# XOmisse

> Digital marketing for small business owners: social media, SEO, WordPress and more


## Posts

- [Adding Google Analytics to Blogger or WordPress](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/google-analytics/): Todays post will show you how to instal Google Analytics. It’s a really important part of blogging which is often overlooked, but even if you aren’t interested in stats or monetising your site I recommend setting up Google Analytics asap to start collecting data right away. I especially love the Real-Time Feature that lets you […]
- [Prevent referrer spam & links on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/prevent-referrer-spam-links/): Referrer spam can clutter your Blogger stats and mislead your analytics. This guide provides actionable steps to prevent unwanted links, helping you maintain accurate data and a professional online presence.
- [How to add social media buttons to your blog using images with hover effect](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/add-social-media-buttons-to-blog/): Adding social media buttons to your Blogger blog is a great way to encourage content sharing and connect with your audience. This guide walks you through various methods to seamlessly integrate social media buttons into your blog's layout.
- [How to choose your blog topic: Finding your niche](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/picking-your-blog-topic/): Choosing the right blog topic is crucial for attracting and retaining readers. This guide walks you through identifying your passions, understanding your audience, and selecting a niche that aligns with both, setting a strong foundation for your blogging journey.
- [An Overview of WordPress, Blogger and Other Blogging Platforms](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-vs-blogger/): Another big decision is choosing where you want to blog. There’s so many blogging platforms to choose from and it can be a little annoying to switch over once you’ve started – but it can be done. There are so many options and really it depends on you, your preference, your blog topic and what […]
- [Beginners Guide to Using the WordPress (Hosted .COM) Platform](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress/): My recent post was about choosing a blogging platform – WordPress vs Blogger, now that you’ve decided to go with WordPress.com, it’s time to learn a little bit more about it. This guide will give you a quick insight into setting up a blog, finding your way around the dashboard, writing your first post and […]
- [Beginners guide to the Blogger platform](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/blogger/): My recent post was about choosing a blogging platform – WordPress vs Blogger, now that you’ve decided to start a blog on Blogger.com, it’s time to learn a little bit more about it. This guide will give you a quick insight into setting up a blog, finding your way around the dashboard, writing your first […]
- [Increase blog traffic with these SEO tips](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/increase-traffic/): SEO is a very easy concept to understand, but putting it into practice is the hard part. Once you know the steps, it comes down to trial and error, learning what works where and when. You want to avoid any spam blackhat methods that will give you great results instantly. Sounds good but once Google […]
- [9 steps to make your Mac run faster and free up memory](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/faster-mac/): If your Mac is feeling sluggish, you're not alone. Over time, clutter and unnecessary files can slow down your system. In this guide, we'll walk you through 9 effective steps to free up memory and improve your Mac's performance, helping you get back to work faster.
- [How to add and align multiple images side by side vertically](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/vertical-images-side-by-side/): If you're aiming to showcase multiple vertical images side by side on your Blogger blog, this tutorial provides two effective methods: using inline-block styling for a modern approach and table layouts for a more structured format. Follow these steps to create a visually appealing and organised image gallery.
- [How to center the header image and header text in blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/center-header-image-in-blogger/): A well-aligned header image can enhance your blog's visual appeal. This tutorial provides clear instructions on how to center your header image in Blogger, ensuring a polished and cohesive design.
- [How to remove borders from page tabs gagdet on blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/remove-borders-from-page-tabs-navigation/): If you're aiming for a cleaner, border-free look on your Blogger site, removing the borders from your page tabs or navigation menu is a great place to start. This guide walks you through both the Template Designer and manual HTML methods to achieve a sleek, minimalist design.
- [How to remove spaces between images in Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/tutorial-remove-spaces-between-images-in-blogger/): Unwanted spaces between images can disrupt your Blogger post layout. This tutorial provides clear instructions on how to remove those gaps, ensuring a clean and professional appearance for your blog.
- [7 updates that make it easier to customise your Blogger blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/blogger-update-2013/): Blogger has introduced 7 updates that make managing your blog easier and more flexible. This guide highlights improvements to HTML editing, template customisation, and other features that help you create a smoother blogging experience.
- [Remove shadows and borders on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/shadows-borders/): If you're aiming for a clean, minimalist design on your Blogger blog, removing unnecessary shadows and borders is a great place to start. This guide walks you through the process of editing your template's CSS to eliminate these elements, helping you achieve a more streamlined and modern aesthetic.
- [How to prevent excess spam comments on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/prevent-spam-comments-on-blogger/): Spam comments can quickly clutter your Blogger blog and affect reader experience. This guide shares practical tips to reduce spam, keep your blog clean, and maintain a positive environment for your audience.
- [How to choose the perfect domain name for your blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/picking-domain/): Choosing a domain name is a pivotal step in establishing your blog's identity. This guide offers actionable advice to help you select a domain that's memorable, aligned with your brand, and optimised for SEO.
- [Video editing tools for mac and windows](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/video-editing-tools/): This post will cover a range of video editing programs available for Mac and Windows that are perfect for bloggers and vloggers. I’ve been meaning to write about this topic for so long, since I originally posted about the Alternatives to Photoshop Part 1 and Part 2 on my previous website. There’s quite a lot […]
- [How to add a line behind post title, date or text](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/how-to-add-a-line-behind-post-title/): Today’s post will show you how to add a line behind text on your blog, in a similar way to strikethrough or deleted text but instead of the line going through the text it will appear behind it, like so This is usually seen as an image, but it is possible with a little bit […]
- [How to enable demographics on Google Analytics for more audience stats](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/google-analytics-demographics/): You may have noticed Demographics and Interests under the Audience tab on the left hand side of the Analytics dashboard. They show useful information about who the visitors to your website or blog are. In order to view these stats you need to enable them. To do this, you need to add a line of […]
- [How to fix blurry images on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/how-to-fix-blurry-images-on-blogger/): I had a couple of questions last night about images on Blogger appearing blurry and more pixelated than normal. I then noticed tweets and comments on the Blogger forum saying the same thing. I don’t know if anything has changed or if it was just a glitch on Blogger this week but here’s how to […]
- [Quick tips to eliminate clutter on your blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/quick-tips-to-eliminate-clutter-on-your-blog/): Welcome to day 5 of Marianne’s blog tour, a movement that is supporting women around the world to create a life they love. Marianne from Design your own (lovely) Blog has been helping women to create lives they love by giving them confidence when it comes to their own blog designs. Marianne’s goal is to […]
- [Accept sponsored content? Understanding NoFollow Links](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/nofollow/): There’s always a lot of confusion around the subject of follow links vs. nofollow links. To understand it clearly, you need to understand how search engines work. How search engines work? What is a follow link? Search Engines like Google crawl your blog. As well as looking at your content, they also look at the […]
- [How to set up a custom domain on Blogger using 1&1](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/how-to-set-up-a-custom-domain-on-blogger-using-11/): I’ve had a couple of emails lately about how to set up a custom domain on Blogger using a domain name from 1&1. I don’t have much experience with 1&1 having never used them myself but the experience I do have is enough for me not to recommend them to clients. If you do a […]
- [Changing from Blogger Subdomain to another Subdomain](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/blogspot-domain/): This post will explain the steps for changing your blog address/URL on Blogger from a subdomain (.blogspot.com) to a new subdomain (.blogspot.com). This can be quite a confusing and difficult change as Blogger don’t offer a way to automatically redirect your readers. To help you understand the instructions better I’m going to use the example […]
- [Changing from a Blogger subdomain to a custom domain](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/blogger-domain/): This post will explain the steps if you are changing from a Blogger subdomain (blogname.blogspot.com) to a custom domain (customdomain.com). This is probably the easiest URL change to make in terms of steps as Blogger makes it as automatic as possible. 1. Read the first part of this post on how to smoothly change your […]
- [How to smoothly change your domain without losing followers or SEO ranking](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/change-domain/): how to smoothly change your URL - step 1 preparation, what do to before your change your blog name. It's so important to think about this checklist before switching your blog address, so you don't lose readers along the way!
- [Why I moved from Bloglovin' to Feedly to follow my favourite blogs](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/using-feedly-to-follow-blogs/): Like most bloggers, I’ve used Bloglovin for the last few years to keep up with all the blogs I enjoy reading. However, Bloglovin’ seems to be shifting away from being a simple RSS feed reader and turning into a social networking and promotional platform. Which means, I need a new simple way to follow my […]
- [Add an Instagram widget to your sites sidebar](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/add-an-instagram-widget-to-your-sites-sidebar/): Instagram, although limiting, can be a fantastic marketing tool. It’s visual, personal and it doesn’t really feel like you’re being sold something. It gives bloggers and business owners an opportunity to be creative, to show some personality, to showcase snippets of their work and give their audience a behind the scenes look at what they […]
- [How to publish posts and pages on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/how-to-publish-posts-and-pages-on-blogger/): Way back when I started this blog I did a series called How to Start a Blog and one of the posts was A Beginners Guide to Blogger.com where I gave an overview of the dashboard and how to set up a blog on Blogger. In this post I’ll be discussing how to set up […]
- [How to properly use labels as categories on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/labels-in-blogger/): Blogger has made categorising posts pretty simple, however it’s something that is often overlooked or misused. Categorising your posts helps organise your blog letting your readers find what they are looking for. On Blogger, categories are called labels. Whenever you create a post, in the post editor on the right, you have the option of […]
- [Comparing 3 main commenting systems for Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/comparing-three-main-commenting-systems-for-blogger/): I’ve got a couple of requests lately to do a post about the different commenting systems for Blogger, more specifically to compare Google Plus and Disqus. This post is an overview of the features, advantages and disadvantages of the three main commenting systems for Blogger. BLOGGER COMMENTS Blogger’s default comment system seems to get mixed […]
- [How to embed your latest youtube video on your blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/how-to-embed-your-latest-youtube-video-on-your-blog/): Surprisingly YouTube still don’t have a way to easily embed only your latest YouTube video onto your site so that every time you upload a new video it automatically updates on your site. WordPress users can download a plugin which allows this but Blogger users have the option of two gadgets (listed below), although neither […]
- [Add a contact form to page on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/add-a-contact-form-to-page-on-blogger/): Bloggers contact gadget is a really easy way to add a contact form to your blog, however since it’s a gadget you can only place it in your sidebar or footer which is kind of an awkward place for a contact form. This tutorial will show you how to move it to it’s own page […]
- [Why you shouldn’t draft  blog posts using programs like Microsoft Word and Google Docs](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/drafting-posts/): Do you draft your blog posts in Word or Google Docs and then copy them over to your blog? If so, do your blog posts have a different text style? Have you had any coding/layout issues on your blog? This post is just briefly to explain why you should avoid using programs like MS Word […]
- [Add a "Scroll Back to Top" button to Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/add-a-scroll-back-to-top-button-to-blogger/): A “back to top” button can be really helpful for your readers, especially if you have a lot of posts appearing on your homepage and no sticky navigation. This post will show you how to add one that will only appear when the user begins to scroll down your blog. An example can be seen […]
- [Make navigation bar + other blog elements partially transparent](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/transparent-elements/): I’ve gotten quite a few questions recently about how to make the navigation bar and other elements slightly transparent so that’s what I’ll cover today. It’s really simple, just two lines of CSS that need to be applied to an element with a background. I’ll be using a navigation bar to demonstrate this tutorial but […]
- [How to legally use images and content in your blog posts](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/copyright-infringement/): This is the forth and final post in this bloggers guide to copyright series. We’ve covered what Copyright, Creative Commons, Fair Use and Copyright Infringement mean, talked about tips for protecting content, writing copyright notices, stating terms of use and how to contact someone who used your content without permission. Today I’ll be talking about […]
- [What you can do if someone steals your content](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/plagiarism/): The previous two posts in this bloggers guide to copyright series was an overview of Copyright, Creative Commons, Plagiarism, Fair Use and Copyright Infringement and tips for protecting your content and writing a copyright notice. Today’s topic is what to do if you discover your content being used somewhere that you did not give your […]
- [Tips for protecting your content + writing copyright notices](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/copyright-notice/): My last post in this bloggers guide to copyright series was an overview of Copyright, Creative Commons, Plagiarism, Fair Use and Copyright Infringement. Today I’m going to talk a little more about how to protect your blog content (articles, posts, images, etc) and the kind of notices you should display on your site to let […]
- [Stay out of legal trouble as a blogger - get to know copyright law](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/copyright/): How much do you know about copyright? Republishing a blog post or using someone else’s image isn’t 100% correct but you gave them credit so it’s okay, right? Wrong! I have noticed a lot more bloggers tweeting about their posts or images being stolen lately, it’s always very disheartening to have something you spent a […]
- [How to back up your Instagram content](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/backup-instagram/): Keep your Instagram content safe with this step-by-step guide. Learn how to use Instagram’s Download Your Information tool to back up your posts, Reels and messages easily.
- [Avoid blogging burnout + overcome bloggers block](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/burnout/): With so many blogs out there it’s easy to feel like a little fish in a big huge pond, to feel like you’re putting a lot out there and not getting much back, to feel like other bloggers are better, to feel like you’ve used up all of your best ideas or simply to feel […]
- [How to reduce your blogs bounce rate](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/bounce-rate/): I’ve discussed how to monitor bounce rate in this Beginners Guide to Google Analytics but in this post I’ll talk about what it is, how to find your sites bounce rate and how to reduce it. What is bounce rate? Your blogs bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who land on one page of […]
- [Using custom redirects on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/custom-redirects-blogger/): Occasionally with blogging you’ll feel you want a change, with this you’ll do a lot of editing – publishing new updated posts, deleting old or previous posts, moving them, renaming name, etc. This all leads to broken links and pages/posts that don’t exist. On Blogger you can set up custom redirects to keep the traffic […]
- [Adding the alt text attribute to image tags for SEO](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/alt-text/): I mentioned in a previous post about simple SEO steps for increasing traffic that you should add descriptive alt tags to your images and since I’ve had a few emails regarding how to do that in Blogger I’d thought I’d right a quick tutorial for future reference. What is the alt attribute An alt tag […]
- [Understanding the Google Analytics Dashboard](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/google-analytics-dashboard/): For a new user Google Analytics can be really overwhelming and confusing, so in this post I’m going to cover what each section/report is about and what data it will show. GETTING STARTED WITH GOOGLE ANALYTICS First thing you need to do is set up an account and instal the tracking code. Head over to […]
- [50+ tools and resources for online businesses](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/50-tools-and-resources-for-online-businesses/): Domains + Hosting Please read my Hosting 101 and Domains 101 posts for more information on these topics. SitegroundGreat for domains + hosting with excellent support. For bloggers who are ready to invest a bit more I recommend the Startup package or GrowBig package. Both have awesome features and built specifically for WordPress. BlacknightHosting + […]
- [How to Correctly Center HTML Items using CSS and Avoid Non-Supported Methods - Basics of HTML #6](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/centering-items-in-html/): Today’s post is another in the The Basics of HTML for Beginners and Blogger Series, all about properly centering HTML items using CSS. There’s a number of ways to center items so here is an overview. I’ll try explain each methods as best I can, starting with the incorrect ways. The incorrect ways to center […]
- [Text Formatting and Fonts in HTML - Basics of HTML #5](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/text-formatting/): I briefly covered this in my Basics of HTML for Beginners post, however I wanted to come back to it in more detail and cover text formatting using HTML. We can add tags to our text content to give it more structure and style, helping readers follow along and letting web crawlers know what’s important […]
- [Show post summary on search + label pages only](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/show-post-summary-only-on-search-pages/): I wrote a previous tutorial about adding post summaries with a thumbnail to your Blogger blog so that a short extract is shown along with a read more link instead of the full post. I was asked if it was possible to show full posts on the homepage and excerpts only on searches such as […]
- [How to set up Twitter Cards for Blogger and Wordpress](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/twitter-cards/): Twitter Cards allow you to add media to your tweets. It’s very well known that updates on social media platforms with images are what gets shared the most. A good way to add an extra element to your tweets without having to upload an image with every tweet is by using Twitter Cards to automatically […]
- [Add social media icons to your navigation bar](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/add-social-media-icons-to-your-navigation-bar/): Adding social media icons to your blogs navigation bar is just like adding links, but instead of text we’ll be using images / icons. I’ve updated this post to be less specific so it can be tweaked and applied to any navigation. 1. Add a class to your current navigation Go to Layout and click […]
- [Add a search bar to your navigation menu](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/add-a-search-bar-to-your-navigation-menu/): Another highly requested tutorial for you today on adding a search bar to your navigation menu on Blogger. It’s a good way to integrate a few things into one navigation bar to save on space and help your readers find what they are looking for. My next tutorial will show you how to add social […]
- [7 basic but must have plugins for your WordPress website](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/must-have-plugins/): One of the most popular things about WordPress is the ability to install plugins. But with so many plugins available, it’s hard to know what to choose. Here are some of my favourite basic WordPress plugins, that I recommend installing on your website. 1. Akismet and FV Antispam I talked about fighting spam with these […]
- [How to make your own social media icons](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/custom-social-icons/): Today’s post is about how to create high quality social media icons for your blog. I’ve been asked numerous times how I make the social media icons in my shop so this is more or less how I do it. I know there’s quite a few tutorials online about this, but I’ve never seen anyone […]
- [Create a dropdown select box using subcategories](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/create-a-dropdown-select-box-using-subcategories/): Today’s post will be on adding a drop down menu to display post labels as categories and subcategories. The easiest way to explain is to show you the example below – clicking on the menu will display a list of categories and indented subcategories, by clicking on one of the options you’ll be brought to […]
- [Automatically resize Blogger images to fit blog post area](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/automatically-resize-blogger-images-to-fit-blog-post-area/): Very simple but highly requested post from me today about how to automatically resize your post images on Blogger. This tutorial will show you how to make your post images the same width and make them fit your blog post area perfectly to help improve the look of your blog. The code below automatically sets […]
- [18 free online tools for creating blog and social media graphics (alternatives to Photoshop)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/photoshop-alternatives-online/): Looking for a tool to edit your blog photos or create graphics for your blog? This post details a list of online editors, incase you don’t want to download a program or need to quickly edit an image. These alternatives are free for basic edits, while some offer premium services with more features. Related: Alternatives […]
- [Image editing programs for Mac and Windows - Alternatives to Photoshop Part 1](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/photoshop-alternatives/): Today’s post is about alternatives to Photoshop that can be downloaded for both Mac and Windows to use for image editing for your blog. Photoshop is an expensive, well sought after photo editing program with many options to create beautiful images but it’s not always necessary. There are some great free and less expensive alternatives […]
- [Use image gadget in Blogger without required title](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/use-image-gadget-blogger-without-required-title/): If you’ve ever tried to add an image gadget to Blogger you’ll know that adding a title for the gadget is a requirement. This can be pretty annoying when adding an About Me image that already has text. A lot of people have been asking me for a way to hide the title of the […]
- [Make header, navigation and footer full width in Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/make-header-full-width-blogger/): I’ve had a lot of requests for this lately so today I’m going to show you how to make your header, navigation and footer full width in Blogger. The way your template is set up is to have margin, padding and max-width values to “construct” your layout. In order to make your header, navigation or […]
- [Creating and using different types of HTML lists - Basics of HTML #4](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/html-lists/): Today’s HTML topic is on creating lists. Lists can be very handy when writing a blog post or copy for your website. Readers tend to scan content online so giving them the information in points can be better. Why lists are important Okay, I know lists are boring and learning how to create a list […]
- [Beginners guide to coding your first HTML webpage](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/html-basics/): I received a lot of questions regarding learning HTML basics. So that’s where we’ll start today, at the very beginning of HTML. I’ve tried to break this down as much as I can. Throughout the series I will cover the basics of HTML and then how to relate that to your blog. Fun fact – […]
- [Change font style of the first letter of post title](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/change-font-style-first-letter-post-title/): Really quick tutorial from me today that was requested a couple of times on how to change the first letter of your post title and post text on Blogger to be a different style giving a magazine effect like this sentence. I’ve seen this technique used in some cool and creative ways. You could combine […]
- [How to create a text link, an email link and an image link (and make links open in a new tab)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/html-images/): Todays post will be on creating links which is probably one of the first things you’ll learn in a web design and development course. It may seem basic and simple but you’d be surprised how often I get asked how to make an image link to something else. This image could be a photo, an […]
- [How to export a specific category group from Bloglovin](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/export-specific-group-bloglovin/): I was once a Bloglovin’ as mentioned in this Bloglovin Guide & FAQ post. I used it to follow a range of blogs, which I’d organised into many different groups or categories. However, I’ve since switched to using Feedly. Today I’ll be explaining a really simple hack to export a specific group of blogs I […]
- [What is Good SEO? Fighting SEO Myths](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/seo-myths/): There seems to be a lot of confusion about SEO these days, many people know the term but are unsure what it is or how to get involved. I’ve previously written all about how search engines, SEO and keywords work. Today I thought I’d do something different and cover some SEO Myths that you may […]
- [How to set up a custom domain on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/set-up-custom-domain-blogger/): In this post I’m going to show you step by step how to set up a custom domain on Blogger. I know what you’re thinking, this looks scary but it really isn’t too bad once you understand the process so I’ll go through each step and try to be as clear and as detailed as […]
- [How to prepare your blog for the new year](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/prepare-your-blog-for-2014/): Traffic is typically at it’s lowest between Christmas and a couple of days after New Years while everyone is either celebrating or recovering. This gives you the perfect opportunity to work on your blog and preparing for the year ahead. Here’s some of my tips for getting your blog ready for a new year. Plan […]
- [Show post excerpts with thumbnail on your blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/show-post-excerpts-with-thumbnail-on-blogger/): Today’s tutorial will show you how to create post summaries with a thumbnail on your main blog page. You could do this by manually adding jump links while writing posts, but this is a way to automatically add a “read more” button to each post on your blog. It can make your homepage appear neater, […]
- [Add a border or image to the top of your Blogger blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/add-a-border-or-image-to-the-top-of-your-blog/): Today’s tutorial is about adding a border or image to the top of your blog along the browser window. It’s really quick and easy but can really bring your blog design together. If you try it out, let me know below. I’d love to see how you customised it. Turn off Bloggers navigation bar Go […]
- [How to customise the read more jump link on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/customise-read-jump-link-blogger/): Today’s tutorial is all about the “read more” jump link on Blogger. I’ll go through how to add it to your blog, change the text, add the post title, add an image and customise the look of it. The default “read more” link doesn’t really stand out and let people know that there’s more to […]
- [Customise the "Newer & Older Posts" Pagination Links on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/blogger-pagination/): Today’s tutorial is about changing the links for “newer posts” and “older posts” at the end of your blog under your post section on Blogger. When a visitor clicks on the link for older/newer posts, it takes them to the previous/next page of posts. The number of posts shown on your home page will depend […]
- [Blogger's guide to Twitter - hashtags, Twitter chats, useful tools and growing an audience](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/twitter/): Since the launch of Twitter in 2006, it has quickly become one of the most visited and most used sites on the internet. With 500 million active users in 2012 and billions of tweets about every single subject, a wide variety of users including people, organisations, businesses both big and small, local and international, it’s […]
- [Change or remove the "showing posts with label" message](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/change-or-remove-the-showing-posts-with-message/): When a reader clicks on a label on your blog, they are greated with a message telling them that they are now viewing all of your published posts that are categorised under that label. Todays tutorial will show you how to remove this from your blog or change the text that is displayed as well […]
- [How to rearrange your post header and footer - labels, author, date](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/rearrange-post-header-footer-section/): When you publish a new post on your blog, information about the post is also displayed – such as the time it was published, the author, the labels attached to the post, the location, share buttons, etc. In today’s tutorial I’m going to show you how to rearrange/move those elements in the post header and […]
- [Essential security tips for WordPress users to avoid being hacked](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-security-tips/): One thing you have to think about when you go self-hosted with WordPress is security. It’s better to be safe than sorry and decrease the risk of being hacked, after all the time and resources that goes into building a site. Hacks are typically done at random by bots that scan for non-secure sites. Here […]
- [How to add a hover over Pin It Button to your Blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/hover-over-pin-it-button/): Todays tutorial will show you how to add a hover/mouse over pin-it button to your blog images on blogger. I show you two methods, one for the official Pinterest button and another for adding a custom button. This feature makes it really easy for your readers to save blog posts and images to their Pinterest […]
- [How to fight spam comments on WordPress](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/spam-comments/): Spam is probably one of the worst things about running a blog. It’s a tough situation because you want to make it difficult for spammers but easy for your readers to comment. It’s best to avoid things like word verification or CAPTCHA. They are pretty difficult to read and can be time consuming. I previously […]
- [How to create a sitemap on Blogger and submit it to Google and Bing](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/create-and-submit-a-sitemap-on-blogger/): A sitemap is simply a directory of all the pages existing on your site, like a table of contents showing the structure of your blog. Sitemaps help search engines crawl your site and index it properly. Search engines will crawl your site if you have a sitemap or not, but this makes the process easier […]
- [How to do a reverse image search - find the original source of any image](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/original-source/): A long overdue post about finding the correct original source for images and giving proper credit when using images that aren’t yours. Images are an essential part of blogging, helping to attract readers and adding a little something extra to a post. The saying “a picture is worth 1000 words” is extremely relative when it […]
- [How to add a blog post divider on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/add-a-blog-post-divider-on-blogger/): A post divider is simply a line or image, which divides your blog posts. It helps the reader distinguish one post from another when scrolling down through your blog. You can a a minimal line or something that matches your theme. I’ve added some free dividers to the shop if you don’t want to make […]
- [How to fix no reply blogger comments](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/no-reply-comments/): I received a couple of emails lately from bloggers asking why they appear to be a no reply blogger – this simply means that your email address is protected and isn’t being shown when you interact with a blog. It’s actually quite common and not a lot of people realise that they are no-reply bloggers […]
- [How to move and remove the header gadget on your blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/header-gadget/): On Blogger, the header element is locked by default in the Layout Gadget area. This can cause problems when you are re-designing your blog, especially if you want to put something above your header, move it elsewhere or delete it altogether. This tutorial will show you how to unlock your header gadget so that you […]
- [Add a drop down menu that can be styled with template designer on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/add-drop-menu-can-styled-template-designer/): Todays tutorial is a simple CSS styled drop-down menu for Blogger. I have a previous tutorial here for the exact dropdown menu used on misseblog (demo). The problem is, because I styled it to look like the menu on misseblog as requested, some people found it difficult to customise further so I decided to create […]
- [How to fix threaded comments and the reply button on Blogger comments](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/fix-reply-button-blogger-comments/): A few people have emailed me about having issues with replying to comments on their blog, after resolving their issues with the reply button I realised that maybe a lot more people are having this problem too so thought I’d write up a tutorial on how to fix it. This can be complicated if you […]
- [Introducing Blogosphere magazine issue 1 - an editorial by bloggers for bloggers](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/blogosphere-magazine/): I can finally announce something I’m very excited to be involved in – Blogosphere Magazine! Blogosphere Magazine is a new print magazine featuring the very best from the blogging and social media community. It will cover a range of subjects including beauty, fashion, lifestyle, food, photography, travel and parenting as well as interviews, features, news […]
- [Add custom share links and icons to your blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/add-custom-share-links-blog/): Sharing your blog via social media is a great way of boosting your readership and traffic so it’s important to make it easy to share your blog posts. This tutorial will show you how to manually add custom share links and icons to your blog on Blogger or WordPress. These are typically a lot cleaner […]
- [How to add a scalloped edge background to your blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/how-to-add-a-scalloped-edge-background-to-your-blog/): I’ve received quite a few questions about adding a scalloped edge to your blog since uploading this premade template to the shop. Todays tutorial will take you through how to add a scalloped edge (BG2) to the content area of your blog which sits on top of your blogs background (BG1) as shown below. Use […]
- [How to add hover over effects for social media icons, menus and more - Basics of HTML #3](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/hover-effects/): Many blogs and websites, including my own, feature “hover over” effects on images where the image changes somehow when the mouse hovers over it. “Hover over” can also be referred to as rollover or mouseover. Usually, javascript coding is used to create this effect but there are some easier and more efficient alternatives. I’ve mentioned […]
- [How to search for and find code in Bloggers HTML Editor](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/blogger-html-editor/): I get many comments and emails from readers saying that they are not able to find a certain code in the new HTML editor. The code is present in all of Bloggers default templates, it may look a little different depending on what template you are using and what changes you have made but it […]
- [How to use image masks to combine multiple images or "float" effect](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/image-masks/): Todays tutorial will show you how to use image masks to combine multiple images, this was requested by the lovely Jessica over at Look What I Got and is great for fashion bloggers who want to show different angles of their outfits. I also show you how to use this technique to create a cool […]
- [Create a calendar or banner style date header for blogger posts](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/create-calendar-or-banner-style-date-header-blogger-posts/): In my last post, I showed you how to create a circular date header for blogger posts that floats to the side. Todays post will take it a little further, showing you how create a calendar style, your own imagea, a banner style or a triangular date header and how to customise it to suit […]
- [How to create a circular date header for Blogger posts](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/create-a-circular-date-header-for-blogger-posts/): Todays post will show you how to create a circular date header for blogger posts such as the one in the image below. This can be a really cool addition to your blog and something that can be customised to suit your layout and design. As this post was highly requested and codes vary depending […]
- [Fix missing posts and thumbnails in Blogger dashboard reading list](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/fix-missing-posts-in-blogger-dashboard-reading-list/): Over the past year I’ve seen a lot of complaints about the Blogger Dashboard Reading List including newly published posts not appearing, the feed not updating, thumbnails not showing up, etc. I’ve researched this problem with posts or image thumbnails not appearing in the Blogger Dashboard for a couple of weeks now. This seems to […]
- [The top 10 essential design tips to attract blog readers](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/design-tips/): We all know that first impressions are important, especially when it comes to blogging – a hard to read blog just won’t be read. So from the moment a new visitor lands on your blog, you need to knock their socks off!! I get emails all the time asking me for design tips so today […]
- [How to restore your Blogger blog, template and posts from a backup](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/restore-your-blogger-blog/): As I mentioned in my previous post, it is extremely important to back up your entire blog in case something happens. So now that you’ve all (hopefully) created a backup, how do you restore your blog if anything happens. Backing up and restoring your blogger blog is easy. Simply download the XML files, keep them […]
- [How to backup your entire WordPress or Blogger/Blogspot blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/backup-blog/): We all know how many hours go into creating the “perfect” blog. We also know how annoying and frustrating it can be when something crashes, fails to save or gets deleted. Imagine if one day poof your blog was gone – hacked, deleted or corrupted! It is so important to backup your blog on a […]
- [Create a sticky or fixed navigation when scrolling on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/create-a-sticky-navigation-when-scrolling-on-blogger/): Many popular sites these days are starting to add a fixed or sticky navigation to help visitors find their way around the site. It means that the reader doesn’t have to scroll back to the top of the page to choose a different page or topic. Instead they have access to the main navigation at […]
- [Create a basic navigation menu and edit page tabs on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/tutorial-create-a-basic-navigation-menu-in-blogger/): Many blogs these days consist of two or more topics, your home feed can be a mix of several different things. To make it easier for readers to find what they are looking for, it’s important to have a navigation system. Todays post will show you how to create a basic navigation bar to separate […]
- [Create a horizontal navigation menu using images on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/tutorial-create-a-horizontal-navigation-menu-with-images-on-blogger/): A navigation menu is one of the most important things for any website or blog. Think of all the different areas on your blog – all the posts, pages and topics. You want your readers to easily find their way around and to be able to find what it is they are looking for. A […]
- [Create a custom navigation menu with dropdown items on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/create-a-drop-down-navigation-menu/): I’ve been getting a lot of questions this week regarding navigation so the next few posts will focus on different navigations and menus you can create for your blog. Navigation is one of the most important elements to consider when designing your blog. Today’s tutorial will show you how to create a drop down navigation […]
- [Beginners guide to using Google Analytics for bloggers](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/google-analytics-guide/): Although I advice not to get bogged down with numbers and followers, it is important to keep an eye on the progress of your blog. Following your sites analytics can be time consuming, confusing and inaccurate if you don’t know what you’re doing. Here is my beginners guide to Google Analytics. I will probably do […]
- [Get your blog ready for a holiday or a blogging break](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/blogging-break/): So with lots of people jetting off on holidays, I thought it would be a good idea to write up some tips on how to get your blog holiday ready. I used some of these myself before going away. There’s so many different ways to handle leaving your blog for a couple of weeks, if […]
- [Promoting your blog with social media](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/promoting-your-blog-with-social-media/): Once you publish a new post, it is important to share this information on social media sites to help others find it. I know myself that I only get a chance to go through my reading list once a week, so if you post regularly I may miss your great posts. Sharing them on Facebook […]
- [Keyword Research: Step by step to finding keywords for more targeted traffic](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/keyword-research/): Keywords are still a massive part of SEO, but aimlessly stuffing keywords into content will not give the best results. This is why we research keywords.  Keyword Research is the search for keywords related to your site and the analysis of which keywords will bring highest traffic. This is the first step in optimising your blog […]
- [Beginners Guide to SEO - Understanding Search Engines + Keywords for SEO](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/search-engines/): My previous SEO post on how to increase your blog traffic with these SEO tips was really popular and I’ve been getting a lot of SEO questions lately so todays post will go into explaining what SEO is and how understanding Search Engines & Keywords can benefit you. Whats involved in a Search Engine? A […]
- [Automatically add rounded corners to your blog images](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/tutorial-automatically-add-rounded-corners-to-your-blog-images/): Today’s tutorial will show you how to add rounded corners to your blog images, you can choose to add a small radius or make the image appear circular. This can be a really cool effect for your blog, you can use the code below to add this to any image on your blog. Log into […]
- [Add social media links beneath each blog post](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/add-social-media-links-beneath-each-blog-post/): Todays tutorial will show you how to add social media links beneath each blog post on blogger. Add the links in button or text form. This is a handy way of letting your readers know how to contact you, without them having to search around for ways to follow. How to add social media icons […]
- [How to add a Google font or custom font to your Blogger or WordPress blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/custom-font/): Todays post will discuss adding custom fonts to your blog on WordPress and Blogger using Font Directories or Google Web Fonts. Blogger has improved the font collection available in Template Designer, but choices are still limited. One of the best and easiest ways to add a custom font to your blog is using Google Web […]
- [How to add a signature to Blogger posts](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/signature-blogger/): I previously wrote a post about adding a signature to your WordPress blog so I thought I would do a tutorial for those of you on blogger. As always with Blogger, coding usually depends on the template you are using so I have two methods below on how to automatically add a signature to the […]
- [How to move date below the post title in Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/tutorial-move-date-below-the-post-title-in-blogger/): This tutorial will show you how to move the date below the post title on your Blogger blog. This has been made a lot easier since the Blogger 2013 Update. A lot of people prefer the date beneath the title of the post, here are two ways how to do it (with some styling fixes […]
- [How to create a blog header (no Photoshop)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/tutorial-create-a-blog-header-no-photoshop/): Another tutorial that has been on my to-do list for a very long time is how to create a header or banner for your blog without the use of Photoshop. I’m going to show you how I created the header that I use on my personal blog and in doing so hopefully you’ll understand the […]
- [Ultimate guide to Bloglovin' - common issues resolved and what happened to the platform](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/blog-tips-ultimate-guide-to-bloglovin/): What happened to Bloglovin’? Bloglovin’ rebranded to Activate in 2018, becoming an influencer marketplace. The @bloglovin Twitter account has been wiped and instead directs users to @activatesocial_, which has also been shut down. Activate was acquired by Impact, a partnership management platform, in August 2020. However, it seems Activate has been abandoned with the last […]
- [How to edit CSS and tweak your blog design on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/understanding-css-in-blogger/): Customising your Blogger blog's design is made easier by understanding how to edit CSS. This guide walks you through locating the CSS section in your template, adding custom styles, and using the Template Designer to make adjustments that align with your brand's aesthetic.
- [SEO success from SMX West](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/seo-success-in-2013/): Back in March during SMX West (a social media marketing event) a group of experts held a session to discuss what is needed for SEO Success in 2013. I was interning at the time and was able to research and discuss it with my boss who is a Digital Media Marketer specialising in SEO. Today’s […]
- [Gain more insights about your blog with Google Site Kit](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/google-site-kit/): We have several different hats as bloggers and freelancers. And because of that it can be quite easy to drop the ball on the webmaster tasks we should be doing – especially when we’re busy creating content, managing social media and marketing our latest offering. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the amazing tools offered […]
- [60+ Black Friday weekend deals for bloggers, web designers and WordPress users](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/black-friday-2019/): It’s that time of year again, the sales are back! I feel like this gets extended every year – there’s now Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Sofa Sunday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday *exhale*. Fun fact, it’s estimated that consumers spent more than $14 billion last year on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to […]
- [WordPress missed schedule error: why your scheduled post didn't publish and how to fix it](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/missed-scheduled-post/): You spend a lot of time creating a post, set the date and click schedule. Easy, right? Well, no! If you regularly schedule content on WordPress you know the frustration of a missed schedule error, which stops your post from publishing correctly. I’m going to share a quick solution with you to prevent this from […]
- [4 legal pages you NEED to have on your blog or website](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/legal-pages/): One of the great things about the internet is the ability for anyone to start a blog or website. And while it is relatively easy to get yourself online, there are certain rules that you have to research and legal requirements that you have to follow. One of those things is your site’s legal pages. […]
- [A look at what's new in WordPress 5.3 (and how to safely update)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-5-3/): The next major WordPress update is coming and let me tell you, it’s a good one! I’ve been testing some of the new features, and I can’t wait for them to be made official. So, what can we expect? Its focus has been on Gutenberg editor improvements, more intuitive interactions, UI polishing, improved accessibility and […]
- [How the ASA and CMA want you to label content as a UK content creator (updated Feb 2020)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/labelling-ads/): There has always been a lot of confusion around the advertising rules for bloggers and social media influencers. To help clear that up the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) collaborated with the CAP (Committee of Advertising Practice) and CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) to release an Influencer Guide. The aim of the new resource released this week was […]
- [How to create Custom Post Types on WordPress](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/custom-post-types/): One of the reasons WordPress powers more than 39% of the internet is down to its versatility. WordPress uses more than just posts and pages to organise content. One way you can expand your site from being “just a blog” to being a flexible bespoke website is using custom post types. In this post, I’ll explain […]
- [What is search intent and why it matters for SEO?](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/search-intent/): Most content fails because it doesn’t match what people are really searching for. Learn what search intent is, the different types of queries, and how understanding intent can help your blog or business get found, engage readers, and drive results.
- [Using Google’s new Nofollow, UGC and Sponsored Link Attributes (Guideline for bloggers and content creators)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/nofollow-sponsored/): Google announced changes to the NoFollow guidelines this week. This affects you as a blogger if you receive sponsored content opportunities.  NoFollow links were introduced in 2005 to combat spam and improve the quality of the search engine result pages, but a lot has happened since then. As a result, these new guidelines fit better […]
- [Knowing the search terms people are using to find your blog for SEO](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/searched-keywords/): Following on from my previous post about creating a sitemap on the different search consoles, today we’re going to focus on finding the keywords that people are searching for to land on your site. Knowing what keywords your site already ranks for can really help with your SEO strategy. If you’re ranking for the keywords that […]
- [How to create a sitemap for your WordPress blog (and why you should!)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-sitemap/): If you’ve ever read anything about SEO, you’ve probably come across the term sitemap. If that’s the case, then you have probably read that you should have one and that you should tell search engines about it. If you have no idea what they are, how to create one or why you should submit it […]
- [How to film, edit and schedule vertical video for IGTV (and add captions!)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/igtv/): Thinking about creating content for IGTV? Now it a great time as IGTV views are at an all time high! According to Later, IGTV views have increased by 300-1000% since the introduction of IGTV previews on the main feed. And Cisco say that by 2021, mobile video will account for 78% of total mobile data […]
- [How to safely update WordPress, Themes and Plugins](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/update-wordpress/): Not sure where to start with updating your WordPress site and afraid something might go wrong? While this is an understandable concern, it is important to use the latest version for the best security and performance of your website. So, whether you need to update the WordPress version, a plugin or your theme, this post […]
- [10 essential tips for securing your WordPress website](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/securing-wordpress/): One thing you have to think about when you have a self-hosted WordPress website is security! Whether you run a personal blog or a business website, ensuring your site is secure is essential to protect your data, visitors, and reputation. A compromised WordPress site can lead to stolen information, loss of traffic, and even being […]
- [Are you incorrectly getting consent for cookies? The ICO publish cookie guidance for website owners and bloggers](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/cookie-guidance/): Since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect last year, there has been a lot of questions surrounding cookies. Last week the Information Commissioner Office (ICO), which is the UK Data Protection Authority, published its long-awaited cookie guidelines. In relation to cookies, we look to the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) before […]
- [How I organise my files as a freelancer and clear out space on my MacBook to keep it running fast](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/organise-files/): I have a lot of files on my MacBook and I try make a real effort to keep it clean, organised and free of junk. Especially since this mishap at the beginning of this year where I almost lost everything! Working in digital media and marketing, I’ve learned a few things about organising documents, media, […]
- [How to create a child theme on WordPress (and why you should)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-child-theme/): A child theme is a safe, modular way to customise your WordPress site without touching core theme files. In this guide, we’ll walk you through creating one, from folder setup to loading styles and overriding templates.
- [How to automatically set your featured image on WordPress](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/auto-featured-image/): Want your posts to always show a thumbnail without manually editing them? This guide shows how to auto-set your featured image in WordPress using both plugin and code methods — so you can skip the formatting and focus on content.
- [How to access your WordPress files via FTP using FileZilla (for beginners)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/filezilla/): There’s been a lot of talk lately about the need for bloggers to understand the technical side of their websites. This post will show you how to set up and login to an FTP client and access your WordPress files. Related: Hosting 101 – complete guide to web hosting What is FTP/SFTP? FTP is short […]
- [How to choose and install a WordPress theme](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-themes/): Today I’m covering WordPress themes – where to choose one from, how to install them, when to update them and how to safely switch themes… What is a WordPress theme?In relation to WordPress, a theme is a small directory found in the wp-content/themes folder, stored on your web host, that contains several files. These files control the […]
- [Automatically backup your WordPress site for free using UpdraftPlus](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/updraftplus/): There are several free and paid plugins that will automatically backup your WordPress site, today I’ll show you how to schedule backups using UpdraftPlus. It is one of the most popular free WordPress backup plugins available. It currently has over 2 million active installations and 3,000+ 5 star reviews. UpdraftPlus [affiliate link] allows you to […]
- [Add multiple images from your camera roll and custom GIF Stickers to Instagram Stories](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/gifs-instagram/): Take your blog or business branding to a whole new level by using custom GIFs on Instagram I created some GIFs recently for the XOmisse and Blogosphere Instagram Stories so I thought I would share two methods for adding your own custom GIFs to Instagram Stories. Creating your GIF Stickers Firstly, you’ll obviously need to […]
- [8 factors to consider when choosing a web host provider for your blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/web-host-service/): Choosing a web host doesn’t need to be overwhelming. In this post you’ll learn 8 essential factors — from uptime and performance to security and support — to help you confidently select a web hosting provider that fits your site’s needs.
- [What is Article 11 and 13? The new EU copyright legislation for creators](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/article13/): What is article 11 and article 13? How does it affect creators, bloggers and YouTubers?
- [Moz is updating Domain Authority, here's what is changing...](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/domain-authority-update/): Moz announced an update coming to DA on March 5. Here is all you need to know about Domain Authority 2.0
- [Changing from Blogger Custom Domain to another Custom Domain](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/custom-domain/): This post will explain the steps for changing your blog address/URL on Blogger from a custom domain (myolddomain.com) to a difference custom domain (mynewdomain.com). Read the first part of this post on how to smoothly change your URL or blog name, which will explain the overall steps and things to prepare before changing your URL. […]
- [What you NEED to know about the social media endorsement guidelines from the CMA (UK)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/social-endorsement-guidelines/): Information on complying with consumer protection law when endorsing brands or services on social media. The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) published new guidelines this week to ensure that influencers, brands, marketing agents, intermediaries and all involved in the supply chain are aware of consumer protection law when it comes to influencer marketing on social […]
- [How to disable the Gutenberg block editor and use the previous WordPress editor instead](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/classic-editor/): WordPress 5.0 brings a number of changes, most significantly the new block editor known as Gutenberg. If you’ve already updated to WordPress 5.0 and don’t like the new editing experience, you may be wondering if you can return to the previous WordPress editor instead. If you prefer the classic editor, have compatibility issues with Gutenberg […]
- [Hello WordPress 5.0 and Gutenberg - What to do before updating and why you should wait until January](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-gutenberg/): WordPress 5.0 is finally here! After two years of development and pushed deadlines – the latest version of WordPress is now available. It is being referred to as “the new era of WordPress” as it brings a number of changes that I’ll discuss below. I’m also sharing some information, tips and advice on how to […]
- [Black Friday weekend deals for bloggers, web designers and WordPress users](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/black-friday-2018/): It’s that time of year again – Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. I’ve gathered together the deals on domains, hosting, WordPress plugins, design graphics and lots more for bloggers, web designers, developers and WordPress users. I will continue to update this list as offers come in over the weekend, so check back! […]
- [How to easily check and update the PHP version of your WordPress site](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/php-version/): WordPress is written in a programming language called PHP. This allows content to be saved and read from the database, pulls in different files and just makes your site run as it should. WordPress recommend PHP version 7.4 or greater, but according to WordPress stats page 83.6% of WordPress sites are using PHP 7.0 or […]
- [An Introduction to Gutenberg Editor - New WordPress Feature (With Demo)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/gutenberg/): WordPress are making some changes as they introduce one of the biggest updates to the user experience in several years – the Gutenberg editor. If you’re fairly active within the WordPress community then there’s no doubt you’ve heard about Gutenberg since early 2017. If not then you may have noticed a message about it on […]
- [How to correctly use heading tags in blog posts for SEO](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/heading-tags/): Do you use heading tags within your post content? Heading tags define which parts of your content are important. This helps search engines understand how your content is connected, but there’s no point throwing them into your post without applying strategy. The structure of your post is important! Do they also have SEO value? Well, […]
- [Being led by inspiration, finding your sweet spot and discovering your Instagram style - Blogtacular 2018](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/blogtacular-2018/): Back in June, I went along to the fifth annual Blogtacular conference – the place for bloggers and creative entrepreneurs to network, share tips and inspire each other. If you haven’t heard of Blogtacular before, it’s run over two days in London beginning on Friday afternoon with a photo walk around London. The photowalks were […]
- [7 common WordPress errors (and how to easily fix them)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/fix-wordpress-errors/): Ever come across a WordPress error that you have no idea how to resolve? Here are seven common errors you’re likely to come across while working with WordPress and easy solutions on how to fix them. 1. Error: The White Screen of Death I think one of the most terrifying errors is the white screen […]
- [How to add nofollow links in WordPress navigation menus (and open in a new tab)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/nofollow-navigation/): There may come a time when you want to add a nofollow tag to links in your navigation – whether for external links, social media icons or something else. This post will show you how to add nofollow links in WordPress navigation menus and how to make them open in a new tab/window so that […]
- [What is GDPR and how does it affect bloggers and freelancers?](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/gdpr/): It’s become quite normal for us to share personal information online. Because of this data protection regulations need to be updated to ensure security standards are being met. These regulations set rules for how and when you (the ‘data controllers’) can collect personal data (such as name, email address, location, postal address, IP address) and […]
- [Charging what you're worth, curating your own feed, growing your Instagram brand and using your platform - Blogtacular 2017](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/blogtacular-2017/): One Saturday in June, I attended the Blogtacular conference – an inspiring day that left me feeling very creative, motivated and buzzing to put plans into action. If you haven’t heard of it before Blogtacular is an inspiring blogging conference (and fun networking event), held annually in June in London. The weekend is filled with […]
- [Hide Pinterest Vertical Images on WordPress and Blogger (while staying on Google's good side!)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/pinterest-vertical-images/): As a blogger, Pinterest has the potential to drive huge amounts of traffic to your site. Optimising your blog posts specifically for Pinterest by using vertical images is important, but sometimes it doesn’t suit to have such a long image in your post. One technique is to hide vertical images in your post so that […]
- [Black Friday Deals for Bloggers, Web Designers and WordPress Users](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/black-friday-2017/): It’s that time of year again – Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. I’ve gathered together the deals on domains, hosting, WordPress plugins, design graphics and lots more for bloggers, web designers, developers and WordPress users. I will continue to update this list as offers come in over the weekend, so check back! […]
- [Dynamic Image Post Slider for Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/dynamic-post-slider-blogger/): One of my most requested tutorials is for a dynamic image post slider on Blogger. Today, I’m sharing with you one of the many methods of creating and styling a post slider for Blogger using HTML, CSS and JS to dynamically show your recently published posts. Blogger Post Slider Demo Add Post Slider to your […]
- [Need to show a brand your content before publishing? Here's how others can preview your post on WordPress...](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/preview-post-wordpress/): There are times with blogging where you’ll want to let someone see the finished formatted blog post before you hit publish. To do this, you could send them a screenshot of the post preview or set up a user account letting them login… but neither of these solutions are ideal. Instead try the WordPress plugin […]
- [How to add jQuery Tabs to Blogger to create multi-tabbed content](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/multi-tabbed-content-blogger/): Today’s tutorial will show you how to create tabs on your Blogger blog. Tabs help you organise different content sections in a single container, allowing users to switch between items easily. Tabbed Content is great way of displaying a lot of content in a smaller space by separating the content into different panels. There are […]
- [How to install Font Awesome on Blogger to display icons on blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/font-awesome-blogger/): Font Awesome offer a wide range (600+) of high quality scalable vector icons, that can be easily be used on your blog and customised using CSS. This post will show you to add the icon font to your Blogger blog and use icons within your content. Install Font Awesome on Blogger Adding Font Awesome to […]
- [How to add a simple and responsive image gallery to Blogger (4 different styles)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/image-gallery-blogger/): This post will show you how to easily add a simple and responsive image gallery to your Blogger/Blogspot blog. Galleries are a great way to display multiple images without making the user scroll through a long slow-loading page. This tutorial will show you how to add an image gallery in a grid layout with rows […]
- [Alternatives to Photobucket for hosting your blog photos and how to store images directly on Blogger and WordPress](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/host-blog-photos/): Photobucket, a very popular photo hosting service used by over 100 million registered users, recently made changes to their business model and angered a lot of their users in the process. Since 2003 the service allowed you to upload/host images for free on their servers and embed them elsewhere (like in a forum or on […]
- [Bloglovin' respond to issue around stealing traffic from bloggers](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/bloglovin-issue/): If you were on social media yesterday you may have read some confusing news about Bloglovin stealing page views. I wasn’t going to do a post about this as there’s already a lot of information out there, but I’ve got a few messages so thought a blog post would be best to explain what is […]
- [Blogger release new themes and updated features](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/blogger-new-themes/): Good news for Blogspot users, this week Blogger announced on their blog that they were releasing some beautiful new themes for the popular blogging platform. The four new themes should now be available in your dashboard, they are: Contempo – As good for a photo as it is for a story, Contempo puts a fresh, […]
- [Sponsored Content - how to legally publish sponsored posts and how much to charge for them](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/sponsored-content-guide/): Years ago when someone mentioned blog advertising you would immediately think of flashing banners above the header, between posts and in the sidebar. These days advertising on blogs and websites has had to become more unique and creative, as we now subconsciously ignore the majority of banner ads on a website. Sponsored content is sometimes […]
- [How to create a dropdown search bar in your navigation on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/dropdown-search-blogger/): Today’s tutorial is showing you how to add a search icon to your navigation menu that when clicked will display a search box. The search bar will slide down allowing your visitors to search for blog posts (there’s a similar example on this site). Please note that this tutorial needs updating, due to the restrictions […]
- [How to point your domain to a different web hosting company](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/point-domain-hosting/): Now that you’ve learned all about domains and hosting and have hopefully managed to purchase exactly what you need, it’s time to link the two together so we can set up your new website or blog. When and why do I need to link my domain and hosting? As mentioned in those previous posts, you […]
- [The difference between hosted and self-hosted blogging platforms](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/platforms/): Today I wanted to talk about a topic that can be confusing when you first decide to start a blog – the initial setup. You’ll read things about free blogging platforms, self-hosted platforms, domains and hosting and the many differences between them. This post will explain all that! I’ve actually had this in my drafts […]
- [Hosting 101: complete guide to purchasing hosting for your blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/hosting/): Following on from my post explaining domains, this post is all about web hosting. Hosting is one of the most important things when launching a site. It can be incredibly intimidating and overwhelming trying to figure out, especially when you’re just getting started. This will a long post, as I want to carefully explain each […]
- [How to Add Numbered Pagination to Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/how-to-add-numbered-pagination-to-blogger/): Bloggers standard pagination allows readers to browse through your blog page by page using older/newer or previous/next navigation. This post will show you how to add a numbered pagination instead, replacing the older/newer pagination with a numeric navigation allowing users to jump through pages. Due to the restrictions on Blogger the pagination.js file in step […]
- [Domains 101: complete guide to purchasing a domain for your blog](https://xomisse.com/blog/domains/): Continuing on from last weeks post today I’m going to talk about domains – what they are, when/why you need one and where to purchase from. What is a domain name? A domain name is the web address or part of the URL that you see in the search bar of your web browser. They […]
- [What is domain privacy protection and why you need it](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/privacy-protection/): How many of you have purchased your own domain? If so, did you know that your personal information could be publicly available to anyone? Unless of course, you also purchased domain privacy protection. This post will explain what a private domain is and how to make sure you protect your personal information. What is a […]
- [Card based blog design - how to divide each post into a separate box on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/card-based-design-blogger/): Card-based layouts are becoming increasingly popular across the web, with many popular sites like Pinterest, Dribble and Google+ adapting the style. They are usually presented in a grid or list, showing a summary of information that is easy to scan. This makes them perfect for displaying blog posts. This post will explain the basic method […]
- [7 SEO action steps for bloggers wanting to grow their traffic (modern techniques)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/seo-action-steps/): The start of a new year means new SEO predictions, so today’s post will give you a little insight into what you should be focusing on this year to gain some extra traffic to your blog. In case you’ve never heard of SEO before, it stands for Search Engine Optimisation. It is the activity of using different strategies/techniques […]
- [8 posts about the blogging industry that you need to read](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/reading/): 8 blogs posts from 2016 about the blogging community and changes in the industry that you need to read ft. Em Sheldon, Joanne Larby, Emma Gannon, Inthefrow, skinnedcartree, Grace Victory, Rosemary Mac Cabe & Fashion Slave. 
- [Black Friday Deals for your Blog and Business - Hosting, Domains, Adobe Photoshop and More](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/black-friday-deals/): As I’m sure your inbox has made you aware, Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday weekend is upon us. I wasn’t planning on doing any Black Friday posts this year, but I came across a few great discounts on products and services I love and use for my business so I wanted to share those great […]
- [How to enable the Search Description field on Blogger to increase page views](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/enable-search-description-blogger/): Search engines typically take the first couple of sentences of a blog post as use that as the site description on their results page. However, there is a feature on Blogger allowing you to write individual summary for each post. This allows you to choose the description which can help improve the number of visits […]
- [Google to Penalise Sites with Pop-ups and Intrustive Advertisements](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/penalise-popups/): Bloggers might want to take note of Google’s latest update. Google announced this week that they are introducing a new penalty to demote mobile pages that have pop-ups and intrusive above-the-fold content. These include email sign-ups, opt-ins, advertisements and other intrusive interstitials. Pages that show intrusive interstitials provide a poorer experience to users than other […]
- [How to add "Click to Tweet" link within posts to encourage social sharing](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/click-to-tweet/): Today’s post will show you how to add Click to Tweet boxes in your posts on both Blogger and WordPress. You can add these Tweet boxes throughout your posts allowing readers to click and easily share pre-written content that links back to your blog. It’s an effective way to increase engagement and get more shares […]
- [How to switch to an Instagram Business Profile and filter your comments](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/instagram-business-profile/): My previous post talked about the new Stories feature on Instagram and I’m back today to talk about Instagram again! Instagram have started to roll out Business Profiles, giving users access to new business features and Instagram Insights. This is obviously a great tool for small business owners but I think this new feature will […]
- [How to get started with Instagram Stories and use the new features](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/instagram-stories/): Instagram launched its newest feature this week: Instagram Stories. Heavily “inspired” by Snapchat, Instagram now allows you to upload a stream of photos and videos to your Story. As you share multiple photos or videos, they appear together in a slideshow format (known as your Story). Content in your story will disappear after 24 hours and won’t appear in the main news […]
- [Burnout, vunerability, micro-blogging + working with brands - Blogtacular 2016](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/blogtacular-2016/): I can’t believe it’s already been a month since Blogtacular! Since I wrote about my Blogtacular 2015 experience I wanted to write another post to compare and share what I learned as I know a lot of you were thinking about going. Before I get started discussing the day I want to say a huge […]
- [How to install and setup self-hosted WordPress in 4 easy steps](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-setup/): In this guide, you’ll get step-by-step instructions for setting up a self-hosted WordPress site: choosing a domain and host, linking them, installing WordPress, and configuring your essential settings. Perfect for new bloggers and site owners who want control and flexibility.
- [How to limit and disable post revisions on WordPress to save space](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/limit-post-revisions/): A very handy WordPress feature, especially for bloggers, is post revisions. It allows you to look back over earlier versions of your blog post so you can undo changes, compare two versions and revert to an earlier version. By default, WordPress stores an infinite number of revisions. So every time you edit your blog post […]
- [Twitter changes 140 character limit](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/twitter-changes-140-character-limit/): Twitter announced yesterday that they will be making some changes to the character limit, confirming the rumours that were circulating last week. Thankfully they won’t be changing the limit itself, but rather extending it along with some other great new tweaks to features. These updates will be implemented over the coming months. What changes are […]
- [Attending Blogtacular 2016? See you there!](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/attending-blogtacular-2016/): I’m so excited to announce that I’ll be returning to Blogtacular June 18th. I held the DIY Blog Design session last year, and met some really lovely people as well as having a fantastic day. I am so happy to be invited back, I cannot wait! Blogtacular is an annual blogging conference held in London. […]
- [How to SEO your blog posts on WordPress - video walkthrough with FREE checklist](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/seo-blog-posts-wordpress/): This is the second post about how to SEO your blog posts, I previously showed you the steps to optimising your blog posts on Blogger for search engines but today I’ll be showing you how to do so on WordPress. I get asked all the time how to take the SEO tips I’ve previously shared […]
- [How to SEO your blog posts on Blogger - Video Walkthrough with FREE checklist](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/seo-blog-posts-blogger/): Today’s post is about taking my SEO tips and putting them into action in order to optimise your posts and blog content. I’ve written quite a few posts on SEO – covering basics of writing content and optimising images to increasing your domain authority, removing broken links and using NoFollow links. Despite covering a few […]
- [How to find and remove broken links on your blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/broken-links/): A broken (or dead) link is one that directs visitors to a page, post or file that no longer exists. Instead of seeing the linked page they will typically see a 404 not-found page. Broken links are very common, and the longer you have your site the more broken links you’ll likely see – due […]
- [An alternative way to fix blurry popular post images on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/blurry-images-blogger/): I’ve had a couple of questions recently about why the popular post images on Blogger are suddenly appearing blurry. I previously posted a fix to this issue here by automatically changing the S value which controls the quality, but it seems that Blogger has changed how it hosts images and no longer uses the S […]
- [7 blogs to visit for Monthly Traffic Stats + Income Reports](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/income-reports/): I’m seeing more and more monthly stats and income reports show up on my blog feed lately and find the transparency so refreshing, interesting and helpful. So much so that I wanted to share them with you all. Monthly reports are where bloggers shares their traffic and stats for the month, information about any income […]
- [Using Visme to create social media graphics, ebooks and more](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/visme/): I have quite a few posts about Alternatives to Photoshop for creating blog and social media graphics, but I’m always looking to find new graphic tools as it’s something I get asked about a lot. Visme reached out and offered me access to the Complete Plan to test it out the platform. Here is an […]
- [What you need to know about the Instagram algorithm update + why you shouldn't worry](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/instagram-algorithm-update/): Instagram shared the news on March 15th that they are changing to an algorithm based feed rather than showing posts in chronological order. I’ve seen a few people mention they were confused about the updates being made to Instagram and not sure what to do about it so I’ve put together a quick summary below. […]
- [Do you receive 'free products' for reviews? Google publish "best practice" guidelines](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/gifting-disclosure/): Over the weekend Google shared the best practices for bloggers who receive free products for review consideration. These guidelines have cleared up some confusion and should be followed to avoid being penalised (removed from the search results). In my previous post about NoFollow links, I said that product reviews was a grey area but it […]
- [How to read and write CSS correctly - Basics of HTML/CSS #10](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/read-and-write-css/): Todays post is part of the HTML for Beginners series, and will explain some of the basics of CSS. It’s not the most interesting, but knowing the basics of HTML and CSS will help you. It will make tweaking your blog design and figuring out errors so much easier! What Is CSS? CSS stands for […]
- [Blogtacular 2015 - Design*Sponge, Full-Time Blogging, Instagram and DIY Blog Design](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/attending-blogtacular/): This post has been sitting in my drafts since June 2015. Instead of randomly publishing it I thought I’d wait and publish it today. Why today you ask? Well tickets for Blogtacular 2016 went on sale this weekend!! I wanted to share my experience incase any of you are thinking of going on the 18th […]
- [How to Correctly Centre Different Items on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/correctly-centre-items-in-blogger/): Want to know how to centre your header image, blog post images, sidebar images, gadgets, text, headings and everything else on Blogger? I’ve created a reference list below for you explaining how to correctly center the different elements on Blogger, without needing to use deprecated methods. This post was previously part of a post titled […]
- [How to make YouTube or Vimeo Videos Responsive on your site](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/responsive-video/): YouTube, Vimeo and other video hosts make it easy to embed videos on your website and blog using frames, however there isn’t a responsive option and editing iframes is near impossible. This tutorial will show you how to make YouTube and Vimeo videos responsive on your site. Responsive YouTube and Vimeo Videos 1. Find the […]
- [How to customise the 404 not found page on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/how-to-customise-page-not-found-on-blogger/): The not found page on Blogger is really boring and unhelpful. It doesn’t encourage your readers to visit other areas of your site or help them find something they are looking for. This tutorial will show you how to edit the content and design to make it more user friendly. If you want to have […]
- [How to customize the Blogger EU Cookies Notification Bar](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/cookie-notification-on-blogger/): I’ve been getting quite a few questions about the Cookie Notification that appears on Blogger blogs – from why it’s there, to can it be removed to how to customise it. This post is going to run through all the information about it and show you how to customise the notice to suit your blog […]
- [How to switch between multiple accounts on Instagram](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/accounts-instagram/): Instagram has finally released one of it’s most requested features – the ability to switch between multiple accounts without having to log in and out each time. A small feature but one that is sure to make a lot of people happy! The feature has been rolled out gradually to users this past week, if […]
- [How I organise my Gmail Inbox Sections using this hack to achieve inbox zero](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/gmail/): I used to always struggle with emails, my inbox would be overflowing and I’d be overwhelmed with the unorganised mess. I really like the idea of Gmail’s new tabbed inbox, but it didn’t work for me as it was. I switched back to priority inbox, and vowed to find a way to organise it. I […]
- [Why did my Domain Authority (DA) go down and how do I improve it?](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/improve-da-score/): Before reading this post I recommend checking out Part 1 – What you need to know about Domain Authority. In that post I talk about what it is, how it’s calculated and how to check your score. It’s important to first understand how it all works, it will make it easier when trying to improve […]
- [What you need to know about domain authority and how to check DA Score](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/domain-authority/): Domain Authority is a rating/score on a scale of 1-100 developed by Moz that predicts how well a site will rank on search engines. The higher the DA of a site, the higher it’s ranking is likely to be. It’s based on a logarithmic scale, meaning that the difference between 40-50 DA is much greater […]
- [Resize Bloggers popular post images to fit the width of your sidebar without being blurry](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/how-to-resize-bloggers-popular-post-images/): Todays post is going to show you how to change the size of the images used in Bloggers popular post gadget so that they are bigger and clearer. This has been highly requested recently as a lot of people are adding this gadget to their sidebar and above / below blog posts to help promote […]
- [How to make sure your site is mobile friendly to avoid dropping in search results](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/mobile-friendly/): As we know from previous SEO posts, Googles algorithm takes a lot of things into account when it comes to ranking a site. They look at keywords, Pagerank, Domain Authority, social media sharing, backlinks and several other areas in order to display the most relevant and recommended results on their search page. They announced a […]
- [Add an image to text - Clipping Masks on Photoshop and Affinity Photo](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/clipping-masks/): Todays tutorial will show you how to use clipping masks on Photoshop and Affinity Photo to add an image (like a photograph or pattern) to some text or mockup image. You can also use this technique to create photo layouts for blog graphics and images. If you don’t have Photoshop or Affinity, some other image […]
- [Apply CSS to specific pages on Blogger using conditional tags](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/apply-css-to-specific-pages-on-blogger-using-conditional-tags/): Ever wanted to apply code to specific areas of your Blogger template but not to other sections? This is something I’ve included in certain tutorials/comments before but without fully explaining it. As more and more people are now asking about how to apply HTML/CSS to certain areas of their blog and not to others I […]
- [The difference between a web designer and a web developer](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/designer-vs-developer/): Any site is made of of two parts – the design and the code. When you decide you want a new website, you’ll think about the overall look you want it to have. You’ll think about the fonts, colours and layout. You’ll then (hopefully) think about the technical things like is it optimised for speed […]
- [How to style a link to look like a clickable button on your blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/styling-buttons/): Sometimes a simple link isn’t enough, sometimes using a “button” makes the link stand out more and is easier for readers to identify the link as clickable. While this isn’t actually a button (using the button tag) we can style links to look like clickable buttons. Here is an example of a link that is […]
- [What you need to know about the box model (editing margin, padding and border values)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/box-model/): We’re back with another HTML for Beginners post, this time on the Box Model. Margin and Padding are used so often for spacing out elements in a design. I mention the two a lot in tutorials and regularly get asked how to edit spacing on different design elements in comments and emails. Today’s post will […]
- [5 common coding mistakes on blogs](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/common-coding-mistakes/): Before changing my direction in September, I’d say about 70% of what I did was coding fixes, tweaks, maintenance and development for existing templates. The Template Cleanup package is one of my most requested services. I’ve seen thousands of templates over the last few years helping out fellow bloggers – some custom, some pre-made, some […]
- [How to install DISQUS Comments on Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/disqus-blogger/): DISQUS is one of the most popular commenting systems out there for blogs. I mentioned it previously when I compared the 3 main commenting systems for Blogger so you can read about the benefits and features of DISQUS in that post. It has a great design and spam filter, is easy to install and use […]
- [Add related posts to single post only on Blogger (hide on homepage)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/add-related-posts-to-single-post-only/): I’ve had quite a few requests since my previous post listing the Alternatives to nRelate Related Posts for a tutorial on how to remove related posts from the homepage and only have them displayed on posts pages. This quick tutorial will show you how. I’ll be using Engageya but this will work for Linkwithin and […]
- [Enable Pinterest Rich Pins for Blogger or WordPress](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/pinterest-rich-pins/): Rich Pins on Pinterest are just like standard Pins but they include some extra information about the source of the pin, quite similar to Twitter Cards. There are five different types of Rich Pins at the moment – products, movies, recipes, articles or blog posts and places. Decide what type of Rich Pin suits your […]
- [Alternatives to nRelate - related posts for Blogger](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/alternatives-to-nrelate-related-posts-for-bloggers/): nRelate announced rather suddenly yesterday that as of December 31st 2014, their services will be shut down. This means that if you have a related or popular posts widget or plugin that is by nRelate on your site they will no longer work come January and you will need to find an alternative. They advise […]
- [How to use ManyChat for Instagram automation to grow your email list and make sales](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/manychat-instagram-automation/): Learn how to turn Instagram engagement into email subscribers and sales with ManyChat. This step-by-step guide shows small business owners how to automate DMs, collect emails and grow their business without getting stuck in tech.
- [SEO vs social media: where should you focus first as a small business?](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/seo-vs-social-media/): Should your small business focus on SEO or social media first? Learn the difference, the pros and cons, and why SEO builds long-term traffic and clients.
- [Create content that converts: understanding user intent for SEO](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/content-user-intent/): Stop guessing what your audience wants. Learn how to map your content to user intent with a simple framework that helps your blog posts, guides, and pages attract the right people, keep them engaged, and guide them toward taking action.
- [The simple content strategy that attracts clients on autopilot](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/simple-content-strategy/): Want to attract clients without constantly hustling online? This post walks you through a simple content strategy you can actually stick to, designed for small business owners who want to grow their audience and bring in clients on autopilot.
- [Why your website isn’t showing up on Google (and how to fix it)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/website-not-on-google/): Launched your site but can’t find it on Google? Here are the most common reasons your site isn’t showing up and how to fix them step by step.
- [Optimise a new website for SEO: 7 step checklist](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/optimise-website-for-seo/): Launching a new website? SEO can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. This beginner-friendly checklist will guide you through the essential steps to optimise your site (beyond just blogging) so you can attract the right visitors and grow with confidence.
- [5 quick SEO wins for new business owners](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/quick-seo-wins/): Feeling overwhelmed by SEO? Start simple. In this post, I’ll walk you through the essential first steps to set up SEO on your website so you can increase visibility, attract the right audience, and build a strong foundation for growth.
- [Social Media Image Size Guide: 2025 Cheat Sheet](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/social-media-size-guide/): Make sure your content is perfectly cropped across every platform. This up-to-date 2025 guide covers the latest image and video dimensions for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X (Twitter), Pinterest, LinkedIn, Threads and YouTube.
- [Instagram Post Sizes 2025: What’s changed and what to use now](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/instagram-size-guide/): Stay up to date with the latest Instagram post sizes for 2025, including the newly supported 3:4 aspect ratio. Get dimensions, tips, and best practices for Feed posts, Stories, Reels, and more.
- [Instagram Unlockable Reels, Shared Access and other social media updates](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-may-2025/): Catch up on the latest May 2025 updates from Instagram, TikTok & LinkedIn — new features, content tips, AI tools, and platform changes you should know.
- [Google AI Mode: What it means for your website (and SEO strategy)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/google-ai-mode/): Google’s new AI Mode is changing how Search works. Here's how it affects your website traffic and what to do to update your SEO strategy for 2025.
- [Instagram dislike button, LinkedIn push video and Threads test custom feed sharing](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-february-2025/): Welcome back to another ICYMI, covering the latest social media news and industry updates.  Whether you’re a seasoned social media pro or just trying to keep up, this post is your one-stop shop for the key updates you need to know about this month… Instagram Updates View this post on Instagram A post shared by Elaine Malone • Digital Marketing + Content Strategy (@xomisse) Threads Updates TikTok Updates YouTube Updates LinkedIn Updates Other Updates Conclusion We’ll be back next month with another update on all the latest features and trends. Prefer weekly updates? Follow us on Instagram or LinkedIn or […]
- [Plan and launch your small business website (10+ step checklist)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/website-launch-plan/): There are so many tasks to tackle as a new business owner, and launch a website is likely high on that list (or at least it should be). Building a website for your small business is an exciting milestone, but it can also be overwhelming. So overwhelming that it makes you want to avoid it altogether. With so many moving parts, it’s crucial to have a clear roadmap to guide you through the process. This step-by-step checklist will simplify each stage, helping you successfully plan and launch your website with confidence. Jump to a section: Pin for later: Phase 1: […]
- [Instagram SEO: 5 tips to increase your reach in 2025](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/instagram-seo/): Just like search engines, Instagram prioritises content based on keywords.  Here are 5 actionable Instagram SEO tips to help you boost your visibility, improve your searchability, and reach more of your ideal audience.
- [Understanding the Instagram algorithm and ranking in 2025](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/instagram-algorithm/): Learn how the Instagram algorithm works in 2025. Discover actionable tips to rank higher, grow your audience, and connect with more people.
- [Black Friday deals for creators, small business owners and WordPress users](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/black-friday-2024/): The Black Friday – Cyber Monday weekend is here!  And I’m back with my annual roundup of the biggest discounts for entrepreneurs, small business owners and content creators. Below you’ll find deals on domains, hosting, themes, plugins, graphics, tools and more. I’ll continue to update over the weekend. Domains + Hosting Cloudways Hostinger Author Fav Kinsta WordPress.com Namecheap WordPress Themes Coming soon! WordPress Plugins AffiliateWP KadenceWP The Events Calendar LearnDash Easy Digital Downloads Restrict Content Pro Author Fav SolidWP Solid Security Pro Author Fav MemberDash Jetpack WooCommerce Marketplace WPLoyalty WPForms OptinMonster MonsterInsights SeedProd Tools + Resources HubSpot Plann Teachable ConvertKit […]
- [SEO basics for beginners: improve your website's Google visibility](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/seo-basics/): New to SEO? Learn simple, effective steps to improve your website’s visibility on Google with this beginner’s guide to on-page and technical SEO.
- [Long Reels hurt reach, TikTok collaboration and Google kills SEO?](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-may-2024/): Welcome back to another ICYMI, covering the latest social media news and industry updates. Whether you’re a seasoned social media pro or just trying to keep up, this post is your one-stop shop for the key updates you need to know about this month… Instagram Updates Threads Updates TikTok Updates YouTube Updates LinkedIn Updates Pinterest Updates Facebook Updates Twitter/X Updates Google Updates Conclusion With social media platforms constantly evolving, staying informed can feel overwhelming. We’ll be back next month with another update on all the latest features and trends.
- [Instagram favour small creators, TikTok ban and Threads scheduling](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-april-2024/): Welcome back to another month and another ICYMI covering all of the latest social media news and updates. There’s been a lot happening, so let’s dive straight in! Instagram algorithm updates Instagram users have collectively been complaining about the lack of reach lately. Well, Adam Mosseri has announced some welcomed news – smaller, newer Instagram accounts will finally get more reach. Yes, Instagram are updating their algorithms to prioritise original and emerging creators. These new changes to its ranking algorithms should do a better job at highlighting content from smaller, original creators on the platform. Historically, creators with large followings and […]
- [Instagram hashtag limit, scheduling Threads and Meta stop recommending political content](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-february-2024/): Another month, another list of updates from our favourite social media platforms. Let’s catch up on what’s new and what’s coming… LinkedIn are removing Creator Mode (kind of) LinkedIn are rolling-out “Creator Mode” to all users and removing the need to toggle it on and off. Along with this, they will also be removing the “Talks About” hashtags and moving the “About” Section back to the top of the profile. Other “Creator Mode” features, such as the info section and follow button, will remain active by default, as will access to advanced tools and stats. Instagram were testing hashtag limit […]
- [Instagram Flipside, YouTube RSS and TikTok pushes landscape videos](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-january-2024/): Welcome back to the first ICYMI in 2024, catching you up with all the latest digital marketing news. It’s been a busy month so let’s jump in… Instagram Threads Meta TikTok LinkedIn YouTube WordPress Google + SEO Other Conclusion That’s it for now! Interested in what the future of content creation might look like? Check out my trend predictions for 2024!
- [Send email newsletters? New requirements from Google and Yahoo!](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/new-email-requirements/): Email providers have been fighting against spam for years and in a further attempt to protect users’ inboxes, they are now making what was once a recommendation into a requirement. Back in October, both Google and Yahoo! announced that they will be introducing a new set of requirements for bulk email senders (those of us who send newsletters or other one-to-many emails) that will come into effect in February 2024. Senders that don’t comply with the new requirements will start to see deliverability issues when sending bulk emails going forward such as emails being rejected or marked as spam. What […]
- [7 predictions for creators + marketers in 2024](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/predictions-for-2024/): When you work within the digital space either as a marketer, business owner or content creator, you’re pretty familiar with how quickly things change! Every week there’s a new trend, update or algorithm to figure out. It’s true that the only constant in digital marketing is that everything changes. This means staying on top of what’s going on, which is why I publish my monthly ICYMI round-up to keep us all updated!  So what are the big changes coming over the next year? Here are my predictions for what’s in store for us as creators and marketers in 2024. 1. The rise […]
- [Instagram Spam Filter, Threads Topic Tags and social trend reports - ICYMI December 2023](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-december-2023/): Welcome back to the last ICYMI of 2023, giving you the social media updates from December… Instagram Threads Facebook LinkedIn YouTube X (Twitter) TikTok Google Other updates That’s all for this month and for 2023! Come back next month for the latest updates.
- [A/B testing Reels, TikTok Customise FYP and YouTube AI-powered "Dream Track" – ICYMI November 2023](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-november-2023/): Welcome back to another ICYMI, here are the updates you may have missed in the social media world in November… Meta LinkedIn YouTube X (Twitter) TikTok Other updates And that’s it for this month!
- [Black Friday deals for creators, small business owners and WordPress users](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/black-friday-2023/): The Black Friday – Cyber Monday weekend is here! And I’m back with my annual roundup of the biggest discounts for digital entrepreneurs. Below you’ll find deals on domains, hosting, themes, plugins, graphics, tools and more. Remember a deal is not a deal, unless you were going to buy it anyway. Domains + Hosting Cloudways Namecheap Flywheel  WP Engine  Hostinger Author Fav WordPress Themes Snug Designs Author Fav Envato – Theme Forest WordPress Plugins Advanced Coupons WPTurbo Gravity Forms Author Fav The Events Calendar AffiliateWP MonsterInsights OptinMonster SeedProd WPForms Easy Digital Downloads Author Fav WPLoyalty Post SMTP Smash Balloon Yoast […]
- [5 steps to create a successful social media strategy](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/social-media-strategy/): Social media has become a powerful tool when it comes to building brand awareness, creating an engaged audience and driving business growth. In order to see real success, a solid social media strategy is essential. But if you’re starting from scratch as an entrepreneur, content creator or small business owner, then developing a strategy can seem overwhelming. In this article, I’ll outline 5 key steps to help you build an effective strategy that will get you started with achieving your social media goals. 1. Define your goals Before diving into the world of social media, it’s crucial to identify what […]
- [Instagram Collaborative Carousels, YouTube AI updates and LinkedIn Collaborative Articles - ICYMI October 2023](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-october-2023/): The latest social media updates and news from October. Instagram tests collaborative carousel posts Instagram have been testing a new feature that enables others to contribute to carousel feed posts. Users can submit photos or videos that the original creator can accept or reject to add to their collaborative post. This could be a great way to encourage engagement with your community. YouTube working on a number of updates YouTube announced a host of new features to help sellers over the holiday period, including product timestamps, bulk tagging for affiliate products and new insights into affiliate product performance. YouTube is […]
- [YouTube Create app, Google results on TikTok and paying for Twitter? - ICYMI September 2023](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-september-2023/): Another month, another list of updates from our favourite social media platforms. Let’s catch up on what’s new and what’s coming… Instagram Broadcast Channels officially rolled out to UK users Public, one-to-many messaging tools have become popular recently and Instagram are jumping on the trend! Having originally tested Broadcast Channels in the US, they are now expanding to the UK. Broadcast Channels allow creators to engage directly with their audience by quickly sending them messages that they can react but not respond to. TikTok launch in-stream shopping TikTok are focused on social commerce again as they test a bunch of […]
- [Meta remove personalised feed, longer Instagram Reels and YouTube Partner Program - ICYMI August 2023](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-august-2023/): Welcome back to the August edition of ICYMI, covering the the latest news and updates in the digital marketing world. Instagram expands collaborator feature and introduce music on Carousels Instagram first introduced collaborations in 2021 allowing you to publish a single post on two accounts with shared credit. Well now, you can include up to three collaborators on feed posts and Reels. This allows you to reach more of an audience as the post or Reel is also shown to your collaborators’ audience. Instagram have also introduced the ability to add music to Carousels, are looking into an audio clip […]
- [8 creators to inspire your content (and the takeaways for your strategy)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/inspiring-content-creation/): When the topic of choosing a niche comes up, I often give examples of how there really is something for everyone on the internet. No matter how niche you’re topic, you will always find an audience who are interested. In this post, we’re looking at eight creators who have gained social media popularity by producing unique content. I’m hoping they’ll inspire you… 1. London Hustle London Hustle has 29.6K on Instagram, 45.8K on TikTok and 142K on YouTube. He’s racked up over 60 million views on YouTube. In March 2023, he had 22K on TikTok and 26K on YouTube… that’s […]
- [Instagram Notes, TikTok "Go Viral" Button and LinkedIn Newsletters - ICYMI Social Media News January 2023](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-january-2023/): The latest social media news for January 2023 including Instagram Notes, the "go viral" button at TikTok and LinkedIn's focus on newsletters for creators
- [What it takes to become a full-time content creator (ConvertKit's Creator Economy Report)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/convertkit-creator-economy-report/): It’s no secret that the creator economy is on the rise. And as more creators are seeing success, more people are curious what they could achieve if they ventured into the world of content creation. Getting started as a content creator can feel like an overwhelming and unachievable goal. It’s easy to feel like a small fish in a big pond. But it is doable! How doable I hear you ask? Well, ConvertKit surveyed nearly 3,000 creators who earned $66 million combined in 2021. They put the results into their creator economy report, which is full of valuable insights. This […]
- [Instagram Social Channels, PHP 7.4 abandoned and Google frown upon guest blogging - ICYMI November 2022](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-november-2022/): The latest digital marketing news for November 2022 including WordPress updates, social media features and SEO changes.
- [Your December content calendar: creative ideas to avoid writer’s block](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/content-ideas-december/): Stuck for December content ideas? We've got you covered with a list of key dates, awareness days, events and themes to use in your content calendar
- [20+ discounts for content creators, small business owners and WordPress users - Black Friday 2022](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/black-friday-2022/): The best deals on domains, hosting, themes, plugins and more for content creators, small business owners and WordPress users
- [WordPress maintenance: 12-step monthly checklist to keep your site secure and running smoothly](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-maintenance/): Keep on top of your WordPress maintenance with this 12-step monthly checklist to improve your website's security, performance and speed 
- [Instagram links, TikTok carousel images and Accessible SEO - ICYMI October 2022](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-october-2022/): Welcome back to ICYMI October 2022. Every month, I summarise the latest news, trends and updates in digital marketing, specifically looking at social media, SEO and WordPress. Because you have enough to do without seeking out the latest algorithm changes. Let’s dive into what’s happened in October. Instagram testing profile songs Calling all MySpace babies, Instagram is reportedly bringing back the ability to add songs to your profile. Instagram adds multiple links in bio Instagram continues testing the ability to add multiple links in your bio. This allows users to click the visible link to see an expanded list of […]
- [Content ideas for November 2022](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/november-content-2022/): November is fast approaching and while we’re excited about a new month, sitting in front of a blank content calendar with zero ideas of what to write can be daunting. But don’t worry! Below you’ll find a list of content ideas including key dates for awareness days, events and holidays to use as inspiration for your blog, newsletter or social media content in November 2022. Content ideas for November 2022 The days are getting shorter, nights are getting colder and we’re coming into holiday season. When it comes to themes for the month, focus on gift guides, Christmas/New Year countdown, […]
- [How to run a Black Friday campaign as a small business](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/black-friday-promotion/): If you’re thinking about running a Black Friday sale on November 25th, now is the time to get started on your marketing strategy. With a month go, it’s the perfect time to start warming up leads, preparing customers for upcoming sales and planning how to handle the influx of site traffic. Here are some tips to get the most out of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BFCM) weekend. Why you should run a Black Friday deal The holiday season is an important time for small businesses. It’s when you can go all in on marketing your product, services and expertise. And […]
- [YouTube rolling out @handles - here's how to grab yours](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/youtube-handles/): Handles (@username) are common across social media platforms, used to identify your account or mention another user. And now, they are coming to YouTube! While users used to need at least 100 subscribers to create a custom URL like youtube.com/user/username or youtube.com/c/username, YouTube are now giving all users access to customisable @handles. Not only does this make it easier to direct people to your channel but it will also simplify mentioning other creators in comments, community posts, titles, descriptions and more. According to the YouTube blog, handles will begin rolling this week and is expected to be available to all […]
- [YouTube music for creators, TikTok Now and the Google Product Review update - ICYMI September 2022](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-september-2022/): Welcome back to the September 2022 edition of ICYMI, covering the latest digital marketing news, trends and updates.  Whether you’re busy creating content or running your small business, I’m here to recap what’s happening with social media, SEO, WordPress and more so you can concentrate on what you do best. YouTube expands Creator Music The news we’ve all been waiting for! YouTube is making it easier for creators to use music in their videos. Within YouTube Studio, creators will now be able to access a catalog of tracks that they can use in long-form videos. These tracks will be available […]
- [What creators need to know about Google's helpful content update](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/google-helpful-content/): Google have announced they are cracking down on unsatisfying content with a new helpful content algorithm update that aims to improve its users experience online. This Google Search update, which began rolling out August 25th 2022, prioritises content that has been “written by people, for people”. Is it time to say goodbye to clickbait articles that simply summarise what everyone else is saying? It seems so! Why this update was released Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen an increase in people declaring the death of Google Search as SERPs have be filled with unoriginal and over-optimised content. News […]
- [Instagram Creator Marketplace, Twitter adds long-form content and Jetpack launches individual plugins - ICYMI June 2022](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-june-2022/): Welcome back to the June 2022 edition of ICYMI, covering the latest digital marketing news, trends and updates. Whether you’re busy creating content or building your business, I’m here to recap what’s happening with social media, SEO, WordPress and more so you can concentrate on what you do best. TikTok introduce a trends discovery tool If you’ve spent any significant time on TikTok, you’ll know how dominant trends are and the importance of being quick to join in. Well, TikTok have made that easier with their new trends discovery tool, located within the Creative Centre. It’s designed to help users […]
- [How I organise my life, work and content as a creator and business owner - Notion Overview 2022](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/notion-tour-2022/): Asana, ClickUp, Trello… trust me I’ve used them all and more. I spent hours setting all of these up only to find that a day, a week or a month later I forgot they existed. Then I found Notion. I’ve used it every single day for two years, it’s the only thing I’ve stuck with and it’s really been a game changer for me. However, when you first get started with Notion, it can feel really overwhelming because it’s essentially a blank canvas that you can set up in so many different ways. So if you’ve struggled to find a […]
- [Instagram shorten Stories, Google Core update and the WordPress market drops - ICYMI May 2022](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/icymi-may-2022/): Welcome to ICYMI, covering the latest digital marketing news, trends and updates from the previous month. Things within this space move fast these days – take social media for example, we’re now bombarded with regular updates, algorithm changes and new features. I know you’re busy creating content and building your business, I’m here to recap everything that’s happening for you so that you can concentrate on what you do best. WordPress’ market share dropped The WordPress market share has steadily increased over the years, growing to the highest of 43.3% in February 2022. But as we know, when things go […]
- [WordPress 6.0: What's new in this release?](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-6-0/): WordPress 6.0 was released this week, containing more than 500 enhancements and 400 bug fixes with a focus on improving the writing and designing experience. Let’s take a look at what’s new and improved in the second major release of 2022. New with full-site editing As discussed in my round-up about WordPress 5.9, FSE (full-site editing) is currently a major focus for the WordPress team. WordPress 6.0 sees a number of updates, new features and improvements to the Block editor and FSE – don’t forget that you’ll need to be using a block-based theme to take advantage! Easily switch theme […]
- [Are virtual influencers the future of influencer marketing?](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/virtual-influencers/): The following is a summary of an article I wrote for a university assignment. Please, click the link below to read the full post. The creator economy has grown dramatically over the last few years and now, more than 50 million people globally consider themselves a content creator. A hobby that many started in their bedrooms has now become a lucrative career – with many people working on the creator or industry side. With a projected value of $16.4 billion by the end of 2022, there’s no denying the power of influencer marketing in today’s digital age. In fact, 68% […]
- [What I learned from the 2022 Instagram Engagement Report](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/instagram-engagement-report-2022/): Hubspot and Mention analysed 110 million posts across 1 million users – 85 million posts from North America and 1.6 million from the United Kingdom and Ireland. Here’s what they found out about average engagement and best practices for Instagram…  The growth of Instagram accounts With 1.3 billion active users, Instagram is one of the most popular social networks in the world. User’s accounts are growing. Over half the top 50 accounts have between 60M and 100M followers. That is a huge jump from the previous year, when accounts in the top 50 has at least 14M followers. But is followers the only […]
- [How to start a profitable blog in 2026 in 5 simple steps](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/start-blog/): Have you been thinking about starting a blog but aren’t sure where to begin? You’re right to be strategic. Since short-form video, AI tools, and social media dominate attention, it’s easy to wonder if blogging is still worthwhile. The answer is a definitive yes, it is worthwhile. If you’re ready to build a profitable, long-term asset, this 5-step framework will get you from zero to published today. Wait, isn’t blogging dead? In my opinion, no blogging isn’t dead but it has changed! A blog is no longer just an online diary. It is your ultimate piece of digital real estate. It is […]
- [Why you need a website and a blog (not just a social media platform)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/importance-of-a-blog/): Creating a website and blog for your content, brand or business may seem overwhelming. Between the time it takes, the expense and the knowledge, it can seem like an impossible task but I’m here to tell you it’s not impossible. And actually, I think it’s one of the best things you can do. And if you do already have a website for your small business and you want to know if you should add a blog section, my answer will always be yes! Contrary to popular belief, blogging is not dead. It has so many benefits for businesses, especially if […]
- [How to start an email list in 3 steps (so you can send newsletters today!)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/start-email-list/): As a small business or content creator, email is a great way to build a relationship with your audience. Let’s look at the stats, Content Marketing Institute found that 31% of B2B marketers say email newsletters are the best way to nurture leads and 87% say email is one of their top free organic distribution channels. If you’re thinking about finally starting an email list and newsletter, here’s a quick breakdown of how to get it up and running… How to start an email list 1. Choose your email marketing platform You’ll need an email marketing tool to get started. […]
- [WordPress 5.9: What's new in this release?](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-5-9/): Since the introduction of Gutenberg in WordPress 5.0, the team have been working on phase two of the roadmap focusing on Full Site Editing (FSE), Block Patterns, Block Directory and Block-based themes. And with WordPress 5.9 now on the way, we’re finally going to dig into those new features in the customisation phase. There’s a lot I could cover with this release but for this post, I’ll show you what you can expect with WP 5.9 and an overview of the new features. A new generation of themes WordPress themes are evolving. And we’re finally seeing those changes in action […]
- [Reflecting on 2021 and my hopes for 2022](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/2021-review/): Covid-19 vaccines and variants, storming the US Capitol Building, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris inauguration, Bernie Sanders meme, Sarah Everard, The 2020 Euro’s, Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala ensemble, Derek Chauvin sentenced, Donald Trump impeached, NFTs, Squid Game, Oprah interviews Harry and Megan, #FreeBritney, Kourtney and Travis, Facebook outage, Meta, Adele, “the CDC recommends”. Just a couple of things that jumped out at me when I thought back over 2021. Hard to imagine that we thought nothing could beat 2020 right? My 2021 Review I did my yearly review and intention session a couple of days early this year (using Notion of […]
- [Google's Title Update - what it means for your site](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/google-title-change/): Back in August, marketers noticed something was going on with titles on the search engine results pages (SERPs). A month later, Google confirmed that they’d made some changes and introduced a new system for generating web page titles. Let’s take a look at what has changed since August 2021… What changes did Google make? Google have started replacing title tags in the SERPs with other relevant text from your post or page. They confirmed in the announcement published by the Google Search Central blog that this new system uses HTML elements or main visual text to generate titles. This could be text […]
- [WordPress 5.8: What's new in this release?](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-5-8/): WordPress 5.8 was released this week, it’s the second major release of 2021 and comes with nearly 300 new features, bug fixes and improvements. It also combines a number of Gutenberg releases and takes us one step closer to Full Site Editing (FSE). In this article, I’ll dive into what to expect when you update to the newest release. WordPress 5.8 features and screenshots Ever since the inclusion of the Gutenberg block editor, the Core team has been moving toward Full Site Editing (FSE). The plan with FSE is to allow WordPress users to build entire websites using Blocks. It’s […]
- [How to remove the "uncategorised" category from your WordPress or WooCommerce site](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/remove-uncategorised/): When you first start using WordPress, you may notice that your posts default to the “uncategorised” category automatically. If you made your may to Posts > Categories, you may also have noticed that there’s no way to delete it from the list. This post will show you how to remove the “uncategorised” category and set a new default. What is the “uncategorised” category? Categories and tags are two ways to organise content on WordPress. You really want to utilise these features to make it easier for your audience to find what they like to read and therefore increasing the popularity […]
- [15 apps for planning and scheduling your Instagram content](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/scheduling-instagram/): Instagram now has 1 billion monthly active users and 500 million daily active users, so it’s no wonder why it’s become a top marketing channel for content creators. But it requires a lot of work – between creating regular posts, Stories, Reels, IGTVs and engaging with your audience. And utilising it to its full potential can be difficult, especially when we’re trying to show up on multiple platforms.  This is where scheduling comes in. Some people find planning and scheduling content difficult at first but in the long run it should give you more freedom. I like to batch create […]
- [WordPress not sending emails correctly? Here’s how to fix WordPress email issues](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-emails/): A common issue among WordPress users is they suddenly find that their websites are not sending emails correctly or at all. You may have noticed that you are not getting admin notifications, that your readers or customers are not getting email notifications, or you may have installed a contact form plugin that doesn’t seem to be working. Why this happens WordPress comes with built-in feature that uses PHP’s mail function to send out emails. Your web host may not be configured correctly to use this function, or they may have disabled it to prevent it from being exploited by hackers. This […]
- [How to add a custom widget area beneath blog posts in WordPress (without a plugin)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/widget-area-beneath-post-content/): This post will show you how to add a custom widget area below your post content so you can easily insert a call to action for your products or services, a subscription form for your newsletter, an affiliate program, social media icons, author bio or anything else you can think of to the footer of every blog post. We could add this code directly to our theme (or child theme preferably) but that means having to edit our theme file’s every time we want to make a change. Instead, we can add a widget area that we can drag-and-drop content […]
- [What is Clubhouse? How to join it and what they're doing about the backlash](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/clubhouse/): Watch out TikTok, there’s a new social platform going viral! If you’ve spent any time on Twitter over the last couple of weeks you may have heard about Clubhouse, but what exactly is it?   What is Clubhouse? Who created it? Clubhouse is an audio-only social media platform that lets people chat in real time. Conversations about a wide range of topics are audio-only and disappear as soon as they finish. It was developed by Paul Davison and Rohan Seth (an ex-Google employee). first launched in March 2020 to a small group before expanding to new users – such as Oprah, […]
- [How to create Pinterest graphics with Tailwind Create](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/tailwind-create/): Last year, I sat down (virtually) with Reena Rai, the Influencer Marketing Manager at Pinterest, to discuss how to get the most out of the platform. One of the things we discussed was that the Pinterest algorithm favours new content or “fresh pins”. The advice is to create many different Pins for each of your posts with varying images, graphics and words that you Pin over time. If you’ve ever sat to create a series of Pins, you’ll know how long this actually takes. Thankfully, Tailwind has introduced a new feature called Tailwind Create, which creates hundreds of Pin designs […]
- [How to automatically update your copyright year in your WordPress footer](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-dynamic-year/): Are you still manually changing the year in your WordPress footer? If so, did you know there’s a quicker and easier way to dynamically show the date in your footer? The method described below will automatically show the current year in your copyright footer. For this, we need to edit your theme files. Before we do this, ensure you have a backup of your theme files. In case something goes wrong, you can use the backup files to resolve the issue. In order to add this code, we need to locate the footer.php file within your theme files. I recommend […]
- [Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals for Bloggers, Content Creators and WordPress Users (2020)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/black-friday-2020/): Happy Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Sofa Sunday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday… I’ve gathered together the best deals on domains, hosting, themes, plugins, graphics and other miscellaneous tools for bloggers, content creators, entrepreneurs, web designers, developers and WordPress users.  As always, I want to emphasise that you shouldn’t feel pressure to purchase anything you don’t need. It’s not a deal if you don’t need it. However, if you’ve been planning to move to self-hosted WordPress or want to start an online shop, course or membership site in 2021 and you’ve had your eye on something for a while, then this […]
- [Creating a media kit for your blog and social media](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/media-kit/): As a blogger, your media kit is an important resource acting as both your resume and portfolio helping you land brand partnerships. It is the main way brands can learn about your area of expertise, your services as a content creator and previous work.  What is a media kit? A media kit is a document which summarises  your online presence and  work that can be sent to potential advertisers or brands that you want to collaborate with.  It lays out the information in an easily digestible way and is a visual representation of your brand. Your media kit will outline […]
- [How to find a niche for your blog or business](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/niche/): When you get started with having a blog, one of the things you’ll notice that comes up again and again is around having a niche.  A blog niche is a specific topic you create content about on your blog. When you decide on your niche, you need a clear understanding of who your ideal audience is. This post will help you determine whether or not you need a niche and guide you through the steps of figuring out what you specialise in. Non-niche vs. niche blogs You can usually divide blogs into two categories: lifestyle/non-niche blogs and niche blogs.  What […]
- [A look at Google’s New Web Stories Plugin for WordPress](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/google-web-stories/): Wait, Stories for Google?! Yes, you heard that right! How we consume content has certainly changed over the years with social media growing in popularity. Now there’s a new way to stand out among the millions of blog posts published every day called Google Web Stories. What are Web Stories? Web Stories are a free, visual storytelling format for the web intended to be quick, bite-sized vertical content. As Web Stories are a subsect of the AMP framework, they will only appear in mobile Search. The original version of Google Web Stories required coding and styling animations from scratch but […]
- [The best apps for Mac - Setapp review](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/setapp/): As someone who runs a digital business, I’m always on the hunt for tools that will improve my productivity and keep my laptop running smoothly. This is how I first discovered MacPaw, a software company making macOS apps. Their products have been installed on my laptop for as long as I can remember. And because of this website, I’ve been able to build a relationship with the team and try even more of their products. The latest release is a subscription-based service called Setapp. Earlier this year, I was gifted one-year access earlier this year to try it out and […]
- [Passage-based indexing - even more ranking updates from Google](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/passage-based-indexing/): Not too long ago I wrote a post about Google’s new ranking factor but it seems like they have a couple more updates coming our way this year. As we know, search is always evolving and changing. We have text search, visual search and voice search – we’ll soon even be able to hum a song. With 2020 being a massive year for politics and pandemics, technology has had to evolve to ensure we’re getting the most relevant and up-to-date information, while keeping fake news at bay. The theme around the Google Search On event last week was around utilising AI […]
- [Automatic updates for WordPress plugins and themes - should you use it?](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/automatic-updates/): Plugins are an essential part of WordPress, giving us the ability to extend the functionality. It is best practice to be selective with the plugins you add, and ensure that all plugins and themes installed on your site are kept up to date. One of the main reasons a WordPress site gets hacked or infected with malware is because of out of date plugins, themes and WordPress core. Updates can include important bug and security fixes as well as new features. To solve this issue, an auto-update feature was introduced in WordPress version 5.5 letting you now choose which themes […]
- [Should you be aiming for the Featured Snippet spot on Google?](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/featured-snippet-google/): Featured Snippets are selected search results that are featured on top of Google Search Result Page (SERP), with the aim to answer the user’s question right away. There’s three major types: paragraph, table and list. Here’s an example of paragraph snippet with images: As you can see the Featured Snippet take up more space than normal links, but do they drive more clicks? Let’s see what the experts say… Q. Why would I want my content to appear as a Featured Snippet on Google? Doesn’t that mean less click-throughs? A study done by Ahrefs found that Featured Snippets reduce the […]
- [Fix the HTTP error when uploading images on WordPress](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/fix-http-error/): As a WordPress user, every so often you may come up against one of the common errors. One of which might be when you’re uploading an image or media file to the WordPress media library. This may even randomly happen, even if you haven’t done anything differently. There are several reasons why this error can occur, but luckily if it all of a sudden starts happening then it’s usually quite a simple fix. This post will show you the different ways to solve this problem and prevent it from happening again. Related: How to fix the WordPress error “there has […]
- [WordPress version 5.5 or 5.6 broke my site, what now?](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/jquery-migrate/): WordPress 5.5 was released this week (August 2020), bringing us a number of new and improved features including UI improvements in Block Editor, a new Block Directory, Block Patterns and default lazy load images. Despite the recommendation for developers to get ready for this update, it still caught many developers by surprise. And because of that updating to WordPress 5.5 has broken quite a lot of sites. If your site is one of them, don’t panic. In this post, I’ll explain why WordPress 5.5 is breaking websites and how to fix it. What changed that made my site break? WordPress […]
- [Google Page Experience and Core Web Vitals Explained](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/page-experience-web-vitals/): If you’ve read any of my SEO content or been to any of my SEO talks, then you’ve probably heard me talk about the importance of your audience and their experience on your site. Well, expect to hear about it more because Page Experience is set to become a new Google ranking factor… Google announce Core Web Vitals, what are they? Google recently announced Core Web Vitals, a new set of metics to measure the speed and user experience of a site. As we know, speed has been a ranking factor for a number of years. But Google are now […]
- [50+ WordPress plugins across 10 essential categories](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/essential-wordpress-plugins/): One of the major advantages to having a self-hosted WordPress site is having access to over 50,000 plugins in the WordPress Plugins Directory and thousands more premium plugins available.  In this post, I share my recommendations for some of the best free and premium plugins for your website. I list 50 WordPress plugins across 10 different categories, so you have everything you need for managing, growing and developing your site. A note on plugins I’d like to note that the only plugins that are actually “must have” are ones you actually need. Don’t overload your site with unnecessary plugins as […]
- [Install and test self-hosted WordPress locally on your computer (using MAMP)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/instal-wordpress-locally/): There has been so many emails in my inbox during this pandemic asking about how to go about setting up a new WordPress site to test a new idea. Installing WordPress on your computer allows you to try out ideas privately without needing a domain or web host or putting your site online for the world to see. Once you’ve tested it out, you can migrate to a live site. In this post, I’ll show you how to install WordPress locally on your computer using MAMP. Here’s a breakdown of the steps involved: 1. Download MAMP MAMP installs a local […]
- [New to blogging? 5 ways to find new readers and build an engaged audience](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/find-new-blog-readers/): As more and more people venture into blogging this year, I’ve noticed an increase in questions related to getting noticed as a new blogger and finding new readers. Here are some of my tips to finding new readers and how to turn them into an engaged audience. 1. Know who you want to attract My first tip is about finding your ideal audience and understanding why they would follow you. Knowing exactly who your audience is and why they would read your blog, will help you in so many ways. Essentially you should be able to describe your blog and […]
- [Want to turn your WordPress site into an e-commerce store? Here are 3 plugins that will add shop functionality to your site](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-store/): Are you looking to build an online store using WordPress but not sure how to go about it? It can be overwhelming trying to figure out the best option to get started with. So here are three of the most popular e-commece plugins available for WordPress users. 1. WooCommerce WooCommerce [affiliate link] is one of the most popular eCommerce plugins on WordPress. The free WooCommerce plugin was first released in 2011, it was acquired by Automattic (the company behind WordPress.com blog hosting service) in 2015. With WooCommerce, you can sell physical goods and digital downloads. You can also add affiliate or external […]
- [How to add a widget area above your WordPress blog posts](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/widget-area-above-blog/): The space above your blog posts is a great place to add a blog menu, an email optin, a featured post, an ad or simply an image. This tutorial will show you how to add a widget area to above your posts on your blog page so you can place any widget you want to that section. 1. Register widget area First, we need to register the widget area so that the section appears as an option under Appearance > Widgets. To do this you will need to edit your functions.php file. You can access this file by either using […]
- [How to tweak your site's CSS using your browser's developer tools (with video demo)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/developer-tools/): Did you know that you can use your browser to tweak elements of your site without making any permanent changes. This is a great way to get familiar with your theme’s structure and CSS. Related: How to read and write CSS for styling your blog How to enable developer tools on your browser On Safari, go Safari > Preferences > Advanced and enable “show develop menu in menu bar”. Now you can click Develop > Show Web Inspector On Chrome, go to View > Developer > Developer Tools On Firefox, go to Tools > Web Developer > Inspector There are […]
- [35 things to do after installing WordPress](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/after-installing-wordpress/): You’ve just installed WordPress — now what? Here are 35 essential tasks to complete next. These will improve your site’s usability, speed, SEO and security, so your WordPress site is ready to launch with confidence.
- [Getting started with SEO? Here's how to increase traffic to your blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/seo/): One of the most frequent questions I get asked is about to increase website traffic. While there are many strategies, my answer for the majority of situations is usually SEO! An increase in traffic doesn’t and won’t happen overnight, it will take time and effort but utilising good SEO does pay off in the long run. In this post, I’m going to share some tips to get you started with SEO. Dive in deeper: The Beginner’s Guide to SEO Unlock the secrets of SEO success with our beginner’s guide. Boost your online visibility and drive more organic traffic. What is […]
- [How to disable fullscreen mode in Gutenberg WordPress Editor](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/disable-fullscreen-gutenberg/): WordPress 5.4 introduced fullscreen mode as default for the Gutenberg editor. That means every time you open a post or page, it is shown as fullscreen without your WordPress Admin Menu or Bar. While this distraction-free mode can be useful in some cases, some users may find it confusing and want to go back to the regular view. This post will explain how to disable this. How to easily disable fullscreen mode by default To turn this off, simply edit a post or page and click on the three dots at the top-right corner of the screen. From here you […]
- [Complete guide to moving from Blogger to self-hosted WordPress without losing Google rankings](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/blogger-to-wordpress/): Do you currently have a blog on Blogger which you’d like to transfer to self-hosted WordPress? Although there are a couple of upfront costs and may be a slight learning curve, I highly recommend WordPress.org – it gives you more control, more options and opens up a world of possibilities for growth. What is WordPress.org? WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that allows you to manage all aspects of your site all from an easy-to-use dashboard. WordPress.org is the self-hosted version of WordPress. It’s important to note that WordPress.org is different to WordPress.com (similar to Blogger/Blogspot.com), which is a […]
- [How to properly move from WordPress.com to self hosted WordPress.org](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/migrate-wordpress/): Have you made the decision to move from WordPress.com to the self-hosted version of WordPress? I highly recommend WordPress.org over WordPress.com. There are a couple of upfront costs but in the long term WordPress.org is definitely worth it – it gives you more control, more options and opens up a world of possibilities for growth. What is WordPress.org? WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that powers over 25% of the entire internet. A CMS allows you to manage your blog posts, images, videos, pages, menus and every other aspect of your site all from an easy-to-use dashboard. WordPress.org gives […]
- [How custom is your custom site design?](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/custom-sites/): You decide you have had enough of pre-made themes from the likes of Themeforest or Creative Market and you want to hire someone to create a custom site just for you. You need to find the person who is going to make your site dreams come through. And suddenly you realise how overwhelming this is, there’s so many options… who do you hire? You want a custom site right? You’re paying for a custom site right? Are you sure? Would it annoy you if the person you picked installed a pre-made theme that was created by someone else? How custom […]
- [Fix the critical error on your WordPress website](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/critical-error/): It’s likely at some point in your journey with WordPress, that you’ll come across the dreaded critical error. It typically looks something like this: There has been a critical error on your website. Please check your site admin email inbox for instructions. Learn more about debugging in WordPress. I know – terrifying. But don’t worry! Your site is not lost and it can be fixed. Here are the steps to take if you come up against the critical error on your WordPress website. Remember to backup your full site regularly and before making any changes to the code. 1. Check […]
- [How to simplify your social strategy](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/simplify-social-strategy/): Overwhelmed by social media? Me too! With so many social networking sites to choose from, it can be difficult to decide what to focus on and come up with unique content for each platform. Here are five tips for simplifying your social strategies… 1. Where is your target audience hanging out? Do you have to be on all social platforms? The answer is no! When developing your social media strategy, the first step is to find out where your clients, customers or target audience is. What platforms are they using and how? Then you know where you need to focus […]
- [10 tips for working from home from a freelancer](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/working-from-home/): When I first started to work from home, I remember looking up advice for how to stay motivated and productive. I tried to follow the information that was out there but didn’t find a lot of it helpful. With everyone self-isolating right now, I’ve seen even more working from home tips but some of the advice being shared never worked for me and I couldn’t understand why. Over the years of running my business from home and working from home while employed, I’ve learned what works for me and typically find that I can be more productive at home now […]
- [Beginners guide to TikTok (and why you should consider adding it to your social strategy)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/tiktok/): I know the thought of another platform is overwhelming! But TikTok’s popularity is skyrocketing worldwide. So is it something we should be using? And if so, how?! Here’s how you can utilise TikTok in your social strategy, why you should and how to get started with the new platform. Should you add TikTok to your social strategy? According to Sensor Tower, TikTok was the most downloaded non-game app worldwide for January 2020 with more than 104.7 million installs. That’s a 46% increase from January 2019. TikTok is the only app that’s not owned by Facebook to grace the top five downloads in the rankings. And […]
- [10 of my favourite podcasts for content creators, designers and small businesses](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/influencer-podcasts/): I’ve been a big fan of podcasts for a long time now, but my love for them as grown since moving to London and commuting. I’ve even wanted to create my own… but with my 9-5, client work and content creation, that might have to wait until I have more time to dedicate to it! So until then, here are my favourite podcasts for content creators, WordPress users, bloggers, designers and small business owners. Blogosphere: Serious Influence Obviously have to mention Blogosphere’s podcast Serious Influence, firstly because I work there but also because I love it and think it’s super […]
- [Pinterest best practises for 2020 from a Pinterest expert (with 10 free Pin templates)](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/pinterest/): One of the things I want to do this year is spend more time on platforms that will bring me results. For me, that’s bringing my attention back to my blog, my newsletter and yes, Pinterest! Pinterest used to drive so much traffic to this site back when I first started and I know the return is worth the time you put into the platform. I sat down with Reena Rai, the Influencer Marketing Manager at Pinterest – who also runs a fashion/travel/lifestyle blog. We discussed all things Pinterest – from getting the basics right to new features and best […]
- [Is keyword research really dead in SEO?](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/keyword-research-intent/): There’s been a lot of chatter in recent years about how keyword research is dead. But there was a particular interview that I shared in my recent newsletter, which sparked a lot of discussion! So, what’s the answer? In my opinion, keyword research isn’t dead. But it is changing! Search engines are becoming more powerful. They are getting better at understanding natural language and serving you the best results. Take Google as an example. They have Hummingbird (helping them get better at understanding search intent), RankBrain (their machine-learning, AI-driven ranking factor) and Latent Semantic Indexing (helping them identify similar terms). […]
- [8 ways to speed up your WordPress site](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/wordpress-speed/): Not surprising as a fast-loading site improves user experience, increases your page views and helps with your SEO.  According to research by WPengine, a single second delay in page load speed can lead to 11% fewer page views, 16% decrease in customer satisfaction and 7% loss in conversions. Other research by Neil Patel shows that 47% of consumers expect a page to load within 2 seconds or less and 40% abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. How to check the speed of my site? You can use WebPage Test, Pingdom or Google PageSpeed Insights to check your site’s speed. Need to speed up your […]
- [8 ways to monetise your blog](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/monetize/): You’ve worked hard creating content, building an audience and now you want to start earning money from your blog… but how? Whether it’s a hobby that you’d like to earn a little bit of side income from or something you’d love to work on full-time, there are lots of opportunities available when it comes to making money through blogging. How do I make money blogging? There are lots of different ways you can make money from your blog. Here are 8 ways to monetise your blog. Related: The four required pages to make your blog legal It’s important to know […]
- [Web Host Providers for WordPress users [affiliate links]](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/hosting-providers/): Performance, security, reliability and cost are among the top factors when deciding where to host your blog or website. There are a number of good hosts available these days and even more average hosts, it can get really overwhelming when trying to decide who to choose. Here’s a breakdown of web hosting options in 2020 (recommended by myself and my clients). Related: Hosting 101 – Everything you need to know Kinsta A member of the Kinsta team reached out to me last year to tell me about their hosting. I was offered a free trial of Kinsta to test out […]
- [Looking to revive your blog this year? Here are 5 ways to get it back on track after a break](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/revive-blog/): As we enter 2020 tired of algorithms, shadow-banning and not-so-subtle pushes to boost our social posts for more reach, many of us are turning our attention back to our own little space on the internet… In fact, according to Statista, the number of bloggers in the United States alone is expected to reach 31.7 million this year. So if you’re bringing your focus back to your own site in 2020, here are 5 ways to revive your blog. 1. Brainstorm + Audit Give yourself thirty minutes to think of everything you would like to do on your blog. What topics would you […]
- [My creative journey over the last decade - and ten lessons after ten years of blogging](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/story/): Growing up I always thought about being a writer. I wasn’t good in English class and I couldn’t write but I enjoyed it. I loved creating things and my mother, being the crafter she is, always encouraged it. I had pretty much every toy from the arts, crafts and hobbies isle. When I was about seven years old, I decided that I’d like to be an Architect. I interned at a great firm during secondary school, and loved my time there, so wanted to follow that path and signed up to a college course. One year into my course is […]
- [What is the California Consumer Online Privacy Act (CCPA) and does it apply to me?](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/ccpa/): You may have seen a lot of chatter online about the CCPA law. Much like GDPR, it’s been discussed a lot but many people are still unsure as to what it means. The CCPA stands for The California Consumer Online Privacy Act. It is California’s newest privacy law, and is essentially California’s version of the European GDPR. CCPA and GDPR are similar, however GDPR has some stricter controls in terms of minimising the data collected to be only what is required and requiring a valid reason to collect data. However, even if your business is currently GDPR-compliant, that doesn’t mean it […]
- [Just moved to self-hosted WordPress? Here's what you need to know](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/start-wordpress/): Self-hosted WordPress or wordpress.org is known as a Content Management System (CMS). A CMS is a software that allows you to easily create, edit, organise and publish content from a simple interface. If you’re thinking about going with WordPress then I’d recommend self-hosted over wordpress.com, as it gives you full access and is very customisable. There is a cost involved, as you need to purchase hosting and a domain name but there are a wide range of options available to suit any budget. On self-hosted WordPress, there’s a wide range of plugins and themes to choose from that will let […]

## Pages

- [Monetise Your Audience Course For Content Creators](https://marketingmalone.com/courses/monetise-your-audience/): Who this course is for This course is designed for content creators who: If that’s you, this course will give you a practical roadmap to create your first digital product or monetisation system — without stress or guesswork. What you’ll achieve By the end of this course, you’ll have: What’s included Step-by-step video lessonsFollow along at your own pace, with easy-to-understand instructions and real examples. Worksheets, templates, and checklistsProduct creation planner, launch checklist, email and automation templates Lifetime accessReturn anytime and benefit from future updates and tips as digital marketing changes. Optional upgrade: 1:1 strategy call with ElaineGet personalised feedback […]
- [Content Creators: Monetise Your Audience with Digital Products](https://marketingmalone.com/services/creator-monetisation/): You’ve built an audience but you’re not sure how to earn from it. You’ve got engaged followers, but no clear way to monetise. The tech feels complicated, the options overwhelming, and you’re not sure where to start. We’ll guide you through every step. From follower to customer, simplified. We’ll help you create digital products or services that fit your audience, set up your website and email systems, and automate your sales – so you can focus on creating content. How I can help Create Products That Sell Set Up Your Sales Systems Optimise for Growth & Profit Ready to start […]
- [Small Business Owners: Grow Your Clients & Income with Digital Marketing](https://marketingmalone.com/services/biz-growth/): You know your business could grow – but the tech is holding you back. You’re trying to juggle everything: building a website, posting on social media, setting up email marketing, learning SEO. It’s exhausting. You don’t need to do it all alone. Let’s make marketing simple. At XOmisse, we help small business owners create a strong online presence that attracts the right clients and grows your income – without complicated tech or confusing strategies. Build Your Online Presence Attract Your Ideal Clients Simplify Your Systems Ready to attract more clients and grow your income? You don’t need to do it […]
- [The Simple Online Setup System](https://marketingmalone.com/courses/the-simple-online-setup-system/): Who this course is for You’re a small business owner, freelancer, or service provider who: This isn’t another confusing “marketing course” full of fluff. It’s a step-by-step system designed for busy, non-techy business owners who just want results. What you’ll achieve By the end of this course, you’ll have: What’s included Step-by-step video lessonsFollow along at your own pace with clear instructions, screenshots, and examples. Worksheets, templates, and checklistsWebsite content planner, SEO checklist, Lead magnet & email setup templates Lifetime accessReturn anytime and benefit from future updates as digital marketing changes. Optional upgrade: 1:1 review call with ElaineGet personalised feedback on your […]
- [The SEO Kickstart System](https://marketingmalone.com/the-seo-kickstart-system/): Finally, a simple way to get found on Google A beginner-friendly SEO system to increase traffic, reach your ideal audience and grow your new website. You know SEO matters… here’s the simple way to start Maybe you’ve Googled guides and ended up more confused than before. Or maybe you’ve been putting it off because it seems too technical, time-consuming or expensive. But you don’t need to do everything at once. You need the right foundations in place so your website can start showing up in search and reaching your audience. That’s why I created The SEO Kickstart System — a practical, no-fluff roadmap to […]
- [Google Blogger/Blogspot Support Services](https://marketingmalone.com/services/blogger-support/): Blog Design £1000+ Starting a new blog or need to refresh your existing design and stand out from the crowd? ✓ Designed to align with your branding ✓ Any features/functionality you need ✓ Customise theme options panel ✓ Mobile version/responsive design ✓ Optimised for Search Engines (SEO) Blog Support £50/hour Having trouble with something on your blog, want to update the design or add a new feature? ✓ Blog tweaks + customisations ✓ Bug fixes + technical issues ✓ Feature/functionality add-on ✓ Custom domain installation + setup ✓ Blogger to WordPress migration Want to DIY? You’ll find Blogger tutorials on […]
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- [Experienced Freelance Marketer, London | Digital Marketing Services](https://marketingmalone.com/services/freelance-marketer/): Elaine just gets it. You send a request and she does it – she’s quick and she’s meticulous, too. She also simplifies the complicated – turning potentially overwhelming digital language into terms one can understand. The work Elaine did for the bCreator (formerly Blogosphere) site was fantastic. Traffic has soared and the amount of returning users has trebled. Thoroughly enjoyable and seamless process. Alice Audley · bCreator I highly recommend Elaine for any website work you need done. Best person to recreate the vision in your head into a beautiful website. Everything explained up front, no hidden costs, everything worked […]
- [Marketing Manager London - Available to Hire - Elaine Malone CV](https://marketingmalone.com/services/marketing-manager/): Key Skills Content Marketing • SEO • Social Media Marketing • Email Marketing (ConvertKit, Mailchimp) • Influencer Marketing • Content Creation (Adobe CC, Canva) • Video Editing (CapCut, Final Cut Pro) • Graphic Design • Marketing Collateral Design • Data Analysis & Reporting (SEMrush, Google Analytics, Google Search Console) • WordPress • Web Development • Community Management Elaine just gets it. You send a request and she does it – she’s quick and she’s meticulous, too. She also simplifies the complicated – turning potentially overwhelming digital language into terms one can understand. The work Elaine did for the bCreator (formerly […]
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- [Marketing VIP Day](https://marketingmalone.com/services/marketing-vip/): Marketing VIP & Retainers Your personal marketing manager – tackling your marketing to-do list and moving your business forward in just one day (or more). Elaine just gets it. You send a request and she does it – she’s quick and she’s meticulous, too. She also simplifies the complicated – turning potentially overwhelming digital language into terms one can understand. The work Elaine did for the bCreator (formerly Blogosphere) site was fantastic. Traffic has soared and the amount of returning users has trebled. Thoroughly enjoyable and seamless process. Alice Audley · bCreator I highly recommend Elaine for any website work […]
- [Guides: Deep Dive into Digital Marketing](https://marketingmalone.com/guides/)
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- [Digital Marketing and Content Strategy](https://marketingmalone.com/services/digital-marketing/): Marketing Strategy & Support Tailored marketing and content strategies to grow your brand and connect with your audience. I help you focus on what matters so you can grow. Elaine just gets it. You send a request and she does it – she’s quick and she’s meticulous, too. She also simplifies the complicated – turning potentially overwhelming digital language into terms one can understand. The work Elaine did for the bCreator (formerly Blogosphere) site was fantastic. Traffic has soared and the amount of returning users has trebled. Thoroughly enjoyable and seamless process. Alice Audley · bCreator I highly recommend Elaine […]
- [WordPress Website Design and Management](https://marketingmalone.com/services/wordpress/): Website Development & Support From full builds to ongoing maintenance, I create websites that help creators, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners thrive online. Elaine just gets it. You send a request and she does it – she’s quick and she’s meticulous, too. She also simplifies the complicated – turning potentially overwhelming digital language into terms one can understand. The work Elaine did for the bCreator (formerly Blogosphere) site was fantastic. Traffic has soared and the amount of returning users has trebled. Thoroughly enjoyable and seamless process. Alice Audley · bCreator I highly recommend Elaine for any website work you […]
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- [Unsubscribed](https://marketingmalone.com/course__trashed/launch-it/unsubscribed/): Thanks for letting me know, I’m sorry to see you go. You won’t receive any more emails about Launch it!
- [Launch it!](https://marketingmalone.com/course__trashed/launch-it/): Launch your WordPress site in just 5 days! Have you wanted to start your own site for some time, but have no idea where to begin? Does the thought of dealing with domains, hosting and all the technical stuff fill you with dread? You are not alone! Launching a WordPress site can seem daunting, I’m here to guide you through every step… What we’ll cover in this free mini-course Research I’ll share my tips for figuring out your blog niche, domain name and strategies. No overwhelm! Visuals Fonts, colours, logos and templates, we’ll work on creating the visuals for you new site […]
- [Guest Posting - Write for XOmisse](https://marketingmalone.com/services/contribute/): Interested in contributing to the XOmisse blog, newsletter or social media platforms? We’d love to feature you as a guest blogger! We welcome content from content creators and experts within the digital marketing and WordPress spaces. Please note this is an opportunity for individual creators only. If you are interested in advertising your brand or business, please contact me about sponsored content opportunities. About the audience: Content guidelines The article you submit should: Things to note: Get in touch If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please fill in the form below or send an email to contact@marketingmalone.com. Please include […]
- [Subscription Confirmed!](https://marketingmalone.com/newsletter/thanks/): Subscription Confirmed! I’ll drop in every month with some helpful advice, industry updates, free downloads and more. Until then, I’ll see you on Instagram and LinkedIn. Speak soon,– Elaine XO
- [Newsletter](https://marketingmalone.com/newsletter/): Hey, I’m Elaine I’ve been creating content since 2009 and running my business since 2013. I know how overwhelming it can be marketing yourself as an entrepreneur. That’s why my mission is to make marketing more manageable – no burnout allowed! What readers think It’s rare to find a newsletter that when it arrives in your inbox, you stop everything else to read it. That’s what XOmisse is for me. I love Elaine’s blogging newsletters, as they really are a hub for all things in the world of blogging and social media. WordPress/tech insights, latest industry developments, social media tips. The list […]
- [Start here: Explore XOmisse resources and services](https://marketingmalone.com/start/): Join The Roundup Get the latest digital marketing news, updates and actionable tips. You’ll receive our fortnightly newsletter, latest content and resources. No spam or unnecessary emails. Some quick links: Hi there! I’m Elaine, owner of XOmisse. I’m a web developer and digital marketer, who has been creating content online for over a decade. Being a creator or small business owner comes with wearing a lot of different hats. It can be overwhelming, confusing and time-consuming. My mission is to arm you with everything you need to start, build and grow your online platforms with confidence. No matter how tech-savvy […]
- [Cookie Policy](https://marketingmalone.com/legal/cookie-policy/): What’s a cookie? A “cookie” is a piece of information that is stored on your computer’s hard drive and which records how you move your way around a website so that, when you revisit that website, it can present tailored options based on the information stored about your last visit. Cookies can also be used to analyse traffic and for advertising and marketing purposes. In general, cookies are used to retain user preferences, store information for things like shopping carts, and provide anonymised tracking data to third party applications like Google Analytics. Cookies are used by nearly all websites and […]
- [Terms of Use](https://marketingmalone.com/legal/terms-of-use/): By purchasing our product(s) you indicate that you have read and agree with the Terms of Use detailed on this page as well as other Terms & Conditions. These terms applicable to purchases made in the Shop section of the Site. Copyright & Ownership v has intellectual and creative rights of every design that XOMISSE has created. All products are property of XOmisse and protected under copyright. You may not claim intellectual or exclusive ownership to any of our products, modified or unmodified. Theme License When purchasing a theme form XOmisse, you have two license options – Single License and […]
- [Legal Information](https://marketingmalone.com/legal/): BY VISITING XOMISSE.COM, YOU ARE CONSENTING TO OUR POLICIES, TERMS AND CONDITIONS AS OUTLINED BELOW. Terms and ConditionsThis document explains the general terms and conditions that apply to site visitors, customers, and all other users of XOmisse, including our copyright terms. Privacy PolicyOutlines how XOmisse may store and use your personal data under the GDPR. Cookie PolicyOutlines how XOmisse may store cookies on your computer. Terms of UseApplies to digital products (such as pre-made blog themes, pre-made graphics, and other items available to purchase) by XOmisse. Terms of ServiceApplies to custom one-on-one services offered by XOmisse. READER DISCLAIMER XOmisse is […]
- [Terms of Service](https://marketingmalone.com/legal/terms-of-service/): By purchasing any designs or services from XOmisse, you are agreeing to be bound by these Terms and Conditions of Service, all applicable laws and regulations, and agree that you are responsible for compliance with any applicable local laws. The materials on this website are protected by applicable Copyright and Trademark laws. These Terms and Conditions are subject to change at any given time, with or without notice, and we advise you to read them prior to any and all purchase(s). DESIGN SELECTION + DELIVERY Submitting a project inquiry does not guarantee a spot on the schedule. Selection is based […]
- [Guides, Tools and Resources](https://marketingmalone.com/resources/): Free XOmisse Downloads Audience/Buyer Persona Easily craft a detailed profile of your ideal customer and/or target audience. Retiring soon Beginner Guides Recommended Tools
- [Confirm your email signup](https://marketingmalone.com/newsletter/confirm/): Almost there, please check your inbox… You’ll see an email from me containing a confirmation link. Click that link to confirm you want to receive emails from me. As a subscriber, you’ll receive my latest articles, industry news, and other exclusives. You’ll also get access to my free marketing guides, templates and checklists. Looking forward to having you as a part of my community! – Elaine XO
- [Terms + Conditions](https://marketingmalone.com/legal/terms-conditions/): By visiting marketingmalone.com, you are consenting to our terms and conditions. Overview The terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer to XOmisse. The term “Site” refers to marketingmalone.com. The term “Shop” refers to the shop section of marketingmalone.com. The terms “user”, “you” and “your” refer to site visitors, customers, and any other users of the site. XOmisse provides a blog where users can read articles about web design, development, social media, and blogging tips (the “Content”). We provide custom website solutions (the “Service”) and sell digital goods (the “Products”) related to marketing and blog design. All of the aforementioned should herein […]
- [Brand Collaborations - Sponsor XOmisse Content](https://marketingmalone.com/services/advertise/): Increase brand awareness and click-throughs on your plugin, tool or resource by sponsoring content on the XOmisse website, newsletter or social platforms. About XOmisse XOmisse provide educational content and services to creative entrepreneurs. Our audience consists of content creators and small business owners across a range of niches. We regularly publish articles around the topics of content creation, digital marketing and running a small business. The XOmisse site receives around 15,000 visitors every month with a total of over 2,260,000 page views, 890,000+ unique visitors and a DA of 39. Our readership is 60% female and between the age of 18-35. We have a large audience in […]
- [Privacy Policy](https://marketingmalone.com/legal/privacy-policy/): 1. INTRODUCTION This privacy notice provides you with details of how we collect and process your personal data through your use of our site, marketingmalone.com. By providing us with your data, you warrant to us that you are over 13 years of age. Elaine Malone, XOmisse, is the data controller and I am responsible for your personal data (referred to as “we”, “us” or “our” in this privacy notice). Contact DetailsFull name of legal entity: Elaine MaloneEmail address: contact@marketingmalone.comPostal address: PM1699156, Unit C1, North City Business Park, North Road, D11 RW30, Ireland It is very important that the information we […]
- [Blog: Start, grow + monetise your platforms](https://marketingmalone.com/blog/): Simplifying the tech-side of being a content creator with tips and tutorials for WordPress, blogging, SEO and social media marketing
- [Homepage](https://marketingmalone.com/): Hello
- [Work With Me: Digital Marketing Services for Small Businesses](https://marketingmalone.com/services/): Core Services How I Can Help Website Support Get a professional, mobile-friendly website that looks great, converts visitors, and is easy to manage. Whether you need a new build, a refresh, or ongoing updates, your website will support your goals and grow with your business. Marketing Strategy  Get clear, actionable marketing plans to help your business grow without overwhelm. Whether a one-off session or ongoing support, I provide practical strategies tailored to your goals so you always know the next steps. VIP & Retainers Need hands-on marketing help? Hire me for a focused VIP day or a monthly retainer. From […]
- [Contact](https://marketingmalone.com/contact/): Want to say hello, ask a question or tell me about a project? I’d love to hear from you! Please use the form or email me at contact@marketingmalone.com. Want to write for XOmisse? Please check out our contribution page for information about guest blogging. Looking to advertise on XOmisse? Check out our advertising page for sponsorship information and contact details. For availability and rates please email: advertise@marketingmalone.com
- [About XOmisse](https://marketingmalone.com/about/): I’ve been creating content online for over a decade, so trust me – I know how important your platforms are! I also understand how overwhelming it can be to market yourself with limited time, money and know-how. ❌ You don’t know how to grow your ideal audience ❌ You’re spending hours creating content that nobody sees ❌ And you don’t have the time to figure out the latest algorithm update That’s where I come in… I’m on a mission to make marketing more manageable for you as a small business owner, entrepreneur or content creator. ✅ You want content that […]

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