Welcome to the Blog Improvement Resource List by Visionary Blogging. Use the resources on this list to improve your blog in every way.
Use the free 130-point Blog Improvement Checklist to help you plan and execute your blog improvement strategy.
All resources have been hand-picked. They are the best you can find anywhere.
The list includes 14 categories:
- Blog content improvement
- Blog design improvement
- Blog community improvement
- Blog traffic improvement
- Blog RSS feed / Atom feed / email subscribers improvement
- Blog search engine optimization (SEO) improvement
- Blog social media optimization (SMO) improvement
- Blog monetization improvement
- Blog value / return on investment (ROI) improvement
- Books about improving your blog
- Blog improvement videos
- Blog improvement organizations/associations
- Blog improvement services/products
- Blog improvement consultants/experts
Contact Easton Ellsworth if you have any suggestions on how to improve this list.
Improve Your Blog Content – 1 Resource
- Blog Improvement Checklist by Visionary Blogging – 130-point checklist plus instructions on how to rate and improve your blog in 9 key areas.
Improve Your Blog Design – 3 Resources
- W3C Quality Assurance Tools – Includes HTML markup validator, link checker and CSS validator.
- Best Web Gallery – For blog design inspiration.
- CSSMania – For blog design inspiration.
Improve Your Blog Community – 1 Resource
- Connie Bensen – Online community-building guru.
Improve Your Blog Traffic – 1 Resource
- Sitemeter. Free blog traffic counter. Provides basic analytics such as visitor referring URL, most popular entry pages and daily/monthly visits/page views. Premium version available.
Improve Your Blog Feed/Email Subscriber Numbers – 0 Resources
- Suggest a resource using the form above.
Improve Your Blog SEO – 0 Resources
- Suggest a resource using the form above.
Improve Your Blog Social Media Presence – 0 Resources
- Suggest a resource using the form above.
Improve Your Blog Monetization – 0 Resources
- Suggest a resource using the form above.
Improve Your Blog Value/ROI – 0 Resources
- Suggest a resource using the form above.
Blog Improvement Books – None (Yet)
- Suggest a resource using the form above.
Blog Improvement Videos – None (Yet)
- Suggest a resource using the form above.
Blog Improvement Organizations/Associations – None (Yet)
- Suggest a resource using the form above.
Blog Improvement Services/Products – None (Yet)
- Suggest a resource using the form above.
Blog Improvement Consultants/Experts – None (Yet)
- Suggest a resource using the form above.
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Thank you for helping to create this list of blog improvement links!
- Link dump below – we’ll fix the formatting ASAP!
- W3C Quality Assurance Tools – Includes HTML markup validator, link checker and CSS validator.
- Seth Godin – Description.
- http://www.doshdosh.com/persuasion-tactics-two-ways-to-improve-visitor-response/ – not strictly about monetization – focuses more on how to get better conversion rates in gernal – but nevertheless wholly applicable.
- http://www.doshdosh.com/6-ways-to-improve-conversion-rates-for-subscription-revenue/ – In a similar vein.
- http://www.cssglobe.com/
- http://www.copyblogger.com/copywriting-101/
- http://www.copyblogger.com/how-to-create-cornerstone-content-that-google-loves/
- http://www.communityspark.com/what-is-your-online-communitys-added-value/
- http://www.performancing.com/
- http://hive.performancing.com/
- http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/
- http://affiliate-marketing-forums.5staraffiliateprograms.com/
- 50 Questions to Evaluate the Quality of Your Website by Carsten Cumbrowski at Search Engine Journal – You can’t improve if you don’t evaluate. Carsten offers a great list of 50 questions to help you weigh your website (or blog) in the balance.
- http://training.sessions.edu/resources/interviews/interviews/michael_quinn.asp – Blue man group explanation of color choices and lighting and moods that colors set.
- http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/view/1480/153/ – “think pink” logo comes from here-has to do with home insulation.
- http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/view/818/152/ – Trendsetting and spotting the next big thing recommends www.trendwatching.com
- http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/view/970/152/
color names ipod colors, Apple failed to generate more $ because of poor color names. - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/view/953/152/
poor color names not communicating calm. - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/view/1105/152/
HILARIOUS! Good article explains a paint companies choice of paint names the history that is. - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/view/972/152/
Orange not popular, Apple says it however bus comp in England didn’t like it. - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/view/35/152/
Apple failing business came up with new color of computer sales were high. - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/view/1323/152/
our perception of tastes is directly influenced by color of drink - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/view/1388/154/
pros and cons challenges of colors? - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/view/1389/154/
trend catalyst and their impact on you. - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/view/1497/154/
what color does for your business sign up ad receive email (I did ask me for it) - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorpro/
blue is replacing the color green even in the environment and global issues. - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/viewsonhues/
giving color palette tips for a reader with undertone color advice. - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=826&Itemid=111
clever design and color of green and finding target audiences help sell more products. - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=4&id=45&Itemid=0
what color is your business? what message are you sending? 5 tips to help. - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=4&id=18&Itemid=0
product names and color communicating calm or not? - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=952&Itemid=111
cosmetics and selling better with better names. Only so many colors but different names will sell more. Red or Playboy…which will sell more? - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/section/1/106/
links to trends, accessorizing with color, fresh spring colors and colors for men and interviews. - http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/color1.html
how our eyes work (it is really our brains) in accordance with color and what it does to us. - http://arnonel.com/web-design/2007/color-meaning-symbolism-and-psychology/
color meaning and symbolism and choosing themes - http://www.pagepainter.com/blog/
color schemes and putting in swatch book and gallerys - http://www.colourlovers.com/trend/websitecolors/162/2007/11/24/Larissa_Meek
magazine cover colors - http://www.egopont.com/colorvision.php
color vision test ( I scored 100%) and difficulties in finding job and operating at normal level if deficiency - http://www.psycport.com/stories/ascribe_2004_07_14_eng-ascribe_eng-ascribe_014026_988726893508805748.xml.html
talks about color blindness and why it happens. - http://www.sensationalcolor.com/liveinfullcolor/use-color-to-divert-attention/
how to divert attention from unattractive areas. bold color we are naturally attracted to. - http://kuler.adobe.com/
exploring with color…looks REALLY helpful. - http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/ – Great resource for learning about plagiarism, how to avoid it and how to fight it.
- http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/category/5/43/144/
- http://cssmania.com/
- http://www.cssbeauty.com/
- http://logopond.com/
- http://www.thebestdesigns.com/
- http://www.cssreboot.com/
- http://www.unmatchedstyle.com/
- http://browsershots.org/
- http://www.elogodesign.com/logo-design-tutorials/
- http://www.webdesignfromscratch.com/web-2.0-design-style-guide.cfm
- http://www.webdesignfromscratch.com/current-style.cfm
- http://www.colourlovers.com/
- http://freelanceswitch.com/rates/ – hw to charge smarter rates for freelance work you might do to help monetize the blog
- http://www.cssbeauty.com/ maybe
- http://www.unmatchedstyle.com/ maybe
- http://www.designvitality.com/blog/2007/09/photoshop-text-effect-tutorial/ maybe
- http://www.sawse.com/2007/11/21/top-12-sites-and-tools-for-web-design-and-inspiration/
- http://www.colorschemer.com/ – Another excellent color resource.
- http://changingminds.org/disciplines/sales/closing/closing_techniques.htm – Sales closing techniques explained – how many? Why useful?
- http://biznik.com/learn/articles/marketing-sales/10-rules-for-effective-home-pages
- http://www.academictips.org/memory/index.html Enhancing Education – Blog content – Dozens of articles on how to teach by Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Perfect for learning how to make your blog content more powerful and memorable.
- WOMMA Library – Blog promotion – From the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA). “If you need resources on word of mouth, viral, buzz, or blog marketing, WOMMA’s Word of Mouth Marketing Library is where you’ll find them. Whether you seek information or inspiration, we’ve got it. Browse our one-of-a-kind collection of books, white papers, case studies, research, and more — all dedicated to word of mouth marketing.”
- WOMMA 20 Ethics Questions – Blog promotion – “Ask these questions before launching any word of mouth marketing campaign. Get answers from your agencies and vendors, as well as from their subcontractors. Think about the risks to your reputation before you cross any ethical lines.”
- WOMMA 10 Ethics Principles – Blog promotion – “Review these guidelines before initiating any contact with bloggers. Share these guidelines with vendors, agencies, and staff. Keep disclosure and transparency top of mind. Remember: Consumers come first, honesty isn’t optional, and deception is always exposed.” Blogs offering blog improvement tips
- Converstations by Mike Sansone – Business blogging advice. Epitome post/feature: (find one). (Suggested by Angela Maiers)
- http://cssmania.com/
- http://www.cssglobe.com/
- http://www.designflavr.com/
- http://daytipper.com/
- http://www.w3schools.com/
- http://www.slowdownnow.org/
- http://www.freshbooks.com/
- http://freelanceswitch.com/rates/
- http://www.echosign.com/
- https://www.printingforless.com/cardsbookmarks.html
- https://www.printingforless.com/cardspostcards.html
- https://www.printingforless.com/cardsbusinesscards.html
- http://www.cafepress.com/cp/customize/?viewall=true
- http://www.secure-ebook.com/index.jsp
- http://wglasser.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=1041.
- upcoming page: directory of blog consultants and blog consulting companies (with a suggestion form as well) – keep the contact info on hand and someday make a consortium?
- check out this free 10-page excerpt – Chapter 1 – of an ecxellent ebook called Save the Pixel by Ben Hunt. It makes a strong case for simplicity in design. Includes helpful before-and-after screenshots of some websites that Ben worked on forhis clients.
- Conferences/Events: SOBCon08 – I attended the first SOBCon in 2007. Incredible. (See my notes.)
- http://www.businessblogwire.com/2007/10/blog_make_difference.html – This is the one post that most epitomizes my blogging philosophy.
- http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/04/15/blog-tools/
- http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/01/23/blogging-tips-hundreds-of-resources-for-finding-content-for-your-blog/
- http://www.dailyblogtips.com/blog-tutorials/ http://www.matthuggins.com/55-essential-articles-every-serious-blogger-should-read/
- http://mashable.com/2007/07/30/make-money-online/
- http://www.instigatorblog.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-productivity-group-writing-project/2007/04/24/
- http://www.virtualhosting.com/blog/2007/the-ultimate-guide-to-blog-usability-36-tips-and-resources/
- http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007/04/05/the-ultimate-guide-to-getting-lots-of-link-love/
- http://www.dblogged.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-linkbaiting-resources/
- http://www.seomoz.org/article/beginners-guide-to-search-engine-optimization (follow links and add some here)
- http://www.seomoz.org/blog/21-tactics-to-increase-blog-traffic
- http://www.dailyblogtips.com/use-these-10-tips-to-write-your-most-popular-post-ever/
- http://www.seomoz.org/blog/10-remarkably-effective-strategies-for-driving-traffic Metrics
- http://www.seobook.com/bloggers – SEO guide for bloggers … pull from my old BBW/BTC content too …
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