I already know that blogging, especially under an established domain like WordPress or Blogger helps your Google rankings.

Technorati is the biggest blog search engine. Think of it as the Google of the blogging world. It ranks, tags, and catalogs blogs. I use it all the time. Today my coworker pointed out how he discovered that if you use Blogger to create a new blog it will get almost immediate listing on Technorati (and probably Google too). Not so when you create a new WordPress blog. It can be weeks or months. Blogger is owned by Google. Technorati wants google juice (like we all do).

So my next question is how to make a simple system for using WordPress (for the plugins and extra functionality) but also Blogger (for the great rankings and probably for Google too, not just on Technorati).

Blogs tend to get listed in Google more because they often are updated more frequently than regular content (it’s easier to blog than change & upload files manually). Also blogs have more links per words, which helps their rankings too. If you have a higher Google page rank (which high quality links provide) then you’ll also get indexed more often. They feed off each other.

I read an interesting post about how Google and Technorati tend to favor (by indexing) the top 10 most-read blogs.
So I’m still trying to solve a problem. My blog is listed in Technorati and in Google. However, when I went from Blogger to WordPress it messed up the title tags. So every post title shows up in Technorati as Permalink.

For these reasons I wonder if there is a solution out there that helps me post through WordPress but still be accessed by Google and Technorati.
I noticed Visual Graffiti‘s smart strategy. They have Blogger blogs for every product they rep. They are also excellent online marketers in the BtoB space. I’m impressed and have learned a lot from them. Plus I know they’re getting results (though I don’t know what kind of margins they work with).

If anyone can help I’d appreciate your insights. WordPress has mangled the spacing and I will probably tighten this post up later, but I wanted to get my thoughts down.

These internet gurus. I get on one email list and it multiplies. Now I’m on their buddy’s email list too. They’re getting too cozy and it makes my stomach turn. The subject lines are written to sound like they’re my best friend. Or, they write to me as if we have an urgent business deal to attend to.

I usually stay on their list to keep up on what people are talking about in the industry. I’m not one of those that hates or distrusts all the gurus. But I do see through some of the tactics. A lot of people just eat it up though.

Here’s an example of an annoying email I got today:
The subject line is: “About my message to you yesterday…”

Then the body starts out with: Hiya {!firstname_fix}. Just like that with the tags in tact.

We’re NOT on a first name basis. In fact I don’t recall signing up for this guy’s list at all. It’s one thing to personalize an email. Another thing to act like we’re chummy. So spammy-feeling. But it’s probably working. Except for not with me.

Sharks.

We can’t be all serious all the time on this blog. So for some comic relief, I’ll note the more unusual search terms people have used to find newspapergrl. The search term of the week goes to: “recipe for pickled cactus“.

Unfortunately I’m unable to help out. I have eaten cactus but my one attempt to make fried cactus pads, while hiking the Utah dessert, didn’t work out so well.

Can anyone point them to a good source?

MarketingSherpa reports on how Restaurant.com went from almost closing down to very good results (they’re staying open and the cash register is ringing).

Restaurant.com is a great domain name. Just by virtue of that they got traffic. But that’s not enough. People weren’t getting what they want. Restaurant.com wanted to sell gift certificates for restaurants. People who came to the site wanted information about restaurants.

My theme song for online marketing is “give them what they want”. Think Natalie Merchant. If you don’t they’ll leave and never return. Look for ways to first serve the customer and then to make money. Jumping into the sale too soon is a turnoff akin to asking someone to marry you who hardly knows you. Good luck. Business never happens unless people feel comfortable and it’s a win-win. Both sides have to benefit.

I fought this battle at Tahitian Noni. Everyone wanted us to sell a bunch of products on the front page of the web site. However, looking at our analytics I knew why people were coming — to buy Tahitian Noni Juice. So when we changed the entire focus to make it easy to do that, sales increased.

Back to Restaurant.com. They decided to focus on lead generation focus (usually a good idea). First they gave people what they came for: information about restaurants. So great, quality information and images. This is always a good idea. Then they decided to take online reservations. This was a large investment and probably a great risk when they were already short cash, but they must’ve realized it would provide a lot of value. Think: jobs on the line.
The Lead Generation System (notice it was hard to set up but once it was, it was almost autopilot from then on):

• After looking at information about restaurants, invite people to make an online reservation.
• Automatically send a voicemail to the restaurants to tell them of an online reservation.
• Automatically send an auto email to the customer that their reservation was in process.
• When the restaurant responded, they both emailed and left a voice message with the customer letting them know if the reservation was confirmed.
• If they didn’t get the reservation the customer could use the phone to try another time or day.

The numbers? 6% of people coming to the site buy a gift certificate. These are people who were not searching for gift certificates at all (too bad they don’t own www.restaurantgiftcertificates.com). The catch is they went for the sale AFTER the reservation was made. They offered a gift certificate for the restaurant they just made reservations to. 25% said yes to a $25 gift certificate that saved them $15 (an irresistible offer at that point).

I think they’re out of the woods. Nice work!

I recently read a very compelling article in the Deseret News about entrepreneur James LeVoy Sorenson. Sorenson is the second-richest man in Utah and the 177th most wealthy in the world. He’s worth around $2.2 billion.

He owns several companies from real estate to the medical field. This has provided many high quality technical jobs to the Utah economy. Sorenson is my newest entrepreneur hero. And it’s not so much how successful and how much money he’s made that is impressive (though it is). It’s his giving.

Philanthropical Activities
Sorenson seems to value education, medical innovation, and helping youth. He’s given millions to the LDS to help fund a historical temple restoration (see this video about the craftsmanships of the windows alone!) and to help the poor get educations. (After hearing Gordon B. Hinckley speak we may need to give our US young men some incentives to go to college too!) But it’s not just the LDS church (which he’s a member of). He also helped fund the restoration of the beautiful Catholic Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City (which I love!). and Chrisitan agencies that help youth.

Here’s what caught my attention and endeared him to me (as much as possible for someone I do not personally know): He has purchased homes for single mothers. I worked for a nonprofit for 2 years that helped people purchase and improve their homes. So I already know the value. Plus my personal background. So I respect him immensley for this. When you help a single parent, you lift an entire family. I know a mom that I wish I could buy a home for right now! Utah had the lowest # of single parent homes in the nation for several years. However they are 5 times more likely to be poor than two-parent families. (Utah Children)

The atmophere you surround yourself with absolutely matters. Helping families into safe, uplifting housing is so important. It helps them build a financial asset and a gives them sense of place and stability. Already struggling to provide, the neighborhoods many single parents can afford make their jobs as parents even harder. They have to fight more drug problems and crime. Plus the kids who live around you influence your kids.

“If you give money with strings attached, it’s not a gift, it’s a business transaction,” Sorenson said. I agree! It’s either a business transaction or a trade, not a gift.

The twinge of sadness from this article though is the price. Success comes at a price. It talks about how he may not have given his family and other things the attention deserved. Maybe it’s alright to make less money but give more time to the people and causes you believe in. I hope I never have that regret. I already sense its pull! I think it’s a real pull for a lot of entrepreneurs. It’s tough to balance the loves in your life.
“I don’t think the citizens know nor appreciate what Jim Sorenson has done. I don’t think Jim is the flashy philanthropist some others are. He has supported a lot of causes. I think he does have some real compassion for people who are down and out.”

When I worked at Neighborhood Housing I saw the good money could do. I determined that I wanted to be a philanthropist. I admire those with a big visions in business and life who accomplish them. I found this article very moving, hope you enjoy it too.

I started a new blog this weekend. This time I bought the domain and used Bluehost to easily set it up in WordPress. Let me give you a tip: Bluehost customer service is open late if not 24/7. In the early morning hours there is no wait and they’ll gladly help you.

I signed up for 2 affiliate programs that fit the blog demographic.

I installed some plugins. I don’t like the stats plugin. I haven’t found one that’s as good as the WordPress hosted default. So I just need to put Google analytics on (but I like one login). I can’t figure out why my calendar plugin isn’t working.

Every WordPress theme has its quirks. I prefer hosting WordPress so I can make changes to the source code. I added meta tags for search engine optimization. I made the post font bigger and generally rearranged things. I added flickr photos. I’m now motivated to take pictures from events I attend and put up filmloops or flickr feeds.

Some day I just need to spend the time to convert this site to www.newspapergrl.com. Then I could put up a couple of ads (for books that I recommend mostly) and much more.

Tip: If you’re going to start a WordPress blog and you know anything about CSS/HTML or have basic technical skills, go with the software download. Skip the WordPress hosted version. Then you can be like me and spend your time customizing it. You can put up affiliate ads that apply and tweak the template to fit your style.