You need to use photos properly to enhance your writing.  Excellent pictures will do the following things:

• grab a reader’s attention
• increase their interest
• further communicate your point

Photos need to be used in conjunction with quality writing in order to further captivate your audience.  Some writers are able to create superb content without any graphical aids, but I’m sure that if they included appropriate pictures within their writing, it would make it that much better.  Additionally, pictures opens up a whole new market – image search.  Take advantage of the opportunity to gather more traffic to your website.  You can’t sell yourself short in such a competitive time.

Which version of our website is more appealing?  Professional?  Involving?

It’s a pretty obvious decision that the version with pictures is a lot more lively, engaging, and interesting.

I used to include no photos whatsoever and the occasional graph when appropriate, such as when I showed how a Google penalty can affect your traffic.  I realized since then that images can greatly improve the message you are trying to get across.  The problems I struggled with when trying to incorporate photos were: where do I get these pictures from and what images should I use where?

Where do I get these pictures from?

• Websites: Flickr’s creative commons, stock.xchng, MorgueFile, EveryStockPhoto, iStockPhoto – You might have to pay for quality stock photos sometimes, but the price is well worth it.
• Take photos yourself if possible – Being able to tailor photos to your exact needs can have a significant difference in their effect, and it will save you the time of hunting for that perfect picture.

What images do I use where?

Stock photos should be used to enhance the point you are trying to get across.  Just because a picture looks fantastic, it does not mean it will work well with your content.  The counter-side to that is don’t use generic or overly used images; they look boring and add nothing.  The pictures you use should essentially flow with your content while adding a new depth at the same time.  There are plenty of other things you’ll need to avoid when you use stock photos, but that’s not what I’m trying to address right now.

There are 3 different types of images that you can include in your content: thumbnails, additive, and informational.  Thumbnails connect to your text but in a vague manner; there main purpose is to spark interest from your visitors.  Additive pictures are similar to thumbnails, yet they have a stronger link to your content and add another dimension.  For instance, if you are writing about chocolates, you might insert a tasteful photo of Godiva’s chocolates along side your text.  Informational images are essentially a graphical tools that helps develop your position.  You could include a graph instead of a table because it allows your readers to better visualize the data.  All convey a varying amount of information to your reader from “look at me” to here are the statistics behind my claim.

Pictures are an extremely powerful medium and if used properly they give your content an increased punch of delivery.   Utilize photos to their full potential, but remember to use them in moderation such that you don’t dilute their bonuses.

Writing superb content just doesn’t cut it anymore.  You can create a website or blog with cutting edge and novel content, but unless you promote it no one will find it.  Well, a few people might accidentally type in the url for your site and discover it, but the market you are targeting will be oblivious to your existence.  In order for people to find your website, you need to market it.

Linking

Don’t be afraid to link out to what you believe may be your competitors.  Obviously if you are running an ecommence site, do not link every product page to a cheaper competitor.  That is just plain stupid.  However if you run a blog, linking to useful and related posts or comments is beneficial to your readers and to your website in terms of seo.  Matt Cutts says that linking out is a smart thing to do.

Q: Okay, but doesn’t this encourage me to link out less? Should I turn off comments on my blog?
A: I wouldn’t recommend closing comments in an attempt to “hoard” your PageRank. In the same way that Google trusts sites less when they link to spammy sites or bad neighborhoods, parts of our system encourage links to good sites.

Not only are there benefits in terms of seo, but I’m sure your readers will appreciate it when they want more information on that topic.

What does it say when you have a website that has no outbound links?  If you fail to recognize your resources, why should other people bother linking to you?  Linking is part of the web, and by failing to link you segregate yourself.

If you start linking out, people will start linking in (assuming that your content is worthwhile).  People are inherently curious; visitors on your website will click on those links.  When the webmaster of the other website looks at his backlinks or traffic referrers, that person is going to proceed down the same path as your visitors.  Curiosity will capture them, and they will visit your site.  When they arrive, that first impression will be lasting.  Would you rather them leave thinking – “God dam copy scrapping blogs” or “wow this person really has some incredible knowledge”.  Even if you only plant a seed in the back of their mind instead of leaving a monumental impression, it’s a start at the very least.

Commenting

Interacting with readers on your own blog, as well as, writers of other blogs helps increase your exposure.  It will alert others to your existence, and allow you to participate in discussions beyond the post. Commenting can have the same effect as linking.  If you write an thoughtful respond or question, people will be overcome with curiosity, and they will want to see what else you have to offer.

Commenting is a means of attracting new visitors, and increasing your visibility within your niche, but it also helps with seo.  The majority of blogs may have no follow comment links, but that doesn’t mean that those links lack value.  These links might be unable to pass pagerank and be treated differently by search engines, but the fact of the matter is that no follow comment links are still seen and thus they provide some benefit.

Networking

It encompasses a pretty wide range of mediums from social networking to networking while at a conference. The means by which you network doesn’t really matter, but the message you convey does.  Whether you are talking to someone at a business conference or expressing yourself on Twitter, it is a powerful tool.  Enlarging your contact circle, sharing opportunities and ideas, and marketing yourself is what networking is all about.

When you are networking, do not be self absorbed and have a one track mind.  Just as with commenting, you need to be interactive, engaging, and care about what the other person is saying.  No one likes a person who just pushes their own agenda, while essentially ignoring the other person in a conversation.  You might as well just talk to a mirror if that is how you are going to go about networking.

Linking, commenting, and networking are resources that can be utilized to improve your exposure and gain you credibility.  They are all tied together in a sense, but if you try to squeeze by only using one of these things, increasing your visibility will be hindered.  Don’t ostracize yourself, instead interact with the people involved in your niche.

I feel that that the new url is much more appropriate and suitable for the purpose of this blog.  Our old url was really just a place where a wide mix of my project have grown.  This blog has evolved, we’ve decided to stop writing crap content, and in doing so it has outgrown its old 5 letter domain for a new catchier one.  It may not be a palindrome, but it is much more memorable, brandable, and just plain better.

If you spent that time writing, how much quality content could you create? A couple fantastic posts probably.

It is time to look at how you budget your time.  I am by no means saying stop reading all of your favorite blog posts, but instead I am pointing out the fact that there should be a balance between how much time you read and how much time you allocate to writing.

Reading –> Ideas

Reading posts from other respected individuals in your niche can provide you with insightful ideas.  You might write a spin off about something they discussed, call them out on a falsehood, or just get the inspiration you need to talk about something that no one else has yet touched upon.  Reading quality posts or content is a useful tool in triggering your own thought development.

One thing to avoid while reading is to steer clear of mindless or rehashed content.  Don’t waste your time reading the same concepts over and over.  If you do that, then you blog posts will reflect just that; they will lack any uniqueness and spirit. You might not realize it initially, but a few sentences into a post your mind will click and say this looks all to familiar.  Too many time are the same points bashed again and again or content that isn’t worth reading is posted.  I don’t mind the occasional rant, but sometime enough is enough – people just need to learn to put a cap on it.  If you find yourself reading something that isn’t different and or lacks true creativity, move on to the next thing.

Once you read a few post from someone, you will know what type of content they are pushing, which will drive you away or will leave you wanting more.  There will likely be plenty of places that you will never return to.  However, after a while of cutting your way through the jungle of rehashing, incompetent, or just plain monotone writers, you’ll find a few diamonds in the rough.  Their content will subsequently generate ideas that you can run with.

Writing –> Recognition and Reputation

Quality writing will allow you to create a reputation and gain you recognition as well. If you just mimic your favorite posters, then your content will suck.  Consider using a text spinner to save yourself some time if you plan on rehashing old news. Don’t turn into the blogs that you read a few lines from and proceed to leave.

What you want to do is build upon a concept someone else started or better yet discuss something that is lacking a perspective or any information whatsoever.  To gain recognition and reputation your posts should

• Be original – Stand out from the crowd
• Challenge people – Have merit to your argument though
• Have purpose – Don’t write for the sense of needing to create something new
• Have personality – Express yourself as who you really are

Writing exceptional blog posts by itself is not enough; you need to do more than that.  Writing encompasses more than creating a new blog post.

When I refer to writing, I am not solely talking about writing articles or posts.  Writing also includes commenting on the thing that you have been reading about.  Interacting with the authors that inspire your posts or just make you think is a favorable thing to do.  By challenging their ideas or adding further input upon the topic, you demonstrate your interest and knowledge.  Ideally, this will help you create a network and encourage them to visit our blog to see what you are writing about.  It might also open the door for guest posting, which is an excellent way to increase your exposure.

Not only should you be commenting on the content you read, but you should be interacting with the commenters on your own blog.  This lets your readers know that you care about their opinions and shows that you’ll take the time to develop the discussion and answer questions beyond your post.

Managing and utilizing the available time you have to the maximum is a challenging task, but by doing so you enable yourself to increase your productivity.  By balancing the time you spend reading and writing, you are better able to create quality, original, and provoking content while expanding your reach.

How many domains and/or websites have you acquired that are just idling, not generating revenue, and eating renewal fees?

If you answered any number other than 0, then you ought to reexamine your website and domain portfolio and take action. You need to look at domains and websites while accounting for their potential future value.  For instance, a domain like 3dmovies.net might currently be losing money as a parked page, but I’m certain that in the next few years its value will only increase.  Try to anticipate the future and decide what your next move will be from there.

Domain

If a domain has potential or you really do plan on developing it eventually, then at least park it so you make a little something in the meantime, forward it to a related website of yours, or ideally create a minisite.  If you leave your domains so that don’t resolve anywhere or are default parked courtesy of you registrar (isn’t it so kind of them to make money off of your domains?), then you are a fool who is failing to capitalize on available opportunities.

Deciding whether to drop, sell, or keep a domain name is an easier decision than for a developed website.

• Do you have any development ideas for this domain name?
• Does the domain name receive any traffic?
• Has the traffic trend been constant, downward, or is it increasing?
• What does the searched keyword traffic look like?
• How competitive are the search term you plan on targeting?

You essentially need to determine whether the developed website’s estimated benefit (revenue) is deserving of your time, effort, and money.

Semi-Developed Website

If the website is a work in process, then stop messing around and finish it up already or just get rid of it.  Every day it lingers incomplete, you are missing out on possible revenue, reputation, and respect it could be gaining instead.

You’ll need to look at a semi-developed site as a stepping zone between domain name and developed website.  This means that you will need to incorporate information from both of these categories into the decision making process.

Developed Website

If you website is complete, but it is a dud that is just sucking up renewal fees, then you need to do something.  Figure out what the issue is, and then decide whether you are going to improve the current website, start again from scratch, sell it, or just let it drop (because you would be embarrassed even to admit you had any part in its existence).

If your website is developed, but it just isn’t converting or getting traffic, decide if it is worth any more of your time.

• How much traffic is is getting for its search terms?
• How much traffic could it be generating at an optimal level?
• Are visitors returning and/or should your visitors be returning?
• Are visitors simply not converting?
• Do you have a large enough sample size to come to accurate conclusions?

You can not overlook any aspect of a website when deciding whether you will continue to develop it.  A website’s concept might be valuable to pursue, but the design or implementation of the idea might just suck. If you ignore a certain aspect that is essential for success, then you might end up throwing away websites with incredible potential because you failed to see what needed improvement.

Ask your visitors how you can improve your website, but be sure to give them some incentive to do so.  If you don’t give users a reason to give criticism or suggestions, then you will likely hear no feedback.  You can even ask your friends for their opinion about a site prior to ditching it.

Once you discover or are told what the issues with your website is, you can then evaluate the situation.  Is it profitable to pursue this endeavor or should you hand it off to someone else?  Decide whether the potential gain outweighs the effort that is necessary to revive the project.

After you have finished up with the spring cleaning of your portfolio, consider any mistake you might have made.  Impulse domain registering is a pretty inefficient method of disposing of money.  You’d be better off donating that money to charity all at once, so at least you save some time and help others out at the same time.  Prior to buying a website or registering a domain name, ask yourself if it is an impulse or worthwhile purchase.

Learn from the mistake you have made, and cut your losses when need be.  Just because a domain name may be 9 years old or have an exact search volume of xx,xxx, it does not mean you need to have it.  Pass it onto the next sucker if it doesn’t truly belong in your portfolio.  Stop being a hoarding pack rat, and start taking the trash out of your portfolio.