Are you clueless on how to blog for SEO? This beginner’s guide will take you through simple steps on how to get your blog posts in tip top shape for when the search bots come crawling.

Why Blog for SEO?

There’s two very good reasons you should do this, which lead me to put together this beginner’s guide on how to blog for SEO.

1. Since you’re already taking the time to write the blog, so you might as well know how to blog for SEO.

2. It will help drive extra traffic to your blog in the long term – which is why you’re blogging right?

How to Blog for SEO

First you should plan out your blog post. It might seem like extra work, but believe me it will make the whole process a lot easier. You can download the plan I used to prepare this blog for SEO here.

Topic – First you’ll need to decide on the topic you’ll be blogging about. Ideally it should be a trending topic or something you know is popular with your target audience. There’s no point writing about something no one’s interested in.

Keywords – Probably the most important consideration when tailoring your blog for seo is the keywords you’ll use. Once you’ve decided on your topic, the best way to select keywords is to head on over to the google keyword tool, which will show you a bunch of suggestions for the topic you enter. Ideally try to choose 2 or 3 phrases which have high search traffic and low competition. If you downloaded the plan I used for this post, you’ll see that the phrases I’ve selected are ‘blog for seo’, ‘how to blog’ and ‘beginner’s guide’, which all have low competition and searches in the thousands.

Outline – Next you should come up with the outline for your article which should look something like the below. By creating a good outline all you’ll need to do when it comes to writing the article is fill in the blank. It will also help with keyword placement.

Main Idea

• supporting detail

• supporting detail

• supporting detail

Main Idea 2

• supporting detail

• supporting detail

• supporting detail

Main Idea 3

• supporting detail

• supporting detail

• supporting detail

Tailoring the Blog for SEO

Okay now you’ve got the plan and outline sorted, it’s time to think about how to blog.

Title – First up you need the title, this is probably the most important thing from the SERP point of view. Try to have your primary keyword as close as you can to the beginning; mine is ‘blog for seo’. If you can work a secondary keyword into the title, then have at it. I’ve managed to squeeze in two secondary keywords ‘how to blog’ and ‘beginners guide’. Don’t make your title all about keywords though, remember it still needs to be intriguing and memorable to your target audience.

Subtitles – it wouldn’t be a beginners guide if I didn’t mention subtitles. There are so many bloggers out there who show their clear lack of understanding on how to blog by churning out massive chunks of text and paragraphs with no subtitles. Subtitles make your blog posts heaps easier for the reader to absorb and it also helps prepare your blog for seo by helping the bots understand what your article is about.

Introduction – Your intro should be a stripped down, bare bones account of what the reader can expect from the rest of the article. Try to have your primary keyword as close to the beginning of the first sentence as possible, and ideally keep it to 70 words or less.

Body – Here’s some simple tips to follow when writing the article body:

• Keep your paragraphs focussed, and concentrate on one topic at a time. Make sure each paragraph is under 100 words.

• Use your primary keyword once every 100 words or so

• Stick to your outline! Have you ever read a blog post that made you feel like you were being pulled in 8 different directions? Fair chance they didn’t use an outline. Articles that use an outline are always more organised and compelling than those that don’t.

Conclusion 

If you’re taking the time to learn how to blog for seo, then there’s a high chance you also want your post to convert, i.e. lead the reader to some form of action. For a blog post to convert successfully, the body should compel the reader toward a powerful conclusion which will drive home what the post has offered and convince them they must take action now.

Although this is just a beginners guide on how to blog for seo – following these steps diligently and persistently will no doubt have a big impact on your blog traffic. And unless your blog is a personal diary, traffic is the point of it right?

What other SEO tips have worked for your blogs?  Please comment below!

Guest Author:  Daniel Smith, the founder of Propaganda House, has over a decade of marketing experience, and as a Social Media Consultant, runs courses and individually consults business’ on how they can grow through the effective use of Social Media Marketing techniques. You can tweet Daniel @propagandahouse or email him here.

What started as a mere trend several years ago has now evolved into its own culture. Social commerce is gaining popularity by leaps and bounds in the virtual world and shows no signs of slowing down. Selling products online was once reserved for major retailers with massive inventories and the selling power to reach the masses. Now, thanks to sites like eBay, web stores, and applications for social media platforms such as Facebook, anyone can market and sell their products online.

Having a successful social commerce campaign hinges on a number of factors. It’s not something you should venture into blindly without having done at least some minimal research. Although once you get your ecommerce campaign up and running, it can run on autopilot to some extent. However, there are certain areas in which you always have to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to selling your products online.

Let’s take a look at the four most important ingredients in a successful social commerce campaign:

A Multifaceted Approach

Simply using one or two of the array of free social media tools available today won’t get you very far in your social commerce campaign. The key to making these tools work for your brand is not just using them, but using them in tandem with other avenues of marketing to gain maximum exposure. Add Facebook and Twitter widgets to your business website and blog. Add links to your website and blog to your Facebook Fan Page and Storefront and your Twitter account. Tweet about sales, promotions, new products and services. Blog about these events as well and announce the blog updates on your Fan Page. Let everything you do online reciprocate what you’ve already done, allowing the campaign to come full circle.

Get Personal

Customers want to feel like their opinions matter and achieving that strengthens the bond between the buyer and the seller. Try to involve your customers in your business as much as you can. Constantly ask for feedback about their experiences and take their suggestions. Ask them to vote on which products should be introduced next and which services they would like you to offer in the future. Asking for their opinion lets your customers know that you are listening to them, which works to establish brand loyalty. On the flipside of that, don’t forget to interact with your fans on a personal level. Respond to their comments and posts. Let them know you’re reading and listening.

Reward That Loyalty

Reward your loyal social media followers with exclusive discounts and specials that are not available to other customers. Not only does this show your appreciation for your loyal followers, it also provides the incentive for them to recommend your brand to others.

Don’t Oversell

Instead of always posting about products you have for sale, ask questions or create polls to get your customers involved. Share relevant industry news or even some candid insights into your personal life. If your company is involved in other events or causes, let your fans know it. Random trivia, current events and human interest stories are always good conversation starters. Yes, the point of social commerce is selling your products and services, but nobody likes high pressure tactics or feeling like they’re being “sold” to all the time.

Guest Author: Helen Fang is the social media expert at Vendio, an ecommerce software company that enables online businesses to sell on Facebook, eBay, Amazon, and Google from one platform.

The recipe for spicy copy always includes salt – lots of it – fresh hot pepper such as a jalapeno or Serrano, and earthy-flavored herbs. Without spice, your copy is tasteless. It reads like every other piece of website content or advertisement or brochure.

At best, readers forget spice-less copy. At worst, they don’t read it at all.

Next time you sit down to write, bring the salt, hot pepper, and herbs with you to the keyboard. I’m about to show you how to add the spice your copy desperately needs.

Salt for Headlines and Imagery

We’re visual creatures. Readers need pictures for engagement. The good news is that it’s simple to find free stock photography or use your own photos in marketing materials. It’s also possible to suggest an image without any pictures at all.

The best headlines evoke an image.

The importance of headlines cannot be stressed enough. There are even books written on the topic. Headlines matter that much.

But for the purposes of this article, let’s make it simple and say that your headline should address a problem your reader has and that you’re able to solve. It should also reference a concept that’s easy to grasp and one that will cause the brain to automatically conjure images.

What if the article to this headline read: “How to Make Your Copy More Interesting”? What kind of pictures would you have automatically thought of? Nothing interesting comes to my mind.

“Wake Up Your Readers with Copywriting Spice” produces countless images for me…alarm clocks, people sitting in front of computer screens with wide eyes, salt, peppers, etc.

Hot Pepper for Facts, Anecdotes, and Quotes

What sound do you make when you bite into hot pepper? Chances are it’s something this: “Whoo!”

Aim to give your readers that same reaction when they read pieces of your copy. Give the reader surprising facts, emotional anecdotes, and inspiring quotes. Here’s an example.

Version 1: The retail industry has grown significantly over the last year.

Version 2: By fourth quarter 2010, U.S. retail sales reached just over one trillion dollars, which is an 8% increase from the same quarter in 2009.

Which sentence are you more likely to care about?

Herbs for Subheads, Bullet Points, and Short Paragraphs

Herbs round out meals, because they add pleasing scents, flavors, appearance, and some even aid digestion. Herbs are used as a garnish for this reason.

If copy doesn’t look easy to read at a glance, then it might not be read at all. Think of herbs as the subheadings, bullet points, and short paragraphs of your copy. Herbs make your copy smell nice and make it easy to digest, too.

End with More Salt…and Maybe Lemon

Mirna recently posted about how important it is not to piss off your readers. In the post, it says you must not bore your readers and must give them what you promise. I agree.

At the end of your copy, pull it all together. Use salt (to taste) to achieve that perfect flavor. Be sure you answered any questions you asked in the piece, make sure your last paragraph coincides with your headline, and provide that oh-so-important call to action.

If after that the copy is still missing something, then add lemon, a notorious flavor enhancer. I think of lemon as “the main point.” Whatever you’re trying to say can be distilled in one sentence. And sometimes that one sentence at the end of your copy can be incredibly powerful.

Here’s an example: If you don’t add spice to your copy, no one will remember it.

Guest Author: Sara Lancaster writes spicy copy for businesses through her website content writing agency, No. 2 Pen. For fun, she writes the food blog, Saucy Dipper, which includes actual sauce and dip recipes. You can find Sara on Twitter as @SaraLancaster.

Image courtesy of http://younghoteliers.blogspot.com/

Because social media is so huge today, more and more businesses are using it. Even hotels are getting involved with marketing on social media sites because they see the value in finding customers that way. If you own or manage a hotel, work for one, you’re thinking of starting one, or you’re thinking about studying hospitality management, you may want to consider the top 10 ways hotels should be using social media.

1. Twitter questions and answers

Create a Twitter page and let people ask questions about the hotel. They can get quick answers that way, without needing to call and talk to an employee.

2. Set yourself as an expert

Set yourself apart as an expert on something or as a specific kind of destination — like a wedding hotel, etc. Use social media to market your niche.

3. Write content

Write good content about your industry and offer it for others to use/purchase. This really helps get your name out there.

4. Blog

You don’t want to get left behind when it comes to a presence on the Internet. A website is great, but a blog can help ensure that you connect with your customers and keep them up to date.

5. Respond to bad press

If you get bad press or comments on social media sites, respond to them — appropriately. Don’t just fight back or argue, because that won’t help you keep or redeem your reputation. Instead, be respectful, polite, and clear about the issue.

6. Provide information

Make sure you keep people informed. Your customers are going to want to know what’s going on with your company and if you’re offering any special deals.

7. Promote positive reviews

Make sure your positive reviews make it onto your Twitter page, Facebook page, and website. Let people know that others like the quality and service that you provide.

8. Be aware of competition

Pay attention to the competition by listening online. A lot of people ignore this because they don’t see the value in it. You really need to know what competitors are doing. If you don’t have a clue what they’re up to, how can you be expected to compete with them?

9. Make it personal

Get permission from your guests to take some pictures or videos at wedding and parties. Feature them on your social media sites so that others can see what you’re offering and how much fun people are having at your hotel. That will make people want to stay with you, too.

10. Hire through social media

Do your hiring through social media connections. It can be a great way to find people who would be a good fit when you need to hire workers.

It’s clear that hotels could be doing more to get their name and information out to the public. If they spend more time working with the people they want to see as customers — and interacting with them through social media — they’ll likely find that they can increase their business.

Guest Author: Amy Silver is a Public Health student. She loves her dogs and finding a good deal. She’s recently started blogging, and you can follow her at twitter.com/amyjsilver.

Everyone out there with a blog wants a bigger following.  If it is brand new, you want to get a piece of the pie.  If it is already established, you want to get a bigger piece of the market.  Still, the toughest part is getting that initial following which will make your blog relevant on the scene.  How can you build that following?  Here are the ideas you need to have your blog hit the ground running.

1. Corner a market. People will wonder what the point of your blog is if it does not have a certain piece of the market cornered.  You are new, so you have to stand out.  Surely, you have thought of something new or would have little reason to get out there in the first place, right?  Nail your themes down very early on so people know they can count on you from the outset.  If they know they are getting something special when they visit your blog, they will continue coming back – as long as you deliver.

2. Spark a controversy. Well, it doesn’t have to be a major controversy.  In fact, it doesn’t have to be anything ridiculous at all.  What you ought to do, however, is take a concept which is integral to your overall message and get it out there in the boldest possible way.  If you hit a nerve, people will associate you with that relevant style.  If you back it up with real substance, you are going to have a number of readers ready to follow wherever you might lead them.

3. Have some relevant links. Having your niche in the field you write about is different from being isolated on a far-flung island.  You want to be part of a community, so team up with websites and other blogs that don’t tread on your ground but instead help you achieve your goals.  You may benefit a lot from these associations.  Keep in mind that you can also be considered guilty by association, so take your links seriously.

4. Mix in some quality video. One of the great things about writing in the twenty-first century is that you can also be a rock star at the same time.  YouTube can be your MTV and you can make your blog sing in ways that never will happen in print.  It’s important that you don’t look like most bloggers (bespectacled and bearded) if you want to stand out.  However, for a literary blog, that might just be the look you can pull off.  Whatever you do, make sure your videos have the goal of more readers, not viewers.

5. Troubleshoot the other blogs. Blogs that are similar in your field will always have problems.  If you notice them surely others do as well.  Why not be the go-to place for solving the issues on the scene?  People always have some feeling that a void exists when this is the case.  If you fill that void, you’ll instantly gain a number of readers.

Guest Author: This article was written by Mona Pennypacker of Acorn Creative Studio who specializes in web site design in Colorado.

Here are 20 most read and widely-shared social media blog posts of 2010 on MirnaBard.com. It’s a good time to revisit many of these posts, as they are great reminders when planning for 2011.  Please let me know what your favorite one was in the comments below.

Thank you for all my supportive readers.  I appreciate you more than you know!

1. Ask Mirna: What criteria do you suggest people use to select a social media expert?
2. 7 Signs Your Social Media Consultant is Really an Expert
3. 15 Categories of Social Media
4. 21 Twitter Conversation Tips
5. 99 Favorite Social Media Quotes and Tips
6. Top 50 Social Media Mistakes Made by Small Businesses
7. 6 Essential Mindset Shifts for Social Media Success
8. The 21 Essential C’s of Social Media
9. How to Write Re-tweetable Tweets in 5 Minutes or Less
10. 290 Email Spam Trigger Words to Avoid
11. 4 Steps to Strengthen Your Brand with Social Media
12. Is Social Media a ‘Get Rich’ Scheme or Competition?
13. 3 Undeniable Ways to Turn Competitors into Enemies on Social Media Sites
14. 25 Monitoring Tools That Will Not Cost You a Penny
15. 11 Key E’s of Social Media
16. 11 More Key E’s of Social Media
17. 5 Definite Reasons Why Videos are an Effective Marketing Tool
18. 7 WordPress Plug-ins to Help You Control Content Scraping
19. 9 Ways to Reduce Scraping and Catch Blog Post Theft
20. 7 Simple Social Networking Tips for Business

Which one of the 20 was your favorite of 2010?

Imagine you had a shop where you sold candy apples. And your shop was located in an area of town where there were a lot of other shop owners who also sold candy apples.

When people walked through your door to buy candy apples, you greeted them with this message:

“Welcome to Tracy’s Candy Apple Shop. We’re so glad you stopped by. Let us know how we can help you and by the way here try a sample of our delicious, crunchy candy apples. Oh and if you are looking or more candy apples, they sell them two doors down and across the street. You might find delicious, crunchy candy apples there as well.”

This sounds ridiculous…right? Well unfortunately I see too many business owners doing this exact thing on their website everyday. That is…sending people to other experts for their solutions.

As a webmaster I am often asked to create a page of links or to add some links to a resources page. Site owners so many times want to give their visitors or readers access to or referrals to other organizations, experts or associations where they can find out more information on a particular topic.

Even the other day I asked a client to send me a few blog posts to get his blog rolling so it didn’t look quite so empty. He ended up sending me links to other sites where there were some good articles on his industry.

And two weeks ago a client wanted me to post links to a industry directory where there are lists and lists of other experts that do exactly what she does.

“But wait…” I said. “Why would you want to send your visitors away to someone else’s site? Especially after you’ve just spent so much time and money trying to get them to come to your site?

It astounds me that people are so willing to do this. But I understand where it comes from.

Many entrepreneurs know that when they give ….they will receive. And I do believe this too.  But in this case, I have to disagree. There is a time for giving and a time for keeping the prospects you struggled so hard to get.

I think there are two reasons why site owners are so willing to do this without really thinking it through:

• They are giving their readers access to some great resources and there is nothing wrong with that. But why not instead BECOME that great resource. It will take time, but consistently adding content to your site is what is going to keep people coming back for more and start to see you as the expert.

• At some point they may have been told that swapping links with other business is a good thing. Again, I don’t think there is anything wrong with that at all…BUT ONLY if there is a WIN-WIN-WIN for all parties involved. Here’s an example: A web designer might provide a link to an internet marketing consultants site and vice versa. They are non-competing. They both win. The client/visitor/reader wins because they’ve been introduced to two people who can help them in different but complimentary ways.

So having said that, I encourage you to stop putting exit links on your site. What you’re really doing, is sending your potential clients and visitors to someone else. It doesn’t position you as the expert and it doesn’t get your client results any faster.

Tell me what you think below and please share this blog post if you thought it was interesting or helpful.

Guest Author: Tracy Matthewman provides internet marketing training for small business owners. Watch her short video on how to build your own website in less than 10 minutes.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Everybody’s waiting for the next big thing. You’ve heard this phrase before. You’ve even seen the proof, but you are hesitant to jump on the social media train yourself. Trust me, it is the next big thing, and it is already here.

We all love rags to riches stories. Perhaps a few kind folks are altruistic and are genuinely pleased when a little guy hits the big time. Most of the rest of us just think, “If that person can do it, surely I can.” Success stories breed more success, so in that spirit, read on for the impact social media can have on your business, no matter what niche you are in.

IdeaPaint is a Boston-based company. They have a website, and on this website they maintain a blog. How do you blog about paint, you may wonder? The answer is that if you are passionate and customer-centered, you can write enthusiastically about anything. This company was smart enough to share their blog on their company Twitter and Facebook pages. They take advantage of the social aspect of this media and take time to interact with their customers via these friend and information generators known as social media. The impact of choosing to market this way? These social media platforms are now the company’s largest source for increasing their leads and traffic. The growth is not only maintaining but ramping up, and that means good things for this business.

There is so much available to business owners now, which was unfathomable to previous generations. Pictures have been around for a long time, but when you have friends on Facebook who also take pictures of your product and post online about how much they like your exclusive merchandise X, suddenly the possibility of reaching more people from the trusted status of friend increases dramatically. If you choose to tweet about what is important to you – not just your product – but you as a person – your base grows and grows as you get the word out and contact more people.

The key to succeeding with social media is to try every aspect of it and give it your concentrated effort. If videos serve your business best, track down a talented script writer and actors who can pass on a touch of wild and crazy, and you will immediately appeal to the social networking crowd. Be active in promoting your brand, in being out there, being real and becoming the person they will look to when they want your merchandise or service X. Just don’t be afraid to stick your neck out a bit – it is really the only way to snatch up that coveted attention and get yourself known.

Guest Author: Margo Smith graduated with a B.S. degree from BYU. She draws from her experiences as a modern day children’s governess, her time spent in New England, her years in the corporate world and an author’s perspective on life when writing articles about all kinds of subjects from communications to online classes to social media.

A few weeks ago, SmartBrief, a well-respected media company used crowdsourcing for the first time to launch a competition giving their blog and newsletter readers a shot at joining their social media advisory board.

On October 1, they announced four finalists from close to 40 submissions, and I was one of the four selected! The other finalists were Jeremy Victor, Erik Deckers, and Mike Sansone. All finalists were asked to come up with a poll question and then analyze the poll results through a blog post for the SmartBlog on Social Media blog between October 6 and October 15. I was the lucky one to go first (ladies first?). My analysis posted on October 8.

I need your help!

I am asking my entire community to help me win by voting for me to become the next social media advisory board member for SmartBrief. I would love to get your support and votes, only if you think I am worthy! There is absolutely no pressure, of course.

It is very simple to vote. Here’s what you have to do:

1. Read my blog post and leave a comment if you choose.
2. Sign-up for the SmartBrief on Social Media newsletter by October 14, 2010 October 17, 2010. Note: You must sign up for the newsletter by that date to vote.
3. Please help spread the word to your community.
4. Look for the October 18 newsletter in your email and vote for Mirna Bard.

And, it’s that simple!

The winners will be announced on October 20. You can read more about the SmartBrief social media contest and learn more about the other contestants here.

Thank you in advance for your support, and I look forward to sharing good news on October 20!

***UPDATE***

I won! On October 20, 2010, I was announced the winner of the contest!  You can read more information on the SmartBrief blog post.  Here is my new badge too! Click the badge to see the impressive members of the advisory board.

I still see many businesses setting up their blog incorrectly, and one of the biggest mistakes is not hosting their own blog. When it comes to choosing WordPress as the blogging platform, this question is very common. Many companies and individuals still don’t know that WordPress has two options: WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

I’ve been meaning to write a blog post about this topic; however, I discovered that my colleague and WordPress wizard, Jarrett Gucci has an excellent blog post and video that discusses the pros and cons of each option. So why reinvent the wheel, right?

To read the full blog post, please visit Jarrett’s blog.

If you have already set up your blog with WordPress.com, I highly suggest you make the switch. What did you think of Jarrett’s tips?

Website owners are always seeking new ways to improve their organic rankings and to gain some popularity through SEO practices. There are several known techniques to help improve a site’s SEO such as title text, keywords, and various link building options, but one of the fastest and easiest ways to gain SEO points while incorporating all of the above is often overlooked by many website owners. It is Blogging.

Many webmasters will focus their SEO efforts on their static site and overlook the added juice blogging can lend to it. Because a blog can be updated easily with new content, it offers more of an opportunity to try various methods of SEO to see which work best. Let’s take a look at a few.

1. More Indexed pages, High Authority

A simple commercial site normally contains 7-10 pages so you can only get these many pages in the search engine index. But with the help of blog you can easily add fresh content at regular intervals. For e.g. – If you update your blog 5 times a day, 20 times a month, at the end of year you’d be having 240 more pages in the search Index as compared to other sites. And, higher is the number of your pages in search engine index, more will be the chances to get found by your target audience.

2. You can target more Keywords

Keywords are a very important part of SEO, but often hard to figure out or target. While you may be attempting to target one keyword or keyword phrase, your analytics may tell you that your customers are getting to your site through another.

In the case of a website, you would have to rebuild each page in order to accommodate these new keywords. This is very time consuming and costly. However, if that same site has a blog, a post (or two) could easily be created to target the new keyword or phrase. It is much easier to add a post in a blog. Plus it is far less confusing to your visitors.

3. Split Testing

Blogs are a great way to split test your information. You can easily create two posts, covering the same topic, but written with different keywords or offering a different product or service from your site. Then, you can check to see which post resulted in more clicks to your product pages. You can always eliminate the post that is not working well and maybe you will get lucky and find that both were equally successful.

4. Natural Link Profile

Blogs with unique and high quality content acts as link magnets. A well researched and written article is more likely to attract natural links than a pure commercial website. Not only it will help you in your organic rankings but will also give a natural look to your overall link building campaign.

5. More Internal Links Mean More Time On Your Site

Blogs also makes your visitors to stay longer on your site. By creating internal link chains, you can easily connect your visitor from post to post, feeding them more information about the benefits of your product or service as they go. The more time they spend, the more invested they become, and the more likely they are to buy in.

Don’t overlook the SEO benefits of having a blog for your website. Here we have listed a few well known techniques, but there are many other ways you can use a blog to gain a lead in the search engine wars. Just look at it as a way to offer a constant flow of information to new and established visitors and you will surely think of numerous ways to use it to your benefit.

Guest Author: Patsy works for Go-gulf.com, a web design Dubai Company that provides web design solution in Tehran, Sharjah and Middle East.

Are you experiencing writer’s block?

Whether you are a new writer or an article writing and marketing expert like me, there comes a time when you just stare at the blank white screen with your hands ready at the keyboard – but they’re not typing. The dreadful writer’s block is stopping the words from flowing as they should.

It is frustrating to be stuck especially when you know when you write and submit articles online you will get more website traffic, prospects and profits. So, you start pulling your hair out and grinding your teeth.

See, I know exactly how you feel. There were many times that I wanted to throw my laptop and my desktop right out the window. I know what it is like to try to force yourself to “work through it”, and when you sit down to write you are numb and feel like your brain is composed of concrete.

I also know that the longer you stay in this state the more discouraged you get, which makes it even harder to write. That’s why I am going to help you get out of that dark, cold, gloomy corner and see the light so you can start writing articles faster.

7 Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block and Banish It Forever

1. Use instant article writing templates – You want to use article templates that literally guide you through the article writing process. For example, my 40+ Instant Article Writing Templates Kit, is filled with worksheets and ideas. All you have to do is enter the information that the template asks for – where it asks for it. Not only will you generate article ideas, but you’ll be able to organize your ideas in a way that gets your prospects to read your articles from top to bottom.

2. Host a teleseminar –- Greg Ivers of Church Loan Services, an article marketing coaching client of mine, has the hardest time putting the information inside his head into words. No matter how much time I spent with him – he just wasn’t getting it like many small business owners. However, he has no problem speaking about his expertise. So, using Instant Teleseminars, I’m having him do a teleseminar recording that he can use as a lead generation device. He’s then going to use the recording to create a number of articles to promote his free audio program.

3. Keep a digital or analog notebook with you 24/7 – They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Coming up with compelling ideas to write about is sometimes the hardest challenge of all. But, if you have an “idea pad” with you at all times, you can build a reserve of good topics to draw upon as you need them. You’re working proactively to prevent writer’s block.

4. Start writing without constraints — Consider this: Have you ever been blocked while playing Frisbee? Eating doughnuts? Dancing naked in your living room? Those are joyful things and there’s nothing at stake. If you fail, who cares? Nobody. If there are no rules, and no judgment, psychological blocks are impossible. So, start writing without constraints. Deliberately write badly, but write.

5. Write about how it feels not to be able to write – It’s sneaky, but, it works. The voices in our heads are always saying something, so get it down. Imagine yourself as a recording device, writing down the radio broadcast of some other person who happens to live in your head. Eventually your mind will hit thoughts on the topic itself and, presto, you’re on your way.

6. Make Lists – List making is never as threatening as “writing”, so go there first! As far as I know, there is no shopping list block, is there? For example, when I created this list article, I kicked my list around for awhile. I made changes. I did lots of moving and shuffling. Then once it reached critical mass, I put in a document and created my article.

7. Keep writer’s block away by writing daily — Just like someone who is out of shape could not run a mile in a respectable amount of time, someone who doesn’t write frequently will not be able to write high quality articles fast. You have to train your body to run, just like you must train your brain to write. And, you become a faster runner and writer through repeated practice and perseverance.

Guest Author: Article marketing expert Eric Gruber created online marketplace opportunities for authors, small business owners, speakers and internet marketers who want more website traffic, prospects and profits. Now you can get started with writing and marketing your business with articles, by getting 3 free article templates that will help you write articles faster. Get it now at: http://www.trymyfreearticletemplates.com

QUESTION:

Hi Mirna.  Are there any sites that offer updates about Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter? I would like to stay in the loop with new things that come out, etc.  I thought I would pick your brain about some of your favorites. – Dawn P.

ANSWER:

Thank you for the great question Dawn.  As you know there are thousands of sites and many of them are very helpful.  Since I don’t have time to keep track of all of the sites that offer information on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, I normally like going straight to the source to get updates and accurate information.

Here are some very helpful links for each of the networking sites that you asked about:

Facebook  Business Page

Facebook’s Blog

Facebook’s Developer Blog (Although this is for developers, I still find great information sometimes.)

You may also want to check All Facebook.

Twitter’s Blog

Twitter Status (The best way to get updates when the site is down, which seems like a lot lately.:D)

Twitter for Business

LinkedIn’s Blog

LinkedIn for Developers

You may also have seen my blog about LinkedIn. There are excellent training videos for every module of the site.

I recommend to subscribe to the RSS of all these blogs so you can stay updated on all important information.  Also remember, all of these sites have a “help” section if you need any questions answered.

Good luck!

If you would like to get your questions answered by Mirna, please visit the Ask Mirna page.

I am a natural born writer, so writing has always come easy to me. But, when I had to start writing articles everyday for my blog, for my newsletter and for article submission – I quickly ran out of article topics.

Then one day as I was reviewing all of my articles, I realized that there was a structure and a formula behind each article I wrote. By recognizing these formulas I’m able to write an unlimited amount of articles – and write them in record time. And, If you want to overcome writer’s block and start writing articles faster, then you want to model proven article writing formats.

Here Are 10 Different Blog Post Templates That Will Help You Overcome Writer’s Block So You Can Write Articles Faster…

1. Myth Buster Article Template — With this template, you crush your prospects’ preconceived thoughts and notions about a subject. Take 3 myths people have about your industry. Explain to people why it’s a myth. And, then show them what can happen if they clear this myth from their mind.

2. Top 10 Article Template – Have you ever seen a Jay Leno, David Letterman or any other late night television show that doesn’t have a “Top 10″ segment? Well, neither have I! It’s because people love top 10 lists. So give readers and prospects what they want.

3. How-To Article Template – It’s no secret that “how-to” articles and blog posts are some of the most sought after, linked to and bookmarked content online. People want useful information and they’ll reward you by promoting it to others when you provide it. It’s also one of the easiest articles to write.

4. Step-by-Step Article Template – If you think writing a how-to article is easy especially if you’re using article templates, then you’ll think the step-by-step article template is a cinch. In how-to articles I start off with the problem or pain that my prospects are experiencing. Then I give them a solution and end with the results. In a step-by-step article, I like to sell the dream. I want to instantly connect with my prospects’ desires, wishes and needs. So, I explain the results up front that can happen if you follow my advice that I give in the article.

5. Quiz Article Template – Why do you think magazines publish quizzes all the time? Why do you think the quizzes you find on Facebook are so popular? It’s because people love taking quizzes, unless it’s a pop quiz in school. So, why not use a quiz format for your articles that will enable you to do a soft, pre-sell for your products and services. When readers answer “NO” to your questions, you’re implanting thoughts of “Maybe, we should be doing this.”

6. 3 Mistakes Article Template – When you mention mistakes within your title and throughout your article, you will automatically grab attention. People will think in their minds, “Am I doing this right? I better find out!”

7. The Why Article Template – How-to articles are great. And, as I said before, it’s the most popular article template. But sometimes, when you give too much of the “HOW,” you give prospects no reason to go to your website for more information. So, why not write an article that focuses on the “WHY” and give prospects a reason to visit your website and join your list.

8. Differentiate Yourself Article Template – I created an article entitled “How to Choose an Article Submission Service.” Within this article, I created 10 questions that prospects should ask. Now these questions were designed to show everything that my service includes that no one else offers. It educated prospects and at the same time, it pre-sold my article submission services.

9. Failure to Success Article Template – Did you ever notice how speakers (especially those who sell from the stage) would always tell you about their hardships? Why do speakers do this? Because we want you to connect with us. We want to show you that if we can achieve success, so can you. By opening up and revealing your failures or your scars, you add realness to your written words. People will look up to you and they will want your guidance.

10. What I Learned From Article Template — Through my years as the article marketing expert, I’ve learned that I can connect almost anything – no matter how unrelated it may seem – to various secrets that I teach my clients, subscribers and readers. For example, I’ve written articles such as “7 Article Marketing Lessons I Learned From Being a Martial Arts Champion,” 3 Lessons I Learned From the Mother of a Fearless PR LEADER,” and “5 Relationship Building Lessons I Learned From My Parents.”

Guest Author: Article Marketing Expert Eric Gruber uses the power of articles to create online opportunities for Internet marketers, small business owners, authors, entrepreneurs and speakers who want more publicity, prospects and profits. Now, you can get 3 of his favorite his instant article writing templates that will help you overcome writer’s block and write your articles in 30 minutes or less. Get your free article templates now: http://www.TryMyFreeArticleTemplates.com