I wanted to share a fun full circle moment. It has to do with the SEO I created in a 2019 blog post on my own website. And a current search in 2024. The SEO worked the way it should. Which is why I titled this blog post When SEO Works The Way It Should.
My youngest son had been helping me search for Christmas stockings on his own computer. We want to find one to match our current style. What we have are all Disney themed and have a character head at the top.
My husband and I first got our Christmas stockings the year we were married, which was 1995. A few years later, after our first son was born, we were able to add to the original set. We decided to purchase all that we could find for future children. We have six stockings in the set, with one being used for the dog.
In 2019, I had written a blog post about my favorite decorations at Christmas time. I mention the history behind our stockings and included a picture of our stockings. I added alt text for the photo and named it before uploading it. Other decorations are mentioned in the blog post, but it’s the stockings that are relevant to today’s post.
Flash forward back to 2024. When my son and I were googling Mickey Christmas stockings 1995, my blog post from 2019 popped up. It was a full circle moment. And it shows that if you spend the time setting up your SEO well, people will find your blog posts. This means it’s important to use phrases for your alt text on your images people would search by.
Denise loves to share learnings about blog and website SEO. She teaches classes on SEO and author branding as well. One of her blog posts is titled Why SEO Should Matter to An Author. Sign up for her Marketing for Authors newsletter on her website.
Denise loves to share about her writing journey (see all her posts here), including her word of the year (this year it is GROW), her debut novel When Plans Go Awry, and all the things in between. You can visit her at her website and blog at www.denisemcolby.com or on her facebook or instagram. Please note: some links include Amazon Associate links where Denise can earn from qualifying purchases.
0 0 Read moreAs a new debut author, it’s amazing how once you get the green light to publish, there are so many little details for an author to complete. And quickly. I’m in the process of building a debut author checklist to help me keep track of everything. One is specific to book launch, while the other is for a debut author overall.
I’m sure there are lots of helpful lists out there. I’ve seen many posts and emails related to this over the years. I’ve even taken lots of notes during workshops. But it’s sooo different when you are finally in that moment yourself.
So I’m compiling my own list and would love to have input from all the other authors who are part of this blog. Please share lists you use or your own ideas in the comments below. And keep reading to see if I’m missing anything.
Your book is being published, and you have a date. Now what? Here’s what I have experienced so far with my first book, When Plans Go Awry, launching June 4, 2024.
Are there other things you do with each book? Since I work full time and my son is getting married the same month my book launches, my husband and I agreed a book launch manager would be beneficial for my first book since I wanted to do an official launch team. Additional tasks for this include:
I’ve been working on this journey a long time and even though I’ve established my website and social media, I’m finding my debut author checklist is long for all the things I still want to do. Of course working on Book 2 is on the list, but there are other things that need to happen so I can maximize this first book launch.
Again, I’m sure there’s things I’m missing and I would love to learn what others have done or wish they would’ve done in the very beginning. Let’s hear it! Post in the comments below.
All-in-all, I’m enjoying this new stage of my writing journey, even though it’s all new for me and feels a bit never-ending. This year I chose the word grow as my focus word. As you can see from the list above, I am growing in lots of knowledge on how to be a debut author and manage a book launch.
If you are interested in joining my book launch team, I’d love to have you. Sign up on my book launch team google form. And have a chance to win the stuffed rooster.
2 1 Read moreI talked about a brand challenge a few months back to encourage you to try something new on your website to help you build content and SEO to support your brand. In this post I’m going to dive deeper with my suggestion to add book pages to your website.
First, were you able to do anything on the list from the first brand challenge? I’d love to hear about it. Let me know in the comments below.
Whether you did or did not, let’s try again!
It doesn’t have to be a lot of something, just one thing. Sort of like taking a small bite of the elephant. You don’t need to eat the entire elephant at one time. Many successful websites were not built in one month. They started somewhere first. Then changed or added pages or content later.
Last post, I gave generalized ideas, including adding book pages on your website. For this post, I’m going to expand on this idea.
Similar to a blog post, having a page that is focused on one main idea, allows you to use it as a link in other content. This isn’t usually something we think about when building our website pages. Deep linking is adding links that direct the reader to a specific page, not just the front page of your website. The faster they click to the content they want, the happier they will be.
Ideas for pages on your website include a series book page and individual book pages on each book you publish. You can add where to buy for that specific book on the page, but there’s so much other content that can be connected to these pages.
Create a social media post or a blog post on any of the content below and include a direct link to the book or series page it represents.
You can also add some of this content onto the book page itself to give additional context for your readers who choose to want to know more. It’s a way to connect with your readers or potential readers besides just the book.
Another option is to share research gathered for your stories. This could include research you weren’t able to add to your book but you’d like to share. Such when I learned about the first school-teacher who was trained from the school my heroine came from. So I wrote a blog post titled Harriet Bishop, First Public School Teacher in 1847
I know branding and dealing with your website can be challenging, I hope some of these ideas spark something for you to work with. Remember, your content doesn’t have to be perfect. It can even be something you decide to change later on.
I encourage you to do one thing on this list above to help build your brand. It may not seem much. It may seem overwhelming, or underwhelming. But if you do one thing this month, and then another thing next month. Pretty soon, you’ll have many months of blog posts and content that you didn’t have before.
Sometimes we feel this urgency to hurry up that adds extra stress we don’t need as we are busy writing our next book. I’m hoping these ideas help propel you forward in your Author career.
0 1 Read moreBackground images in graphics is something we don’t talk about much. Yet, when you see a social media graphic with a great quote, there most always is a graphic behind the words that helps communicate the message. So, if you plan to create your own graphics, choosing the photos you use in those graphics matter.
Nature is a popular choice, especially sunsets, sunrises, flowers, mountains or waterfalls. Images with animals are selected frequently as well, showing them all in their cute glory or in varying circumstances that can be funny or memorable. When we look at humorous posts, an image with a funny face or situation lends to the message.
The colors you use in your backgrounds is just as important. Sometimes the photo itself in the background may drive what color you use for your text in order for them to blend. But keep in mind, colors represent different things to people. Look up color choices, if interested in what emotion you want to convey in your graphics. And then choose your background image color accordingly.
I found this definition on the internet about using backgrounds in graphic design.
Backgrounds are the foundation of a successful composition. Background textures and colors create depth and contrast, allowing graphics to stand out and get noticed. Well-composed background images can help create space for you to overlay text.
Something to keep in mind is your brand. What is your brand? Specific colors in your brand? Do you have animals in your stories? Or what settings do you write most of your scenes? These all are ideas of what to use as background images in your graphics.
For example, if you write about cowboys, then horses and sunsets might be good options to include in your graphics. Every graphic should include your branding in some way. And think outside of the box a little bit to expand your branding content.
I found some 12 x 12 paper I liked and gave a historical look that I wanted in my background images. As I started using these to take pictures of books, bookmarks and other small items in my graphics, I liked the results.
Out of the few I first bought, I tend to use the same ones over and over because I like how the wood contrasts with all the types of images I’m creating.
If you know your brand and have a look, this is a great way to build consistency in your content. Try some things. It’s the only way to know what works and what doesn’t.
It’s important to note to not just find any photo off the internet. That’s actually taking someone else’s intellectual property. Instead you can find photos for free from certain apps, as well as purchase photos from several different resources.
Taking your own photos is a great way to create content. See if you can find things around you to be used as background images.
Some of this will take practice, but keeping an eye out for what you like is important. You have a brand and your brand is your style. Think about your readers, but I would focus on things that speak to you as well. A look, a vibe. All of which will come out as you build your content in your social media.
Be careful not to include anything people would be able to recognize. That’s not the point of a background image. And you don’t want something on your graphics that is someone else’s brand.
I’ve created a folder on my phone in my photos that is for background images. When I take a picture of something that I think would make a great background I save it in there so I can find it easily.
One of my favorite places to find image backgrounds is Disneyland. Everything is clean and colorful and there are lots of choices available, from rock walls, boards, or the pathways. If you look around you can see things that you hadn’t noticed before, but they are part of the atmosphere. That’s what you want for your background photos. Something that blends in nicely but is clean and aestheticly pleasing.
I love going to Disneyland and taking pictures of the things around me. Disney thinks through everything, and it’s given me some great ideas for image backgrounds. Here are some additional examples:
If you zoom in close on something it can provide a completely different perspective and make the perfect background image.
I hope these examples give you some ideas for you to use in your content in the future.
Thanks for reading!
Denise M. Colby loves to write blog posts on marketing and SEO. She also loves to write about her word of the year. She creates social media graphics to highlight quotes from her word of the year. Take a look at this blog post on her 2022 word Work for additional ideas. Or the graphics created for her 2021 word Wisdom using the 12 x 12 paper mentioned above. Check out the new ones she’s created for her 2023 word Change. Or see more on her instagram or facebook pages.
0 0 Read moreThis month, I’m introducing a concept called The Brand Challenge. It’s a way to encourage you to try something new on your website to help you build your brand.
Sometimes branding and dealing with your website can be challenging. The purpose of this challenge is to encourage you to just try. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It can even be something you decide to change later on. The idea is trying something new to keep propelling you forward in your Author career.
For a list to choose from, here are some ideas to help you with your Brand Challenge this month:
Again, I encourage you to do one thing on this list above to help build your brand. It may not seem much, or it may feel overwhelming. But just stick to one thing only for the entire month. Then do another thing the following month. Pretty soon, you’ll have many months of blog posts or content you didn’t have before.
I’m always amazed at how slow and steady can be the right way to approach brand building.
Sometimes we feel this urgency to hurry up that adds extra stress we don’t need as we are busy writing our next book.
I’d love to hear other ideas that can help you build your brand. Do you like the idea of a monthly Brand Challenge? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Blessings,
Denise
0 0 Read moreA Slice of Orange is an affiliate with some of the booksellers listed on this website, including Barnes & Nobel, Books A Million, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords. This means A Slice of Orange may earn a small advertising fee from sales made through the links used on this website. There are reminders of these affiliate links on the pages for individual books.
It was never going to be easy.
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More info →A Slice of Orange is an affiliate with some of the booksellers listed on this website, including Barnes & Nobel, Books A Million, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords. This means A Slice of Orange may earn a small advertising fee from sales made through the links used on this website. There are reminders of these affiliate links on the pages for individual books.
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