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The Success Check List – Are You Making the Most of Your Blog?
Here at SportsRantz University I get my fair share of emails from readers asking how they can further their blog on SportsRantz. I also get a good amount of tweets and Facebook posts from existing members asking how they can gain more exposure with their blog. So I decided to put a quasi-checklist together so that anyone with a blog can ensure they are maximizing their potential.
So here is a simple list of things you should be doing to make your blog a success:
#1 Are You Blogging at SportsRantz.com?
Shameless self-plug? Yes definitely, but there is some truth to this statement. If you’re on another blogging platform you have to ask yourself how high the ceiling is for your potential. How hard is the website you are blogging on working for you to be successful? Are they just using your blog as a way to sell advertising? Food for thought.
At SportsRantz, we have something that no other sports blogging platform has. I can say this with 100% confidence. We are structured on strong SEO methods that provides an excellent foundation to build success on. SEO Drives traffic!
I personally crafted the SportsRantz SEO structure and I have been in the SEO industry for close to 10 years. I worked at one of the top firms in the entire industry and was their leading SEO Manager and SEO Specialist my entire tenure. I was in charge of accounts like Overstock, Vista Print, The Golf Channel, Pedi Ped and even Passages Malibu to name a few.
With that experience I was confident to start my own SEO Company and form my own unique methods. Since 2009, my company has worked on some incredible client websites.
Bottom line – NO website provides you the SEO tools, knowledge, advice and/or resources that we do. The proof is in the pudding. Keep in mind that just because someone owns a website, doesn’t make them an SEO.
With that being said, I strongly encourage you to fully take advantage of what we have on SR University.
#2 SportsRantz University
For those of you who want to take your blog to the next level and don’t utilize SR University…what on earth are you waiting for?
It’s common knowledge that nothing good is obtained without hard work. So if you are not actively learning how to make your blog better, educating yourself on methods or utilizing resources provided to you it’s going to be more of an upward battle. Especially if you want to make your brand popular. If you’re not doing all you can do to improve, your competition will pass you by.
I simply cannot stress enough how important reading the SEO section is and putting it to use in your blog. Also, learn about Branding and Social Media as well. Can’t hurt.
#3 How Unique is Your Content?
As soon as a news story breaks you have every blogger and writer covering it on some level. Bloggers are sure to regurgitate the same information but what are you offering that is different?
Give people a reason to bookmark your blog and trust your coverage. Do you offer opinions supported by facts? Do you have access to an interview or studies on information that goes deeper than the headlines?
People don’t want the same information over and over and they certainly don’t want the same information presented to them with the only difference being the tone and language is different. Be different. Stand out!
If everyone is selling glazed donuts, be the one to offer glazed donuts and coffee.
#4 Must Read Blogivision
So i did a bit of “play on words” there but think of this like TV. Reach out to other writers, athletes and personalities to do interviews on your blog.
Let’s face it, chances are Tom Brady won’t be available to do an interview on your blog, but try semi-pro players, players trying to make a team, etc. Offer interesting content and you’ll get dedicated readers
#5 How Interactive Are You?
This is a great point. If you’re solely relying on Rt’s from SportsRantz and Twittering to drive popularity to your blog, you’re not doing all you can do.
Are you sharing with people on Facebook? Are you in the SportsRantz Group on Facebook? Are you Tweeting RT accounts with your articles? Do you have a newsletter setup for your readers to sign up for?
Tools like this can help in the longrun.
I’ll expound on this article in the future, but for now here is 5 good bulletpoints to process.
Until next time Ranters!
read moreAdding Facebook & Twitter to Your Blog
So you’re getting good at blogging and want to really engage your audience. Whether you started a Facebook Fan Page for your blog or you have a Twitter profile for your blog (or both) it’s important to display them prominently on your sports blog.
It helps bring your readers together, offers your readers more interaction and helps build your brand! It’s Branding 101!
Keep in mind that Twitter has a Twitter Profile Widget that is very useful – You can find it here
Fortunately, we have a feature on SportsRantz.com that allows your to display your Twitter feed and Facebook Fan Page feed right on your blog. (Keep in mind this does NOT work for regular personal Facebook profiles, only Fan Pages)
So let’s get started!
read moreEditing the Main Menu of Your Sports Blog
Wondering how to change the Main Menu (or Nav Menu) of your blog on SportsRantz.com?
In this video we show you how to edit, configure and create menus for your blog!
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Streaming Your Radio Show on Your Blog
Some folks on SportsRantz.com have a radio show that streams online or is run online completely. But the question is how do you stream your radio show on your blog?
It’s actually quite simple and an excellent way to make sure your readers and listeners get all the information you put out there.
First, make sure your show has the ability to stream online and if so, make sure you have the HTML code to embed the show.
Once you have that step completed, you’re ready for the next step which I have outlined in the video below.
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How to Change the Design of Your Blog
Many of you have received your free custom design courtesy of Anthony DiMoro at SportsRantz.com. For those of you who did not receive one and want one, drop us a line at info@sportsrants.com
After we deliver the design and logo you are free to change and alter as you see fit. However we will not be able to provide services to do any edits or changes for you.
But don’t worry, changing the design is a pretty simple process. Each blog has a design that is called a Theme. We have a wide array of Themes for the choosing. All you need to do is go to Dashboard then to Appearance and then to Themes.
Make sure to download a copy of your logo before proceeding. If not, no worries, the logo is stored in your Media Library.
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How to Add Contributing Writers & Bloggers to Your Blog
Many of you run your own show on your SportsRantz.com hosted blog. But what if you want to recruit some talented folks to help deliver more content for your readers? What if you already have writers that contribute to your blog, but don’t know how to get them setup on your blog at SportsRantz?
No worries, we have you covered. I put together this little video that will show you how to add contributors to your blog. It’s a great way to build your brand, deliver more articles to your readers and become more popular.
Keep in mind this extremely important piece of information:
Any person you plan on adding to your blog as a writer, MUST sign up for SportsRantz.com first!
You can have them setup a user account here
Here is a summary of all the roles you can assign. Choose accordingly.
Summary of Roles
- Administrator – Somebody who has access to all the administration features
- Editor – Somebody who can publish and manage posts and pages as well as manage other users’ posts, etc.
- Author – Somebody who can publish and manage their own posts
- Contributor – Somebody who can write and manage their posts but not publish them
- Subscriber – Somebody who can only manage their profile
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Advertisements on Your Blog
Many of you may be wondering on how to make money on your blog. One of the best ways to do so is by selling Advertising on your blog page. But once you secure an Advertiser how do you add their ad to your blog?
You can do so a couple of ways with your SportsRantz.com blog.
To add any advertisement, you will go to your Dashboard then to Appearance and then to Widgets
Once you are at the Widgets page you can drag and drop numerous widgets in any order you please to the sidebar of your blog. Many themes available at SportsRantz already have Ad specific widgets. But for those who do not and for those who feel more comfortable going about things the traditional way, we suggest the following two widgets:
1. Image Widget
The Image widget is an easy to use widget that allows you to upload a picture and link it to you a specific page or site. This is the simplest way to add an Advertisement to your blog. Have them send you a logo, upload it to your Image Widget, add the link to their homepage and you are done!
2. Text Widget
The Text Widget is another great widget for ads. It can add HTML code, banner code and basic Text to your blogs sidebar. This is the best widget to apply Google Adsense to your blog.
Check out this video tutorial on how to configure some advertisements. It should help
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