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.
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:
nice post dear
new post...
http://melodyjacob1.blogspot.com/2015/05/tram.html
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
I do most of that although I don't add every post to Google+.
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.
I don't add everything to Google +, but it gets twitted out as I can do that automatically lol so works.
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
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
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.
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.
Great advice Susan, you reminded me to feed Google+ thanks.
LOL, I feel like that too, Ann. I'm too old for rules.
Same here, Alex. I need to share on there more often.
I remind myself all the time to do these things.
You use Twitter better than most people I know.
LOL, Betty. I agree with you about the planet but Michelle's books are always good.
I tried Boost once or twice. Not worth the cost and people do get tired of those ads.
I always feel like I'm working when I'm on Facebook but Twitter is just for fun.
I found you back, Stepheny. My garden is getting some much needed rain today. Of course, that means more weeds too.
Google is a hungry monster.
That is good advice. There is just so much to do. Sometimes I just feel tired.
1,000 FB followers? I'm just now getting near 450!
Great advice! I do all of that. :D
Those sound good. Except for Google+. No matter how much I want to feed it, I will never go there.
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!
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....
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.
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!
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. :)
Me too! I just to write or read.
Yeah, this guy acted like that wasn't a random number.
I've yet to meet someone who likes Google+
You have a great blog and are so generous.
LOL. I should keep count of the 'hate' Google+ comments. Nearly universal.
I hate that extra click too. Drives me crazy and it's not always easy to find their most recent post.
Liz, you were kinder than most. At least you didn't say you hate G+.
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.
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.
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!
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!)
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
I always enjoy your blog when I visit and would love to do a promo sometime. Thank you! :)
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.
Wow, you are in a different league from me! I'm just a hobby writer. motivational quotes
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