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The Brand Challenge; Adding Book Pages To Your Website

May 12, 2023 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as Denise M. Colby, Marketing for Authors, The Brand Challenge, website marketing

I 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.

What type of book pages do you have on your website?

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.

Where to deep-link your book and series pages for brand building

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.

Make your characters come alive by talking about them outside of the story.
Blog post or social media posts about the animals in your book (I have a rooster named Bert)
Blog post or social media posts for your characters occupation
Blog post or social media posts for the area or location in your stories (the one-room schoolhouse that was the inspiration to my story)

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

Frequent small steps add up over time

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.

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Use Your Own Photos As Background Images In Your Graphics

March 12, 2023 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as background images, Marketing for Authors, Social Media, Visual Content Marketing

Background 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.

What to use as a background image

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.

Exodus 15:2 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God and I will praise Him. My Father's God and I will exalt Him with ocean and beach graphic underneath — Example of a picture I took at the beach with a verse I added using Word Swag and posted to my social media

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.

One side with open laptop, other side with words What's All the Hype Over Keywords by Denise M. Colby — My Marketing for Authors branding colors are Teal, Black & White, so I choose these colors when creating my graphics

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.

Incorporating your brand in your background choices

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.

example of brick paper used for backgrounds in social media graphics — 12 x 12 paper that looks like brick

example of chipped paint on wood paper used for backgrounds in social media graphics — 12 x 12 paper that looks like brick

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.

My heroine's journal using the paper background — My heroine’s journal using the paper background

I used the picture of the wood paper in word swag to create this graphic — My heroine’s journal using the paper background

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.

Taking your own photos and using them as background images

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.

cobblestone street in background image with words steadfast written across — I took this picture of the cobblestone street near where the setting in my book is set in

Start seeing backgrounds in the world around you

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.

A little Disney magic in the background

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.

image of a coiled rope taken at Disneyland to use as a background image — Coiled rope photo taken at Disneyland

Coiled rope background image with a quote written over it — Coiled rope photo taken at Disneyland

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.

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The Brand Challenge Introduction

October 12, 2022 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as Author Brand, Denise M. Colby, Marketing for Authors, The Brand Challenge

This 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:

Create a new blog post this month about a character, your story theme, or genre you write in
Up your on-page SEO with each post and page (for help, I’ve created an On-Page SEO Checklist for you to download, and check out my past blog post Using a Blog SEO Checklist to Streamline Your Blog Post)
Create a book page on your website for every book you have or are working on
Link two or three pages on your website to one another using Anchor Text
Design a social media post about the genre you are writing in, or a book you’ve read recently

Pick One Task A Month For This Brand Challenge

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

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What’s All The Hype Over Keywords?

August 12, 2022 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as Keywords, Marketing for Authors, SEO Marketing

We’ve all heard these statements: Use keywords in your blog posts. Up your SEO game with the right keywords. Keywords are the key. Keywords matter. So what is all the hype over keywords?

Hype Over Keywords Blog banner with words What's All the Hype Over Keywords by Denise M. Colby and other side with back side open laptop

Here’s a simple definition:

Keywords are used in digital marketing to describe a word or group of words someone types in a search engine/search bar to perform a search.

As writers we use that search bar all the time for our research.

And that’s how our readers use the search bar too.

So when we write a blog post – think what your reader would possibly type in their search bar to find what you are writing. And use your search bar to test the keywords you are selecting.

The hype over keywords is no joke

Have you ever searched for something and had to change the wording several times to finally get to what you were looking for? That’s the keyword organization going on. The search engines have specific formulas to organize and index everything on the internet. When someone performs a search, they want to find relevant content. And why businesses in the SEO and search engine business hype the use of keywords all the time. And teach what they can on the subject. The better everyone uses keywords, the more organized internet content will be.

How do you write keywords?

Keywords are tricky. You can’t use the same ones twice. If you do, they sort of cancel each other out when being indexed. So, when you use only one word, it limits using that word ever again. So using two words and varying one of them for different scenarios would be a good strategy.

Another strategy is to not use words too broad or too narrow. Again, think about the terms you use when searching for similar topics. You want to land on the first page of the search. The more you research, you’ll start to see how to tweak and tailor your keywords to better fit.

Other tips for writing strong keywords

Make sure posts and pages are focused and related to only ONE main idea. When you figure out your keyword FIRST, you write your blog post differently.
Include your keywords in your title, first paragraph, a subhead or two, and the body text
Use other relatable words that support the main topic through the post/page
Include pictures that represent your keywords and add your keywords into the alt text
Keywords can be tied into your Category and Tag strategy as well, especially if it’s a topic you cover frequently
You could use your keyword phrase as your slug to keep things simple

Interested in learning more about SEO? Check out my Using a Blog SEO Checklist to Streamline Your Blog Post and/or sign up for my Marketing for Authors newsletter on my website.

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Using a Blog SEO Checklist to Streamline Your Blog Post

May 12, 2021 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as Blog SEO Checklist, Denise M. Colby, Marketing for Authors, SEO, SEO Marketing

Did you know that using an Blog SEO Checklist can help you streamline the time it takes you to build your blog posts?

We all know it takes time to figure out what we even want to write about, but then we also need to figure out all the SEO parts that support that particular blog post.

If we were to build the SEO as part of the blog post step, we’d save ourselves a lot of time and be more strategic and purposeful with what we are posting.

I don’t know about you, but it seems every month I forget how much time it takes to organize my SEO because I think about it AFTER I write the post. Sometimes it takes longer figuring out the SEO then it does to write the post and pull graphics together. And then because I’m entering it all last minute, I don’t think it through as much as I would like.

Screen shot of Yoast SEO Fields to complete for stronger SEO

I’m working on changing that and thought it would be helpful to pull together a checklist for all of us.

Focus Keyword:

Figuring out this first—even before you start writing the post—will help save you time in the long run. What do you want your focus word to be? Everything else should stem from this.

Category & Tags:

Knowing your categories and tags before you develop your blog posts help you be more strategic and set up an organization within your posts. In my classes I help you brainstorm and build out potential ideas for your blog.

Blog Title:

Make sure to put your focus keyword in your title and the first paragraph of your post.

Slug:

The slug should be condensed version of your title and/or keyword. See my blog post about slugs—URL Slugs: The Right Custom Slug Builds SEO or Custom URL Slug and How To Make One

Meta Description:

This is a summary in a small one-to-two sentence structure. Some use the first paragraph, some change it up. Make sure it includes your focus keyword, and remember this is the summary someone sees if they are searching the topic and your post appears on the search results.

Graphics Alt Text:

The Alt Text should have your keyword in it. If you pick your keyword last and already uploaded your graphics (see my three-part blog post about graphics and SEO) you might miss this opportunity to connect your graphics with stronger SEO.

Outbound Link:

Think of one link that would support your blog post (research, your own website). You can sign up for my Marketing for Authors Newsletter using this link to my website.

Inbound Link:

Think of one link within the blog website that supports your current blog post. Don’t forget to use Anchor Text. I did this in the slug section and the graphics alt text above.

How to Apply Your Blog SEO Checklist

I highly recommend creating a spreadsheet to keep track of what you use for SEO every post. It’s important that you don’t repeat the same words and phrases each time, yet build out synonyms and similar themes with your SEO to help establish your authority on certain topics.

If you have a notebook, you can download this sheet to write in the blanks.

On-Page SEO Checklist Download

a checklist of SEO fields to complete for your blog by Denise M. Colby, Marketing for Authors

Short on time? Take a screen shot of the data, or write it on a post-it note. Anything to help you keep track of your SEO. It’s all about building your brand, and your SEO strategy is a part of that. And using a blog SEO checklist is one way to help you develop this strategy.

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