blog Archives - Tammie's Take~

Increasing Security On Your Blog’s Ecommerce Store

Reviews · December 21, 2018

If you run a blog with an eCommerce store then you may be looking to increase your security for the blog, especially in this day and age when fraud and online security is under risk from so many things. Here are a few things you can do to keep your details and your customers details secure.

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Security software

To stop unauthorised login to your blog you can install software for identity verification which will make sure that only authorised users are using the login. With identity software like Jumio it has 3 stages of verification where it will require ID, facial recognition and ID documentation which means it is pretty water tight when it comes to security, it also uses Netverify – Netverify can support a wide range of document types. These sorts of steps in security will be beneficial for you and your customers as it will reduce fraud with this identity verification service. Because when a customer makes a purchase it saves their data so you can process the order, anyone hacking into your blog will have access to their details and that can lead to fraudulent activities.

Use site encryption

When using a site for selling you need to make sure people’s personal information such as payment details are encrypted. Usually a normal unprotected site will only use http at the start of the of the web address, you see https then means the site is encrypted. It will usually cost more to have an https encryption but this will help to make your customers comfortable when making purchases and also help to stop any fraudulent attacks on the customers details.

Delete personal data

If a customer signs up to an account on your site or makes a purchase their details will be stored for future purchases and also for you to use to contact them or ship to them. If they stop using the site or delete their account, 9 times out of 10 their details will remain stored unless they directly request deletion. To help stop any fraud or security risks it is a good idea to set up for customer details to be deleted after a certain amount of inactivity on the site or after they delete their account. This will stop anyone that hacks you having access to their details and also helps the customers feel safe if they know their personal data is well managed.

Backup your data

Make sure that all your data is backed up. The last thing you want is for your blog to go down due to a server outage or anything like that and for you to lose everything. This also helps if you are hacked and they bring the site down you are able to have it up and running nice and quick. You can back your site up either by storing everything on your PC or getting your host to backup your files. Sometimes the blog manager you are using will have backup software built and automatically backup your files.

Customers will feel more secure purchasing from your site if you have all these things in place. It will also make your life easier if your site is secure, as you will not have to worry as much about your site going down or having your customers details compromised. If you follow these tips you will be underway in making your site safe and secure.

Things You Should Know Before You Start A Blog

Reviews · June 27, 2018

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Blogging can be whatever you wish it to be. It can simply be a fun hobby to fill your spare time, a useful marketing tool to promote your small business, or a small business of its very own to provide your income each month. Nowadays almost anyone can start a blog without too much trouble, but if you want your blog to be a success, then this requires a little more work. To help you set off on the right foot, here are five things you need to know before you start your blog.

You Need To Work Hard

Before you get too carried away, you need to sit down and really think about why you want to start your blog. If you think it’s going to be a useful way to promote your business or that its a fun hobby to fill your time, then great, but if you are simply looking to make money, then you might want to reconsider. There are lots of ways to make money online, and blogging is one of the hardest. Unless you’re willing to put the hours and energy in, it really isn’t for you.

Social Media Is A Must

Whether you like it or not, we live in a time that is utterly obsessed with social media. Because of this, you’re going to have to get a few pages of your very own. Writing and posting your content to your website simply isn’t enough; You also need to share it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This is one of the best ways to drive traffic to your blog. Just try not to spam your followers, or your efforts will have the opposite effect.

Try To Learn The Basics

These days, we have some pretty powerful blogging platforms, so knowledge of HTML and CSS isn’t always necessary. However, it is always better to read up on web development tips and advice and have a basic understanding of these skills. This way, you’ll be able to fix errors on your blog easily and edit the appearance of your articles. There are plenty of courses, both online and face-to-face, where you can learn these skills.

Search Engine Optimisation Is Essential

Despite what some people claim, search engine optimisation (SEO) is far from dead. In fact, it remains one of the best ways to boost your blog traffic. Because of this, it’s essential that you spend some time optimising your articles and blog for search engines. This can get pretty complicated, but you can easily find tips and basic ways to boost your SEO online. The first step is ensuring that all of your articles are original and include links to relevant content.

Starting a blog is easy, but it isn’t for everyone. If you want your blog to be a success, then you need to be willing to put the time and work in. You’re going to hit some roadblocks along the way, but try not to give up. If this is something that you’re passionate about, then it will be worth it in the end.

Mistakes All Blogger Make

Reviews · December 18, 2017

There are over 440 million blogs on the internet. Two million posts are published every single day, by people all over the world. Blog niches exist in every subject imaginable, and even large businesses are adding blog sections to their websites as they’ve realized how effective they can be. Bloggers can build trusting relationships with their readers, which allows them to create successful businesses, and more people than ever are proudly listing “blogger” as their profession. A serious blogger can work with huge brands, meet celebrities, get to try some of the best products and earn serious cash.

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In spite of this, new bloggers continue to make the same mistakes. Whether they want to blog as a hobby or turn it into a career, these mistakes can hold them back and hinder their progress. Let’s take a look at these errors and ways to avoid them if you are starting your own blog.

Thinking it’s Easy

This has got to be the number one mistake new bloggers make. They see others running successful blogs and getting great opportunities and assume it’s easy. They imagine that they are constantly getting approached by brands and that they get sent free things. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

These bloggers work for hours every day, writing, taking photographs, editing and publishing their work. They then spend even longer promoting the posts, growing their social media followings and giving the appearance of being online all of the time. To work with brands, they have to put themselves out there and pitch. To do this they need to find the right contacts and initiate relationships, and even then, they may find that most of their pitches are rejected or ignored. When a company send them a product to review, they have to put hours and hours of work into completing this review and claim the worth of the product as earnings on their tax return. Far from getting something for nothing.

The mistake of thinking that it’s easy sees up to 95% percent of bloggers give up within the first year, as soon as they realize that it’s not as simple as they thought.

Thinking People Will Read It

The second mistake, even for those that get past the idea that it’s easy, and are willing to put in the effort, is assuming that people will read what they write. They won’t. Without promotion, you may find that absolutely no one reads your content. Even with constant social media promotion, as well as finding other places, such as forums, to show off your work, you may find that the viewers trickle in and that most of them spend around 15 seconds on your site, without actually reading anything.

It takes time. Don’t stress over your stats. Write well, take your time, enjoy it and eventually, those numbers will start to increase.

Not Having The Right Help

When you first start your blog, you have to choose your platform. This determines how your blog will work, what you’ll need to do, and how much control you’ll have. You can migrate to another service later, but this can be tough, and you may lose some work and more readers. So, it’s a good idea to get it right in the first place. You could blog on Blogger or WordPress, build a website on Wix or start an ecommerce store with Shopify. Click here for more information about website builders, and try to think about what you hope to achieve with your blog and where you want to take it in the future before making your decision.

Not Creating a Brand

Many new bloggers spend the first year constantly changing their Logo, color scheme and theme if they choose one at all. This is one of the main reasons they struggle to grow; people just don’t know who they are. To be taken seriously and get remembered, you need to create an instantly recognizable brand, and it’s worth doing this at the very beginning. Spend some time thinking about how you want your site to look, make sure it fits your niche, style and writing voice and that it clearly defines you. If you struggle with the creative side of things, hire a freelancer to help you.

Writing Like Everyone Else

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It can be very hard to find your voice as a writer. Especially if it’s something that you’ve never done before. Bloggers often start out reading other blogs and trying to write like them. But, it’s important to realize that with millions of blogs, most things that you write, are already out there. What makes your blog different, and your content stand out, is you.

Popular Niches for #Bloggers – How to Build an Online Audience

Reviews · June 10, 2017

Blogging and Vlogging is a hugely popular activity in the 21^st century. Millions of people post their thoughts online, hoping to capture the attention of an avid audience. When a blog takes off, it can easily reach tens of thousands of people each day. You can also gain the attention of sponsors, which in time will help boost your revenue. However, if you have never started a blog before, you might be wondering what on earth to write about.

Read on for some suggestions on the most popular categories in the blogosphere. These are in no particular order, so take your pick and choose one that resonates best with your interests. After all, it’s truly painful to have to write about a subject you care nothing about, and if you want your blog to be successful, you need to keep it updated as often as possible!

Music

It should come as no surprise that music blogs are enormously popular. Most people love music of one genre or another. A music blog is a great place to review the latest album releases or create fan blog for your favorite artist. You don’t need to stick to popular music genres. Any type of music will do, from classical to hip-hop and rap. Write posts about the music you love and include lots of visual content. You could even upload videos of you singing along to your favorite tracks!

Fashion

There are loads of fashion blogs online. Fashion is an enduring passion for women, men, and kids. Use your fashion blog to talk about the latest fashion trends, catwalk collections, and your best fashion tips. Fashion blogs need to be image heavy, so take the time to add plenty of high quality photos to your posts, preferably images you have shot yourself.

Personal tips always go down well on a fashion blog. If you have an eye for fashion or you love to create cool vintage looks from garments you make or find in thrift shops, blog about it. Link your blog to social media sites like Instagram and Pinterest. In no time at all, you will have an audience ready and waiting to devour your posts.

Travel

Travel blogging has long been a popular way to post about our travels to far-flung places. What better way to keep family and friends abreast of our amazing adventures. Instead of sending text messages, we can write posts and include images of the places we visit and the wonderful experiences we have along the way. Travel blogs often focus on specific locations, but if you are part-way through a round the world trip on a shoestring, feel free to write about the countries you visit and the sights you see. Just make sure you take lots of photos to enrich your descriptions.

The great thing about a travel blog is that it can help fund your travel. This won’t happen overnight, of course, but once you build an audience, you can monetize your blog and use the money you make to pay for new trips. It’s the modern way to travel!

Wedding

Our wedding day is the best day of our life and, all being well, we only get one bite of the cherry, so we want to make the experience count. Are you planning your dream wedding? If so, start writing a blog and take your readers on an amazing journey from the moment you said “I do” to the day you return from a romantic honeymoon.

Blog about anything wedding related, from the latest wedding dress trends, men’s wedding ring’s to vintage engagement ring settings. As long as it is wedding themed, your readers will love it. You can also invite guest bloggers to contribute content. There is a big market for anything related to weddings, so it will be very easy to find people eager to write posts for your blog.

Parenting

Parents love to share their pain. Having kids is a life-changing experience and once you become a parent, it is only natural that you want to shout out about the good times or the bad times. Mommy blogs are very popular. Millions of parents use their blog as a way of staying sane and connecting with other parents in a similar stage of life. What you write about is up to you, but the best blogs are authentic and populated with useful, informative content.

Write from the heart and be honest about your experiences as a parent. Other parents look out for blogs that resonate with how they are feeling at a particular moment in time. Parenting is immensely rewarding, but never easy, so be honest and tell it how it is. If you have had a bad day and you want nothing more than a large glass of wine, tell your readers. Engage with them when they talk about their own families; you are all on this crazy journey together.

Tech

Are you an expert on tech subjects? Do you spend your free time surfing Amazon for the latest gadgets? If so, a tech blog will be right up your street. Talk about the latest technology and review gadgets. There is a big audience for tech blogs, but technology moves on very quickly, so you need to be willing to keep your blog updated as often as possible. Any technology-related subject will do, so branch out into any tech niche you find interesting.

One of the good things about starting a tech blog is that once you become a well-known blogger, tech companies will invite you to try out their products in return for a review!

Gaming

Are you a gaming fanatic? If so, a gaming blog is a top choice. There is an avid audience for gaming blogs that cover everything in the gaming world, including the latest console and PC game releases to Minecraft mods and hacks to help you level up faster on WoW. Add a range of content to keep your audience coming back. You can choose to specialize in one niche of gaming, for instance MMOs, mobile gaming, or your chosen console platform, or you can cover game news and reviews from all different sectors of the industry.

Local Blogs

A lot of bloggers find great success by creating blogs that focus on their local areas. These can work very well, as you have a very clear target audience. You can write about everything from upcoming local events to reviews of local restaurants and businesses, and you may find that you build up a community quite quickly who are interested in providing more content for you. You can also talk to businesses in the area who may be interested in advertising on your blog or sponsoring you. If you live in a city that already has good local blog coverage, you can consider looking at a specific niche within your local area and focusing on that – for example a blog about local nightlife, or a family oriented local blog.

Fitness

Whether you are really into fitness, or just starting out on a journey to a better body, a fitness blog can be a great way to keep yourself motivated and also share your thoughts on different fitness related products and topics. You can focus on a specific topic, like crossfit, yoga or bodybuilding, or you can cover a broader range of things, but readers do tend to find personal blogs about fitness really inspiring and useful.

Consumer Reviews

A lot of people look to blogs for information before they buy a product, and so having a site where you talk about and review different things you have bought or tried can be a great way to gain an audience. If you are successful and people come to trust your reviews, you may even find that brands want to offer you products to try and write about, meaning you could get some great free stuff! This can be a really good niche to get into if you want to make videos rather than write, too, as review videos can be simple to make and tend to be trusted more than written reviews.

Recipes

If you love cooking, and are always experimenting with new recipes, then having your own food blog can be a great way to keep your recipes together and share them with the world. You can put your favorite family recipes online, post recipes you have discovered while traveling, or create special recipes of your own. Whether you pick a niche such as low fat recipes, vegan food, or cuisine from a specific culture, or you just post the stuff you like to eat, you should find an eager audience looking for new cooking inspiration.

These are just a few of the niches that bloggers tend to do well in. In reality, anything you are passionate about or knowledgeable in can make for a good blog topic, so whether you choose one of these or something entirely different, be sure to enjoy creating content and make your blog as authentic and engaging as you can!

Boost Your Business With Brilliant Blogging!

Reviews · May 25, 2017

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When you’re running a small business, especially one that you’re running from home, you’re constantly looking for ways in which you can give it a boost. A lot of time the issue with that is that you simply don’t have the time or money to invest in the kind of large-scale marketing campaigns that more well-established businesses have access to. Because of that you’ve got to find ways of doing it without having to spend huge amounts of money. Not only that but you may also need the kind of marketing that can be achieved by a single person since, if your business is particularly small, you’re not really going to be in a position to pay someone else to handle your marketing for you. This is where blogging comes in! Blogging is one of the best ways to give any business a boost, but it is especially useful for smaller businesses. Of course, that doesn’t mean that just having a blog is all you need. Here are some things that you can do to make sure that your blog gives your business the kind of boost that it really needs.

Make your blog enjoyable to look at

People are shallow, that’s just a fact of life. People aren’t going to be interested in a blog that looks like it was made sometime around 2002. You need to make sure that you’re putting some effort into the overall format of your blog as well as taking care to make each individual post as visually engaging as possible. Don’t rely on huge walls of text, intersperse images in order to as some visual interest. There are plenty of sites like EyeEm for you to find fantastic stock images that will add a lot to your posts. You should also make it easy for people to navigate your blog and find older posts. That way they’ll be more interested in spending more time reading your content and become engaged in your business as a whole.

Make your posts topical

If you want the kind of traffic that’s really going to give your business the boost that it needs, you need to make sure that your posts are topical. Follow the news as well as the latest developments in your own industry and the world of social media. By being able to tailor your content around things that are newsworthy, you’re that much more likely to get a lot more traffic on your blog as a whole.

Make your content engaging and relatable

Above all else, the content of your blog needs to be something that people actually want to read. It’s one thing to have ideas for engaging and interesting blog posts, but it’s another thing entirely to be able to deliver on those ideas. Take some time to learn to write in a convincing and engaging manner. There are plenty of writing courses online that you can try as well as lots of advice all over the internet. Of course, the best thing that you can do is just to get started and practice as much as possible. Your writing might not be the best at first, but over time you’ll develop a style that works for you and for your blog.