The Advantages of Showing a Google Author Profile

Have you noticed while surfing the web there are several Google Search results that return information that has a writer’s profile information attached? This is not a fluke or mishap on the part of Google. In fact this is an enormously clever idea someone discovered with lots of benefits for freelance writers. This is a Google Authorship or sort of a author profile Google has created. In fact, having your author profile shown in the results of Google Search has a lot of benefits many writers never imagined.

 

Benefits could include increasing traffic, Brand recognition and growing page rank with search engines. All of these are on a "wish list" for any freelance writer working hard at their online writing career. Getting more traffic or readers to your content is extremely important and through promotional opportunities like this, you will make it happen.

How does this help me?

Nine out of every ten readers searching for material around the web will click on the first results a search engine offers. With Google being the largest search engine currently being used, it is important to rank as high as possible with this search engine. Ranking first means more traffic, which means making more money online as a writer.

Of course, the chance of being first on any page of material with them is extremely difficult and the average writer doesn’t make it. Even if you are fortunate enough to make it with one piece of work, you will not with everything you write. Though, if you are a talented writer with great relevant content you could potentially find yourself ranking high enough to get on the first couple of pages which is where a reader is willing to browse to find what they are looking for.

Gaining the attention of a reader enough to distract them from automatically selecting the first piece of content and choosing you at every chance you get is a good thing. Find a way to make them choose you when you miss the first spot on the page and still get the traffic your work deserves. Having a piece of something special like the Google author profile attached to your link could make that happen.

Authorship defined

A writer will have their byline and pic from their Google plus or Google profile placed next to their search engine results with search engine returns for any reader query results. This is Google Authorship or better said a Google author profile tied to links.

A number of people have even heard a rumor the search engine will eventually use this as a way to eliminate spamming and include it in building a better way to position content or rankings. Not only will written material be ranked according to the algorithms Google has tied to content, but also include author rank on some level when deciding where to put a piece of excellent content in search engine result returns.

At first glance it may be more hoops to jump through, but this is currently not being used to rank your work.

The future for Authorship

Categorizing written material with both of these pieces combined is not taking place at this moment. However, while searching for ways to increase membership in Google Plus -this particular piece of the pie may not be that far away.

There are rumors the future could hold some input from author profiles or rankings along with their content for search engine changes being considered.

Advantages to think about

If this is the direction of the future, getting your foot in the door in the beginning of the process could help you establish a great position for having your work classified higher in search engine results. You could have the opportunity to have work on the first pages a reader finds and increase your traffic resources tremendously. This is more money in your freelance writing wallet. Organic traffic will increase when Google author profile or Authorship is working correctly.

Building online credibility with search engines is important to say the least. This could possibly help in classifying your byline higher and your work more superior to other writer’s materials depending on what future direction this idea goes in.

Writers working toward building online businesses will have an opportunity and resource to work with what could possibly link all online work together easier. Readers that recognize your byline next to a piece of material will generally click on it. If they enjoy the relevant material written they have the resource to search for other work from the same writer with ease using the same profile link.

Adding your authorship to your writing work will not change where Google ranks your material. This is not included in the algorithms they use today.

Getting two for the price of one is a good thing. How about helping you save time with networking these same articles or posts? This is a great time saving measure.

What platform are you working with?

Bloggers using the BlogSpot platform have a simple method for linking the two together. There is an automated process which will do the work for you. Simply log into your BlogSpot account and follow the easy directions provided. Going forward, every post will have your authorship linked to a search engine result that returns your content.

Outside of the BlogSpot platform you will need a Google or Google plus profile created and a little more work is involved.  There is a post on Making Blogs Work outlining setting up your Google Authorship using platforms like WordPress, Infobarrel, Hubpages and other places your content is found around the web.

Find out more here.

 

Disadvantages

You do need to use your real name to claim authorship with Google. This means if you write under a byline that is not your real name and would like to keep it this way; this is an obstacle that cannot be tackled at this time according to a number of resources around the web.

There are some writers who admit you can use a byline outside of your real name. However, you need to jump through a number of hoops to make it so. Getting authorship will make a lot of writers who enjoy anonymity give it up to profit from Authorship.

I could not verify whether or not this was a true statement or not. I do understand a lot of writers do not like to use their real name while working and want to keep it that way going forward. Whether this search engine will give them a break remains to be seen.

It takes about a month to see any real measurable results of whether this is working in your favor or not. If it is, organic search engine readers should rise.

If you write on a number of different sites, you will need to update all of these individually to tie back to Google Plus or Google profile. There is no one stop to do it all method for making changes to add the Google profile method discussed here.

How soon does it happen?

Search engine results and rankings do not automatically change and correct. This means it will be a while before any visible results to changes you have made are proven to be beneficial. Of course, you will be able to analytical tell if you have received more visitors from your Google search engine crowd when it does start working. Though, whether or not this is because of the modifications made to your Authorship is a direct result or not is to be determined over about a month. Other factors like improving your material or getting more work out there could also play part.

Hopefully, analytics will be changed to reflect these findings separately. This would be the direction to go for the search engine to prove their idea is working toward improving a writers income and get more people on board.

Generally 30 days will be the measurement for a difference after changes. This is characteristically the amount of time Google search engine rankings reflect any major changes in “reranking” order. Therefore, it is assumed this same time period is justified in finding out if your work paid off.

Google will not give you an automatic notice updates and changes to link your authorship has been completed for all of your online content. You will need to manually verify changes have been made by looking through search engine material.

All of your Google profile links should follow directly to one author profile page. Whether you use Google Plus or a regular Google profile.

There is a “contributor to” area of every Google profile which should connect a reader with your author profile pages.  Make sure you do not have more than one profile link with Google. This is not usually the case. However, if you have set up more than one because of a name change, email change with Google or anything else which could affect this, update immediately to link everything to one place or one profile.

http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/richsnippetsis a link or resource which gives you a preview to verify set up is completed for your Google Profile. This will not verify all of your changes to content have been made.

Note-google has not changed how they rank material with Authorship. as of today this has not been implemented, but where there is a rumor you will generally find some truth in it. it could possibly be underway.

 

in conclusion

The easiest way to draw the reader's attention to a spot on a page is adding something unique or out of the ordinary not seen with the other search engine results on the same page. Adding you profile info is one resource to use to make this happen.

Adding a profile picture to a byline is a wonderful way to interest a reader and make them take an added interest in your link. Not only do you gain a response of a reader click on your link, but many readers admitted they believe the pic and the byline holds more authority over a subject matter.

Generally having something stand out from a boring page of information is enough to gain that much needed notice. This is where that author profile from Google comes in and makes great things happen for you and the reader. Consider setting one up.

Whether or not you set one up does not affect where your material is ranked with the Google Search engine today. Yet, it doesn't hurt your rankings either.

If you want easy steps to install Google Authorship, follow this link. Click here.

 

How to Find the Time to Write Your First Book

Ask any writer working on writing their first book and they will share with you the biggest challenge is actually finding the time to get it done. Finding the time to write your first book is problematic and needs attention which means making some necessary changes to get it done. Having a plan of action in place or guideline to follow helps tremendously with overcoming challenges being faced.

A number of writers have multiple responsibilities with their professional writing career to keep the money flowing in. They are in charge of blogs, websites, newsletters, writing gigs with personal clients and even creating articles to keep passive income coming in for money in their pockets. The time slot needed to craft a great book just does not seem to be there. You can find the time to write your first book if you know where to look. Follow these guidelines and strategies to make it work in your favor and get it published sooner rather than later.

 

Write About Something You Know

When it comes to considering building a book, many writers toss around more than one idea. In fact, you may have several terrific ones. Identifying which ones to pursue is important in dedicating your precious time. You want to see a return on what you invest. Therefore, among all of the ideas you have at hand, choose one worth pursuing. Make a decision to write about something you know versus something you have to research.

Believe it or not your audience will enjoy reading about something you know versus something you do not. The writing flows more evenly and strong as well as the amount of time saved could be enormous. Instead of finding the time for creating one book, you could actually come out with more than a couple of great works of art.

Adjust the List of Priorities

There really is only so much time we have to do everything and there is never enough time to do everything. This is where you need to make some adjustments in your list of priorities.

Making an adjustment in your list of priorities does not necessarily mean you change where and how you spend time with family and friends and other personal matters in your life. In fact, this is where you assess where you are spending your time and determine if changes can be made. Make writing your book one of your priorities. Simply keeping it on a list of things to do “one of these days” will never get it done.

Don’t Get Caught in the Popularity Trap

There are always going to be hot topics. Do not let this dictate what your book will be about. Trends come and go and change with the wind. Empower yourself to write about what you know and what you are familiar with rather than a hot topic. Of course, there is always the possibility both are not exclusive of one another. However, the chances are slim they are typically one in the same. The mistakes made with writing about a hot topic will get you caught in a trap of creating content about something you are not familiar with. This means spending time in research which is wasted when trends change. This takes you away from making writing your first book a significant part of your writing career.

Don’t get caught in the Time Trap

There is a mindset which many writers will fall into about how long it will take to write a book. The feeling or fear it will take too long to get the job done is something that will stand in your way of focusing on getting it done. The fear of how long you “believe” it will take you to get your book completed is an obstacle to overcome immediately. There is no set time period and do not let this effect how much work and personal energy you devote to the task.

There are tons of resources around the web like Ebook makers and publishing sources to make your job easier. Take advantage of them for time saving.

In conclusion

Writing your first book is a great career choice for lots of writers. Getting the task done is another matter entirely. Following the guidelines identified here will certainly get you started, but the end result is entirely up to you. Get ready, start and go get her done. The possibilities are endless for any talented and innovative writer with the right tools in hand.

This is a video that shares how to put together a plan of action to write a book in 28 days

 

 

Best Online Ebook Makers

EBooks have increased in popularity with the technology advances made in recent years and are overtaking hard cover books for reading enjoyment. Nearly anyone has the ability to publish a book online and so many freelance writers not only have the knowledge, but also the resources at hand to construct a great one.

Creating an online eBook is a voyage a number of freelance writers want to make. Writing them is terrific for increasing online income as well as boosting your writing resume. There are a number of great resources found all around the web that can help with this process.

There are numerous online sources to generate eBooks. Some are free of charge to use while others have a minimum fee for the service. There is nothing for sale here through affiliate marketing.

Yudu

Online digital eBooks are available to increase your readership and monetize your freelance writing income.

This company makes it possible to have your eBook available online for readers to access at any time. Their Cloud publishing platform makes it available for various types of access. Therefore, readers with PC, Laptops, Tablets and even Smartphones can get to it.

The visual aspect of publishing with Yudu is your book appears as a visual copy of a hard book scanned online.

ePubBud

This company has an easy to follow instruction manual for getting the job done. Simply click on the link for “new book” and get started. After editing your eBook you can publish with a URL directly to your content.

This is another one with the capability to be compatible with PC, Laptops, Smartphones, Ipads and etc. You do have the option of selling the published eBook directly from ePubBud.

3D Issue

EBooks can be created from existing documents. This makes the job a whole lot easier. Upload an existing doc to their website and format to your needs. One of the best things about publishing an online eBook with 3D Issue are the benefits they offer to writers.

Books can include images, links, video and flash objects if you choose to do so. Customization for all of the styles of your eBook is easy. Therefore, if you want a certain layout for mobile users and a different one for your PC readers, you can have it.

One of the biggest advantages or benefits with using 3D Issue is the ability to share with social media. There are some other plusses which may be useful found on their website.

MyeCoverMaker

This one is designed to craft a unique cover for your eBook. You have the choice of building a 3D interactive one for your book or other options which make it more attractive for readers.

There is a subscription costs which adds more options for implementing a terrific and distinctive eBook. Writers are able to make an unlimited supply of different covers as well as some great pre-designed ones for use.

One wonderful aspect found with using MyeCoverMaker is the ability to export the 3D eBook covered material into a high quality JPG.

ePubConverter

This free to use tool is a simple eBook creator for those not looking for a lot of work or fuss. Documents are changed into ePub file format. Writers can update a doc/docx file or PDF and this tool will convert it back to an ePub eBook.

One drawback to using the free tool is the space limitation. Books larger than 5 MB are not viable for this eBook publisher.

NATATA eBook creator

Software is designed to help you quickly create and sell your eBooks online. There are several advantages not seen with the others mentioned here. For an example, you can make it into an .exe file which will make it run like a PC application instead of the average eBook.

Additionally, for anyone that would like to burn your eBook directly to a DVD or CD, you can. This makes your eBook have the option of being sold as a hardcopy book as well as an online book.

Other features for NATATA eBook creator are found on their website

In conclusion

These are more than a few eBook creator resources which freelance writers will find useful for making the next step into your writing career. Check into these sources to discover if they are something you can use. If you have had personal experience with any, please let me know. We can certainly write a review for others also considering using their services.

Using the Best Stock Photography Images for Your Content

Stock photography is extremely popular for a number of writers searching for great pictures and images for a subject matter while working from a slim budget. Using stock photography correctly will certainly upgrade your written piece of work for publication and could in many cases turn an average piece of content into an extraordinary piece of content.

With the changes made to the search engine algorithms, a number of article writing sites are encouraging more and more writers to add pictures and other images to their work. Numerous writers look through stock photography sites for the right ones. In fact, it has  become a second nature for each article created and published. Finding which ones will enhance an article, blog post or other written piece of work and using these correctly will make a difference. This is an outline of how to use the best stock photography images for your content to complement your work while increasing your income.

 

Stay away from trendy material  

Our techy world has a lot of trends come and go. Making certain you have a piece of passive income that continues to earn over time means staying away from any pictures that are trendy. Although they are cute and in context with what is going on today, tomorrow is another story. Look out for your future.

Keep your writing ageless by using an image which doesnt age and you can use over and over again.

Connect your story with your pics

Your written words should connect seamlessly with your photograph. By definition the picture should complement the words and the reverse should hold true. There should not be a hidden meaning or the reader having to guess at how they relate to one another. Keep it simple, but attractive enough to engage a reader to want more. The more your writing is associated with the image the better. Keep the two tied to one another.

Pictures of people

More than a few studies have shown readers prefer pictures of real people. Generally people that look like regular folks or like them. Some bloggers or website owners will have pictures which are cartoons or other images as a brand or personal signature and still do well. These are definitely the exception and not the rule.

For the most part pictures of people work better overall. There are times when a picture of a real person is not feasible, like science fiction, and an exception can be made.

Stay as fresh as possible

Staged pictures, which generally have a white background and appear unrealistic, will detract an audience from your writing. Try and stay away from these. Do not use the same five or six photos over and over again for 200 or 300 posts or articles. Look for new and fresh pictures as often as possible.

Supplement your supply of images to select from whenever you can. Use images that appear as real and true to life as possible. Find something different or unique to keep a reader engaged and separate your work from the mediocre.

Stay away from page one

Stay away from the first page of stock photos since this is where the majority of people using the site gravitate. Flip through several, like four or five, to find one terrific pic. Keep in mind the amount of writers using these sites and the increased chances of finding the page one photos on quite a few sites. Page five and six may not have as many users and decrease the chance of you discovering an identical stock photograph on another site or with someone else's article. Not being lazy will pay off in this situation.

Illustrations and maps are useful when needed

Illustrations that make sense of your writing are wonderful. In fact, There are times when they make your words come together better. Conveying a point with a well-placed or founded illustration is better than you can imagine.

In conclusion

These are exceptional points that should be well taken when putting together written words and stock photography. With a little knowledge and know how it is surprising what you can do with your written work. You could have an average piece of work move into extraordinary category.

Follow as many of these skills as you can to enhance your skills and professional writing career. You will be pleasantly surprised at the difference something this seemingly insignificant will make for your written work as a whole.

 

 

 

Freelance Writing for Consumer Search

Consumer Search is a website offering writing gigs for reviews of products and services. Though, this particular company has something different than similar industry favorites. In fact, not only is the material created with a twist, but the pay is better than most other web business ventures for writers.

There are a number of different categories of products and services to review. Anything from microwaves to tennis shoes are part of the category of items offered for site customers. They boast they are able to deliver uncommon research and skills with the reviews fashioned which makes them different from similar sites. Based on the job description for their writing gigs, this is certainly the case.

What makes them different?

Employees that land a position are required to conform their writing to the direction the company gives. A good fit with tone and format is a necessary requirement to work for Consumer Search. In other words, you could conceivably construct a review using your own words, but it needs to fit in with the guidelines and direction they choose for written material published on the site.

Reviews are constructed by a combination of technology and human interaction. The enormous data base offered for customers is formed using reviews that have previously been done and published. These are reviews gathered from around the web and even includes print counterparts.

Editors search them written assessments around the web and using a unique ranking system filter them for credibility and other criteria. This material combined with a freelance writers assigned job task will create the analysis seen on the Consumer Search website.

Pay for the writing gigs

The job descriptions on the company webpage shares that payment depends on the writing and assignment type a writer receives. Though, the minimum task will pay at the very least $350 and the average job takes no more than 10 hours to complete.

This sounds wonderful. Working at the most 10 hours for a minimum of $350 is characteristically not found around the web for this type of work. This is probably accounts for not a lot of turn over in employees fortunate enough to land a position.

You do have the opportunity to earn more than the minimum amount of $350, depending on the jobs available. 

Applying for writing gigs

Writers complete an online app and email it in to the company. The application for employment includes the basics and a little more. They do need links to online writing material you have personally created, but they also need a description written by you of a product you have purchased and how you personally researched it before your purchase. Include all of the websites and resources used for research purposes. I am not certain if this counts for or against you when it comes to whether you did any research or not. They could possibly be searching through your basic skills for writing reviews as well.

A number of evaluation tests are needed after your application is approved. They ask for a background in journalism or experience in the field of writing product reviews and services. If you lack the journalism angle, showcase reviews you have around the web when linking to written content with your application for this freelance writing job.

Reviews around the web

There are a number of personal reviews writers have left around the web about their own experience with Consumer Search. There are not a lot of negative comments which is wonderful.

Numerous writers admitted they were given the first eval test and then the second. Both required at least a couple of hours to complete. Some were even offered $100 for their trouble after passing the first test. Their largest complaint was the time spent with the application process, including the two tests to be completed before hiring.

Other advantages

One of the best advantages, besides the great pay for writing reviews, is the fact you do not have to use or own any of the products or services you review. Many competitors that provide the same service will ask that you do. This could be an expensive investment for some writers for a minimum return on the investment. Consumer Search eliminates any personal monetary investment with writing reviews for them.

Consumer Search and About.com are sister companies. This is nice since About.com has an extraordinarily good reputation around the web.

In conclusion

The pay is excellent and the work is writing. This is a terrific step in the right direction for any freelance writing searching for great ways to increase their online income while promoting their career. The pay sounds wonderful and the writing fairly easy with know how and knowledge. Getting your foot in the door may not be a walk through the park, but anything worth something never is easy.

I do not personally write for the site, but is sounds like a great freelance writing gig opportunity. Anyone that does work for Consumer Search, please share your experience with us.


This is a nice video that shares wonderful material on writing product reviews for blogs