to give them the information they need to make that choice.

So how do you find a purpose for your blog?
Ask yourself what you want to accomplish from it.

• If you want to share your passion start with that.
• Do you want to make a difference in the world? Ask yourself what you think would make the world a better place.
• Is your purpose just to build a platform? Then do some research and decide who will be interested in your platform and go after those viewers.

Focus is paramount importance when it comes to blogging.

• An unfocused blog is an unvisited blog

Refine It
Once you have your primary purpose it’s time to refine it.
Think out of the box and find a niche or a unique perspective that hasn’t been explored to death yet.

I’ll use my blog as an example. I knew I wanted to provide a blog to teach and empower writers. Most writing sites also incorporate book reviews. How could I tweak that to be original and fresh? I review books and tools for writers.

Most of all, keep refining, even after your blog is live. That’s one of the advantages of blogging—you can respond to changes in what your readers want and how the market is changing.

Now it’s your turn, how have you made your blog unique? Do you have any questions on how to further refine an idea? Don’t be afraid to give away an idea—that’s the great thing about writers—we all already have more ideas than we know what do to with. Let us help you take your concept to the next level!

Don't forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands each month. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains ChristianWriters Conference and the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy. She’s also the Military Family Blogger at Guideposts. Com, Social Media Director for SouthernWriters Magazine and the Senior Editor for NovelRocket.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Don't miss her new book from Worthy Inspired, WHILE MY SOLDIER SERVES.