Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Infrastructure Work and Michelle Howard

Not infrastructure like roads and bridges. I'm talking about my blog and the work I need to do on my blog, my Facebook pages and every time I get on Twitter. Over the next month I'll be following some recommendations given freely by numerous workshop presenters at the conference I attended almost two weeks ago.

Last year, one workshop on promotion was all about Facebook and how an author MUST have at least 1000 followers on their FB author page. Once that happens, your career will take off. I scoffed then and it seems this year that many of the professionals at the conference feel the same way. Many of them do nothing on FB. Instead, they concentrate on blogging, Twitter, Google+ and Goodreads. For today, here are a few general ideas to improve your SEO. I'm sure many of you already use them and none of this is breaking news.

1. Keep your bios on all those different media sites and author pages updated. And make sure they match for the most part. (I'm very guilty of not updating. Getting to it.)

2. Link everything to everything and link it all back to your website (blog) and use relevant consistent keywords in your profiles on every site.

3. Feed Google. Make sure you post there and share links there. Announce everything on Google+.

4. Don't bury you identity on your blog or website. Make sure you name is obvious and have your latest book cover there.

Those are a few generalities. I'm guilty of not feeding Google. But it's on my list to make sure I'm following the four ideas above.

5. Link to other writers. So to follow that bit of advice, for just a few cents, you can check out Michelle Howard's Torkel's Chosen.

What would you do if Earth didn’t have enough men?
Would you take a chance and leave the only world you knew behind?
This is the decision Faith Reid faces. Placing all her hope in a new government program, she seizes the opportunity that offers a chance for the women of Earth to find love among the stars, on a world beyond the one they know.


How many times can one man risk rejection?
Would you give up on your dreams?
Torkel Alonson has had enough of being ignored and looked over by females on his adopted home world of Enotia. His pride has suffered and he must accept the painful truth. Females will never choose a male with his evil lineage despite his honorable service to his government’s military.
 Can two people looking for the same thing find not just what they want but what they need in one another?


Michelle Howard enjoys a crazy life that involves wild kids, a loud dog, and a husband who tolerates the madness.  Like many authors, she’s dreamed of writing since reading her first romance novel many years ago.  She loves paranormal and contemporary romances and is a fan of the classic romances by Judith McNaught and Julie Garwood.
I love to hear from fans so please reach out to me. If the mood hits you, leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads
michellehowardwrites@gmail.com      Twitter  Website   Facebook

Do you update your bios on a regular basis? Do you think Facebook should be a center of promotion? Do you like Google+? How do you feed Google?  Have you tried Michelle's book?

42 comments:

MELODY JACOB said...

nice post dear
new post...
http://melodyjacob1.blogspot.com/2015/05/tram.html

Ann Bennett said...

There are so many do this, do thats. However, those are good guidelines.

I just didn't know I was going to grow older and like to say the heck with the rules. lol

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I do most of that although I don't add every post to Google+.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

I'm getting ready to update and organize all my social media stuff. I'm not on FB, Twitter or Google + - maybe my updating won't take so long? Yeah, right. :)

Thanks for the tips/reminders, Susan.

Pat Hatt said...

I don't add everything to Google +, but it gets twitted out as I can do that automatically lol so works.

betty said...

Michelle's book sounds interesting; I think I could live in a planet that doesn't have a lot of men and not feel the need to go out and search for one, though I'm in my late 50's, I can imagine a younger woman might feel different

I don't need to promote anything since I'm not an author, I like social media, I think it can be very useful. I also think it can be time consuming. Facebook can be like that. However, for an author or someone promoting a business, any of those social media sites could be very useful if used wisely.

betty

Alex Hurst said...

I just recently tested the Boost Post feature on Facebook (knowing it would be abysmal)... just to see. I "reached" 4,000 people, but it wasn't an option to have the post only boost to readers that had already liked my page. Which meant I got only one comment--a very angry comment from someone who was tired of seeing Facebook ads. So, that will never happen again.

I use Facebook simply as a depot for links for my newsletter (which I've fallen behind on). I need to get more active on Twitter... thankfully I recently updated all of my links/bios!! LinkedIn was the hardest to update. :P

Alex Hurst, A Fantasy Author in Kyoto

Unknown said...

Alex that's my concern with FB boosted ads. Susan thank you very much! Good advice as always. I have google+ and people in my circle though I freely admit I'm not good with it. Its taken me a year to get interaction from readers on my FB page so slow and steady wins the race as they say. I love chatting with them about a little of everything and learning about them as well. Twitter is a busy beast but I do my best to use this in an engaging way I hope.

Anonymous said...

A beautiful day for a Road Trip here in North Carolina. Finding your blog through this adventure. Sorry I missed you during April. I appreciate your post on social media. Before the challenge, my 3rd year, I made sure all my social media was talking to each other. I don't Tweet, but love the other things. The jury is still out on my author Facebook page. The 'likes' slowly build, but certainly isn't the center of the universe in my attempt to build readership. I know who ever reads your post today will have some good info to carry on with. I need to work on the Goodreads idea. If you have time for a stop on your Road Trip, come and visit me. If not writing, I'm in the garden. I'll show you around.

SpacerGuy said...

Great advice Susan, you reminded me to feed Google+ thanks.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

LOL, I feel like that too, Ann. I'm too old for rules.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Same here, Alex. I need to share on there more often.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I remind myself all the time to do these things.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

You use Twitter better than most people I know.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

LOL, Betty. I agree with you about the planet but Michelle's books are always good.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I tried Boost once or twice. Not worth the cost and people do get tired of those ads.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I always feel like I'm working when I'm on Facebook but Twitter is just for fun.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I found you back, Stepheny. My garden is getting some much needed rain today. Of course, that means more weeds too.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Google is a hungry monster.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

That is good advice. There is just so much to do. Sometimes I just feel tired.

Chrys Fey said...

1,000 FB followers? I'm just now getting near 450!

Great advice! I do all of that. :D

J E Oneil said...

Those sound good. Except for Google+. No matter how much I want to feed it, I will never go there.

Christine Rains said...

Marvelous advice. I don't use FB much at all, but my blog is active. It's my number one tool. I also try to keep everything up to date and feed Google, but I know sometimes I fall behind. Congrats to Michelle!

Robin said...

This is a conundrum for me. I loathe Google+ and practice a strict avoidance policy. Also, my blog is a bit personal, so I don't EVER EVER EVER link to it on my FB page. I suppose if I ever actually publish anything, I'm going to have to start over in terms of blog. Not really sure about that....

cleemckenzie said...

I'm not a Google+ fan either, but I do drop in and give people the + or a quick note. I much prefer to go directly to their posts. That extra click is an annoyance, but I'm getting old and grumpy, so don't pay any attention to me. :-) Congrats to Michelle.

Liz Blocker said...

Great tips, Susan, thank you! I don't like Google+ much, but I do recognize its importance. Sigh. Gotta get better at that.

Congratulations, Michelle!

Delynn Royer said...

Thank you for summarizing those tips, Susan. It’s not an overwhelming list. With a fulltime non-writing job, sometimes my eyes glaze over when I hear time and again about all we must be doing as authors on social media. I do like Twitter for fun, I blog (uh, well, sometimes), but I don’t have an author page on FB. Feeding Google, though… need to look into that. :)

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Me too! I just to write or read.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Yeah, this guy acted like that wasn't a random number.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I've yet to meet someone who likes Google+

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

You have a great blog and are so generous.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

LOL. I should keep count of the 'hate' Google+ comments. Nearly universal.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I hate that extra click too. Drives me crazy and it's not always easy to find their most recent post.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Liz, you were kinder than most. At least you didn't say you hate G+.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I'm so happy you stopped in to visit me. I want to do a book promo for you sometime like I did for Michelle's book.

Nick Wilford said...

Google+ gives me a headache. It's nice to share others' posts on it, but sometimes when looking to return a comment on my blog, it links to Google+ and I can't find their own blog. I really should set up a FB author page but my conundrum has been what to share that isn't on my blog. I've started to enjoy Twitter a bit more and definitely will explore what Goodreads will offer. Really, the best advice I've heard is to pick two social media avenues at most and do them well, rather than spread yourself too thin.

Keith's Ramblings said...

Wow, you are in a different league from me! I'm just a hobby writer. Fascinating for me to read what you go through o pursue your craft effectively. What did writers do pre-internet? As for Google +....well don't start me off! I dread clicking on someone's name then finding myself on their G+ page rather than their blog, and being unable to find a signpost to my intended destination!
Visit Keith's Ramblings!

Mark Koopmans said...

Thanks for the tips, Susan... I'm still trying to figure out Google + but it makes sense to feed the beast :)

And interesting to hear many authors don't even use FB... I'm not... but I thought I was an anomaly (that I had to fix!)

Arlee Bird said...

I'm not an absolute failure, but I've got a long way to go with all of my social media sites. Of course, I'm not a legitimate author yet so I guess I'm still a work in progress. I'd better get busy!

These are good suggestions. Now to find the time to fit it all in.

Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out

Delynn Royer said...

I always enjoy your blog when I visit and would love to do a promo sometime. Thank you! :)

cleemckenzie said...

I'm in the C category of doing all that you set out. I should do more and raise that grade. I'll keep your list and give it a shot after my vacation.

Unknown said...

Wow, you are in a different league from me! I'm just a hobby writer. motivational quotes