2. Hello, I’m Mike
• I’m a digital marketing manager
• I’m a crafter
• I’m a blogger
3. A quick recap
Last time, we discussed:
• What are blogs? Why are they important?
• How do you set up a blog?
• What are the basic dos and don’ts of blogging?
4. Tonight, I’ll discuss:
• How to grow a blog
• What the heck is SEO?!
• How to monetise a blog
• Final thoughts
6. How to grow a blog
• Social media
• Aggregate sites
• Collaborating
• Email newsletters
• Advertising
7. Social Media
Social media is everything.
• Everything you blog should be promoted on social media
• Find your favourite/most effective social media channel(s)
8. The golden rules of social media:
• Post regularly
• Share relevant content
• Be social!
Social Media
9. Aggregate sites
Aggregate website, noun:
1. A website that collects together similar content about a
specific topic, most often through user submissions.
Synonyms: aggregator, content aggregator.
16. Digital advertising
versus
• Relatively cheap
• Highly targeted
• Easy to set up
• Brand awareness
• Mass reach
• Right message, right time
• Rewards relevance
• Immediate action
17. How to grow a blog
• Social media
• Aggregate sites
• Collaborating
• Email newsletters
• Advertising
Any
questions?
19. What the heck is SEO?
“The process of affecting a webpage’s
visibility in unpaid search engine results”
20.
21. SEO: an overview
• Search engines works through algorithms
• Google has several algorithms
• Over 200 signals will feed into the algorithms
• Google “crawlers” will assess your website
22. On-page Off-page
Technical
Is your website functional?
speed, navigation, mobile
Are other websites linking to you?
high-quality sites, earned links
Creative
Is your content amazing?
unique, user-focused, quality
Are you promoting your content?
social media, outreach
see more at www.JohnAlexanderRowley.com
SEO: an overview
23. SEO: summary
• SEO is constantly evolving
• Google is getting more and more clever
• SEO is a “creative science”
Focus on the user!
28. Brand collaborations
A word of warning:
Google does not like paid content
• Google sees paid content (including freebies) as inauthentic
• Google is trying to shape the blogging industry
• You must be willing for sponsored posts not to rank in Google
You must mark all paid content as “sponsored”
29. Brand collaborations
• Potential to earn big
• Mass promotion
• Push yourself creatively
• Boost credentials
• Google penalises paid content
• Risk of too many paid posts
• Restrictive rules/timescales may
be imposed
Pros Cons
30. Adverts
• Anyone can sign up
• Free + easy set up
• Targeted adverts
• £60 payout threshold
• Low payment rate
• Unprofessional?
Pros Cons
31. Affiliate programs
£ %
Reader clicks a
link and is taken to
another website
They make a
purchase on this
other website
You earn a
commission
of this sale
32. Affiliate programs
• Everyone wins
• Can add depth to a blog post
• Monetise existing links
• Requires regular attention
• Can feel inauthentic
• Low commission rates
Pros Cons
35. How to beat burnout
• Find inspiration in everything you do
• Collaborate, use guest post possibilities
• Stay motivated with a detailed schedule
• Take a break if you need to!
36. Key take-outs
• Focus on creating awesome content
• Then (and only then) worry about growing your readership
• Blogging is a slow burn!
