Angry Customers

How to Deal with a Bad Call

The following is from the Delphi Member Services handbook 1995. Information to help support agents handle calls.

Why is it important to effectively deal with upset customers?

Fact: 68% of customers will stop service as a result of rude, indifferent or discourteous service. (according to Rebecca L. Morgan, author of the book "Calming Upset Customers.")

Fact: Hostile people will call not because they are mad at you personally, but for a variety of other reasons. (ie. Their expectations have not been met regarding the service, they are already upset by someone/something else, they are frustrated, they feel they can manipulate you if they make a lot of noise or they are embarrassed at not being able to do something.)

Fact: You can't control a caller's behavior but you can change your behavior to avoid causing any more annoyance to the member.

My email signature when I worked at Delphi Internet.

Tips on handling difficult callers

Tone: People respond more to how you say something than what you say. If your voice is annoyed, impatient or condescending, the caller will become angrier. Raising the tone of your voice at the end of a sentence implies a question, not confidence. When your voice sounds assured, they will believe you know what you are talking about and will be easier to calm. It may also help to deepen your telephone voice. Lower voices are perceived as being more mature, confident, and in control.

Speed: Talk slowly, otherwise you will lose your listener and they will become frustrated.

Smile: When you smile, endorphins are released that make you feel better and calmer. The quality and tone of your voice improve when you smile. (advice from Jim Delande)

Breathe: Take a deep breath to calm yourself. When you're upset you lose objectivity. It is important to be calm if you're going to find a solution. (advice from Neovi Vrotsos)

Interrupting: This may induce more anger in an already upset caller. Interrupt with caution by prefacing it with, "I hate to interrupt, but...," or "Pardon me for interrupting.

Empathize: Showing that you understand how they feel, or why they feel that way is important. Empathy is a powerful tool in deflecting a caller's anger. (ie. "I understand your problem," or " can appreciate your frustration.") Always follow empathy with action. (ie. "I don't blame you for being angry...let me see how I can fix this.")

Avoid debate: Avoid causing defensiveness of any sort. Listen to the caller while they blow off steam and then take action.

Take control of the call: It is important to stay in control of the call. Remember that the anger is not directed at you personally, and you may be able to deflect much of its impact by staying calm.

It's nothing personal: The caller is not upset with you, they don't even know you!

Take time out: If you find yourself becoming upset, allow yourself a little time away from the situation. This will give you a chance to calm down before you return. (ie. "Let me check on this, please hold for a minute," or "I need to consult with a (supervisor/colleague), just one moment.") After a particularly difficult call, take a few minutes to collect and relax. Don't go into the next call feeling upset.

End on a high note: Always thank them for calling. The more positive you end the call, the better the member will feel about what took place.

Question and Answer

Q: What should I do when a hysterical member calls?

A: Empathize, state that you want to help, probe for more information, repeat the concern to make sure they understand, ask what they'd like to have happen, summarize actions, let them know you value them as a customer and end pleasantly.

Q: What if the member is ranting and not giving me a chance to explain or ask questions?

A: Use his/her name at the beginning of your sentence. Most people listen when they hear their name. (ie. Mr./Mrs. Jones)

Q: What if a caller is cursing at me?

A: Do not curse back. Compose yourself as best you can and avoid responding to abuse. It shows strength, not weakness, to stay calm in that circumstance.

By Michelle Campanale, Delphi Member Services, 1995.
Sources: Calming Upset Customers: Rebecca L. Morgan. Crisp Publications, Los Altos. 1989.
Solid Gold Customer Relations: Carol Sapin Gold. Prentice Hall, New Jersey. 1983.
How to Talk so People Listen: Sonya Hamlin. Harper & Row, New York. 1988.

Omdurman Reasonably Principle

Fake Name vs ChatGPT

One day I was creating various random words for testing and found this word: Omdurman Reasonably Principle. It was a weird-looking phrase. I decided to use it to create a Facebook page for testing - it basically ensured that it was unique and certainly something that wouldn't be mistaken for an actual business.

After many years, I thought it would be interesting to see what ChatGPT thought of the Omdurman Reasonably Principle. Perhaps AI will tell me it is relevant.

Omdurman Reasonably Principle Image generated by AI

ChatGPT Definition

Here is what ChatGPT says of the Omdurman Reasonably Principle:

The Omdurman Reasonably Principle is a principle of international law that states that a state has a duty to prevent transboundary harm caused by activities within its jurisdiction or control. The principle is named after the case of Omdurman, Sudan, where the Sudanese government was held liable for damage caused by toxic waste dumped in the Nile River by a subsidiary of an Italian company.

The principle has been recognized by several international courts and tribunals, including the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. It is based on the idea that states have a responsibility to protect the environment and prevent harm to other states and their citizens.

The principle has been applied in a number of cases involving transboundary pollution and environmental damage, including cases involving pollution of transboundary rivers and the dumping of toxic waste in the ocean.

The principle is an important tool for protecting the environment and holding states accountable for their actions. It helps to ensure that states take appropriate measures to prevent and address transboundary harm, and promotes cooperation among states to protect the environment.

In addition to the Omdurman Reasonably Principle, there are other international legal instruments and principles that are relevant to transboundary environmental issues, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution.

The Omdurman Reasonably Principle is an important principle of international law that recognizes the responsibility of states to prevent transboundary harm caused by their activities. It plays an important role in protecting the environment and promoting cooperation among states to address transboundary environmental issues.

AI Results

The way AI treats completely random words is terrifying. They do a good job making it seem like it is a legitimate word. I'd like to see a lawyer use this principle to argue their case. AI can take random words and apply them to actual legal precedents, creating new arguments that no lawyer has ever thought of. This could give lawyers an entirely new way to look at a case, allowing them to come up with solutions and arguments that they may not have considered before.

Banned at McDonalds

This site is banned on Mcdonald's WiFi

Mcdonald's offers free WiFi to customers at many of their locations. However, many customers have noticed that certain websites are blocked when connecting to Mcdonald's WiFi. This blog post will explore why this is the case and what can be done.

Government Regulations

Mcdonald's must comply with strict government regulations when offering WiFi to customers. Depending on the country, there may be regulations blocking certain websites. Mcdonald's must follow these regulations to stay in compliance with the law.

Parental Controls

Another reason why Mcdonald's may block certain websites is to provide parental controls for their customers. By blocking sites that are inappropriate for children, Mcdonald's can ensure that their customers have a pleasant and safe experience while using their WiFi.

Security

Mcdonald's also blocks certain websites to protect the security of their customers. Sites that contain malicious software can be blocked to prevent customers from unknowingly downloading viruses and other malicious programs.

CRYAN.COM is Banned!

Last week I was at Mcdonald's and connected to their WiFi to do some internet surfing while enjoying lunch. I was surprised to find that I wasn???t able to visit CRyan.com.

I don???t know why Mcdonald's banned this website. It would be interesting to find out what content they considered inappropriate for their customers. Clearly, the average user isn???t visiting this site long enough to use up bandwidth resources.

I wish there was a way for website owners to get additional information or appeal the ban. For now, you'll have to use your Cellular data to view the website if you want to browse the site while you enjoy your BigMac

How to Measure the SEO Performance of Your Website

Here is everything you need to know about relevant SEO KPIs.

How can you tell if your SEO strategy is efficient or not? With so many nuances in search engine optimization, it becomes difficult to relate the success or failure of your website with the SEO efforts. There are many other factors besides SEO that also affect a lot of essential metrics. The best way to measure the SEO performance of your website is through key performance indicators. Let's find out the most important SEO KPIs and how they affect your website.

What software to use to measure the SEO performance of your website?

By far, the best software on the market is Google Analytics. While there are other platforms, Google Analytics is built explicitly for this type of research. It provides complete visibility to all SEO aspects and substantially simplifies the tracking process.

Additionally, there are other platforms like Serpstat or Ahrefs. If you find that using multiple platforms helps, we advise you to do so.

Use Google Analytics to efficiently track relevant SEO metrics.

Another piece of advice is to learn how to use Google Chrome inspector to inspect your website. This free tool will significantly help you when doing any website audit.

Find out your website's search ranking

Let's face it, at the end of the day, you want to see your website at the top of the search ranking list. That is a clear sign that your SEO efforts have paid off. Whether you are measuring the traffic, leads, or conversions, none of that can achieve satisfying results without ranking your website high.

In order to track the website's ranking, it is crucial to have important keywords in mind. The idea is to see how your website and specific pages rank for exact, relevant keywords. That will tell you everything you need to know!

A good advice is to use social media to boost organic traffic. A huge benefit of social media profiles is that they always attract interested followers. All you need to do is to connect them with your website.

Measure organic traffic

Having a high organic traffic rate means your website naturally attracts relevant visitors. You could not wish for a better thing to happen. Organic traffic is probably one of the most important SEO elements.

The easiest way to measure organic traffic influx is to use Google Analytics. Navigate to the Audience section, and select Overview. From there, you can click on Add Segment and add the Organic Traffic metric. You will get a detailed report showing your website's organic traffic activity.

Organic traffic is one of the essential SEO KPIs.

Also, measure branded traffic

Branded traffic comes from keywords related to your brand's name. Navigate to the Google Search Console, and create a Performance report. Here is where you need to add all brand-related keywords. Do not forget to add misspelled keywords as well because sometimes people make mistakes when typing.

Search engine visibility

If you want to know how well your domain ranks for specified keywords, you need to track search engine visibility. This metric is so important because it can show early results. So, to measure the SEO performance, collect as much data as possible from this metric.

Furthermore, you should also use the Google search console to learn everything about search engine visibility. Simply pull the Performance report, and review the Total Clicks and Total Impressions.

Link monitoring

Links connect all of your website's pages. They also connect your website with other relevant sources of information. They are the main element of the internet and a crucial part of On-Page and Off-Page SEO.

Because of how important they are, people think having as many backlinks as possible is good for their websites. However, that is not entirely correct. If you gain one hundred low-quality links, that will only ruin your website authority and lower the SERP ranking.

You want to target high-quality backlinks that come from relevant websites. The best way to track the quality score of your backlinks is with the help of various SEO tools. You want to look for the link authority index. The higher it is, the better. You can also check your domain name and see how strong your link profile is. That will directly depend on the number of high-quality backlinks that link to your website.

Measure average session duration

Whenever someone visits your website, they spend some time checking out your content. They can stay on one page or check out multiple pages depending on their interests. From the moment they land on your website, they start a session that ends when they leave.

It is imperative to measure the average session duration. You want to know how much time visitors spend on your website and what they are doing. An excellent way to accomplish longer sessions is to structure your website and give it some depth. Add your main navigation, breadcrumbs, and all sorts of different functionalities.

Average session duration will tell you how interested people are in your website.

However, keep in mind that building a complex website with a high number of pages does not mean it will efficiently keep the visitors longer. Think about link depth and how relevant those pages are. You want to provide quality content. Without it, no one would have a reason to stay there longer.

Be mindful of the bounce rate

A bounce happens when a visitor lands on your website and closes it immediately. That can occur due to multiple reasons:

• Slow page-loading speed
• A low number of relevant pages
• Content that delivers too fast
• Misleading titles
• Irrelevant traffic
• Technical issues with the website
• Wrong redirect from a different website
• Single-page websites
• Poor UX experience
• Low-quality content
• No mobile optimization

All of these reasons will push away the users from your website. A high bounce rate means you are not delivering quality. This metric will seriously affect your SEO ranking. If you notice a high bounce rate, try to figure out why it happens and how to solve the issue.

Hire professional help to make your SEO deliver

As an example, let's say you are running a moving business. You want to optimize your website for keywords relevant to the moving industry, but you are not sure whether your strategy is good or bad. In this case, hiring SEO services for a moving company would be a good approach. You need a team that gets results and saves time and money. If you are unsure how to track relevant SEO metrics accurately, always consult a professional.

Do a regular SEO audit to achieve the best results

As the final piece of advice, it is necessary to regularly do SEO audits. When you measure the SEO performance and get results, use them to fix SEO issues on your website. That is the best way to stay up to date with the latest SEO trends and ensure your website always ranks high!

What to do when your on Furlough

Things you Should Not Do

Furlough is a temporary leave of absence from work that is often used as a cost-saving measure by employers during difficult economic times. While on furlough, employees typically do not work and do not receive their usual salary or benefits, but they may be eligible for government support such as unemployment insurance.

Here are some things that employees may be able to do while on furlough:

• Look for new employment: While on furlough, employees are generally permitted to look for new employment, as long as they are not working for another employer during their furlough period.
• Participate in certain activities: Some employers may allow employees to participate in certain activities or training programs while on furlough, as long as these activities do not interfere with their ability to return to work when their furlough period ends.
• Receive government support: Employees who are on furlough may be eligible for government support, such as unemployment insurance, to help them financially while they are not working.

Here are some things that employees may not be able to do while on furlough:

• Work for another employer: Employees on furlough are generally not allowed to work for another employer during their furlough period.
• Perform their usual job duties: While on furlough, employees are not expected to perform their usual job duties or work for their employer in any capacity.
• Receive their usual salary or benefits: Employees on furlough do not receive their usual salary or benefits from their employer, although they may be eligible for government support.

It is important to note that the specific rules and restrictions of furlough can vary depending on the employer and the employee's individual situation. Employees should consult with their employer or HR representative for more information on what they can and cannot do while on furlough.

99% Of What's Taught In SEO Is BS.

Here's What Actually Matters.

When I talk to aspiring marketers who want to learn SEO, I often hear the same things. Ramblings about useless tools, shiny objects, and obsessions that will never get them anywhere. Why is this happening?

There's So Much Focus On The Wrong Stuff

The majority of what is covered on YouTube, podcasts, and articles online is fluff. Think about it for a moment. When was the last time you read an article that gave you real, practical steps to improve your SEO that worked?

Unfortunately, many of the so-called "SEO experts" don't teach any helpful information, whatsoever. It's all not related to your business, or it's all centered around tools.

Tools Don't Get You Traffic

I think SEOs like talking about tools because they are cool. It's fun to imagine there are these "shiny bullets" or "secret buttons" that will finally rank your website #1. But the real world doesn't work like that.

I know several SEOs (myself included) who have ranked many businesses in Google without ever using a keyword research tool. These tools don't solve any problems in the SEO process. (Hot take, I know)

Hear me out.

When it comes to keyword research tools because they are commonly taught by many SEO instructors they are useless. You, your competition, and every other business in your niche are using them. Because of that, you're all getting the same topic ideas and keywords!

Now imagine if your competition is trying to create content about the same topics yeah, you're going to have a bad time!

So what gets you results? And what should you do to come up with content topics instead? Well, I'll be getting to that in just a second. But first

You need to stop listening to the majority.

Podcasts Suck...For A Lot Of SEOs

When I ask business owners or marketers where they are learning SEO, I hear "podcasts" more often than I used to.

There are a lot of issues with trying to use podcasts to learn search engine optimization as a skill.

You'd be surprised how many SEO podcast websites I've visited where it's nearly impossible to find episode 1, or they don't even have it listed in their catalog of episodes. On top of this, though, podcasts aren't in any sort of logical order. Oftentimes it's just random topics depending on who a podcast host is interviewing any given week.

There isn't any rhyme or reason to what they are teaching, and this makes the process of learning SEO overwhelming, daunting, and more complicated than it needs to be.

Okay, but what about video?

YouTubers Need Content

Unfortunately, video isn't much better. Not only do you encounter the exact same issues that you would with podcasts, but YouTubers need content. That means they're going to try and talk about as many things as they can about SEO.

To illustrate this point, I did a search on YouTube for "SEO beginner guide". Here are the 3 results that pop up:

Clicking on the first result leads me to a video from Ahrefs. Thankfully, they have timestamps on their video so it's easy to skip around and see what they are talking about. This reveals an unfortunate truth: 99% of the video is not important and is a waste of your time!

They are teaching exactly what I mentioned earlier: using shiny objects (their keyword research tool.) In fact, the majority of the video takes place inside of their tool. Again, using a tool doesn't get results.

I will give credit where it's due. They do talk about a few valid things like guest post outreach and analyzing search intent. But these are two very short portions of their overall long video, clocking in at over an hour and 57 minutes.

You also have to be wary of channels that are trying to go out of their way to sell you on courses. They'll give you some information, but never the bigger picture without buying their "magic bullet" course that solves SEO once and for all for you. And when you do actually dish out a ridiculous amount of money to buy their product, it's a rehash of all the same information you've already heard before.

My Hot Take: Google Algorithm Updates Don't Matter

Nearly every SEO book, YouTuber, or podcast I've encountered talks in great length about algorithm updates. Most SEO instructors go deep into the history of SEO and how things used to be. But here's the thing: That's literally useless information. I know this is a "hot take", but I have a really big point to make.

Yes, the SEO space grows, changes, and evolves over time. Technology is a chaotic space in general, and search engine optimization falls under the tech sphere.

But what if I told you that not only is there only one thing you need to do with SEO, but that it hasn't changed since the 90s? Would you believe me?

Okay, So What Should I Actually Do?

Here's the truth:

99% of real SEO is content.

Yes, all you have to do is publish valuable content that answers searcher's questions.

This is literally all SEO is, and it hasn't changed since the inception of Google. Publishing 3-5 high quality, original blog posts per week gets you the results you want for your business or website. This is where the majority, if not all of your focus should be when it comes to search engine optimization.

Yes - You Need The Basics

Now make no mistake, you still need to have a strong foundation when it comes to your website. Having a secure, functional, and optimized website is key. You should have a sitemap, a SSL certificate, fast page speeds, and keywords specified for your content.

But this is only 1% of the battle.

Content Is The Only Thing That Ultimately Matters

Even if you mess up everything else, having content still gets you results. Content gets you traffic from Google, which gets you conversions (or people doing what you want them to.) Good content answers questions consumers have in your niche or industry.

The internet is made up of content, and if you want results from Google you have to create it, too. I think people get intimidated by the idea of creating content, but it's actually quite easy to do. All you need is 30 minutes and Google Docs, and you can effortlessly write up an excellent piece.

Most of us are in business because we are passionate about what we do. We already ramble to our relatives and friends about it, so why not write about it too? When you provide value to searchers in your niche, you quickly build trust and authority with not only search engines - but real humans too.

I know a lot of marketers and business owners dread the "C word", but it really shouldn't be that way.

Why Content Should Excite You

Again, I know producing content can look daunting. But instead of associating negative feelings with it, you should associate positive ones instead. After all, once you see the bigger picture content becomes incredibly exciting!

First of all, content does many things simultaneously. As a new SEO, you don't necessarily see these things from the outside looking in. But content does all of these things:

• It brings people into your website (this happens 24/7, 365 on complete autopilot)
• It automatically builds trust, authority, and credibility with prospects (turning them into paying customers for you!)
• It shortens your sales process and saves you time in your business (customers will already know the answer because of your content)
• It is an asset that becomes more valuable over time for your business
• It can automatically move prospects along in your sales funnel

But besides all this, there is another reason that content is epic.

The Content Compounding Effect

This is a term I coined over at Local Rank Ninja called the "content compounding effect." Not enough people talk about this in the SEO space online. But content does something incredible.

To explain this, I'm going to illustrate an example.

Let's say I just started a new website, and I have 10 pieces of content published.

Now let's pretend that each piece of content brings in 10 visitors per month.

Well, that's easy mathright?

1. x 100 = 100 visitors a month.

Not very impressive, sure.

But now let's pretend I publish 100 posts in total.

Naturally, we'd follow the same formula.

So 100 x 10 = 1,000 visitors per month.

Because something happens when you consistently publish content over a period of time.

Because you've done so, now you are an authority in the eyes of Google's almighty algorithm.

Instead of each post bringing in 10 visitors a month, let's say each post is now bringing in 25 visitors a month.

Well, that means you now have 2,500 visitors a month coming into your website!

And again, keep in mind that this is happening 24/7, 365 on autopilot - without you paying a dime.

Except it doesn't stop there.

As your domain ages, and more people online link to your content it builds up even more authority. So a year from now, these same 100 posts may now be bringing in 5,000 visitors a month instead of 2,500. Not to mention we've assumedly published more blog posts since then.

That is why content is the ultimate tool for any marketer - let alone SEOs!

Yes, You Need To Have A Blog

When I explain this to business owners, a lot of them are on board until they hear the word "blog" and then they seem to become disconnected. But it's important again to understand the *why* here. You see, a blog is just a page on your website.

Blog posts are much like web pages, except that they're time sensitive or related to a date. All a blog page is is a list of curated pieces of content. Your website automatically updates this page.

It seems like many business owners and marketers believe a blog isn't relevant to their business, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.

Back in 2016 I ran a computer repair business. I was 19 at the time, and trying to outrank all of the competitors in my city. The way I did this and jumped to the #1 spot was by having a blog and publishing helpful articles.

I still remember one of my best posts was "How to troubleshoot your laptop's WiFi adapter". That post brought in 100s of prospects to my website a month, and gave me the authority I needed to outrank established businesses that had been #1 for over a decade.

You see, it doesn't matter if you're a pizzeria, an ecommerce store, or a different type of business altogether. A blog can 100% be relevant to your business. It's about demonstrating your authority and showcasing you know what you're talking about.

None of This Matters If

Now I am going to throw a caveat in here. Content is 90% of the battle, but there's still 10% you need. A perfect SEO painting consists of three colors.

The Three Cs

You need to have all three of these things in place to rank #1.

Content

We just covered this in-depth, but content really is the bread and butter of our SEO process. Without it, we're failing our attempt to build authority with search engines and humans. Answer questions consumers have in your niche consistently over time.

Creativity

This one is important, and not talked about enough. You can have educational content, but it definitely shouldn't be dry. Having the ability to explain things in a simple, easy to understand way is everything.

Additionally, you should be able to separate your content from everyone else's. Design a featured image. Lay your content in a format that is easy to digest. Separating yourself from your competitor's content is important if you want to stand out.

Clout

Ah yes, this is a perfect example of a feedback loop. While you *will* get this over time from publishing content alone, we want to go out of our way to establish this as early on as possible. You need your name out there in your niche or industry.

Doing things like going on podcasts, guest posting to other websites, and creating YouTube videos are all perfect examples of generating clout around your brand and business. Having mentions of your name and website across the web build E.A.T. (Expertise, Authority, and Trust.) Google wants to see this if their algorithm is to consider you an authority in your space.

Notice by the way as a side note, that all three of the methods I just mentioned still involve creating content!

An Important Question To Ask Yourself

Stop reading for a moment and have a serious discussion with yourself. Do you have all three of these things in place? If not, that should be your next step with your SEO. Before you do anything else, having the three Cs builds authority.

Remember: The average time marketers agree it takes to see results with SEO is between 6 months to a year. So the sooner you do this, the sooner it's done and you can shift your focus to content publication.

If you have these three things in place, you can easily achieve your business goals.

Content Solves The Link Problem

"But wait, Gabriel" I hear you saying. "I need backlinks to increase my website authority, or search engines aren't going to give me a chance!" Well, Google actually likes guest posting, since you're still answering searcher's questions with high quality content.

It's a win-win. Website owners get free content and you get some mentions or links back to your website. Again, we're still working with content here.

If all you do is spend time writing - that's time well spent! I know sometimes it can feel like you're not achieving anything since SEO takes some time. But keep at it and remember that this is proven to work.

You Need To Start Writing

Okay, hopefully I've motivated you to get writing. I have a couple suggestions for making the content creation process easier. These are things that will save you from headache and frustration later on.

Write Your Content In Google Docs

I learned early on the hard way what happens if your connection gets interrupted from the WordPress dashboard. Always write your content in Google Docs. It's free, and all you need is a Gmail account.

Google Docs automatically saves your work as you go, so you don't have to worry about losing your blog post halfway through. It also has a share option, so you can easily collaborate with your team or employees and get content done quickly. For guest posting, this is especially useful because you can share the post you are asking them to publish. Site owners like looking over the content before making a decision.

Include Images Every 3-5 Paragraphs

Nobody wants to look at a wall of text! Seriously. Your goal should be to make the content non-intimidating from a glance. Images not only add personality and expression to your content, but they make your content easier to skim.

You can take images yourself, or use stock photos. Pixabay is a great website that gives you free stock photos you can use. Additionally, you can always pay for these but they do get expensive the more you have.

Cite Your Sources

Are you mentioning a statistic in your industry? Or perhaps you are making an argument. Either way, you will want to make sure you state your sources - just like how you were taught in high school. By doing this your content is higher quality and it shows you've done your research.

Good content often has outbound links (or links pointing to other websites) so you need to make sure you include these. This brings me to my next point.

Interlink Your Content Together

Remember: You want your website to be *the* "go to" place for this topic. As you publish more and more articles, you will start to be able to cite yourself. I know that sounds funny, but it's important. Your goal is to ultimately build an educational resource that informs prospects and searchers as best as you can.

Pro Tip: Include An Author Box

An author box, or author bio is a tiny box at the top or bottom of your content. Typically it has the article writer's name, photo, and a brief segment about them. Not only does having an author box build E.A.T., but it also makes you more personal to readers.

They get to see who you are and a little bit about you. This is another one of those things that build trust and authority with both humans and search engines. You can add this for free inside WordPress with the

Conclusion

The majority of what is taught to beginners is fundamentally flawed in the SEO industry. So-called "SEO gurus" are more interested in fueling their wallets than teaching you what actually works. By focusing on content creation, you can grow your business without having to feel overwhelmed or intimidated.

Content moves the needle the most and 90% of your time should be spent on it as a bare minimum. Content is exciting, and when you understand the bigger picture it becomes easier to push yourself to publish blog posts, even if you don't see results in the beginning.

Want To Be A SEO Ninja?

If you want to discover powerful, proven, and effective SEO strategies check out my new book the

In it I teach what real SEO actually is, and how to spend your time doing the things that move the needle the most for your business or website.

Mixing Babies and Business

Start a New Business Anytime

The best time to start a new business is when you have a good idea and are in the right place at the right time. And though being home with a baby may not feel like the best time, in many ways, it can actually be a perfect time.

You have a newborn you don???t want to leave, you have an opportunity to work from your own home office, and you have a great idea for a business. All you need are a few pointers on how to make that happen.

cryan.com is a website that brings you lots of great information about a variety of topics. Check out hundreds of blog posts to keep you informed and up to date.

Pace Yourself

Those first weeks home with your newborn should be spent healing, adjusting, and bonding. But there are still a few beginning steps you can work on in that time that won???t feel too stressful.

Brainstorm your business idea on paper and pencil or even when you???re rocking your infant to sleep. Write down everything you come up with, then begin narrowing each idea down until you have one that you feel is both something you???d enjoy doing and can execute from your own home office with the resources you have on hand.

Write a business plan next. This will take several weeks since it involves some research. Your business plan will be your roadmap or blueprint for how you???ll bring your business idea to life. You???ll include things like how you plan to market your business, where you???ll get the funding, and what your long-and-short-term goals are. You can find online templates that can guide you through how to create one and how to make it look professional if you plan to present it to investors.

Mixing Baby and Business

Not only does your home office have to work for you, like ergonomic chairs and proper lighting, but it also needs to work for your baby. When child-proofing your home office, clear out everything from the room so that it is clean and safe, and get rid of any sharp objects or anything that can fall over. Remove anything fragile or breakable (especially if there are other small children in the home). Ensure there is no open flame in the room (e.g., candles or fireplace). And once your baby starts to crawl, make sure there is enough space for them to move around and play safely in the room.

Baby monitors will be one of your most important pieces of office tech. High-definition video monitoring is now the standard, and many are now app-enabled or have Wi-Fi capabilities. Also popular is a digital video camera system that uses your existing wireless network, allowing you to use your computer or smartphone as the receiver. And some models even have an adjustable sensor that monitors the temperature in your baby???s room.

You???ll want to dress professionally since you???ll probably have people in from time to time, appear in video conference calls, or just because looking professional makes you *feel* like a professional. And then there are times when just a classic t-shirt is what you need. Fortunately, you can look great while still being able to breastfeed or pump with stylish and comfortable maternity clothing and easy-to-use and supportive nursing bras.

Helpful Business Tips

With all the worries that naturally come with being a new mother, it???s best if you can reduce the number of business worries you could face. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take that will alleviate some of those for you.

How you structure your business can be important since forming it as an LLC, for instance, reduces your personal liability since it keeps your personal and business assets separate. It???s also easy to do it yourself, so you don???t have to hire an attorney, and there is less paperwork and a lower tax burden, too.

And take advantage of free and easy-to-use business apps like invoice generators that keep track of payments and receipts for you, PDF conversion tools that allow you to convert all your business and marketing files into PDF form for easy sharing, and Facebook ad maker apps that help you market on the biggest social media site in the world.

From baby-proofing your office and using smart business practices like an LLC business structure and fee apps to practical and stylish clothing and state-of-the-art baby monitors, your dream of combining motherhood with a successful business is well within your reach.

Halloween Trunk or Treat

Disney Haunted Mansion Theme

Our family participated in a trunk or treat at my daughter's school this year. Our theme was Disney's Haunted Mansion, which was appropriate since that is our favorite ride, and we had plenty of Haunted Mansion items around the house.

We took this picture of our car moments before Trunk or Treat began just to show you how it looked.

Four Things We Learned.

There wasn't enough candy! The event was two hours long and after the first hour, we were out of candy! We had plenty of toys, or as I called them "tricks" to hand out, but we didn't have enough candy! There was a bowl of candy in front of the car that was available for kids. I think it would have been better if we had actually handed out candy to the kids. Quite a few people grabbed more than one prize.

Amazon Prime - Our decorations for the Haunted Mansion were mostly items that we acquired from Amazon. Most of the items we purchased were for a Haunted Mansion birthday party. Only one of the items that we purchased said Happy Birthday - we decided not to use it.

Bring Extra Batteries - There was one item that we opened at the event that required batteries and we did not have any extra batteries. If I was to attend the event again, I would certainly bring extra AA and AAA batteries.

Car Power - Our car was used as the power source for the Haunted Mansion blow-up. We purchased an inverter and ran the car's power for the event. However, about an hour into the event, the Toyota Highlander's power went out. We started the engine and turned it off while keeping the battery charged. There are people who have purchased mini-generators to run their blow-ups. Our worked well and I certainly wouldn't purchase a mini generator.

Back Next Year

The event was a lot of fun, and we will definitely be back next year if the event is held.

Whole House Heating with Propane

General Propane Information

In the Northern climates, homes can be drafty and are usually kept at a lower temperature to keep heating costs down. In fact, many people in these areas will not heat their homes until it hits a certain temperature and it is not uncommon to spend most of the winter at around 65 degrees Fahrenheit. To get the most out of your house heating system, you want to make sure that you install the right type of system for your home. In some cases, this might mean installing gas logs with an insert or a standalone unit in your fireplace. In other cases, it might mean installing a whole-house propane heating system instead of using natural gas or electric baseboard heaters. Here is what you need to know about whole-house propane heating systems and whether or not they would work well for your home.

Photo Credit goes to Randall Mann

What is a Whole House Heating System?

Whole house heating systems are also known as baseboard heating systems. They use either hot water or warm air to heat your home. Warm air is, of course, better because it is not as dry as water and can help increase the humidity in your home. Hot water is, however, more efficient and is the more common option. This system consists of a network of metal pipes that are run throughout your home. The pipes are either connected to your home's central water source or they tap into the water supply from a nearby source. The pipes then run throughout your home and are fitted with metal or wooden panels at every joint. These panels act as a radiator and are where the heat is released.

Pros of Whole House Heating with Propane

There are a few reasons why someone might choose a propane heating system over other systems. Most notably, cost. Propane heating systems, especially when installed as a whole house heating system, are less expensive than other systems. The simplicity of using a propane system also makes it a really good option. It is very little in the way of complicated installation, maintenance, or repair work needed. This makes it particularly good for homeowners who are not as handy or don't have a lot of time to keep up with their systems. As propane systems are usually connected to a nearby water source, they can be used as a source of hot water in your home as well. This is particularly useful in Northern climates where it can be cold enough to warrant keeping your water source cold.

Cons of Whole House Heating with Propane

Propane is not a renewable resource and is a fossil fuel. Unfortunately, fossil fuels are non-renewable resources and are not as safe or clean as other types of heating systems. Propane is not as bad for the environment as other fossil fuels, but it does have its negative effects. Iron pipes are used in most propane systems, and although they are coated with a substance meant to protect against rust, they can still be affected. Rust is not something you want to see in your water pipes, and propane can cause this to happen. Whole-house propane heating systems also require certain safety precautions to be in place, which can make installation a little more challenging. Propane systems also require more maintenance than other systems.

Is a Whole House Heating System Worth It?

A whole house heating system is really only worth it if your home is particularly drafty or you are trying to save money on your heating costs. If you have a well-insulated home, you likely won't see any benefit from using a propane heating system. If your home is particularly drafty and you want to save on your heating bills, a propane heating system would be a good option. Propane is significantly cheaper than other forms of fuel, which means you can spend less on your heating costs. Whole house heating systems are a great option if you want a very efficient heating system or if you have a very drafty home. They are not, however, suitable for every home. If you are considering a propane heating system, make sure you know what is involved in the installation process. A professional will be able to walk you through the pros and cons of this type of system and help you determine if it is the right choice for your home.

Summary

Whole house heating systems are a great option if you have a very drafty home or if you want a very efficient heating system. They are not, however, suitable for every home. If you are considering a propane heating system, make sure you know what is involved in the installation process. A professional will be able to walk you through the pros and cons of this type of system and help you determine if it is the right choice for your home. If you have a very drafty home, a whole-house heating system is a great option. They are not, however, suitable for every home. If you are considering a propane heating system, make sure you know what is involved in the installation process. A professional will be able to walk you through the pros and cons of this type of system and help you determine if it is the right choice for your home.

Winter Lawn Care

Tips on How to have a better lawn in 2023

There is nothing quite like a wintry wonderland to bring out the child in all of us. From the fresh blanket of snow that covers the ground to the gentle glow of twinkling lights, winter is a season filled with beauty and wonder. It also presents some unique challenges when it comes to lawn care. It's important to have a plan before you get started on your winter lawn care routine. While there are some things you can do in late summer or early fall that will make your yard easier to manage during the colder months, there are other tasks that will have to wait until springtime. Read on for information on everything you need to know about winter lawn care so that your yard looks amazing no matter what time of year it is!

Mow and Edge

Mowing and edging are the first things you should do to prep your lawn for winter. While the ideal cutting height for your lawn varies depending on where you live, the general rule is to cut it as short as possible for winter. The shorter your grass is, the less water it will need, which is especially important during drought years. You may want to get an electric mower for shorter grass, or you can use a reel mower that does not require gas. You may want to consider edging your lawn if you have sandy soil. Edging uses bricks or wooden boards to create a barrier along the outside edge of the lawn to prevent soil from washing away. You may want to edge your lawn if it is sandy, sloped, or has a large amount of foot traffic. To ensure that your lawn is ready for the cold weather ahead, it is essential that you take some time and do the necessary maintenance like mowing, edging, and watering. Lawn maintenance in the winter is important because it can help your lawn survive the cold weather and be in better condition when spring comes around.

Drain Your Lawn

The first step towards preparing your lawn for winter is to drain it as thoroughly as possible. A wet lawn will not only look bad, but it can also be a haven for pests and diseases. To drain your lawn, use a sod roller to break up the soil and help it drain more quickly. You can also use a garden hose to water your lawn, allowing it to run until water starts coming out of the ground. If your soil is especially wet, you may want to consider adding an organic substance like compost or sawdust to help it drain more quickly. Avoid using sand or other inorganic substances, as these can actually clog your soil when they get wet.

Add nutrients

If your lawn has been in the ground all summer, it probably doesn't have many nutrients. To give it a boost and help it get ready for the winter, you can add fertilizer. The best fertilizer for your lawn depends on the type of grass you have, so be sure to read the label to get the right one! If you have sandy soil, you may want to use a fertilizer with higher nitrogen content. On the other hand, if your soil is heavy and full of clay, you may want to use a fertilizer with a higher potash content to help break it up. Choose a fertilizer that comes in granular form and spread it evenly over your lawn. You can also apply it using a fertilizer spreader if you have one. Generally, you will want to apply fertilizer in late fall or early winter.

Lay down a snow blanket

While a layer of snow may not seem like it could have any benefits, it actually has many great qualities that can help your lawn over the winter. Snow can help insulate your soil, keeping it warm so that your grass doesn't die back. It can also help prevent weeds and pests from finding their way into your lawn. If you have light, sandy soil, you can simply allow snow to naturally blanket your lawn. If you have heavier soil, you can use a snow rake to help it settle more quickly. You can also rake leaves and other debris off your lawn to allow snow to settle. If you have an area in your lawn that you don't want the snow to cover, you can add a barrier like straw, wood chips, or even a blanket to keep it off that space. This can help prevent animals from taking shelter on your lawn when the snow comes.

Shoveling and Clearing

Now that your lawn is ready for winter, it's time to clear it of any remaining debris. Remove any fallen leaves, sticks, and weeds. You can also use a rake to clear any other winter debris like acorns, pine needles, or sand that may have blown in while you were waiting for the snow to fall. If you have paths or walkways in your lawn, you may want to lay down a layer of bark mulch or gravel to help them stay clear. If you have a large lawn, you may want to consider hiring a garden service like Lawn Love to do some or all of your clearing and shoveling. Or if you have a smaller lawn, you can do it yourself using a good pair of snow or garden shovels.

Rotating Cultivation

If you have a high-traffic area of your lawn, you may want to consider rotating the cultivation in that spot. This means that you will cultivate the soil in that area in one direction, and then go in the other direction next year. This will help prevent compaction in that area, leading to poor soil drainage and fewer nutrients for your lawn. If you have a high-traffic area of your lawn, you may want to consider rotating the cultivation in that spot. This means that you will cultivate the soil in that area in one direction, and then go in the other direction next year. This will help prevent compaction in that area, which can lead to poor soil drainage and fewer nutrients for your lawn.

Conclusion

Now that your lawn is ready for winter, all that's left to do is enjoy the beautiful season. From the first snowfall to the first spring flowers, there are plenty of things to enjoy when it comes to the winter months. There is nothing quite like a wintry wonderland to bring out the child in all of us. From the fresh blanket of snow that covers the ground to the gentle glow of twinkling lights, winter is a season filled with beauty and wonder. It also presents some unique challenges when it comes to lawn care. It's important to have a plan before you get started on your winter lawn care routine. While there are some things you can do in late summer or early fall that will make your yard easier to manage during the colder months, there are other tasks that will have to wait until springtime.