For those who have their own domain names, an important distinction must be made: there is in fact a difference between www.yoursitename.com and yoursitename.com (and a difference between each of these and www.yoursitename.com/index.php !)

The difference might seem superficial – it’s just a few extra letters – but it could make a huge difference in your Page Rank.

Google views these two sites as two different sites.  Technically, www.yoursitename.com is a subdomain of yoursitename.com (a subdomain is a smaller domain inside a larger one… Ex: subdomain.yoursitename.com) .

If half of your backlinks use the WWW version and the other half use the No WWW version, then your page rank will be divided between each of these… and so you won’t be getting the true page rank your site deserves.  (Oh no!)

How to Fix It

Don’t fret, here are some guidelines for how you can fix this problem.

1. Decide which version you prefer. It really does not make a difference and is totally up to you

2. Set up a 301 Redirect for the version that you didn’t choose and direct it to the one you did

That way, when someone types in the opposite version that you chose, they will automatically be redirected to the version you chose.

This will help make sure your PR is not split.

Here are directions explaining how to set up a 301 Redirect.

3. Tell Google which you prefer

You can tell Google which domain version you’d like them to index.   Once you do this, Google will make sure your preferred version is displayed in search results, and if it comes across any links to your site that do not use the preferred version, it will still count them as your preferred version (thus making sure your PR is accurate).  Of course this will only work for Google, not any other search engines like Yahoo! or Bing.

A few weeks ago I did a series on video blogging, explaining the benefits of vlogging, providing ideas for vlog posts, and providing tips for optimizing your vlog posts, but there was one major section that was missing: how to embed vlog posts on your blog.

If you want to start vlogging, there are a few different ways you can connect users with your vlog:

• Post on YouTube (or other video website) and link to your channel on your blog homepage
• Post on YouTube and write a new blog post for every new video you upload
• Embed the video in your blog posts
• Embed the video in your blog posts, but behind a ‘more’ tag

Option 1: Link to your Channel

Your channel is your page on YouTube that lists all of the videos that you’ve made.  You can link to this on your blog home page side bar.  While I think that this is a great idea, I think it should be done along with one of the other options.  Only linking to your channel may not attract as much traffic as the other options.

Option 2: Write a New Blog Post when you upload a new video

Whenever you post a new video, you can also post a blog post letting your readers know, and provide a link to that video in your post.  (Make sure you use keyword-rich link text).

I would say this is preferable to option 3.  This prevents your blog from loading slowly.  The problem, however, is that it means users have to load another website to get to your video.  Once they’re gone, they may get sidetracked and watch other videos on YouTube instead of coming back to yours.

Option 3: Embed the Video in  your blog posts

Now, if you’re going to embed the video in your blog, you are going to need to be careful.  If you vlog frequently, then your homepage might be full of videos, which can slow down your loading time.  You can read this recent post about how a slow loading speed can affect your readers.

There are positives for this option, though.  You don’t need to use another website to upload your video; using another website might be a hassle for you, so this would eliminate that inconvenience, if you feel it is one.

Option 4: Embed the video in your blog posts, but behind a more tag

A few months ago we analyzed the pros and cons of the ‘more’ tag, which is a tag that allows you to display only the first part of your post on the home page.  To read the entire post, users would have to click on a link like “continue”.

This answers both the problems of Options 2 and 3.  Now, your bloggers are staying within your site instead of going else where (as with option 2), but you don’t have the loading problems that you might have with option 3.

The best way to do this?  Have an eye-catching headline for your post title that also tells your readers that it is a vlog.  Then, have a short paragraph (2-3 sentences) explaining what the vlog is about and how it will help your readers.  Use this paragraph to entice readers but also for SEO purposes.

To Embed your Video in the post:

Make sure your file is saved using the right format …  .mov or .wmv for example

To embed a video, you need to use specific code.  Here is a link that explains how to embed a video in your blog post and provides a breakdown of what the different items in the code mean.

If you’re embedding a video from YouTube, they will provide you with the code.  Simply go to the specific page the video is on, and click ‘Embed’.  It will prompt you with options, and you can go from there.

If you’re using WordPress, here is information about how to embed video.  There are a number of different options.

Vlogging is a great way to connect with readers and keep things new and interesting on your blog.  However, if your blog is overflowing with videos and has a slow loading time, this can negate any benefits of vlogging.  Think about how you want to share video carefully.

How do you share video on your blog?

Having trouble getting your readers to click on your pay per click links?

As discussed in a previous post, there are a few ways to get your readers to click PPC links by mentioning them on your blog. In that post we briefly discussed how you can use design to help readers notice your ads and therefore click them.  For example, you can post your link at the top of the page so its visible right away, and you can make it stand out by surrounding it with blank space.

Here are 2 design tips you can use that follows along those lines of making your ad “Stand Out”.

Avoid distracting widgets

You might have a number of links, pictures and widgets in your side bar.  All of these things can distract your reader from clicking on the ad.  Simplicity will help you here.  If there are less things to divide your reader’s attention, chances are they will be more likely to click your PPC ad.

A lot of the time, when readers see a mess of “things” on a side bar, their eyes my just skip over it entirely and they won’t even bother looking there.

Direct your readers’ eyes to the ad

It is a way to help things stand out on a page.  Often, blogs will have distinct elements or sections of a page.  For example, you have the top banner, then you have the content, then you have the side bar.  The sidebar itself is often divided into neat little boxes.

This “boxy” type layout may help you get your PPC ads noticed.  To get it noticed, you can have it stick out a little bit, outside the “boxes” on your page.  You can also use a different font color, a different background color, a different font face, a different font size, a different font style, etc.

By making your ad different, you can draw your visitors’ eyes to that section of your blog.

(Of course you can also use this to attract your visitors’ eyes to other things – not just your PPC ads.  You might want to use this for your content as well.  If you have one article that you think is really good, post the title in a different font color, use a different background – etc, all the same things mentioned before.  Then if a reader comes to your page, they will be drawn to that article.

Drawing a reader to a particular article may give them something to focus on, whereas otherwise they might feel overwhelmed or unsure about where to begin.)

The key to making this strategy work is to make sure you don’t go crazy and over do it.  If you want to make an article stand out, you can only make one (maybe two… a small number) stand out.  Overall, the layout design should be simple and organized – it should be neat, with the exception of that one item, your PPC ad or your article (you could probably do both).

If all your articles have different colors and font styles etc, then it won’t stand out.  To have something standout, the rest of the page should be mostly uniform.

So, you’re relatively new to blogging, and you’re starting to think about monetizing your blog, but you have no idea where to start.

There are many things to consider, once you decide to monetize.  Who do you advertise for?  What do you advertise?  What types of ads should you use?  Where do you put the ads on your blog?  How do you put them on your blog? …but first and foremost is the question of When?

When should you start monetizing your blog?

There are two different points that you can do this.

Some people monetize their blog right away, when it is still new (usually they use Google Adsense).  Others decide to wait until they have a good chunk of content and a few followers.  There are ups and downs to either way, let’s take a look at them.

Monetize at the Beginning

Disadvantage: If you just started your blog yesterday, chances are you probably don’t have that many visitors.  With programs like Google Adsense, you get paid when your readers click on those ads.  So, if you don’t have many visitors… you’re probably not getting paid.

Advantage: However, if you start placing ads in the beginning, the visitors you do get will know what to expect and will be used to it.  Ads will have been on your blog from the beginning, so it’s no big change for your readers.  Some people fear that if you wait until later to monetize your blog, you run the chance of losing dismayed readers.

Monetize Later

Disadvantage: If you wait until you have a lot of readers, and then suddenly spring ads up on your blog, you may risk losing some of your visitors.  Personally, if a reader leaves your site because a few ads pop up some day, they probably weren’t worth your time.

Advantage: When your blog is new, this gives you a chance to focus on writing content and networking with other bloggers.  Some people might think that an ad-free blog is more appealing and attractive, and that it might help you gain more readers in the beginning.

Conclusion: Monetize When it Feels Right

There’s nothing wrong with making money with advertising, and you shouldn’t have to worry about losing readers because of it.  After all, you are working hard on your blog and it’s fair that you get paid for hard work.

It’s okay to start at the beginning.  But if you want to wait, that’s fine too.  You can also slowly integrate ads on your site over time.  Perhaps start with a few small text links, then banner ads, then maybe even some paid reviews (always remember to use a disclaimer).

The main thing to remember: moderation is key.  It’s not the presence of ads that might throw readers off, it’s the amount of ads that might throw readers off.  If your blog is covered with ads, that is what is going to drive readers away.  So as long as you always balance ads with unique and original content, then you shouldn’t have to worry.  If you provide good content, and your blog is easy to navigate and user friendly, then you should be fine.

One of the sessions I went to at BlogWorld Expo was “Does your blog create a great reader experience?” with speaker Andy Hayes.

It’s an important question you should ask of your blog, and one that I’ve touched on briefly here and there in regards to blog navigation tips and how to make your blog easy to read.

One of the main focuses of this session was how you can answer that question – “Does your blog create a great reader experience?” – by asking your readers themselves.

You can spend hours designing your website, working hard until the picture and idea you have in your head is finally fulfilled… but it means nothing if your users are lost and confused.

You may think your blog creates a good user experience, but getting an outside, objective opinion is much more useful – no offense, but you may be a little biased when it comes to judging the efficiency of your site.  Plus, you designed it, so of course everything seems simple and straightforward to you.

Or maybe, on the other hand, you’ve look at Google Analytics and the stats aren’t so good – your bounce rate is high and you have no idea why.

To truly determine what your users’ experience with your site is, you need feedback from the actual users of your site.  You need to ask them questions and use their responses to improve your site.  (And don’t just ask your mother, of course she’s going to say it’s great!)

As discussed in the session, there are three ways you can do this.

• Use surveys
• Meet with focus groups and discuss your site
• Observe someone using your site

Surveys

I was surprised when he suggested using autoresponder emails to contact users on your site.  You’d have to get them to sign up for a newsletter (I’ve used Constant Contact and I know you can easily set up autoresponders with them), which you may want to do regardless, as it is a great way to connect with and contact your readers.  You want to wait until they’ve been signed up for a good chunk of time – Hayes suggested 60 days – so that you won’t overwhelm the reader with questions and they’ll have had enough times to visit your site and use it.

The suggestion surprised me because I never would have thought of actually approaching the blogger with an unsolicited email.  It’s something I’d be a little hesitant to do, to be honest (because I can be rather shy).  But, if you wait for the period of time he suggests, you won’t seem too forward, and if a user stays on your mailing list for 60 days they probably care about your site enough to respond to an email about it.

In the email, you can ask them what works and what needs improvement.  Of course, if you are like me and a little hesitant to do this, you could also just use a website that provides surveys like Google Forms or 4QSurvey.com.  Experiment with all of these different options… maybe one means gets a better response than another.

Focus Groups

He also suggested using focus groups (meeting with your readers in chat or even in person).  This seems like a great way to network and connect with your readers, and therefore create more of a presence.  They’ll know who you are and when you can connect a person to a website, it makes it that much more personable and interesting.

Testing – Observe Users

Finally with his last point, testing, he explained how it’s most beneficial to observe someone using your site (without you intervening or helping them).  Give them a task, like “buy tickets to England”, and watch how they navigate your site to do this.

Ultimately, he said, every page within your site could be an entry page, and therefore it needs to explain or show:

• What the page is about
• That the reader can trust you
• What the next step is

Note for beginners: The “entry page” of a site is the page that your reader first accesses your site from.  A reader might come to your site from a search engine or from a link from someone else, so you can’t predict with 100% certainty that they will access your site from the home page.  Someone might link to a great article that you posted, or to your About Me page, etc.

I think it is important to realize that you should never be afraid to ask for your visitors’ opinions.  Of course, you also do not want to come across as desperate or needy, so be wary of that.  However, asking what your visitors think shows that you are in touch and concerned about their thoughts and about the usability of your site.

Keep in mind, too, that you do not have to make every single little change a reader might suggest.  Furthermore one reader might be in a bad mood, or may be a little bit… slow.  So take their reviews with a grain of salt.

I thought that Hayes provided a lot of useful information for bloggers and website owners.  If you want to learn more, his book Why Your Website Sucks is worth checking out.

While attending Blog World Expo last week, I went to a lecture on “SEO For Blogs”.  One of the important topics covered in that lecture had to do with the loading speed of a website.

I was already planning on writing a post about reducing load speed for the sake of your users (and preventing them from bouncing), but I was curious about what it had to do with SEO.

It turns out that Google announced last spring that a site’s load speed would be factored into their rankings.

So now you have 2 big reasons why you need to start looking at your sites loading speed:

• Load speed affects the quality of user experience
• It can also affect your page rankings for Google

Still not convinced?

Load speed can have a huge impact on the bounce rate of your readers.  If a page takes too long to load, then your readers will leave, without ever getting a chance to see your great layout or your fabulous content.

And if you need any more information, check out this page about why it is important  your page loads quickly.

How slow is too slow?

That same article also explains how specific load speeds relate to user experience.

In a nutshell, if your page loads in…

…0.1 second: the reader feels like they are in control (in other words, fantastic)

…1 second: the reader doesn’t feel interrupted (they expect a little bit of pause)

…1 to 10 seconds: that’s fine, they will wait (could depend on the reader though)

…more than 10 seconds: goodbye!  Your reader is gone.

What causes a page to load slowly?

The main problems are:

• Server Speed
• Plug Ins and Widgets

Having large images or too many images used to be an issue a few years ago, but no longer is.  However, they can cause problems for some people using mobile devices to access your site.

How can you decrease your loading speed?

Address the above mentioned issues.

• Choose a hosting service in the area that your target readers are in
• Or, if you already have a hosting service, you can test the speed of the service:
  • Read this link about how to measure server speed (scroll down)
• Don’t litter your site with videos, Plug-Ins, and widgets

Post videos on separate pages of your site, and simply include descriptive links to them on your main page to lead your readers to them.

If you’re going to insist “but my widgets are important!”, my best advice to you is… carefully evaluate which ones are most important.  Limit yourself to only one or two.

Ask yourself, are they really doing anything?  Do their benefits outweigh the cons (such as losing readers because of load speed – you can check your analytics to see your bounce rate) … You can also ask your readers if they ever use any of them.

It also helps to put any javascript you’re using after all of the content (for example, in the footer or at the bottom of the code).  If you put it towards the top, the computer will concentrate on loading that before anything else, but if you put the code at the bottom, then the rest of the content can load, giving your reader something to look at while they wait.

It’s about more than load speed: How fast can your users find what they need?

You should not only consider the speed at which your site loads, but also the speed at which your users can find what they’re looking for.

This means you need to have a website that is easy to navigate and user friendly.

Make sure that they can get to the information they are looking for as fast as possible.  Maybe your site does load fast, but they have to go through a long string of links before they even get anywhere.  Instead, make a positive user experience by having a transparent structure to your site, your readers know where everything is and how to get there as quickly as possible.

Remember – a blog is about communicating your thoughts and/or sharing your product with the world.  If they leave before the page loads, you never have a chance to impress them.  Shorter loading speeds mean that you’ll have more readers using your site, and will thus help you maintain a higher level of traffic on your site.

If you’re new to the world of blogging, you might not be sure where to start!  There are a number of factors you’ll want to consider.  I know sometimes it’s difficult to find very basic information, so I created a list of blogging fundamentals for those who need it.

1. Choose your topic

Choose something that you have passion for and that you know a lot about.  Down the road, it may be difficult to come up with a new post day after day, week after week.  But if you have passion for the topic and know a lot about it, then you’ll find things will be a little bit easier.

On the other hand, I will say that if you want to take a slightly different angle, you could instead choose a topic that you find interesting, but you DON’T know a lot about it.  The point of the blog would be to document your learning process.  For example, you could write it with a ‘for dummies’ type of slant.  Do your children tease you for not knowing how to use a computer?  Prove them wrong and write a “parent’s guide for using a computer” type of blog.

2. Choose your Domain Name

You don’t have to buy your own domain name, but many blogging experts out there will strongly suggest that you do.  Generally, domain names are not ridiculously expensive, although it depends on which name you want to use.

If you do use blogspot or another free blogging site, keep in mind that the blog name you use (ie yourblog.blogspot.com) could eventually become your domain name, if you change your mind down the road.  Having this foresight can help you brand your blog and create reader recognition once you switch.

Keep in mind that if you use blog spot for now, but then get a domain name, you could lose your page rank.

3. Design Your Blog

Many blogging platforms come with a list of free themes you can use.  If you lack layout design skills, pick one for now, as you will see in a moment, the main focus for you – as a beginner blogger – will be spending time writing and learning.

Choose a layout theme that matches the subject matter of your blog and/or that represents your personality.  Don’t just use the boring boxy default.

If you know how to make your own layout, then do it!  Originality is key, and that does not just pertain to the writing.

4. Write write write!

Build up content.  Write as often as possible and as consistently as possible.  If you can only write three times a week, try to spread out your posts, instead of posting three posts all around the same time.

Once you reach this phase, balance your time between writing and researching blogging.  Read up posts with blogging advice, learn how to design your own layout if you don’t already know how, and learn how to optimize your blog.

5. Start networking

Branch out with other bloggers in your subject area.  This may be difficult to find at first, but some thorough searching should easily help you find other bloggers.  There are a number of things  you can do, like submitting a post to a blog carnival (this helps others find you) or read blog carnivals to find others like you.

When you find other blogs, leave comments and be friendly.  Write something that actually makes sense and adds to the discussion.

These steps are an introduction to the world of blogging.  Once you have done all these, you can learn more about how to promote your blog, increase your blog’s traffic, and how to monetize your blog.

Sorry for the delay in posts!  I was attending Blog World Expo in Las Vegas.  I had a great time and learned a lot – and am armed with plenty more ideas for posts, so expect a lot more in the coming week!

I noticed some bloggers were asking questions simply about where to begin, so I’m composing a short Beginner Blog Check list (expect that tomorrow).  I’m also drafting some posts about reader impressions of a website and reader attention spans, among a few other things (inspired by some of the things I learned at Blog World).

So stay tuned!

Have a high bounce rate?  Maybe your text is too hard to read.

If you want your readers to stick around, you’re going to need to make sure they can read your blog.

One of the easiest things to do in regards to reader usability is to make the text easy to read, and yet I’ve seen so many blogs that are nearly impossible to read.

If I can’t read a blog, then I won’t read it – I’m gone.  Staring at a computer screen causes enough eyestrain as it is, I don’t want to be squinting at the screen trying to decipher text.

There are at least three things you should consider when determining the readability of your blog:

• Font Style
• Background
• Skimmability

Choose a Good Font Style

Who is your target audience?  Does your font really have to be Arial size 8?  Maybe you think the smaller font is cute, but if you are writing for older people, will they be able to read it?  They don’t even necessarily have to be old.  I’m in my earlier twenties and I find myself squinting at size 8 font.  Just make life easier, and at least go with size 10.

Also consider the font face.  Script fonts can look nice, and if you are going for a more antique feel, or a diary esque feel, you might want to use fonts that look handwritten.  Be careful doing this.  Fonts might look different on different resolutions and different browsers.  You can check your browser compatibility.  But ultimately, you should probablby avoid using a cursivey font.  They do look nice, so if you want to use them, use them sparingly, perhaps in your logo or your headings.

Also consider: sometimes people just do not have the font you are using.  If they don’t have it, then their browser will substitute a different font.  You can set which font the browser will go to in your html code.

Avoid Busy Backgrounds

Color plays an incredibly important role in readability.  Use colors that are easy on the eyes.  Red text on a blue background … probably not the best choice.  I would also avoid using dark backgrounds with light text.  This can also hurt someone’s eyes, especially if they are used to reading text on a white background.

Lighter colors are better, but if you really like the look of a dark background consider this: the page background can be dark, but you can use a lighter background for the area behind the posts.

You’ll also want to consider the pattern of the background.  Some very busy backgrounds can make the text hard to read.  If you want to use a patterned background, try making the area behind the actual text a solid color.

Make Your Posts “Skim”-able

The easier it is, the more likely people will read.  You need to entice them to read in the first place.  It’s like using a good cover to get a reader to open a book.  For blogs, you need a good layout – that is, an easy to use layout – to get visitors to read your posts.

I can never stress enough the importance of using shorter paragraphs.  Many readers just don’t like the long of long paragraphs.  They’re intimidated and therefore turned off from reading.  For more information, you can read my older post about how to write easy to read posts that appeal to readers.

It’s simple – easy to read posts make your readers happy, and happy readers will keep coming back.

As a blogger, you want to make money for writing, but at the same time, you might be worried about losing reader loyalty and credibility.  Balancing ads while maintaining credibility is a common concern of bloggers.

How do you incorporate ads onto your blog while still maintaining your readership?

View your blog from the reader’s perspective

Pretend you are a reader coming to your blog for the first time.  What do you see?  If you see more ads than original content, you probably have an issue.

Consider also what YOU like to see when you are reading other blogs.

Use Relevant Ads

You should do reviews that are relevant to your readers, of course.  Link to or review products that you feel will actually be useful or beneficial to your readers.  If you want to write about a product that you are not sure about, write the review as you see it, but encourage your readers to provide their own opinion on it.  This also encourages readers to comment.

Write Interesting and Honest Reviews

If you are doing sponsored posts, then think about how you can incorporate the links in a post that will still be interesting to your readers.  Sometimes, depending on the product, you can write a story.  You should always be honest with your readers and state your true opinions on the product.

Don’t hide the fact that you are doing a paid post.  Be sure to include a disclaimer somewhere on your site (or even within the post itself).  Honesty builds trust.

Chances are your readers will be hesitant to click a random link.  To make PPC and PPA type ads effective, you should convince the reader that it’s worth it for them to click it.  Don’t be pushy, don’t sound salesy.  Just be honest.  Don’t link to websites you don’t like – link to ones that you do, or ones that you think are good and helpful, and then just explain the benefits of that website in a short sentence.

Keep Producing Original Content

Don’t litter your site with ads.  You can still maintain originality and have ads on your blog.  Make sure that you post real posts in between your sponsored posts.

Also it helps to have a personal and original layout or theme.  Don’t just use a default theme, try to find a layout that is unique, that appeals to you and that reflects your personality, likes and interests.

I’ve seen a lot of blogs start making money with paid posts and all of a sudden, that’s all they post on their blog.  You’ll lose readers fast that way.

Use Less Ads to Make More Cash

Sometimes you can make more money by having less.  You might think that to increase the chances of readers clicking pay per click ads, you need to include more ads on your site.  But more ads might mean readers are looking at less.  They see the sections of the layout that contain ads, and just ignore it.  They don’t look at one of them.  However if you have two or three ads surrounded by content, they might be more likely to look at that s-ection of your site and click it.

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Ads can be really helpful for bloggers to make money.  If you are just beginning to use ads on  your blog, integrate them gradually into your site.  Start with less and build up.  See what your readers think – if anything.  Many of them are probably used to seeing some type of ads on a blog, which means it won’t be a big deal when they start seeing them on yours.