#also​ figured out some tricks to streamlining this process which is also really nice!!

[secondhand-lions]

captain wifeguy of the I LOVE MY WIFE!!

id in alt

do NOT examine the proportions of the first one please. i can only do so much to make Dr. Robotnik’s egg body fit The Captain

[edit: post cancelled because there HAS to be a way to keep even a little bit more image quality holy SHIT]

[edit 2: post uncancelled this is the best i can do apparently]

[jaybug-jabbers]

Pokemon Sword/Shield: A review of my experience

So, I’ve rung in the new year in style with a bad cold. Fortunately, I received a new Switch Lite for Christmas and a copy of Pokemon Sword, so at least I’ve had something to do while sitting about feeling miserble. I beat the game last night, and I figured I’d say a few words about what I thought of it. There are major spoilers ahead!

Graphics & Music

First of all, it looks absolutely beautiful. I’m used to using my 2DS, so the upgrade to the Switch Lite was quite the jump. When compared to previous Pokemon titles, the game is absolutely stunning to gaze upon. What’s more, the environments are varied, creative, colorful, and just lovely. They were such a delight that when I first started the game and had control of my character, the first thing I did was simply stand there for a solid five minutes just gazing on the dynamic, gorgeous countryside, butterfree flapping in the distance, Wooloo rolling around, people going about their day. It helps that I do love the UK and I’ve visited it in the past, and I have to say they did an excellent job evoking the feel of those landscapes. Exploring the towns and the environments was always a joy. Their layouts were natural, intuitive, and walking around or biking around was easy and fun. I was eager to explore every nook and cranny. Accompanying the environments was excellent music. All of the tracks were on-point. They set the feel of the location and they were all great to listen to.

UI & Battle Mechanics

Another thing you notice right away is the UI has been beautifully updated. It’s logically and appealingly organized, it’s very speedy, and there are a lot of quality-of-life tweaks and updates– such as accessing your pokemon PC from just about anywhere. (or easy access to Flying from the regular Map menu!) These tweaks have really helped smooth and streamline things and make for a better experience. It took some getting used to some of the tweaks, such as a forced Experience Share for the entire pokemon party. I’m still not sure what I think of that, but I kept reminding myself that full-party experience is standard in other RPGs, so it’s not so huge a jump for Pokemon to adopt it as well.

Characters

The game is also populated by many characters that I enjoyed. The character designs were well thought-out and appealing, and the characters themselves were fun. Hop may have a bit of a doofy haircut and be a bit of a dork, but he’s still an enjoyable rival. Professor Magnolia seems cool, as does her daughter Sonia. As we meet each of the gym leaders in turn, I generally liked them, as well. They did a good job adding little bits of personality to each of them. And yes, I even liked Leon, the over-the-top and bizarrely-dressed Champion. He was hammy and I think it worked well for him.

The Sport of Pokemon & Dynamaxing

Something else I found myself really enjoying was how much the game was emphasizing the sport aspect to Pokemon battling in the Galar region. This is something the game has always had to a certain extent, but never to the degree it has here. Pokemon battling was a huge spectacle here in Galar, done in massive statiums to huge, roaring crowds. This is a world of difference when compared to the solemn, trial-like, solitary experience of the Elite Four. It just brings and entirely different energy to the experience. And I found I really liked that. During the first few gym battles, I wasn’t entirely into it at first, largely because the first few gym fights were incredibly easy. But after they got a little harder, I started to get into the feel of things.

Naturally, the whole huge emphasis on the electric thrill of competition and of huge, bombastic spectacle was tied into the gimmick of this particular game: Dynamaxing. And as lukewarm as I was about Dynamaxing when I first heard it announced (I’m pretty tired of these gimmicks– Z-Moves, Mega Evolutions and the likes), I have to give credit where credit’s due: it was at least tied very thoroughly into the plot and into the fabric of the game. It didn’t feel tacked on, and I wasn’t resentful about actually using Dynamaxing. It may have been a silly gimmick, but it was still enjoyable to use, because it made sense to help entertain the crowds with oversized spectacle, and because there was a certain amount of enjoyment in the added strategy it required. I’m glad I was able to get into it.

I think the highest point for me about the gym challenge experience was when I was facing off Raihan. Here’s the chap they’ve been hyping for a while about facing up against, because he’s the last gym leader standing before you move onto the Semi Finals and the Finals. When you walk through the dark corridor out into the pitch, you can feel the electric atmosphere; you can hear people cheering your name as their new favorite trainer hopeful; and then, Raihan, the man who always acted so casual and smooth and cool, suddenly shows his intense side on the field of battle. He flings out two pokeballs and brags about mixing things up for you with a doubles format and with the weather, and dares you to step up for the challenge.

My two front pokemon come out– Snowdrop, my Frosmoth, and Bazz, my Grapploct. After all that weather bragging, I decide to show him, and have my Frosmoth flip his sandstorm weather over to Hail. Surprised, my opponent acknowledges that was a pretty nice move on my part. I then Blizzard and Superpower his first pair of pokemon out of the picture.

I’m feeling pretty good, and then he sends out his second pair of pokemon. I have no idea what the heck the Duraludon is supposed to be. Then he Dynamaxes it, which takes me a little off guard, as I had expected it later, but of course this is doubles so there is no later. I stall for a little bit, trying to decide what to hit the Duraludon with, and my first few pokemon go down, and the sandstorm kicks back in.

I decide to send out my Corviknight out for Dynamaxing. But I’m still floundering over the best tactic for this unfamiliar pokemon. I try Max Airstream to see how much it does, but it’s not a very impressive chunk. Then his Sandaconda gets a Glare off on my Corviknight, which is a pain. I waste one of my Dynamax turns getting paralyzed. I’ve fainted several other pokemon in the process of things. I start to think I’m toast and I’ll need to replay the match. Then I realize this stupid-looking Duraludon is, of course, a Steel type. I’d just recently put Body Press onto my Corviknight for some move variety. On my final Dynamax turn, I use it. It utterly destroys the Duraludon, which had just lost its Dynamax.

My own Corviknight falls back down into its normal state. There’s only one pokemon left on either one of our teams; his damned Sandaconda and my half-health Corviknight. The sand is still up, but my Corviknight didn’t mind that at all. It did, however, mind the paralysis and the Fire Fang the snake kept using. Fortunately, Corviknight is still a tanky beast, and I blasted away with Drill Pecks. It was tense, really down to the wire. Would Corviknight tank enough hits to make it? Would he get paralyzed at an inopportune moment?

Fortunately, he makes it, finishing off Sandaconda and taking the match. As I cheer at the victory, my pokemon cheers too, amongst all the swirling sand. The crowd roars, and I feel a genuine respect for my opponent’s skill. It was a good fight. Afterwards, when I returned to the lobby, people were congratulating me on my victory, and it felt truly nice.

Moments like these are not common in pokemon games. At least, they aren’t for me. I had felt everything during that match– the magnificent spectacle of the dynamaxing, the tricks my opponent pulled, his keen desire to win, the crowd’s thirst for a good match, my desire to pull through somehow. As it turned out, after that, I didn’t have battle quite as good. The Semi-Finals and the Finals were a cakewalk for me. Even the Raihan rematch was ridiculously easy. He changed up his team and made it much worse, so that he had different weather-setters for each poke, lacking any team synergey at all. It was a shame. Perhaps the only reason that match was so close was because I had been briefly intimidated over the doubles format and confused over the  Duraludon, but I do wish those magical experiences happened more often.

Indeed, even my final battle with the Champion was a woeful disappointment. I got off one Dragon Dance with Dragapult and swept the whole team cleanly. That brings up another point, though: the difficulty level of this game. It is … well, not very high. It’s a shame. I realize it’s a tricky balance, since this game is aimed at a variety of age levels, and they don’t want it too difficult for the younger audience. Still, it would be nice for Pokemon to implement a ‘hard mode’ to help deal with this issue. Perhaps if they did, we could have more magical moments like the one I had with Raihan.

Character Development & Plot

The low difficulty wasn’t the only thing about Pokemon Sword/Shield that sometimes brought disappointment. At the end of the game, I also found the plot sort of ended up in a no-man’s land. Almost all of the plotlines felt unfinished. Marnie looked like a really cool character full of potential, but then nothing ever really happened with her character. Team Yell ended up being very different from all the other ‘teams’ of the pokemon universe, in that they were just very vocal and sometimes excessively involved fans of Marnie. I actually liked the idea of the ‘team’ not being a group of organized villians up to no good, but Team Yell’s plot ultimately petered out into nothing. The same could be said for other characters. Sonia was a cool-looking character design and again seemed to have a lot of potential as a character, but I never quite understood the point of her plot. She was … uninterested in research, maybe, but became interested? Or was overwhelemed with the work? Or … what, exactly? When she “earned” the lab coat, it didn’t feel like an accomplishment. There was no weight or clarity to her character arc in the slightest. She didn’t even ultimately contribute all that much, because she failed to even be the one to discover the Sword and Shield artifacts.

Again, we find this trend with others, such as Hop’s development. Hop is a cocky, confidant young lad who idolizes his older brother. Eventually he runs into a trainer who throws off his groove, gets into his head with some comments, claiming that he’s dragging his older brother’s name through the mud by being shite at pokemon battling. Then he starts to doubt and second-guess himself, reshuffle his team and his strategies endlessly, and so forth. Eventually, he seems to ‘get over it’ and gets his groove back, but we never are given a really firm reason as to why he gets his groove back. What brought about this change? We need to see why he’s learned and grown. And really, even when he does pull his shit together again, has he really learned much from the experience? I assumed his ultimate lesson would be to see his brother more as an equal, not as someone to idolize; as a human who can self-doubt and make mistakes just like him. But the writers passed up the opportunity to go that way with the plot. They just sort of … gave up halfway.

The most of a glimpse we get from that is something given to us from the animation itself, not the writers. Out on the pitch, during the final battle against Leon, when he’s just about to toss his pokemon out, there’s a moment when he pauses and taps both hands against his face. It’s a subtle little gesture, as if he’s trying to shake off any gnawing self-doubts and get his head into the game, and it echoes his younger brother, who we’ve seen do the same thing. It’s such a lovely little touch, such a human moment, and to me shows that both brothers have been vulnerable to self-doubt despite their swagger, but in the end can overcome it. I only wish the idea were explored further in the actual plot.

The ‘evil plot’ of this particular game also feels only half-baked and incomplete. The motivation behind Rose’s actions feels entirely absent to me, as does any logic whatsoever. What’s worse, the game leaves behind so many lingering questions. OK, so this slumbering Eternatus is the source of all Dynamax power, and he’s discovered the energy will run out in a thousand years or so. How is waking up Eternatus by feeding it Wishing Stars (which, as Magnolia later reports, are bits of Eternatus itself– so, what, feeding  Eternatus pieces of itself?) going to help with that? Will it produce more energy once awake? So he planned on capturing it and … sending it out whenever they needed more energy? Or just keeping it around as a power-giving pet of some sort? But at the end of the game, the player keeps Eternatus for themselves, so doesn’t that mean Galar is sort of screwed now? How can the power plant continue to function (and Dynamaxing) if the source of that power is now inside my pokeball? Also, how exactly did Rose wake up Eternatus to begin with/bring about the Darkest Day? Just release all the energy he had at once? There’s so much that’s confusing and unclear. Basically, the plotline felt very half-baked. I had the sense the writing for this game was frankly very rushed.

It doesn’t stop there. Oleana, the whole thing with Bede, and other characters are left with tons of lingering questions and unfinished plotthreads as well. I suspect the devs simply ran out of time. It’s a huge shame, because I enjoyed all of these characters and felt there was so much potential there, but that potential was never really realized.

Pokemon

This generation has a relatively low number of new pokemon, and you do feel that a little bit as you’re going along. The older pokemon that are mixed in were chosen well, in that they blend naturally with the environments they were placed in, and they’re spaced out nicely, so you encounter a mix of new and old at a nice clip, so they have that going for themselves. But even still, yes, you do start to wish there were a few more surprising faces. Still, there’s definitely fun to be had with new pokemon, especially for some of the cooler Galar regional variants. (I fully support regional variants and am happy they made a comeback in this generation.)

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, there’s also only a very limited set of old pokemon this game has access to. Any species not listed in the Galar dex simply cannot be transferred over. This has upset many people, but when I played the game, it did not feel lacking for that reason. The sheer number of pokemon in the overall franchise is now staggering. It makes complete sense to not include every species in every game now. They intend to include old pokemon on rotation in future games, and that seems like a fair compromise to me. Am I bummed that my favorite Parasect can’t be transferred to Galar? Of course. But I’m not too worked up over the fact. He’ll see another region someday.

To finish this section off, I’m going to do a rapid-fire list of my top 5 and bottom 5 of the new pokemon.

Top 5

Corviknight: An absolutely gorgeous design and easily the MPV of my team.

Wooloo/Dubwool: It’s an adorable ball sheep/ram. You simply can’t go wrong with that. One of the first to be revealed of the new pokes, but I can never get bored with it.

Dragapult: A very creative, lizardy Dragon/Ghost creature that adorably shoots its own babies as ammo. I love it.

Grappaloct: So beautiful. Love its design, its stance, the way one tentacle is a belt, love its colors and pattern, its eyes, its cry, everything. Such a badass and I love octopi in general, so a real winner. This is the octopus we’ve needed for a while.

Snom/Frosmoth: I mean, in some ways its design isn’t revolutionary, since we already have many moth pokemon. However, Snom is still adorable and Frosmoth is still beautiful, something you cannot deny. And it’s been long overdue to get an Ice/Bug. What’s more, Snom is based off real caterpillars (jewel caterpillars), which is wonderful.

Bottom 5

Inteleon: A very distinctive design style that doesn’t look like it belongs anywhere near a Pokemon game. Just feels very mismatched to me.

Alcremie: I hate sentient food. A massive pet peeve of mine.

Applin: See above.

Duraludon: Sorry, but I still think its design is ugly. I can’t get used to it.

Mr. Mime (Galar Variant): No. Mr. Mime is always horrible. Stay away from me. Keep your creepy variant, too.

The Wilds Area

Of course, a review of the game would be incomplete if I didn’t mention the Wild Area. This section of the game was really very lovely. I enjoyed exploring what was essentially Breath of the Wild: Pokemon, and I think it’s a wonderful direction for the game to take. Wandering around, finding goodies, rare pokemon, Dynamax dens and all the rest is very entertaining and it’s just beautiful. Really makes you feel like you’re out in nature exploring, and really encountering pokemon in their natural environment. I’ve read people predicting that Game Freak is using the Wild Area in this game as a test, and something they will probably expand upon in later games. If that’s what they are indeed doing, then I welcome the change. I can’t say I am super interested in fighting wild Dynamax pokemon with my friends, but I did enjoy everything else.

Summary

So, would I recommend this game to others? It would depend on who you are. If you’re a big pokemon fan, then yes, of course. You’ll enjoy the beautiful locations to explore, the new pokemon, and the excitement of the Galar sports arenas, as well as some colorful characters. However, you are going to find some flaws. The plot and character arcs are going to eventually end up a little lacking, and you’ll find there’s not as much new content as you’d have preferred. While some aspects of this game are very well polished and complete, others feel rushed. Overall, it’s going to be a mixed experience, but I think that if you like pokemon, you will still enjoy it.

This is a repost on a new blog. The original post was on Jan 1, 2020.

[greg38mcall]

Gearing Up for Your Next Organizing Project with a FREE Printable Kit!

Hello, hello! I am excited to be dropping in with a small series I have been putting together for you all, which includes my all-time favorite organizing tips, tricks, advice, and products! It's been a long time coming to take everything I have learned over the years, whether it is working in my own home or working with others, and compiling it all in a single place here on the web. The four-part series will include: Gearing Up for Your Next Organizing Project with a FREE Printable Kit! Need helping getting started or prioritizing where to begin? What is the plan of attack? What is currently working well and what isn't? What storage do you need? Trying to get rid of things, but finding it hard to decide what to keep and what to pass on? I have put together a great printable kit to help you prioritize, sort, and navigate your way through your next organizing project(s), which includes a total of TEN free printables! My Top Organizing Tips! Instead of digging through years of my archives to find individual tips, I am going to compile the best of the best in a single, very informational post! It's going to be a whopper and a really great resource for projects of any size. Labeling 101: Quick & Easy Labeling Techniques I have tried almost every type of label on the market, from vinyl to label makers to stickers and chalk markers, and they all have their place. But what are my tried and true favorites? What do I reach for with almost any project due to time, cost, practicality, and ease? I will be sharing three labeling techniques that haven't failed me yet, and that you won't need any fancy tools to utilize. Practical, Everyday Storage Solutions! If I have learned anything from raising three boys and organizing along the way, it is that storage can be expensive and that our needs are constantly evolving. Gone are the days where I purchase pretty bins and baskets to decorate with. Although I will always appreciate beautiful storage, it has to be versatile and it has to last! With that in mind, there are a few storage products that I have found that continuously work hard for me in a variety of situations, so they end up being the types of products I gravitate toward when working on any new projects. For the final post in the series, I am putting together the ultimate storage source list with tips and products that I have fallen in love with over the years. So let's dive in with the first of the four-part series: Gearing Up for Your Next Organizing Project with a Free Printable Kit!

Today I have for you all TEN free printables! Now, you don't have to use all of these printables for a single organizing project. They all serve different purposes and can be helpful to guide and encourage in a variety of ways. They really emulate my thought process when working on projects of any scale, and serve as really wonderful tools to keep organizing projects organized!

Below you will find a link to each printable as well as a brief explanation on how to utilize each one.

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click HERE to download your FREE copy of the Daily Schedule printable

The Daily Schedule printable is typically my key to prioritization when I am feeling overwhelmed and not quite sure where to begin. It also really helps me when I need to reconsider how I am using the hours throughout my day. It can be really eye-opening to spend a single day and track how your time is being utilized. It may shed light as to how much time is being wasted on social media, or simply bring attention to parts of the day that are just too chaotic.

H O W   T O   U S E   T H I S   P R I N T A B L E :

From sun up to sun down, track the tasks you are doing throughout the day, as well as the specific details about what is working and what is not. Tasks could include exercising, making kid's lunches, getting ready in the morning, homework hour, dinner, clean-up, bill paying, etc... Are you noticing that certain times of the day cause you frustration? Do some tasks take longer than they should? Are there ways to streamline specific tasks so they are more manageable? This is a really great way to get a visual of a typical day and provide some insight on what tasks could use some organizational attention.

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click HERE to download your FREE copy of the Top 5 Organizing Projects printable

My biggest tip when trying to figure out where to begin and prioritizing your projects is to focus on your day-to-day routine FIRST. The storage room can wait, it is important to get your days running smoothly before you can invest time on the outlying projects.

H O W   T O   U S E   T H I S   P R I N T A B L E :

Looking at your day and tasks listed in the first printable, select the top five areas of your day that could use improvement. It is extremely important to factor in what those specific tasks are costing you in terms of time, money, and sanity. For example, if you are finding that you are unhappy with the process of lunch making for yourself or your kids each day, you can probably equate it to costing you money in wasted food or eating lunches out, and costing you time in the act of preparing the lunches each day. The solution may be creating a list of favorite lunch items, setting up a lunch making station in the pantry and fridge, and spending time making lunches in bulk on a Sunday afternoon. Prioritize your projects by the highest cost to the least (cost equating to time, money, and sanity). List out the problem as well as possible solutions. This printable is a great way to encourage brainstorming and to give yourself a starting point.

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click HERE to download your FREE copy of the Home Zones printable

Homes work best when they are set up into functioning "zones". That means categorizing specific closets, drawers, nooks, etc... into a specific zone and then detailing out what items make the most sense to be stored there.

H O W   T O   U S E   T H I S   P R I N T A B L E :

In the first field, list a specific location or zone in your home. For example, an entryway closet. Then, give that location a general category in terms of how it should function. An entryway closet would generally function as a place to store outerwear and shoes, but may also act as a hub for cleaning and pet supplies. In the belongings field, list out the specific items that should be stored in that zone so that they match up with the working category. This is a very eye-opening exercise and really ensures that items are only being stored where they make the most sense vs. being scattered in multiple locations throughout the house.

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click HERE to download your FREE copy of the Project Planner printable

Now that you have a specific project in mind, it's time to plan it out! This may not apply to smaller organizing tasks, such as a single drawer or your handbag, but it really comes in handy for those larger scale projects.

H O W   T O   U S E   T H I S   P R I N T A B L E :

Utilize the top portion of the form to recognize and detail the specifics of what was already working, as well as what needs to be addressed by the end of the project. The bottom portion of the form is helpful for keeping track of specific steps or tasks to get from start to finish, as well as any products or supplies that need to be purchased along the way.

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click HERE to download your FREE copy of the Sketch It printable

Sometimes it can be helpful to draw your drawer or closet to scale. I have been known to sketch out closets, pantries, and drawers ahead of time to be sure all of my storage needs fit and make sense. This exercise allows me to maximize the area that I am organizing and helps me to visualize the end goal.

H O W   T O   U S E   T H I S   P R I N T A B L E :

Assign a specific measurement to each square and sketch up a general plan for your project. Grid out drawer organizers or design a full closet installation. The graphing area is useful for creating the outlines of bins and baskets to ensure that you get a nice fit and make the most of the available space.

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click HERE to download your FREE copy of the Storage Planning printable

Do you have a really large project that requires a lot of new storage? You can keep track of it all with this helpful storage printable!

H O W   T O   U S E   T H I S   P R I N T A B L E :

Larger closets and whole room makeovers require a variety of storage options for various belongings and item types. This printable allows you to keep track of the different categories, assign the ideal container, source the storage from a variety of locations, and most importantly, keep track of all of the dimensions. For example, you are organizing a walk-in closet. Item categories might be handbags, jewelry, dress shoes, sweaters, etc... Storage types would then be shelf dividers for the handbags, drawer organizers for the jewelry, shoe boxes for the dress shoes, and canvas boxes for the sweaters. In the form fields, keep track of the sources, quantities for each, and total available space/dimensions for each container type. In the end, you will have yourself a very thought-out shopping list to work from.

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click HERE to download your FREE copy of the Sorting Signs printable

After you have done all of the planning, it is time to empty the space and start your sorting!

H O W   T O   U S E   T H I S   P R I N T A B L E :

Download, print, and cut the sorting signs, then score some bonus points for running them through a laminator to get multiple uses out of them. Clip or tape the signs to cardboard boxes, bins, laundry baskets, or garbage bags to keep your piles separate and clearly labeled.  Four sorting signs are included: Move It!  Items that need to be moved to another area of the house. Give It!  Items that are heading to a donation facility, friend, or family member. Toss It!  Items that no longer serve you (or anyone else) due to quality/function. Sell It!  Items that need to be listed on Craigslist, Facebook, eBay, etc... or added to a yard sale pile.

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click HERE to download your FREE copy of the Donation Tracker printable

Now that you are in the sorting mode, keep track of the items being donated for your tax records.

H O W   T O   U S E   T H I S   P R I N T A B L E :

Make note of the donated item description and condition, as well as the organization that the item is being donated to. There are a variety of resources online to help you determine the appropriate value of the item, like this one and this one. Clip the receipts that you receive from the charity at the time of the donation to the printable, and file it away with your tax documents.

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click HERE to download your FREE copy of the Clutter Clearing printable

Right now the trend when sorting your belongings is to ask each item if it truly "Sparks Joy". While I agree that when you are sorting and touching each item, you probably get a gut sense of whether you should keep or discard the item, there are times when you need some extra nudging and guidance to make a decision that you are comfortable with.

H O W   T O   U S E   T H I S   P R I N T A B L E :

I recommend printing (and laminating) this document and attaching it to a clipboard to keep nearby while sorting your belongings. If you find yourself holding something that is leaving you conflicted, use this printable to ask yourself a series of questions. A lot of times we continue to hold on to items out of guilt, maybe because we spent too much money on it or because we received the item as a gift. Many belongings hold sentimental value, but could possibly live on by taking a photo of it or scanning it in digitally. Other times it may come down to the amount of space you have vs. the number of items you would like to keep. Belongings can cost you in space, special storage requirements, ongoing maintenance, etc, and these questions will help you reassess that reality.

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click HERE to download your FREE copy of the Clutter Clearing printable

Organization and habits go hand-in-hand. The act of organizing and adding storage will get you halfway, your habits are what complete the process. In fact, good habits are the most important part of living a more organized life. Whether it be encouraging your child to take his/her backpack to their room each day or reminding yourself to go to bed with an empty kitchen sink each night, creating a habit makes it easier and easier to get things accomplished each day and guides you in slowly changing things for the better over time.

H O W   T O   U S E   T H I S   P R I N T A B L E :

Use the fields down the left-hand side to add the good habits you are trying to create. There are enough fields to do this as a family or to track multiple personal habits throughout your own day. To the right, there are 30 boxes to check. You can either start at the beginning of the month or start halfway through and set a goal to check as many boxes possible. I have heard that it takes 21 consecutive days for a habit to be formed, so by day 30 you should really be on your way to making a small difference in your life.

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All of the free printables shared in this post are designed to be downloaded via the links provided. Simply click the Download button at the top of the linked document screen, you may be asked to log-in to Box.com, but that is not required to download and save the document. Once the document is downloaded, it should be opened via Adobe Reader (find it for free here) and can be printed and used as many times as you wish. If you prefer to use these forms digitally by filling in each field on your computer, tablet, or phone, you can purchase the fillable versions of all of these forms in my Etsy shop here.

I hope this post offers a few general tips to get you going with your next organizing project! The next post in this series will really elaborate on some of these ideas even more, and of course, there will be a few new gems in there as well!

from IHeart Organizing http://www.iheartorganizing.com/2019/04/gearing-up-for-your-next-organizing.html

[sudo-solr-blog]

Top 10 Free Small Business Tools and Tricks in South Africa

New Post has been published on https://www.solr.co.za/2017/11/06/top-10-free-small-business-tools-tricks-south-africa/

Top 10 Free Small Business Tools and Tricks in South Africa

I am currently directly involved in the running of 5 small and medium sized businesses in South Africa, not to mention giving advice to a multitude of other small businesses on the daily. Generally the information relates to operational matters, streamlining and software solutions to problems that face small businesses daily. My personal business exposure varies from product sales, vehicle tracking, equipment rental and residential & commercial property investment and letting.

I spend a lot of my time testing new software platforms and solutions, even if I have a good solution in place. The reason being, I am always looking for that competitive edge, how can I improve my operations, customer responsiveness and service beyond what is ordinarily expected in the industry on a shoe string budget (as always!). Some of these services do have a usage fee, but none of them have month to month contracts.

CHECKLIST

SALES – Hubspot

TELEPHONE – Axxess

EMAIL & WEBSITE – Axxess

MARKETING

BULK EMAIL – Mailchimp

ACCOUNTING – Wave Accounting

QUOTING – Wave Accounting

CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS

Point of Sale – Yoco

Online – Payfast

HELP DESK / SUPPORT – Freshdesk

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE – Cyfe

CUSTOMER VETTING & CREDIT BUREAU – TPN

With these services, for a grand total of R0.00 you can setup a fully functional, professional business. Sure it’ll take some time to get everything setup the way you like it, and if you’re not technically inclined there might be some painful moments, but you’re getting some serious value for free. In certain instances you’ll pay some usage fees, but operating like this allows you to ring-fence the expenses and keep them to an absolute minimum by only paying for what you actually use. Bootstrapping a startup means every cent counts.

1. SALES

Managing sales is integral to making your business work. No matter what you’re selling, you need to keep on top of your leads and customers to ensure that you close the deals. Always be closing. So how to manage this? A pipeline. You need to know which deals are in what stage of closing as you’re going to treat them differently depending on their stage. Do they need a gentle reminder, or all the product specs to make a decision. Presenting the right information at the right time is key to closing sales.

HUBSPOT – Price: FREE Hubspot is split into 3 products. Their Customer Relationship Manager (CRM), Sales and Marketing modules. All of which can be used for free! In particular the sales module is impressive as it gives you access to a customization “Deals” section which allows you to setup the sales pipeline specific to your business, you can have as many or as few stages as you need. i.e: 1st Contact Made – Quotation Sent to Customer – Followed Up with Phone Call – Followed up with Email. As and when you move the customer through the sales cycle, you’ll always know exactly what stage they’re at, as well as the ability to add notes, attachments and emails to the deal so you have all the information specific to that deal at your fingertips. If you’re serious about your sales process, you MUST use a pipeline.

2. TELEPHONE

So you’ve setup your sales pipeline and you’re ready to start pursuing those leads! One small problem, where do you find those leads and how do you communicate your awesome new company to them?

VOIP AXXESS – Price: FREE (Prepaid airtime for calls) If you’re not one of the lucky ones to afford an unlimited calling package from your cellphone, then VOIP is the way to go. Take advantage of the lowest call rates as well as getting a “landline” number in your pocket. Any iOS or Android device can run the required app to get this working. You’ll be making and receiving calls in no time. If you expand, you can always increase the number of phones using the same number, or get desk phones for the office. It’s a landline without the Telkom.

3. EMAIL & WEBSITE

EMAIL & WEBSITE One of the most important things when starting your business is to look professional. That doesn’t happen if you’re using a Yahoo, gmail, ymail, webmail etc etc, you get the idea. For a minimal amount of money, you can easily setup your own domain name, website and email. So whilst this one is not technically free forever, it is pretty important to get right so that you portray your business as professional.

AXXESS –  Price: Free Domain name & 6 months free Hosting – R29 p/month there after.

What will you get? Well pretty much everything you need! You’ll get a free domain name of your choice, email accounts and the ability to setup a WordPress website of your own. So for less than a Big Mac (per month!), you can show the world your awesome business and have personalized email addresses.

4. MARKETING

BULK EMAIL – Depending on the size of your customer database, you might want to send out some bulk emails. Whilst Mailchimp is a great solution for this if you have less than 2000 emails to send out a month, some other solutions present themselves well in this arena too.

Mailchimp – Price: Free (Up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month) Mailchimp is a really easy to use system that allows you to import your client list and send out bulk emails for free! Depending on the size of your database, this option is a winner. If you’re growing fast, I would suggest looking at Mautic or Sendy to allow you to scale your email marketing for a fraction of the cost of the larger Mailchimp plans.

5. ACCOUNTING

Wave Accounting – PRICE: Free This is one of my favorite tools for small business, so often I speak to small business owners and entrepreneurs who’re either completely overwhelmed by this side of the business or are using paid for solutions which aren’t necessary. Introducing Wave accounting. 100% free, in the cloud, accessible by smartphone with native iOS and Android Apps! Send invoices, record payments and keep track of your expenses all for free. Customize the invoices and even schedule them to send as often as necessary if needed. (I personally use this for my vehicle tracking business and rental apartments, the recurring invoice feature makes my life so much easier!

6. QUOTING / ESTIMATES

Wave Accounting – PRICE: Free

Wave account is not only great for the invoicing and expenses side of things, but also for the quoting or estimate side. Once you’ve added all your products and services to wave, you can easily create standard estimates for potential customers. They’ll look professional and uniform as well as being able to do them on the fly. On your laptop or phone from anywhere, anytime. If the customer accepts the quotation, you can easily convert it into an Invoice and send it to them straight away from your phone. Boom, sale done.

7. CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS

YOCO (Physical Point of Sale) – PRICE: Free (kinda…. You have to purchase the card machine, but there are no monthly fees)

Being able to accept credit and debit cards in this day and age is important. Reducing the barriers to purchase can quickly improve your bottom line. Yoco have a nice model for small businesses whereby you purchase the card reader device. Most banks require you to rent this device from them (Normally +/- R500 p/month) on top of having to have a merchant account with them, more $$ for this account too, oh wait and then you must also pay them a % per transaction. So when all is said and done, you’re paying a pretty penny to be able to accept cards as a small business. With Yoco, you purchase the device once off (about R1500 – R2500 depending on the model you get) and then you pay a small % per transaction, starting at 2,95% at the time of writing this. This reduces as the value of the transactions increase. The money is deposited straight into your account automatically daily (might take a few days to clear into your account). No merchant account necessary. Yoco also has the ability to be used as a point of sale with a tablet which is convenient, but a little beyond the scope of this list.

PAYFAST (Online Payments) – PRICE: Free

Payfast, like yoco doesn’t charge you a monthly fee, nor do you need to have a merchant account. The fees are a bit higher with Payfast, but once again, when starting out, you want to keep recurring costs to a minimum. With Payfast you can integrate into online shopping carts like WooCommerce or Opencart with their free plugins. In addition you can also make “PAY NOW” buttons which will allow you to generate the code for a button automatically and easily sell a product on your standard website without the need for shopping cart software. Again the benefit here is the no monthly fees, If you’re not using it, or sales are slower than expected you’re not on the hook for a monthly expense.

8. HELP DESK / SUPPORT

FRESHDESK – PRICE: Free (Sprout edition)

Ever wondered how big companies keep track of so many support queries without dropping the ball? They use a support ticketing system. A system that uses a single support address and distributes the tickets amoungst its agents. When a customer replies, the query should be routed back to the same agent.

9. BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

CYFE – PRICE: Free

Cyfe is a great tool to visualize loads of different data sources in 1 place quickly. They have integrations with LOADS of different services. Some of the popular ones being for Google Analytics, Google Adwords and Facebook. You can make multiple dashboard with tightly grouped themes in order to get a holistic view of a specific business operation. Think sales figures graphed over a period (you can pull data from google sheets), or marketing spend vs website hits, or average cost per conversion for your marketing. Get the right information at a glance once setup. Having the right information at your fingertips will allow you to make informed decisions quicker. Something that every small business should be able to do to be successful. Don’t think working on gut feel will cut it. Do the numbers, numbers don’t lie.

10. CUSTOMER VETTING & CREDIT BUREAU

TPN – PRICE: Free (Pay per inquiry)

Vetting your customers or potential renters doesn’t need to be complicated or cost a lot of money. With Tenant Profile Network (TPN) you can vet them from ID no, company registration, credit record and payment history. These reports are all pay per use. Depending on the type of product or service you’re offering this may or may not be useful.

[cstesttaken]

18 SEO Tactics That Take Only 30 Minutes Each – The Blog Box

I feel SEO has a reputation for being meticulous and painstaking.

And perhaps that’s true to a certain extent.

The initial phases of an SEO campaign can, in fact, be grueling.

There’s on-site SEO, off-site SEO, and—everyone’s favorite—technical SEO.

So, yeah, it can be kind of a pain.

But here’s the thing.

There is a multitude of “quick fix” SEO tactics that take hardly any time.

Many can be completed within 30 minutes.

Now, I’m not going to tell you that any specific technique will bring about massive results on its own.

But when done in conjunction with one another, they can have a significant impact and give your overall SEO campaign a nice boost.

So let’s get right down to it.

Here are 18 SEO tactics that will take you no longer than 30 minutes each.

1. Get set up on Google My Business

Local SEO is important, especially if you’re a brick-and-mortar business.

If you’ve been skimping on this aspect of SEO, you’ll want to spend a few minutes setting up an account on Google My Business.

This allows you to edit the info on your business, verify contact info, add images, monitor reviews, and more.

This can give you a huge advantage over competitors who fail to capitalize on this powerful resource.

2. Optimize your profile

Already have a profile on Google My Business?

Why not spend some time sprucing it up and making sure that everything is “just right?”

Here are a few specific things you can do:

Make sure all your business info is up-to-date

Add additional info such as hours, parking location, menu details, etc.

Choose specific categories (e.g., “fresh organic grocery store” instead of just “grocery store”)

Replace any amateurish looking images with newer, more professional ones

Encourage loyal customers to leave reviews

3. Get set up on Google Search Console

I love Google Search Console!

If you’re not using it, you’re leaving money on the table and not getting the most from your SEO campaign.

Here’s a screenshot explaining exactly what Google Search Console is:

Although there is a wide array of features, here are some specific things you can do to improve your SEO:

Check who’s linking to your site

Check index status

Monitor crawl errors

Manually submit new content to be crawled

I recommend reading this post from Quick Sprout to learn how to use Google Search Console like a boss.

4. Check your site’s speed

I’m sure you know just how critical site speed is.

Even a one-second delay can have an adverse impact.

If you’re not sure what your website’s speed is, you can check it with Pingdom’s Website Speed Test.

It only takes a few seconds, and it will provide you with details on what you can do to speed it up.

Here’s the info I got when I did a speed test for Quick Sprout:

5. Check your site’s mobile-friendliness

I think it’s safe to say that smartphones aren’t just a fad.

In fact, many experts labeled 2016 as “the tipping point” for mobile search, when it finally eclipsed desktop search.

Research found that the average American spent 87 hours browsing on their smartphone in August 2016.

If you haven’t done so already, take the time to run a mobile-friendly test.

This will let you know what shape your site is in and what steps you need to take (if any) to resolve any issues.

6. Improve URL structure

Here’s the scenario.

You’ve been blogging for awhile, maybe several years.

Back in the day, you didn’t pay all that much attention to the URL structure of your blog posts.

As a result, they look something like this:

It’s fair to say this isn’t going to do your SEO any favors, and it’s going to make it unnecessarily difficult for search engine robots to decipher the meaning of your content.

To make your site more SEO-friendly, go back and improve these URLs so they look more like this:

7. Improve mediocre titles

I’ll be honest.

Coming up with epic titles for blog posts can be a little tricky at times.

Maybe in the past, you ended up settling for less than stellar titles.

A good way to make use of 30 minutes is to look over your posts to identify any titles that could use improvement.

One helpful resource for streamlining this process is Title-Generator.com.

Simply enter your main keywords, and it will generate 700 potential titles with one click.

Here’s what happened when I entered “content marketing:”

8. Study AdWords ads to optimize titles and tags

Here’s a little hack I learned from Brian Dean of Backlinko.

It’s simple but genius.

Enter a keyword in Google, and check out the ads that pop up.

Then look for awesome copy that you could potentially use for titles or tags.

Here’s the example Brian uses.

He searches for “glass water bottles” and comes up with these ads:

From there, he comes up with these phrases:

BPA-free

Keep you hydrated

Durable

Reusable

So, why is this so smart? Just think about it.

The phrases used in ads like these are the result of extensive A/B testing, so you know they get clicks and conversions.

You can save yourself an immense amount of time and energy by incorporating the phrases you find in ads.

9. Find dead links

Dead or broken links can be a real buzzkill.

Not only can they be disruptive to your website’s visitors, but they also won’t do your SEO any favors.

But you can quickly identify any of these links with the Online Broken Link Checker:

Just type in your site’s URL, and it’ll do the work for you in seconds.

Then go back, and make any necessary repairs.

10. Do some internal linking

In an article on NeilPatel.com, I mention that I wrote a blog post every day for five years and amassed hundreds of posts.

But I made one major mistake. I never linked to any of my relevant articles!

Fortunately, I eventually figured out that I could greatly improve my SEO by simply linking new articles to relevant older ones.

If you made the same mistake with your older content that I did with mine, I highly recommend taking a bit of time to set up some internal links.

Even a 30-minute session should leave your SEO in much better shape than before.

You can learn more about this process by reading this article.

11. Find link opportunities on Alltop

If you’re unfamiliar with Alltop, it’s basically a blog directory where you can find some of the world’s best content in one convenient location.

Here’s what pops up when I enter “content marketing:”

Not bad, huh?

What you want to do is spend some time looking for potential link prospects.

Search for relevant blogs in your industry to see if there are any bloggers with whom you could build relationships.

12. Find link opportunities on BuzzSumo

You can use the same process with BuzzSumo.

Just enter your search phrase, and you’ll get a list of results.

Here’s what I get with “content marketing:”

From there, click on “View Sharers” on any articles that interest you.

You’ll then see a list of people who shared that article.

These can all be potential people with whom you may want to form relationships, which could eventually translate into link-building/guest-blogging opportunities.

13. Give your lower-ranking pages a boost

I’m sure you know that having content ranking below the first page of SERPs is essentially worthless.

Here’s what I mean:

If a post is ranked say #42, it might as well be ranked #20,000,000.

Here is how to improve that.

Identify a few of your posts ranked on the second or third pages of Google.

These have obviously gained some level of traction but need a little boost to get onto page one.

To get that boost, set up some internal links pointing to them.

Sometimes, that’s all it takes to get them “over the hump” and onto prime search engine real estate.

14. Target two leading industry blogs

This might be an old school tactic, but it can still prove to be quite fruitful.

It involves finding two A+ industry blogs you were previously unaware of.

Once you find them, leave a couple of awesome comments with a link pointing back to your site.

On top of this, I recommend subscribing and following some of their best writers on Twitter with the hopes of eventually building relationships.

15. Claim your Bing listing

I feel a lot of marketers totally discount Bing.

And I get it.

It’s like comparing David to Goliath in terms of search engine market share.

But pump the brakes.

Bing still receives a decent percent of overall searches.

In fact, a 2016 article from Search Engine Journal reported:

Bing’s share of the search market grew more than Google’s this past April. To be exact, Bing’s market share rose by 0.2 percent while Google’s dropped by 0.2 percent.

Google’s total share of the US desktop search market has dipped below its previous 64 percent to 63.8 percent. Microsoft’s share of desktop search is now sitting at 21.6 percent.

Will Bing be overthrowing Google any time soon? Probably not.

But there’s still SEO juice to be had by claiming your Bing listing.

Sign up for Bing Places to claim, complete, and verify your listing.

This can be especially helpful if you’re a local brick-and-mortar business.

16. Write comprehensive descriptions for videos

Do you post any videos on your website?

If so, you may be missing out on a golden opportunity.

What I mean is that you’re probably failing to extract all the SEO potential from your videos.

And this all boils down to descriptions.

Rather than writing a brief description like this:

Brian Dean recommends leaving a 200+ word description like this:

Not only will this help you improve your ranking in YouTube, but it can also improve your ranking in SERPs.

And it really doesn’t take that long.

17. Turn a standard post into a long-form post

I’m not going to insult your intelligence by stating the obvious fact that long-form content ranks better than, say, a typical 500-word post.

You already know that.

But here’s a nice little trick you can do with thin content.

Look for a shorter post, under 1,000 words, that’s pretty good but never lived up to its full potential.

Then spend 30 minutes “beefing it up” by adding more content, charts, graphs, visuals, etc. until it’s bona fide long-form content.

For more on this, check out this post from NeilPatel.com.

18. Spy on competitors

Finally, it’s time to tap into your inner James Bond.

By this, I mean “spying” on a few of your key competitors.

Just go to SEMrush and type in their URL.

Within seconds, you can find info on their:

Top organic keywords

Organic position distribution

Backlinks

Top anchors

Indexed pages

This will provide you with valuable intel that can guide your SEO campaign and enable you to be more effective.

Conclusion

SEO doesn’t have to be back-breaking, mind-numbing work.

In fact, there is a plethora of smaller SEO tasks you can easily complete in 30 minutes.

The ones I’ve outlined in this article will help you step up your SEO without an insane amount of effort.

And when you do several (five or more), it can potentially lead to a major breakthrough.

Do you have any other quick and easy SEO tactics up your sleeve?

Source

http://theblogbox.me/18-seo-tactics-that-take-only-30-minutes-each/

[likefusion]

18 SEO Tactics That Take Only 30 Minutes Each: I feel SEO has a reputation for being meticulous and painstaking. And perhaps that's true to a certain extent. The initial phases of an SEO campaign can, in fact, be grueling. There's on-site SEO, off-site SEO, and—everyone's favorite—technical SEO. So, yeah, it can be kind of a pain. But here's the thing. There is a multitude of “quick fix” SEO tactics that take hardly any time. Many can be completed within 30 minutes. Now, I'm not going to tell you that any specific technique will bring about massive results on its own. But when done in conjunction with one another, they can have a significant impact and give your overall SEO campaign a nice boost. So let's get right down to it. Here are 18 SEO tactics that will take you no longer than 30 minutes each. 1. Get set up on Google My Business Local SEO is important, especially if you're a brick-and-mortar business. If you've been skimping on this aspect of SEO, you'll want to spend a few minutes setting up an account on Google My Business. This allows you to edit the info on your business, verify contact info, add images, monitor reviews, and more. This can give you a huge advantage over competitors who fail to capitalize on this powerful resource. 2. Optimize your profile Already have a profile on Google My Business? Why not spend some time sprucing it up and making sure that everything is “just right?” Here are a few specific things you can do: Make sure all your business info is up-to-date Add additional info such as hours, parking location, menu details, etc. Choose specific categories (e.g., “fresh organic grocery store” instead of just “grocery store”) Replace any amateurish looking images with newer, more professional ones Encourage loyal customers to leave reviews 3. Get set up on Google Search Console I love Google Search Console! If you're not using it, you're leaving money on the table and not getting the most from your SEO campaign. Here's a screenshot explaining exactly what Google Search Console is: Although there is a wide array of features, here are some specific things you can do to improve your SEO: Check who's linking to your site Check index status Monitor crawl errors Manually submit new content to be crawled I recommend reading this post from Quick Sprout to learn how to use Google Search Console like a boss. 4. Check your site's speed I'm sure you know just how critical site speed is. Even a one-second delay can have an adverse impact. If you're not sure what your website's speed is, you can check it with Pingdom's Website Speed Test. It only takes a few seconds, and it will provide you with details on what you can do to speed it up. Here's the info I got when I did a speed test for Quick Sprout: 5. Check your site's mobile-friendliness I think it's safe to say that smartphones aren't just a fad. In fact, many experts labeled 2016 as “the tipping point” for mobile search, when it finally eclipsed desktop search. Research found that the average American spent 87 hours browsing on their smartphone in August 2016. If you haven't done so already, take the time to run a mobile-friendly test. This will let you know what shape your site is in and what steps you need to take (if any) to resolve any issues. 6. Improve URL structure Here's the scenario. You've been blogging for awhile, maybe several years. Back in the day, you didn't pay all that much attention to the URL structure of your blog posts. As a result, they look something like this: www.yoursite.com/blog/348303203204834 It's fair to say this isn't going to do your SEO any favors, and it's going to make it unnecessarily difficult for search engine robots to decipher the meaning of your content. To make your site more SEO-friendly, go back and improve these URLs so they look more like this: www.yoursite.com/blog/content-marketing-101 7. Improve mediocre titles I'll be honest. Coming up with epic titles for blog posts can be a little tricky at times. Maybe in the past, you ended up settling for less than stellar titles. A good way to make use of 30 minutes is to look over your posts to identify any titles that could use improvement. One helpful resource for streamlining this process is Title-Generator.com. Simply enter your main keywords, and it will generate 700 potential titles with one click. Here's what happened when I entered “content marketing:” 8. Study AdWords ads to optimize titles and tags Here's a little hack I learned from Brian Dean of Backlinko. It's simple but genius. Enter a keyword in Google, and check out the ads that pop up. Then look for awesome copy that you could potentially use for titles or tags. Here's the example Brian uses. He searches for “glass water bottles” and comes up with these ads: From there, he comes up with these phrases: BPA-free Keep you hydrated Durable Reusable So, why is this so smart? Just think about it. The phrases used in ads like these are the result of extensive A/B testing, so you know they get clicks and conversions. You can save yourself an immense amount of time and energy by incorporating the phrases you find in ads. 9. Find dead links Dead or broken links can be a real buzzkill. Not only can they be disruptive to your website's visitors, but they also won't do your SEO any favors. But you can quickly identify any of these links with the Online Broken Link Checker: Just type in your site's URL, and it'll do the work for you in seconds. Then go back, and make any necessary repairs. 10. Do some internal linking In an article on NeilPatel.com, I mention that I wrote a blog post every day for five years and amassed hundreds of posts. But I made one major mistake. I never linked to any of my relevant articles! Fortunately, I eventually figured out that I could greatly improve my SEO by simply linking new articles to relevant older ones. If you made the same mistake with your older content that I did with mine, I highly recommend taking a bit of time to set up some internal links. Even a 30-minute session should leave your SEO in much better shape than before. You can learn more about this process by reading this article. 11. Find link opportunities on Alltop If you're unfamiliar with Alltop, it's basically a blog directory where you can find some of the world's best content in one convenient location. Here's what pops up when I enter “content marketing:” Not bad, huh? What you want to do is spend some time looking for potential link prospects. Search for relevant blogs in your industry to see if there are any bloggers with whom you could build relationships. 12. Find link opportunities on BuzzSumo You can use the same process with BuzzSumo. Just enter your search phrase, and you'll get a list of results. Here's what I get with “content marketing:” From there, click on “View Sharers” on any articles that interest you. You'll then see a list of people who shared that article. These can all be potential people with whom you may want to form relationships, which could eventually translate into link-building/guest-blogging opportunities. 13. Give your lower-ranking pages a boost I'm sure you know that having content ranking below the first page of SERPs is essentially worthless. Here's what I mean: If a post is ranked say #42, it might as well be ranked #20,000,000. Here is how to improve that. Identify a few of your posts ranked on the second or third pages of Google. These have obviously gained some level of traction but need a little boost to get onto page one. To get that boost, set up some internal links pointing to them. Sometimes, that's all it takes to get them “over the hump” and onto prime search engine real estate. 14. Target two leading industry blogs This might be an old school tactic, but it can still prove to be quite fruitful. It involves finding two A+ industry blogs you were previously unaware of. Once you find them, leave a couple of awesome comments with a link pointing back to your site. On top of this, I recommend subscribing and following some of their best writers on Twitter with the hopes of eventually building relationships. 15. Claim your Bing listing I feel a lot of marketers totally discount Bing. And I get it. It's like comparing David to Goliath in terms of search engine market share. But pump the brakes. Bing still receives a decent percent of overall searches. In fact, a 2016 article from Search Engine Journal reported: Bing's share of the search market grew more than Google's this past April. To be exact, Bing's market share rose by 0.2 percent while Google's dropped by 0.2 percent. Google's total share of the US desktop search market has dipped below its previous 64 percent to 63.8 percent. Microsoft's share of desktop search is now sitting at 21.6 percent. Will Bing be overthrowing Google any time soon? Probably not. But there's still SEO juice to be had by claiming your Bing listing. Sign up for Bing Places to claim, complete, and verify your listing. This can be especially helpful if you're a local brick-and-mortar business. 16. Write comprehensive descriptions for videos Do you post any videos on your website? If so, you may be missing out on a golden opportunity. What I mean is that you're probably failing to extract all the SEO potential from your videos. And this all boils down to descriptions. Rather than writing a brief description like this: Brian Dean recommends leaving a 200+ word description like this: Not only will this help you improve your ranking in YouTube, but it can also improve your ranking in SERPs. And it really doesn't take that long. 17. Turn a standard post into a long-form post I'm not going to insult your intelligence by stating the obvious fact that long-form content ranks better than, say, a typical 500-word post. You already know that. But here's a nice little trick you can do with thin content. Look for a shorter post, under 1,000 words, that's pretty good but never lived up to its full potential. Then spend 30 minutes “beefing it up” by adding more content, charts, graphs, visuals, etc. until it's bona fide long-form content. For more on this, check out this post from NeilPatel.com. 18. Spy on competitors Finally, it's time to tap into your inner James Bond. By this, I mean “spying” on a few of your key competitors. Just go to SEMrush and type in their URL. Within seconds, you can find info on their: Top organic keywords Organic position distribution Backlinks Top anchors Indexed pages This will provide you with valuable intel that can guide your SEO campaign and enable you to be more effective. Conclusion SEO doesn't have to be back-breaking, mind-numbing work. In fact, there is a plethora of smaller SEO tasks you can easily complete in 30 minutes. The ones I've outlined in this article will help you step up your SEO without an insane amount of effort. And when you do several (five or more), it can potentially lead to a major breakthrough. Do you have any other quick and easy SEO tactics up your sleeve? http://bit.ly/2oFqVFT

[anseladams03]

18 SEO Tactics That Take Only 30 Minutes Each

I feel SEO has a reputation for being meticulous and painstaking.

And perhaps that’s true to a certain extent.

The initial phases of an SEO campaign can, in fact, be grueling.

There’s on-site SEO, off-site SEO, and—everyone’s favorite—technical SEO.

So, yeah, it can be kind of a pain.

But here’s the thing.

There is a multitude of “quick fix” SEO tactics that take hardly any time.

Many can be completed within 30 minutes.

Now, I’m not going to tell you that any specific technique will bring about massive results on its own.

But when done in conjunction with one another, they can have a significant impact and give your overall SEO campaign a nice boost.

So let’s get right down to it.

Here are 18 SEO tactics that will take you no longer than 30 minutes each.

1. Get set up on Google My Business

Local SEO is important, especially if you’re a brick-and-mortar business.

If you’ve been skimping on this aspect of SEO, you’ll want to spend a few minutes setting up an account on Google My Business.

This allows you to edit the info on your business, verify contact info, add images, monitor reviews, and more.

This can give you a huge advantage over competitors who fail to capitalize on this powerful resource.

2. Optimize your profile

Already have a profile on Google My Business?

Why not spend some time sprucing it up and making sure that everything is “just right?”

Here are a few specific things you can do:

Make sure all your business info is up-to-date

Add additional info such as hours, parking location, menu details, etc.

Choose specific categories (e.g., “fresh organic grocery store” instead of just “grocery store”)

Replace any amateurish looking images with newer, more professional ones

Encourage loyal customers to leave reviews

3. Get set up on Google Search Console

I love Google Search Console!

If you’re not using it, you’re leaving money on the table and not getting the most from your SEO campaign.

Here’s a screenshot explaining exactly what Google Search Console is:

Although there is a wide array of features, here are some specific things you can do to improve your SEO:

Check who’s linking to your site

Check index status

Monitor crawl errors

Manually submit new content to be crawled

I recommend reading this post from Quick Sprout to learn how to use Google Search Console like a boss.

4. Check your site’s speed

I’m sure you know just how critical site speed is.

Even a one-second delay can have an adverse impact.

If you’re not sure what your website’s speed is, you can check it with Pingdom’s Website Speed Test.

It only takes a few seconds, and it will provide you with details on what you can do to speed it up.

Here’s the info I got when I did a speed test for Quick Sprout:

5. Check your site’s mobile-friendliness

I think it’s safe to say that smartphones aren’t just a fad.

In fact, many experts labeled 2016 as “the tipping point” for mobile search, when it finally eclipsed desktop search.

Research found that the average American spent 87 hours browsing on their smartphone in August 2016.

If you haven’t done so already, take the time to run a mobile-friendly test.

This will let you know what shape your site is in and what steps you need to take (if any) to resolve any issues.

6. Improve URL structure

Here’s the scenario.

You’ve been blogging for awhile, maybe several years.

Back in the day, you didn’t pay all that much attention to the URL structure of your blog posts.

As a result, they look something like this:

http://ift.tt/2nLdHU1

It’s fair to say this isn’t going to do your SEO any favors, and it’s going to make it unnecessarily difficult for search engine robots to decipher the meaning of your content.

To make your site more SEO-friendly, go back and improve these URLs so they look more like this:

http://ift.tt/2oDX7ZX

7. Improve mediocre titles

I’ll be honest.

Coming up with epic titles for blog posts can be a little tricky at times.

Maybe in the past, you ended up settling for less than stellar titles.

A good way to make use of 30 minutes is to look over your posts to identify any titles that could use improvement.

One helpful resource for streamlining this process is Title-Generator.com.

Simply enter your main keywords, and it will generate 700 potential titles with one click.

Here’s what happened when I entered “content marketing:”

8. Study AdWords ads to optimize titles and tags

Here’s a little hack I learned from Brian Dean of Backlinko.

It’s simple but genius.

Enter a keyword in Google, and check out the ads that pop up.

Then look for awesome copy that you could potentially use for titles or tags.

Here’s the example Brian uses.

He searches for “glass water bottles” and comes up with these ads:

From there, he comes up with these phrases:

BPA-free

Keep you hydrated

Durable

Reusable

So, why is this so smart? Just think about it.

The phrases used in ads like these are the result of extensive A/B testing, so you know they get clicks and conversions.

You can save yourself an immense amount of time and energy by incorporating the phrases you find in ads.

9. Find dead links

Dead or broken links can be a real buzzkill.

Not only can they be disruptive to your website’s visitors, but they also won’t do your SEO any favors.

But you can quickly identify any of these links with the Online Broken Link Checker:

Just type in your site’s URL, and it’ll do the work for you in seconds.

Then go back, and make any necessary repairs.

10. Do some internal linking

In an article on NeilPatel.com, I mention that I wrote a blog post every day for five years and amassed hundreds of posts.

But I made one major mistake. I never linked to any of my relevant articles!

Fortunately, I eventually figured out that I could greatly improve my SEO by simply linking new articles to relevant older ones.

If you made the same mistake with your older content that I did with mine, I highly recommend taking a bit of time to set up some internal links.

Even a 30-minute session should leave your SEO in much better shape than before.

You can learn more about this process by reading this article.

11. Find link opportunities on Alltop

If you’re unfamiliar with Alltop, it’s basically a blog directory where you can find some of the world’s best content in one convenient location.

Here’s what pops up when I enter “content marketing:”

Not bad, huh?

What you want to do is spend some time looking for potential link prospects.

Search for relevant blogs in your industry to see if there are any bloggers with whom you could build relationships.

12. Find link opportunities on BuzzSumo

You can use the same process with BuzzSumo.

Just enter your search phrase, and you’ll get a list of results.

Here’s what I get with “content marketing:”

From there, click on “View Sharers” on any articles that interest you.

You’ll then see a list of people who shared that article.

These can all be potential people with whom you may want to form relationships, which could eventually translate into link-building/guest-blogging opportunities.

13. Give your lower-ranking pages a boost

I’m sure you know that having content ranking below the first page of SERPs is essentially worthless.

Here’s what I mean:

If a post is ranked say #42, it might as well be ranked #20,000,000.

Here is how to improve that.

Identify a few of your posts ranked on the second or third pages of Google.

These have obviously gained some level of traction but need a little boost to get onto page one.

To get that boost, set up some internal links pointing to them.

Sometimes, that’s all it takes to get them “over the hump” and onto prime search engine real estate.

14. Target two leading industry blogs

This might be an old school tactic, but it can still prove to be quite fruitful.

It involves finding two A+ industry blogs you were previously unaware of.

Once you find them, leave a couple of awesome comments with a link pointing back to your site.

On top of this, I recommend subscribing and following some of their best writers on Twitter with the hopes of eventually building relationships.

15. Claim your Bing listing

I feel a lot of marketers totally discount Bing.

And I get it.

It’s like comparing David to Goliath in terms of search engine market share.

But pump the brakes.

Bing still receives a decent percent of overall searches.

In fact, a 2016 article from Search Engine Journal reported:

Bing’s share of the search market grew more than Google’s this past April. To be exact, Bing’s market share rose by 0.2 percent while Google’s dropped by 0.2 percent.

Google’s total share of the US desktop search market has dipped below its previous 64 percent to 63.8 percent. Microsoft’s share of desktop search is now sitting at 21.6 percent.

Will Bing be overthrowing Google any time soon? Probably not.

But there’s still SEO juice to be had by claiming your Bing listing.

Sign up for Bing Places to claim, complete, and verify your listing.

This can be especially helpful if you’re a local brick-and-mortar business.

16. Write comprehensive descriptions for videos

Do you post any videos on your website?

If so, you may be missing out on a golden opportunity.

What I mean is that you’re probably failing to extract all the SEO potential from your videos.

And this all boils down to descriptions.

Rather than writing a brief description like this:

Brian Dean recommends leaving a 200+ word description like this:

Not only will this help you improve your ranking in YouTube, but it can also improve your ranking in SERPs.

And it really doesn’t take that long.

17. Turn a standard post into a long-form post

I’m not going to insult your intelligence by stating the obvious fact that long-form content ranks better than, say, a typical 500-word post.

You already know that.

But here’s a nice little trick you can do with thin content.

Look for a shorter post, under 1,000 words, that’s pretty good but never lived up to its full potential.

Then spend 30 minutes “beefing it up” by adding more content, charts, graphs, visuals, etc. until it’s bona fide long-form content.

For more on this, check out this post from NeilPatel.com.

18. Spy on competitors

Finally, it’s time to tap into your inner James Bond.

By this, I mean “spying” on a few of your key competitors.

Just go to SEMrush and type in their URL.

Within seconds, you can find info on their:

Top organic keywords

Organic position distribution

Backlinks

Top anchors

Indexed pages

This will provide you with valuable intel that can guide your SEO campaign and enable you to be more effective.

Conclusion

SEO doesn’t have to be back-breaking, mind-numbing work.

In fact, there is a plethora of smaller SEO tasks you can easily complete in 30 minutes.

The ones I’ve outlined in this article will help you step up your SEO without an insane amount of effort.

And when you do several (five or more), it can potentially lead to a major breakthrough.

Do you have any other quick and easy SEO tactics up your sleeve?

from Quick Sprout http://ift.tt/2nLbyaX from Blogger http://ift.tt/2obcsAT April 06, 2017 at 01:26AM

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Upgrade Kitchen in Budget

All of us desire a lovely kitchen. It's where you prepare, eat and collect to socialize. There's no refuting that a full cooking area remodel is one project you need to carefully plan, prepare and conserve up for prior to you commit.

Don't let presumptions that you cannot afford it stop you from developing the kitchen area of your dreams in your existing space. There are plenty of ideas, tricks and also updates that'll have you grinning ear to ear when you see the final result. Prepare on your own for sensible suggestions that'll make it feasible for you to upgrade your kitchen without spending a fortune.

Mix & Match

Kitchen upgrades do not always have to involve high-end attributes that look the same. Mixing as well as matching products, shades, designs and patterns will certainly offer your kitchen area an all new appearance without the additional money and fuss it takes to locate identical styles. That's all you need to do; believe outside the box. Leather chairs blended with materials, timber blended with floor tile, stainless steel and various tones of paint will certainly give your kitchen a facelift with personality.

Tactically Show & Embellish

There's so much you could do to fix up your kitchen when you put in the initiative to embellish it nicely. A couple of concepts that are simple as well as economical include adding a colorful area rug, dressing up your walls with attractive pictures and adding greenery and also fresh flowers. Open shelving displays and also storage space around your cooking area island enable you to show off your preferred items and help manage mess.

Add Crown Molding

I like the concept of integrating crown molding in your cooking area, either along the ceiling or top of your cupboards. It's an attractive decorative component that really boosts the overall look of the kitchen area. It's even a task you can DIY to add visual interest and value to your house.

Crown moldings do not constantly need to be white either. There are a wide array of crown molding designs to pick from. You should do not hesitate to mix and also match depending on exactly what looks finest in each space of your house.

Update Your Cabinets & Paint

Not changing, however upgrading, refacing or redecorating your kitchen area cupboards are all projects that'll make your cooking area look better without breaking the financial institution. As you recognize, your closets take up a lot of property in your cooking area as well as established the tone for the rest of the space. If you're feeling aggravated with how your kitchen area looks now, then I would certainly recommend beginning job upgrades with your cupboards. A fresh coat of paint, both on the cabinets as well as the bordering wall surfaces will certainly work.

At the minimum, replace your cabinet equipment with something fashionable, remembering both form and also coating. Include a pop of shade to your cupboards with paint or insert cabinet and shelf liners. If you do choose you wish to mount brand-new cupboards yet do not intend to spend a fortune, experts recommend you stay away from name brands. They're right, while somebody could ask you what brand name you're wearing, it 'd be a stretch that somebody would ask you (or care about) the brand of your cupboards.

Improve Lighting

Both areas in your home you want to make sure you have ample lights remains in your kitchen and bathroom. Light up the room by layering your lighting and also mixing in various designs and choices for setting the state of mind. If you're a person that's big right into cooking or entertaining, after that this is one area you'll intend to invest a little more time researching as well as getting right. See the most recent illumination trends for your kitchen and also bathroom to learn more about exactly what's out there and also get new ideas for your space.

Replace Your Sink, Faucet & Appliances

Start by taking a great look at the condition and also life-span of your sink as well as faucet. These are products that are frequently being made use of, so changing them will quickly enhance the appearance of your cooking area.

The most costly devices typically aren't constantly the most effective choice. Specialists state that midgrade name brand appliances are tough, functional as well as budget friendly unitsthat get the job done just great. Evaluators and also customers rarely value top-of-the line home appliances at anything close to their purchase price.

Acquisition A Kitchen Island

Setting up a kitchen area island or cart on wheels will include functionality and also aesthetic appeal to the room. An island is also valuable for extra storage, including a library of cookbooks or showing a few of your favorite products. The project becomes also more affordable if you develop a kitchen island on your own. Obtain innovative with the cabinets and also painting shade, and also you'll get on your means to appreciating an upgraded kitchen without blowing your spending plan.

Be Smart About Countertops

Picking and acquiring brand-new counter tops is a large project, yet there are means to streamline the process. If you want new counters, yet are fretted about just how much they cost, then take into consideration products that look great yet don't featured a high price. Installing ceramic floor tile is a fantastic choice for an affordable kitchen area countertop.

It is available in any shade or design you can think of and also sets you back a tenth as high as stone. Laminate is also an affordable option, is simple to mount as well as sets you back concerning the same as tile. Additionally, you're most likely to obtain a better cost utilizing little neighborhood distributors instead of large brands as well as chains.

Upgrade Old Furnishings

Take a great take a look around your cooking area and choose if there are old or obsolete furniture pieces bringing down the look of the area. It's possible you've allow them sit there because you recognize you don't have the money to invest in brand new things. Well, you'll be glad to understand there are means to solve the trouble without investing a lots of money.

First figure out if a fresh layer of paint will work or if you can construct the furniture on your own. If not, after that get to your local consignment shops or shop around online for furnishings pieces that are stylish as well as within your budget. They're available, but you have to want to put in the moment, effort as well as perseverance to do some thrifty shopping.

Choose A Cheerful Color design

One approach for sprucing up your kitchen is to get rid of dark as well as gloomy items. Reinvent the room with brilliant and cheerful pieces, paint and designs that make the space come to life. It's feasible there are a couple of items making the space feel plain and also drab without you also recognizing. If you do not wish to mess with the large ticket products, then review your interior decoration abilities as well as present happy decoration and paint that makes you intend to hang out in the space.

Pick A General Motif

Motifs typically aren't simply for celebrations, you know. Picking a style for your cooking area is an excellent means to channel your power and decor in the best instructions. A cohesive country, contemporary or rustic vibe is not just fun to create, but will certainly work as a basic standard for helping you update the appearance of your cooking area.

Pick Your Floors Sensibly

Below is recommendations from HGTV contrasting flooring alternatives as well as advantages and disadvantages of each.

- Ceramic floor tile resists wear, dampness, dents and stains and costs less compared to wood. Plastic laminate flooring is just one of the most inexpensive choices; it is cheaper, less complicated to install and wears better than strong timber.

- Strong timber flooring could stain, is conveniently nicked as well as uses promptly. It's likewise costly and also could be harder to clean up when something spills.

- Vinyl floor covering is economical, stain-resistant, simple to mount as well as long-wearing. You can even obtain plastic that mimics the look of a lot more expensive products.

Identify DIY Projects & When to Employ A Pro

After you determine which of the ideas you 'd like to progress with in your very own kitchen, determine the jobs you can Do It Yourself when to employ a pro in order to help. Even though Do It Yourself is typically cheaper, don't try complicated tasks you believe you could do just to conserve a dollar. It'll cost you even more money in the long run as well as you'll experience complications if it's not done right the very first time. It's likewise vital you accumulate several bids and also not employ just any type of specialist, yet the ideal one for the job.

Final thought

Updating your kitchen doesn't constantly mean you should buy a full kitchen area remodel. Any type of or all of the suggestions over are methods to get you begun on the best foot. It's a smart idea to identify where you want to invest and also where you have the ability to include upgrades that will not cost you a fortune.