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Feb242019 by Mike2 Comments

Beginner Blogger Tips (8+3 Bonus Tips)

Welcome new blogger! These beginner blogger tips are for you... Don’t be scared - you can do this! I remember the first blog I created and jumping into WordPress for the first time. I was, like, what’s THIS list of things??? My first blog was a hobby blog about a favorite topic of mine. A few years later, I started a business and am now running two blogs to help people on two entirely separate topics. The hobby blog was my proving ground, where I figured out what worked and what didn’t. Good times, low risk! You may be there, too, or starting out by diving headfirst into a huge blog or even a business. In either case I say "welcome, beginner!" Oh, in case you're wondering,…

Feb112019 by MikeNo Comments

Best Business Books for Bloggers

Best Business & Blogging Books

There are so many good books out there to help bloggers and bloggers with online businesses to advance. These books I highly recommend - they gave me the boost I needed to start my business and the inspiration to keep moving forward. I believe they'll help you do the same. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Will It Fly? (Pat Flynn) Stop rushing into businesses. ' Will It Fly? ‘ can help you make sure you’re really ready. Will your idea work, will it resonate with the market you need to reach? Pat’s book is full of practical suggestions, action-based exercises, small-scale tests, and real-world case studies. Pat’s the real deal, his book will serve you well! Your Best Year Ever (Michael Hyatt) Your Best Year Ever…

Feb62019 by MikeNo Comments

Why I love the CPR V10000 Call Blocker (2019)

Business Tools

Me before the CPR V10000: Arrgghhh, another spammy call Arrgghhh, another spammy call Arrgghhh, another spammy call Arrgghhh, another spammy call Me after the CPR V10000: "Sure is quiet around here" (Disclosure: this page contains affiliate links, which means if you buy from those links there is no extra cost to you, but I do get a small commission) FACT: I am just like you. I HATE robocalls. Like me, you probably noticed the frequency of these call increasing over the past few years. We both probably noticed autodialers and robocalls picking up during any political year. Not sure about you, but I finally thought about getting a call blocker. I was concerned, though, because a few years ago my research proved that the effectiveness and price of those systems…

Jan202019 by Mike6 Comments

Alexa Rank and the Worldwide Learning Curve – 2019 Style

Blogging Statistics, Website Growth

Quick time-out: Some of the links below are affiliate links. That means if you decide to buy anything from those links, I get a small commission. There is NO additional cost you for using them. You are awesome! OK, time-in. [su_dropcap style="flat" size="2"]S[/su_dropcap]everal years ago I started my first blog. It was a “hobby blog” that I was using to share my historical knowledge of a certain place I spent a lot of time at as a kid. It appealed to a certain audience and was mildly popular in small circles. I still blog on it today, and according to the Alexa Rank checker ( a Chrome extension), it’s the 4,464,447th most popular website in the world. Wow, for a teeny blog I guess that’s not bad (?). Well, maybe or…

Jan132019 by MikeNo Comments

Earn Money Online with a Side Hustle that Converts

Side Hustle, Affiliate Marketing, Business Ideas, LLC Formation

How to earn money online with a side hustle? Let's talk about that for a bit. First off, what is a side hustle? A side hustle is something you do in addition to your main method of earning a living - a way to earn supplemental income. Face it, there are many side hustle business ideas you're probably familiar with: Cutting lawns, placing and managing ATM Machines, working in retail, driving people around town, building online businesses, delivering packages, working at restaurants, renting out rooms in your house... the list goes on. Did you see the one in the middle there? "building online businesses"? This is one side hustle that is extremely popular, can be done remotely from practically anywhere, and allows you to set your own schedule. Beware, though:…

Jan12019 by Mike2 Comments

Food Bloggers Favorite Kitchen Tools (2019)

Food Bloggers

Food bloggers favorite kitchen tools. You know they have 'em. Why? Because they work! A food blogger cooks, a food blogger eats, a food blogger's workshop is their kitchen. None of them are going to skimp on the equipment they use. "The right tool for the right job" my father always said. It goes for workshops and it goes for food bloggers. What kitchen tools do food bloggers prefer? Grab a cup of tea and read on, because I scoured the first page of Google for "food bloggers favorite kitchen tool" and built a list of the results. It's a long list. My hypothesis was that each blogger would have a list borne of experience and wouldn't recommend them if they weren't invaluable. So, what did I find? Food bloggers…

Dec302018 by Mike2 Comments

Promoting Your YouTube Videos on Pinterest (2019)

Pinterest, Video, YouTube

Pinterest is a great neighborhood to play in, with tons of awesome graphics and links that take you off to sites full of information. Wait - everyone knows that video is hot these days, and YouTube is pretty much king when it comes to video. According to Forbes Magazine, "YouTube’s user-friendliness, combined with the soaring popularity of video content, has made it the second largest search engine behind Google." So you should know how to use Pinterest to drive traffic to your YouTube Channel! ANSWER: Here's my step-by-step YouTube Pinterest tutorial for promoting your YouTube videos on Pinterest: [embed]https://youtu.be/pIu5FX32Mys[/embed] But why put a YouTube video on Pinterest? If it's your video, you can raise awareness of your website AND drive more YouTube views with Pinterest. Your video should have a…

Dec22018 by MikeNo Comments

Why Have a Website Favicon? 2 Reasons

Website Page Speed, Favicons

Why Have a Website Favicon? Let's dig into that. A favicon, as you probably know, is the little image on the left side of your browser tab. It looks like this: How could this teeny little icon, which is extremely small in file size, help your website? In order to think through that, let me ask you two questions: Which is easier to identify with? Sites with Favicons: Sites without Favicons? If it were me, I would use a favicon as a form of Brand Recognition if for no other reason. It's a competitive world out there. What happens when someone tries to access a web page that doesn't exist? The site returns a "404 Error". This essentially means "hey I looked around but, really, there's nothing there". Now,…

Nov52018 by MikeNo Comments

Where Should I Form My LLC?

LLC Formation

Where Should I Form My LLC? Here's how I decided. (The following is for informational purposes and is not legal, tax, or financial advice) (Disclosure: this page contains affiliate links, which means if you buy from those links there is no extra cost to you, but I do get a small commission) In keeping with my vision to help you with continuing blogger education, today I want to provide you with some actionable information about starting an LLC for your online business. When you set up an LLC (Limited Liability Company) for your business, you have many decisions to make. One of those is choosing the state you form your LLC in. For most, your home state is usually the obvious and best choice. Yet you still hear about Nevada,…

Oct262018 by MikeNo Comments

Blogging Statistics

There's an old saying that figures lie and liars figure. Data is hard to trust sometimes, but when you get a well constructed and documented article about blogging statistics, you gotta dive in and see what it says. That's what I'm sharing with you today. The Big Blogging Survey from BlogTyrant is just such an article (reference below). Ramsay Taplin, who's been "dabbling with money making blogs" for a long time, surveyed 350 bloggers about goals and challenges. What he came up with is very enlightening and led me to several observations and questions. Here are my impressions. See what you think as I walk through the ones that piqued my interest. I'd love it if you'd share your thoughts with everyone in the Comments below! The Survey Results Blogger age distribution…