Author: amandathewriter12

SEO Tips to Increase Your Website Traffic

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  • A woman on her laptop with a cup of tea in her hand
    Photo by Dai KE on Unsplash

SEO is one of the most crucial parts of website content marketing. Even if you have the most beautiful writing in the world, you will only draw people to your website if it comes up in their search engine results.

So how do you make your content search-engine ready and attract more Internet users? These simple tips will help you get started.

Use Plenty of Keywords

When people search for information online, they usually type in specific keywords that bring up search results relevant to those keywords. By using common search terms for your topic in your written content, you can make search engines more likely to generate your page as one of the top results.

The most effective way to use keywords is to sprinkle them throughout the copy as naturally as possible. Stuffing keywords where they’re not necessary can backfire and cause you to rank lower on search engines rather than higher.

Create Relevant Content

It’s not all about keywords. Let’s say you want to improve your SEO and you know some common search terms that will likely earn you a lot of traffic. But although these terms will help you rank higher initially, search engine algorithms are designed to pick out irrelevant content — this means that if you stick keywords in where they don’t belong just to get more clicks, your website will eventually lose visitors.

If you want to increase the amount of Internet users on your website and encourage people to come back, the best policy is to create informative, relevant content that engages readers. You’ll do more than improve your search engine ranking — you’ll also earn loyalty from the people who like your content.

Stay Active

Let’s say you have a blog and you want to make yourself more visible to people online. You may write excellent posts and make good use of your keywords, but how often do you update your site? The truth is, adding a new post every couple of months doesn’t help your SEO, nor does it help you keep your readers. A little bit of a wait for the next post can be a positive thing; too much time can make people lose interest.

It’s more effective to update at least once a week on a regular schedule, or even more frequently if you can manage it. Consistency can do wonders for your SEO and keep a steady flow of traffic coming to your website, not to mention it allows you to gain many more followers.

If you’re looking to gain more exposure for your website’s content, these three simple tips can give your SEO the boost it needs to reach the top of the search results. As long as you know how to navigate the world of SEO, you can promote all your newest content!

What to Do When You Feel Overwhelmed

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  • A young person covering his face with his hands
    Photo by Christian Erfurt on Unsplash

We’ve all been there to some degree. Too many tasks on your plate at once can make you feel like the sky is falling, that the world is about to end and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. But there’s good news: the world will not end, and you will come out on the other side.

So how can you get a better handle on those feelings in a way that will make your day a little more manageable? These are a few ideas you can try:

Walk Away

Becoming overwhelmed while you’re in the middle of a task can make it hard to focus, which may only serve to frustrate you more. If you can, try to walk away and collect yourself. Even if it’s only a five or ten-minute break for a drink of water or a breath of fresh air, those few moments can help you calm down and give you time to think about your next move.

Break it Down

If you’ve ever had too many problems going on at one time, you most likely know how challenging it can be to think of solutions. This is because little things add up, and eventually a dozen minor inconveniences start to look like one big mess. Now is the time to take step back and break everything down into individual tasks. Prioritize the most important ones and leave the ones that can wait until later, and hopefully your day will start to look a little bit less daunting.

Judge for Effort, Not Perfection

There are times in life when certain careers or circumstances leave little room for error. However, in general you can usually expect that perfection is not a requirement for making it through the day. Too many of us spend our lives afraid to make mistakes, believing their worth rests on their success. But while it’s important to chase your goals, it’s okay to be proud of yourself for giving it your all, even if the result your achieved was different from the one you wanted. There’s no set standard for success that you have to follow.

It Won’t Last Forever

Sometimes when we feel overwhelmed, it can seem like that feeling will last forever. But the truth is that feelings and situations come and go. You’ll get through this and keep moving forward like you have in the past. Just look at how far you’ve come already — that shows you can make it through today, tomorrow, and the next.

These are just four simple concepts to keep in mind the next time you feel overwhelmed. While they may not completely solve the problem, they can help give you perspective and even guide you through some of the challenging moments. Remember: every step forward matters, and even if it doesn’t always feel like it, you’re doing great.

8 Useful Items You Probably Didn’t Think to Pack for College

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  • Woman in a denim jacket listening to earbuds and carrying college books
    Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Have you ticked off all the items on your college check list yet? If so, you probably have towels, bedding, power strips, a suitcase or two filled with clothes, and other odds and ends you’d expect to need in a dorm. But after you survive the chaos of move-in day, you may start noticing there are a few things you’d love to have that you didn’t think to pack. Check out these eight must-haves for your college dorm you might have forgotten in your rush to prepare for the next step in your life!

A Shelf

Shelves that you can put together yourself are easy enough to find at your nearest department store, and they work extremely well as extra storage space for textbooks, toiletries, or anything you need a spot for. For those who like to keep their living space neat and organized, it’s more practical than trying to stuff everything into a corner on the floor.

A Fan

You may not recognize how much you could use a fan until you’ve spent an evening in your dorm sweltering after an 80-degree day.  A fan can offer you some relief during those moments so you can concentrate on your work and sleep more comfortably at night.

A Drying Rack

In your dorm, you’ll likely have access to washers and dryers, but you probably won’t have anywhere to hang more delicate pieces of clothing. A drying rack that folds up easily and doesn’t take up too much space will make laundry day much easier.

Disposable Cups, Plates, and Silverware

If you don’t have your own kitchen for washing dishes, sometimes it’s less of a hassle to simply use a paper plate. Furthermore, between classes, homework, and other school activities, you might not always have the energy or time to wash dishes. Believe me, disposable eating and drinking ware comes in handy on long days.

Shower Shoes

For the sake of cleanliness and foot hygiene, you can stop in the store to grab a pair of shower shoes or sandals before you go off to college. It might not be as convenient as going barefoot, but you never know what the state of the shower stalls will be, or who will be using them, when you move into your dorm.

A Screwdriver

A screwdriver you can store in your desk can come in handy more often than you might expect. Even if you just need to change a battery, you’ll be thankful you have one conveniently at your disposal.

An Umbrella

This may seem like an obvious one, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to forget. Then, two weeks into the semester as you walk to class on a rainy day getting your face wet, you’ll be wishing you’d thought to bring an umbrella to school with you.

Stamps and Envelopes

There’s a pretty good chance that, wherever you go, a post office where you can buy envelopes and stamps will be nearby. In fact, you might even have one on your campus. That said, it’s best to be prepared in case you have to send a sudden thank you note, a letter, or some other correspondence.

Preparing for college can be an exciting time, but it also comes with its share of challenges. Having all those little useful yet unexpected items by your side can make all the difference in helping you make the transition to dorm life.