If you've known me for very long you know I'm not an avid reader. This month I bought I think my first ebook that I actually paid money for. I've gotten many free e-books, but never plunked down my hard earned cash for one. So what did I buy. Get on Google Front Page my Jason Matthews.
First, I'll say for those of you that don't know me well. I don't like to read. I know I'm strange that way. I just feel that it is taking time away from my editing and writing. Also, I suppose it has to do with the fact that it takes a lot to hold my attention. By the way, this book held my attention. I only put it down because life kept calling. The dogs wanted to be fed, hubby thought he needed clean clothes, you know things like that.
Why did I buy this book? I want my blogs and web sites to be found not just because people type in my name. I want some day for my web site and novels to show up when someone types in Christian Romance. Right now that does not happen, so I thought I need to try and learn how to achieve this new goal.
That said, I bought a book on the subject of SEO. Search Engine Optimization. I've talked to Jason Matthew's, and I've heard him discuss topics on the new show Indie Authors, so I knew he could explain things well. I'm not the easiest person to teach. I need something written out in plain English, and by the way this book does just that.
Did I understand everything first time around. No, of course not. Jason's a great writer but he's not a magician. I learn slowly and it will take me a while. You may be different. If you don't have a reading disorder you may read this first time around and just breeze through these steps with ease.
For me there were so many new terms to learn and ideas to grasp onto. Jason Matthews provides in the book many links and suggestions. I can see this book helping me in so many ways, but it will be a process of taking each step one at a time and learning how to implement the new changes.
You can even purchase a pdf file, to make things easier to follow while you start taking the first few steps in the process. I've started with step one, creating good content, and I'm sure that as I take these steps and I learn more about this process I'll blog again and let you know how things are coming along.
In short there are so many helpful tips in this book, on blogging, social media, tips for your web sites, that I think you will take something away from every chapter you read. I did, and I will soon start with step one in working my way up the Google ladder.
I know that this will not make me an over night success and that with my schedule it may take me months, to get through all the steps, but as they say Rome wasn't built in a day. It's like blogging or writing a book, or even planting a garden.
The garden aspect works best for me. If I just go out into my back yard and toss out some seeds and stand there watching, waiting, nothing is going to happen. It takes months and years of knowing what you're doing to reap a great crop. You have to till, then plow, fertilize, sew, get rid of the weeds, water your plants, you maybe even do some bug dusting. In the end you'll have a good crop if you get enough rain..
If you just toss your seeds on the ground, and pay it no mind and never think about it again until you want something to eat, you're not going to get anywhere. I look at writing, blogging, and even SEO in this same matter.
I've got to work hard, I've got to put in a lot of hours, and learn new terms, and learn not habits, in order to be successful. As I mentioned earlier being successful means wearing many hats. Sometimes I wear my writing hat, or my editing hat, or marketing, or blogging hat. Well now I have a SEO hat to go with the others.
It may not fit right when I first put it on but with the help of Jason Matthews book I'll get it on straight after a while. He gives lots of links and ideas, and if you don't understand something he even gives you the opportunity to contact him about the matter. What more can you ask for. How many hats do you wear? Do you have your SEO hat on yet?
Here is a list of topics, you can see this and more in the free preview on Amazon. Click on the image for a larger image.
Samantha Fury
Author of the Street Justice Series
