#my writing style has tended to be like a bullet-point description of action but for this one i switched back to the writing style of

[microwaving-tesilid-argente]

my greatest fear whenever i get a fixation on a new piece of media is that after roughly 1.5 years, without fail, i will lose interest in it and feel like a soulless shell of myself until i find something new to obsess over.

the good thing about me being obsessed about s class he/roine is that i went so overboard with it that i started writing fic and now i always have. checks notes. at least 2 giant WIPs at any given time. so whenever i've sucked all the taste out of canon, i just turn to one of my AUs instead while i let canon/my other WIPs fallow

[gusu-emilu]

for the ask game!! 2 7 10 17 20?

(from this writer meta ask game)

I'm sorry this took me so long to answer ahaha...thanks for so many questions, you've indulged me

2. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

Now that Seven Nights to Turn is done, I’m not sure what I’ll move onto next. I have a lot of ideas rattling around in my head. But I have been writing the Ningxian oneshot you requested from the touches ask, and I’m very excited for that :)

Other than that, I've just been project hopping and jotting down ideas. I'd say there are a few longfics that I'll likely be picking at: 1) Wen Ning character study during WWX's second life, 2) Jin Ling learning more about his uncles post-canon, or 3) a sequel to Seven Nights. I also have an idea for a fic about Wen Qing being held hostage in Jinlintai, but I...am not sure if I can pull it off. We'll see what actually gets written hehe

7. What do you think are the characteristics of your personal writing style? Would others agree?

Umm...I would say I’m mostly a plotter? I try not to dwell on long descriptions and like to always have something happening. (And then @lady-of-the-lotus has to yell at me to include more character introspection) I think I also end up slipping tiny amoungs of humor of questionable quality into all of my fics, so that’s good I suppose? I also love arguments and banter and characters not saying everything they mean. It’s so fun to write. On a more technical note, I think I tend to use short paragraphs and a lot of em dashes and ellipses.

I don’t know, do you agree?

10. How would you describe your writing process?

First a very basic idea. Then a bullet point outline with paragraphs of jumbled actions and thoughts and dialogue mashed together for the scenes that are more detailed in my head. Then write in chronological order. By the time I’m mostly done with my original plans, I have a bunch of new ideas, and have to go back and rewrite chapters or add entire new sections.

For atmosphere I either play the same album on repeat while I write (I have several associated albums for each of my fics), or write in total silence.

17. Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations?

Man, I have no idea lol. I guess the one difference in perceptions is that I spend so much time with my fics that the events of the story feel obvious. Then I'm surprised when readers are surprised by things!

I’m not sure what readers think my motivations are, but a good portion of my motivation comes from writing the sadness and grief. The Flowers That Grew From Our Ruins is an exploration of healing from grief, Sometimes I Forget was written half just to let Wen Ning mourn his sister, and my favorite chapter of Seven Nights to Turn is the one where Jiang Cheng and Wen Ning bond over their sisters’ deaths. I just really like sadness apparently lol

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

Uh well. I made a whole post about Seven Nights to Turn

Thanks for the ask!

[sparklyeevee]

Since it's fall, reminder to anyone who may be writing their first college-level papers in the next month or so that you write the introduction after the body text. Body text, then conclusion, then introduction, then bibliography. You can't explain what you're about to say until you actually know what you said.

Also if your instructor is serious about "don't use 'I' in a formal paper", use "this essay will..." (literature and the humanities) or "this paper will..." (history and the sciences) "discuss/describe/explore/attempt to answer/attempt to explain". Prefer the first three for literature, as especially persnickety lit professors may be aware that "essay" and "attempt" are synonyms, and "this essay will attempt" is therefore redundant. If you have discussed the meaning of the word "essay" in class and your professor has a sense of humor, "this paper will essay to" is viable, but don't use it more than once with the same instructor.

The first time you reference a digital source, paste a link (the DOI if it's a scholarly source and has one) to it into your bibliography section, along with a brief description of what it's a citation for, the author's name and year of publication, or both. I.e. "Smith, 1987. Parents fear social consequences for children who stutter." This is for your own ease of use when doing in-text citations and the bibliography, and will not be included in the version you submit, so it needn't be formal or make sense to anyone but you.

If you don't already have a clear idea of what you're going to write, or if you tend to lose your thread, start with either a series of bolded headings with the points you know you want to hit (these can be removed later if your style guide does not allow for them) or an informal paragraph describing your argument or ideas the way you might describe them out loud. (The latter can sometimes be edited into a passable introductory paragraph).

Example of bolded headings form for a paper about the relationship between stuttering and disruptive behavior disorders:

Introduction (including definitions)

old misconceptions and misattributions

modern stereotypes

stuttering and gender

changes over time

Genetic Relationships of Stuttering, ADHD, ODD, and Conduct Disorder

social difficulties

high anxiety/normal self-esteem

selective mutism as volitional and oppositional

fucking Rima et al

Conclusion

The 2nd through 5th and 7th through 10th bullet points above were eventually given the single headings "Background" and "Discussion" respectively. Each bullet point represents anywhere between half a paragraph and two paragraphs of writing.

Example of the paragraph format for an essay on models of resistance in dystopian YA:

Dystopian YA tends to distrust organized resistance and prefer lone heroes. Organized resistance is usually corrupt (Hunger Games) or has been subverted (Matched, The Testing). Divergent is a bit better: no less than two corrupt resistances, but at least the final victory is a team effort and Tris's personal victory doesn't immediately solve everything (drippy water sculpture metaphor). Unwind also has both legitimate and illegitimate resistances, and a clearer sense of what it's doing with them (the reader never thinks the Clappers are the good guys). Unrealistically ubiquitous surveillance - the Resistance is always off in the woods somewhere (Hunger Games dodged this one then turned around and walked into it). All government officials are loyal (except in Hunger Games, and sometimes like one high level woman or male prison guard). Where is the rest of the world? Where is California? Resistance mentors and status quo mentors. Too much emphasis on assassination. Direct action is always treated as suspect and never works, except sometimes rescue of prisoners or hostages. Besties are always traitors (misogyny). Most dystopias have a higher standard of living than the modern day US. (Need to figure out how Maze Runner fits in here). Common use of memory alteration feels significant here. Main point: these books fail to provide models of resistance that feel usable or applicable, and many discourage things that work in real life. PoC are less bad (mostly). Fucking source on why this is a real problem. Dystopias for adults aren't better they just have different problems. What's academic for "if you blame teenage girls for this I will come to your house and kill you in real life"?

Don't worry if yours isn't that long. My dystopian YA paper is in progress and will likely be thesis-length when completed.

1/3 of the way in to your paper, you will worry you can't cover everything without going way over page count. 2/3 of the way in you will worry you're gonna be massively under page count. Both anxieties are normal and incorrect, but the second one is less incorrect. Your first draft will be a little underlength - leave time to expand it.

The real reason to get into the habit of not trying to write papers the night before is that otherwise you'll eventually disappoint yourself and your professor in a class you love by handing in a just-okay paper that could have been awesome if you'd had an extra day.

If you have thoughts or ideas while reading things that are for, or might be usable for, your paper, write them down so you can use them. If doing it in a word doc is too stressful because it's Official, do it in an email to yourself, or make a tag for it and post it to Tumblr. Don't use Facebook - too hard to find your old posts.

[thecaffeinebookwarrior]

How to Write a Novel:  Tips For Visual Thinkers.

1.  Plotting is your friend.

This is basically a must for all writers (or at least, it makes our job significantly easier/less time consuming/less likely to make us want to rip our hair out by the roots), but visual thinkers tend to be great at plotting.  There’s something about a visible outline that can be inexplicably pleasing to us, and there are so many great ways to go about it.   Here are a few examples: 

The Three-Act Structure

This one is one of the simplest:  it’s divided into the tried-and-true three acts, or parts, a la William Shakespeare, and includes a basic synopsis of what happens in each.  It’s simple, it’s familiar, it’s easy to add to, and it get’s the job done. 

It starts with Act I -- i.e. the set-up, or establishing the status quo -- which is usually best if it’s the shortest act, as it tends to bore audiences quickly.  This leads to Act II, typically the longest, which   introduces the disruptor and shows how characters deal with it, and is sandwiched by Act III (the resolution.)  

The Chapter-by-Chapter

This is the one I use the most.  It allows you to elucidate on the goings on of your novel in greater detail than the quintessential three act synopsis generally could, fully mapping out your manuscript one chapter at a time.  The descriptions can be as simple or as elaborate as you need them to be, and can be added to or edited throughout the progression of your novel.

Can easily be added to/combined with the three-act structure.

The Character Arc(s)

This isn’t one that I’ve used a lot, but it can be a lot of fun, particularly for voice-driven/literary works:  instead on focusing on the events of the plot, this one centralizes predominantly around the arc of your main character/characters.  As with its plot-driven predecessors, it can be in point-by-point/chapter-by-chapter format, and is a great way to map out character development.  

The Tent Moments

By “tent moments,” I mean the moments that hold up the foundation (i.e. the plot) of the novel, in the way that poles and wires hold up a tent.  This one builds off of the most prevalent moments of the novel -- the one’s you’re righting the story around -- and is great for writers that want to cut straight to the action.  Write them out in bullet points, and plan the rest of the novel around them.

The Mind Map

This one’s a lot of fun, and as an artist, I should probably start to use it more.  It allows you to plot out your novel the way you would a family tree, using doodles, illustrations, and symbols to your heart’s content.  Here’s a link to how to create basic mind maps on YouTube.

2.  “Show don’t tell” is probably your strong suit.

If you’re a visual thinker, your scenes are probably at least partially originally construed as movie scenes in your head.  This can be a good thing, so long as you can harness a little of that mental cinematography and make your readers visualize the scenes the way you do.

A lot of published authors have a real big problem with giving laundry lists of character traits rather than allowing me to just see for myself.  Maybe I’m spoiled by the admittedly copious amounts of fanfiction I indulge in, where the writer blissfully assumes that I know the characters already and let’s the personalities and visuals do the talking.  Either way, the pervasive “telling” approach does get tedious.

Here’s a hypothetical example.  Let’s say you wanted to describe a big, tough, scary guy, who your main character is afraid of.  The “tell” approach might go something like this:

Tommy was walking along when he was approached by a big, tough, scary guy who looked sort of angry.

“Hey, kid,” said the guy.  “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to a friend’s house,” Tommy replied.  

I know, right?  This is Boring with a capital ‘B.’  

On the other hand, let’s check out the “show” approach:

The man lumbered towards Tommy, shaved head pink and glistening in the late afternoon sun.  His beady eyes glinted predatorily beneath the thick, angry bushes of his brows.

“Hey, kid,” the man grunted, beefy arms folded over his pot belly.  “Where are you going?” 

“I’m going to a friend’s house,” Tommy replied, hoping the man didn’t know that he was ditching school.

See how much better that is?  We don’t need to be told the man is big, tough, and scary looking because the narrative shows us, and draws the reader a lot more in the process.  

This goes for scene building, too.  For example: 

Exhibit A:

Tyrone stepped out onto his balcony.  It was a beautiful night.

Lame.  

Exhibit B: 

Tyrone stepped out onto his balcony, looking up at the inky abyss of the night sky, dotted with countless stars and illuminated by the buttery white glow of the full moon.

Much better.

3.  But conversely, know when to tell.

A book without any atmosphere or vivid, transformative descriptors tends to be, by and large, a dry and boring hunk of paper.  That said, know when you’re showing the reader a little too much.

Too many descriptors will make your book overflow with purple prose, and likely become a pretentious read that no one wants to bother with.

So when do you “tell” instead of “show?”  Well, for starters, when you’re transitioning from one scene to the next.

For example:

As the second hand of the clock sluggishly ticked along, the sky ever-so-slowly transitioning from cerulean, to lilac, to peachy sunset.  Finally, it became inky black, the moon rising above the horizon and stars appearing by the time Lakisha got home.

These kind of transitions should be generally pretty immemorable, so if yours look like this you may want to revise.

Day turned into evening by the time Lakisha got home. 

See?  It’s that simple.

Another example is redundant descriptions:  if you show the fudge out of a character when he/she/they are first introduced and create an impression that sticks with the reader, you probably don’t have to do it again.  

You can emphasize features that stand out about the character (i.e. Milo’s huge, owline eyes illuminated eerily in the dark) but the reader probably doesn’t need a laundry list of the character’s physical attributes every other sentence.  Just call the character by name, and for God’s sake, stay away from epithets:  the blond man.  The taller woman.  The angel.  Just, no.  If the reader is aware of the character’s name, just say it, or rework the sentence. 

All that said, it is important to instill a good mental image of your characters right off the bat.

Which brings us to my next point...

4.  Master the art of character descriptions.

Visual thinkers tend to have a difficult time with character descriptions, because most of the time, they tend to envision their characters as played their favorite actors, or as looking like characters from their favorite movies or TV shows.

That’s why you’ll occasionally see characters popping up who are described as looking like, say, Chris Evans.  

It’s a personal pet peeve of mine, because A) what if the reader has never seen Chris Evans?  Granted, they’d probably have to be living on Mars, but you get the picture:  you don’t want your readers to have to Google the celebrity you’re thirsting after in order for them to envision your character.  B) It’s just plain lazy, and C) virtually everyone will know that the reason you made this character look like Chris Evans is because you want to bang Chris Evans.  

Not that that’s bad or anything, but is that really what you want to be remembered for?

Now, I’m not saying don’t envision your characters as famous attractive people -- hell, that’s one of the paramount joys of being a writer.  But so’s describing people!  Describing characters is a lot of fun, draws in the reader, and really brings your character to life.

So what’s the solution?  If you want your character to look like Chris Evans, describe Chris Evans.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:

Exhibit A:

The guy got out of the car to make sure Carlos was alright, and holy cow, he looked just like Dean Winchester!

No bueno.  Besides the fact that I’m channeling the writing style of 50 Shades of Grey a little here, everyone who reads this is going to process that you’re basically writing Supernatural fanfiction.  That, or they’ll have to Google who Dean Winchester is, which, again, is no good.

Exhibit B:  

The guy got out of the car to make sure Carlos was alright, his short, caramel blond hair stirring in the chilly wind and a smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose.  His eyes were wide with concern, and as he approached, Carlos could see that they were gold-tinged, peridot green in the late afternoon sun.

Also note that I’m keeping the description a little vague here;  I’m doing this for two reasons, the first of which being that, in general, you’re not going to want to describe your characters down to the last detail.  Trust me.  It’s boring, and your readers are much more likely to become enamored with a well-written personality than they are a vacant sex doll.  Next, by keeping the description a little vague, I effectively manage to channel a Dean Winchester-esque character without literally writing about Dean Winchester.

Let’s try another example: 

Exhibit A:

Charlotte’s boyfriend looked just like Idris Elba. 

Exhibit B:  

Charlotte’s boyfriend was a stunning man, eyes pensive pools of dark brown amber and a smile so perfect that it could make you think he was deliciously prejudiced in your favor.  His skin was dark copper, textured black hair gray at the temples, and he filled out a suit like no other.

Okay, that one may have been because I just really wanted to describe Idris Elba, but you get the point:  it’s more engaging for the reader to be able to imagine your character instead of mentally inserting some sexy fictional character or actor, however beloved they may be.

So don’t skimp on the descriptions!

5.  Don’t be afraid to find inspiration in other media!

A lot of older people recommend ditching TV completely in order to improve creativity and become a better writer.  Personally, if you’ll pardon my French, I think this is bombastic horseshit.  

TV and cinema are artistic mediums the same way anything else is.  Moreover, the sheer amount of fanart and fanfiction -- some of which is legitimately better than most published content -- is proof to me that you can derive inspiration from these mediums as much as anything else.

The trick is to watch media that inspires you.  I’m not going to say “good media” because that, in and of itself, is subjective.  I, for example, think Supernatural is a fucking masterpiece of intertextual postmodernism and amazing characterization, whereas someone else might think it’s a hot mess of campy special effects and rambling plotlines.  Conversely, one of my best friends loves Twilight, both the movies and the books, which, I’m going to confess, I don’t get at all.  But it doesn’t matter that it isn’t good to me so long as it’s good to her.   

So watch what inspires you.  Consume any whatever movies, books, and shows you’re enthusiastic about, figure out what you love most about them, and apply that to your writing.  Chances are, readers will find your enthusiasm infectious.

As a disclaimer, this is not to say you get a free pass from reading:  I’ve never met a good writer who didn’t read voraciously.  If you’re concerned that you can’t fall in love with books the way you used to (which, sadly, is a common phenomenon) fear not:  I grappled with that problem after I started college, and I’ll be posting an article shortly on how to fall back in love reading.

So in the meanwhile, be sure to follow my blog, and stay tuned for future content!

(This one goes out to my friend, beta reader, and fellow writer @megpieeee, who is a tremendous visual thinker and whose books will make amazing movies someday.)

[josephpauldigitalagency]

How To Get eCommerce Sales With SEO

Having an e-commerce site nowadays is easy. Dozens of platforms can get your online store set up in a matter of minutes.

The problem is that as it gets easier, the eCommerce space is more crowded than ever.

Even if you have your website ready to take orders, chances are you won’t get much if any traffic at all. So your options are ads on social media or pay per click campaigns on Google Ads.

And the other option, while it’s more of a long-term strategy, is content marketing, which, according to Demand Metric, costs 62% less to produce than ads

Should you abandon Facebook Ads or pay per click campaigns altogether? 

No.

But SEO for e-commerce sites should definitely be part of a sustainable strategy to generate traffic.

We are going to take a look at five ways e-commerce sites can apply SEO tactics to improve their online presence and make ad-free sales.

All of these tactics are easy to implement and free. Most of these tools have a paid option to get more results, but for most people, these small but powerful tweaks can make the difference.

Let’s jump right in.

Keyword Research for E-Commerce

Keyword research is one of the most basic ways to optimize your site for search engines. 

Targeting keywords still work on regular websites, and it definitely works for e-commerce sites.

In its most basic form, Keyword Research involves:

Finding how many searches per month a particular keyword has

Creating content that caters the intention of that keyword

There’s more to it, of course, but for e-commerce, you get to use two tools that will supercharge your keyword research efforts.

Amazon as a keyword eCommerce SEO research tool – Part 1

Ever meet a stranger and think, “I wish I knew what they were thinking?” 

Well, your wish is Amazon’s command. 

Amazon is the biggest e-commerce site in the world. And the search bar is a fantastic keyword research tool that not everyone takes advantage of!

Simply type in a broad category term in the search bar. For example, beard products.

Even if you only write the word beard, Amazon will show you a list of searches people are currently using to buy items. 

Did you get that? 

Amazon will give you some of the most common ways people find things to buy on Amazon.

But Joe! I don’t sell my stuff on Amazon!

Yeah, but if people use a search term on Amazon to buy something, chances are they’ll use that same term in Google.

It would be wise to make that part of your eCommerce SEO plan.

Amazon as a keyword research tool – Part 2

The other way you can use Amazon as your keyword research tool is to go into a competitor product and read the reviews.

Notice what words people use to describe the experience and features of that product. Notice the pain points, what they do right.

Then, plant those words into your own product’s description. This way, you optimize your product descriptions into something that addresses their problems before they have them.

You can use this tip on eBay, Etsy, Home Depot, Walmart, etc. Any big eCommerce website will have a search bar and will give you keyword suggestions. 

Honestly, Amazon and eBay will give you most of what you need. So don’t be surprised if there’s an overlap. 

The best advice I can give you for keyword research is to go in, get what you need, and take action as fast as possible. 

Otherwise, you can get easily overwhelmed with information and get decision paralysis.

Make it Easy to Purchase Your Products

No one wants to feel like a mouse in a maze trying to find cheese. So why would you make your visitors feel like this?

For e-commerce websites, there’s an unwritten rule that says that your products should never be more than three clicks away.

Make sure your website is easy to navigate both in desktop and smartphones, that your categories make sense, and that’s it’s just intuitive.

A good site structure to have is having your home page lead to a categories page. From the categories, have subcategories where specific products are listed.

Being three clicks away means that it takes two clicks to get to your product page.

Why? Because click number three is where the money is. Your ADD TO CART button should be click number three.

If your website is disorganized, I would recommend you work closely with an SEO.

An SEO will make sure that all the proper redirects are in place, so you don’t have dreaded broken links on your website.

Optimize Your eCommerce Product Page

In the context of your website, your product has three elements:

Product URL

Product Title

Product Description

Make sure that whatever keyword you decided you wanted to target is in these three elements.

For example, back with our beard products example. Let’s say we’re trying to target beard balm, and your product is a fantastic beard balm.

Your product URL must be:

myecommercesite.com/product/badass-beard-balm

Your product title must be something like:

Badass Brand – Beard Balm 5oz bottle

And your product description must tell us everything that makes this beard balm so amazing.

How to Write Product Descriptions

Product descriptions are everything for a product. So make sure you:

Describe what the buyer gets from getting your product. How their lives will be better. What problem it solves.

Bullet points, numbers, comparisons, features.

Include photos, video, graphics.

Pay close attention to bullet point one. Do not focus on features but rather the benefits those features bring to your customer. 

Technical Tips to Write Great Product Descriptions

If you have two or more products that are mostly the same (ex. different sizes or colors). Instead of making one product for each variation, create one Variable Product with different attributes that modify the product. 

If you must have two separate product pages for two similar products, make sure the descriptions are different. Do not copy and paste descriptions. 

Make sure they’re at least 300 words each description, but I recommend using 500 – 1,000

eCommerce SEO Audit

Another thing you can do is do a website audit. A website audit will give you a list of things you can fix from a technical and content point of view. 

It can get overwhelming, and you may need professional help for some things, but most of them are easy fixes.

To do a website audit, you can use Ubersuggest by submitting your website’s URL.

Once the tool loads your website, click on the Site Audit link to the left, and you’ll get a list of things you can start fixing on your site.

You can pay to get the full list, but the free version gives you enough to get started.

Content Marketing 

Know that guy at the high school reunion that won’t shut up about how great he is now? That’s how people feel about content that is only about a company’s product. 

Content marketing is about creating content that your audience finds useful. The goal is to create content that is related to the product, but not the product itself.

So, back to the beards example, content marketing is not creating a 1,000-word article about how excellent your beard balm is. That is what the product description is for

You should produce a great article about the best ways to keep a healthy beard.

The way to do it is simple.

You talk neutrally about ways to keep a beard healthy, and oh, by the way, we have a beard balm you can use. Here’s a link and a coupon. But you can also try this other thing you may have at home. 

People love to buy, but they don’t like to be sold to. Content marketing takes care of this problem.

Be helpful, be excellent, and people will buy from you.

Create written content or video content. It’s up to you.

But Joe! I don’t know what to write about!

The best way to know what to talk about is to spy on competition or what people are saying.

You don’t need a hacker for this. 

All you need to do is, search in forums related to your niche and look at the discussions that are going on. Go to Reddit, Quora, blog comments, the Youtube comment section (good luck there!). 

There are hundreds of places you can find what kind of questions people are asking. 

Find a question, answer it in a blog post or video, and you have a new piece of content.

**Bonus Tip** Use AnswerThePublic to see what questions people are asking around your product. 

Get Backlinks

Let’s go back to your high school reunion again. In this scenario, you’re there, and you only casually talk about yourself. 

Everyone else away from you is mentioning how awesome you are. Since the praise is coming external sources, it builds your authority. 

Well, Google and potential customers think the same way. Essentially that’s what backlinks are. 

Ranking in Google is kind of like a popularity contest. There’s just no way around it. 

You can create the most exceptional content on the web about your product. Pour your heart, soul, blood, and tears into your blog posts and videos, and still get no momentum.

Why?

Cause no other website linked to your content.

Backlinks are like votes. The more links you get, the more you get noticed by search engines.

Getting backlinks is tricky. But here’s how you can get started.

Find a competitor’s website.

Steal competitor backlinks by using UberSuggest. 

Once you have a list of other websites who already gave your competition a link. 

Analyze what your competition did to earn that link. Maybe it’s a graphic, or a tool, or their product page is better. 

I tend to do things to the extreme, so instead of only doing a little better, make your page 10x better. 

For example, if your competition did a piece of content titled “5 ways to style your beard.” Create a topic that’s “50 ways to style your beard.” 

Yes, it will be a lot of work, but the chances of someone trying to outdo you will be unlikely.

Then, reach out to the website who gave a backlink and see what you can do to get a backlink yourself.

Conclusion

It’s important to not overthink your SEO for your eCommerce website. Between your homepage, product pages, and content, there’s a lot of work to be done. 

The best way to eat an elephant (so I’ve heard) is one bite at a time. Optimizing your eCommerce site is no different. 

Start with setting your foundation with keyword research using Amazon and other eCommerce platforms. 

Next, use the research to optimize your product pages’ titles, descriptions, and URLs. 

Once you’ve done that, make it as easy as possible for someone to buy your products with the fewest clicks possible. 

Uncover all the technical errors on your website to make sure it’s healthy. Once you have a healthy website create educational content, your visitors will love. 

After it’s all said and done, it’s time to get others to share your website with the world. 

What are some of your favorite eCommerce SEO tips? 

  {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is your SEO philosophy?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"We handle the technical, offsite SEO, and user experience."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How will your SEO strategy integrate my brand?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Specific plan and process that handles this hurdle. Interviews and recordings is an example."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Your SEO should ask what your goals are?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"You’re looking for them to ask you this question and help you establish them."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How long does it take to see results from SEO","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Generally, 6 months, but many factors could cause it to vary. It’s important to get a timeline, and it’s ok if they’re off as long as they can prove progress."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How will you deliver my report","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"You’re looking for a regular schedule and willingness to walk you through the metrics. The report should also include the next steps to improve them."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What do you need from me","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"They’re going to need details about your brand, access to your Google tools, social media, and lastly, a meeting date to review the strategy."}}]}

The post How To Get eCommerce Sales With SEO appeared first on Joseph Paul Digital Agency.

[esselley]

When you're writing fanfiction do you think it's necessary to describe characters (example: Kageyama was a high school student with black hair, blue eyes…) or is it fine to assume that since everyone probably knows the characters there's no need to describe them? Besides that do you think direct description of characters is necessary at all or should it be subtle? I hope this makes sense, but basically I'm just curious as to how much description do you think is necessary? (Regarding AUs as well)

Ooooh interesting question! I would definitely say this varies from author to author, and is ultimately up to you. But I do personally find some methods of character description to be easier to read than others!

Like you mentioned: when dealing with fanfic, you can reasonably assume your reader knows very well who the characters are and what they look like. But, on the flip side, oftentimes one of the many reasons people like reading about these characters are because… we like the way they look! Whether we think they’re unique or cute or gorgeous or bad ass or whatever, generally, we’re probably pretty attached to their physical looks in some way. So I think it is fine to sprinkle those descriptors about both in canon and AU fics, in a way that feels organic.

When thinking of an “organic” description, very rarely would I list character attributes like in the “black haired, blue-eyed high school student” example (I realize you may have just tossed that out there, but it’s good to state this anyway, I guess). I’d generally advise people to stay away from laundry list descriptions, even in original fiction, because they’re less engaging to read. 

Some authors love to describe their characters often, and at length, while others won’t spare more than one sentence out of an entire novel to tell readers what their cast looks like. I tend towards the former, because I love describing shit, and also because I write romances, where you’ll find an upward trend in character descriptions usually lies. But if you’re going for direct, try to get more than just their looks into the description. The below example is from my fic A Couple of Awesome Players, a canon-divergent AU where KageHina befriend each other in middle school:

The first thing Shouyou notices is that [Kageyama’s] head, with his hair laying shiny and flat on it, is almost perfectly round, much like a volleyball—which is fitting, because Kageyama might be one hundred percent made up of love for the sport. He started coming to the gym so that he could play on the days he doesn’t have practice to begin with.

Kageyama has big, round, blue eyes, and a slightly blank expression, unless he’s talking about volleyball—then his round face lights up like a bulb, shiny and excited. His hair looks like someone took a stencil with the English letter M and stuck it right over the front of his bangs, cutting out two windows for his eyes.

I’ve spent a lot of words on describing Kageyama across all my fics, and these are still some of my favorites. Instead of it being all about “black hair, blue eyes”, it’s more about “this kid is a dork, but he is the cutest volleyball dork”. I wanted to quickly establish him as soft and endearing, because that’s how he was when he was young, and hopefully it worked. 

Speaking of which, I tend to do a lot more character description in AUs, both because the characters are often meeting for the first time, and because of all the differences, which are just fun to describe. It helps establish the variations in each universe, while still showing how the characters remain the same: 

Then the mechanic rolls out from underneath the car slowly, like he’s not quite sure why somebody would request it of him, and Hinata wonders if he is maybe dreaming.

Kageyama is not stocky, or weedy. He’s tall as hell, when he finally stands up. His coveralls are shoved down to his waist, probably due to the heat, and the white sleeveless undershirt he is wearing below them sticks to his body from the sheen of sweat on his skin. The shirt clings to the kind of muscles that Hinata has never believed existed on people who don’t model for a living. His arms are distracting, toned, smeared with dirt and grease, and highlighted and shiny from perspiration. His shoulders and chest are no better, broad and strong.

He’s frowning at them slightly, dark blue eyes trained on Hinata. He swipes his arm across his forehead, leaving a smudge of grease there, before sweeping his black hair out of his face.

That’s from Speed Demons! Even when I’m being pretty straightforward, I try to break up the description, or toss in descriptors with action (eyes), or use the setting to amplify different aspects of the characters looks (hair, The Bod). Also: Hinata is noticing how hot this guy he’s been confronted with is, and he’s not being subtle. It’s pretty direct overall, but hopefully manages to keep from bombarding the reader with bullet points, and instead integrates itself into the narrative as it flows.

And it still might not be everyone’s cup of tea, that’s for sure! To sum up, I think character descriptions are a style thing, more than anything else. If you don’t feel like including them, don’t force the words onto the page. Describe what feels important to you. But in fanfics, because we already know these characters, put your own spin on it. 

Your readers know what X character looks like – so if you want to tell us about that, tell us something new about them, too. 

Tell us something we’ve never heard before :)

[johncrutcblg]

Enjoy Additional Control Over Your Rankings With One Of These Seo Tips

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You should remain careful with search engine optimization. If you utilize unethical methods or do not provide any useful content on your website, you may be penalized by search engines like google. You ought to always keep in mind that you are offering a service to your customers whilst keeping their finest interest as your goal.

The best way to find out how effective your attempts at Search Engine Optimisation are, visit Google and enter in the words you would probably expect individuals to use to get the kind of information or product you will be promoting. Should your page doesn’t show up on the first page from the results then you definitely have work to do!

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When you have been planning to improve your web site’s ranking searching engines, you need to look no further. It will take plenty of perfection, but once you set up a knack for this from utilizing the tips from this article you will see that the website visitors to your internet site is rapidly expanding.

Source: http://lovegurukaran.com/easy-and-fast-seo-ways-to-increase-your-rank/

from Wallace Wilcox Love Guru https://wallacewilcoxloveguru.wordpress.com/2017/04/20/easy-and-fast-seo-ways-to-increase-your-rank/

[fyrapartnersearch]

/// 𝕿𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖉 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊'𝖘 𝖆 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖒 ///

Hello dear roleplayers.

For those who are curious, you may call me Imp.

I’ve been hit with a stroke of fate recently which pretty much drained me of my creativity. But I am slowly recovering… and I am looking for some distraction.


I am a lady in her twenties, with a strong penchant for roleplaying, writing, and drawing. The Holy Trinity if you will. I am a huge nerd and aesthetic lover boy - plain and simple. One of my main passions being video-games, illustrations, comics, live-action films, series and anime/cartoon shows, elements that shaped me during my years of growing up.


It’s been a while since I’ve posted my first ever ad on any website, and I was very much positively surprised by the amazing people that have reached out to me. I’ve been roleplaying for a few years now and gradually gathered a good amount of experience throughout the years, but it’s always fun to meet and learn something new.

I have a few original ideas that I’m very interested in trying out. The concept will be posted down below.




Name: Imp



Age: 27 years



Experience: 11 years



Preferences: 1:1 Roleplaying



Partner: Should be at least [18+], but I rather much prefer my counterpart to be 21 years or older

Timezone: Important to note! I am from Poland, so my timezone might differ from yours. 



EMAIL: impish.and.angelic@gmail.com

I am a very creative sort of individual with hundreds of ideas constantly running through my impish mind. And I am very spontaneous too, so I can always adjust to a new setting, depending on how good and compelling the concept is.

Inspirations come from various sources and origins, be it a fandom (an already existing universe) or an original storyline. 
 Please read through these paragraphs carefully before you decide to contact me! It’s important to avoid any misunderstanding later! And I would less likely respond to a message with the title ‘Hey, wanna rp?’, since I hadn’t had any good experiences with these said messages.  Thank you. 




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Communication: It’s certainly chill. You can talk to me about whatever occupies your mind since I am very open and always happy to listen to others. I also tend to be chatty, sharing a meme or a joke every now and to loosen up the mood. If you consider choosing me as your roleplaying partner, be sure to maintain a certain consistency. I have nothing against going on a longer break or even a hiatus, but the whole `ghosting stick´ is something I have no patience for. So if you’re unsure of upholding a stable, long term partnership, feel free to skim past this ad. 


 Plotting: Also very important to note! I am fairly quick when it comes to building new characters, concepts, premises, storylines, backstories, etc… This means there is certain flexibility available which allows me to adjust. Even though it is a hobby, I am still extremely passionate about good storytelling and interesting character arcs. I hope to meet someone who is just as enthusiastic and willing to put in the same amount of effort as I am. If it’s only me who’s pulling all the weight, I will lose interest fast, just to get it out there and I will have to end the correspondence. Had that recently and wasn’t a fan of it. Aside from that, I love going a little crazy with the possibilities and push things to their absolute limits. Of course within the boundaries of the given setting.


 Pairing & Romance: Okay, right off the bat, I am a hopeless romantic through and through. I enjoy good and strong chemistry between characters just as much as the next, and this will be no exception. I prefer the good ol’ MxF pairing because I have more experience with this. But I also like playing a FxF dynamic or MxM. Everyone is welcome! When it comes to pairing itself, I want to make sure our creations are compatible, for I hate forcing characters into a romantic relationship for the sake of progression. A natural flow is what I am aiming for. ;)


 Mature? Yes, very much so:  Adult and taboo topics are absolute. There’s no way around it because, if my world, it is a running theme. The adult world is not easy to handle, but it’s definitely interesting to explore. That includes violence, cursing, shocking content, and all that dark stuff. My limits are few, safe for a couple of minor pet peeves that I have, I am pretty much open to some experimentation. When it comes to action-heavy scenes (be it an intimate situation between two characters or something on a cataclysmic scale), I won’t fade to black since I am not a huge fan of censoring. However, I will not force or push my partner into something they are not comfortable with. If you want to know the extent to how far I am willing to go, what sort of content or how detailed my writing will be, you can ask me directly. As for smut or lemons, whatever you call it, it will never be the focus of any of my roleplays, but I enjoy a good erotic scene with a lot of tension (if they are good). 


Boundaries: Not a big fan of things like pedophilia, necrophilia, scat, bestiality, or those dreaded ‘futas’. 

Inspirations and interests: There’s a pretty broad spectrum of what I deem interesting and inspirational. From fallen angels and demon/monster hunters, mages, criminal masterminds, cybernetically enhanced characters to futuristic dystopian settings, ancient kingdoms who have fallen against the test of time. All of it causes my heart to skip a beat. For original content, I’ll just give a brief list of bullet points of the general themes that fall in line with my current interests. 


 Writing: My texts are lengthy, detailed, and elaborate. Third-person is usually my preferred way of playing my character unless there’s a special case where an exception can be made. Word count usually fluctuates, though I have a standard form of 400-500+ words per response. It also highly depends on the given situation. I don’t want to set anything in stone… just to give you a basic idea of what you’re in for. I also expect my partner to have an at least adequate, if not decent grasp on basic grammar and punctuation. 


 Doubling: Yes, absolutely! If you are prone to doubling, chances are I might accept you as my partner straight away! Although I have nothing against the simple form of roleplaying, doubling is something I’ve done since my first time joining. 


 Characters: Very character-driven with the main focus being on interaction. I take my time writing characters and love nothing more than well-structured sheets that illustrate the vision of their creator. (But!) There’s no need to write 10-20 pages worth of character information, but I wouldn’t want to limit you either. As for the depiction of the given character, I won’t be as presumptuous as to tell you what sort of medium you can and cannot use. Face claims such as photos of real models, illustrations, 3D models, drawings or descriptions are all okay. As long as it gets its point across, I am happy.


 Aversions: A few minor things that irritate me, or let’s say, aren’t really my style are one-liners, low effort responses and out of character behaviors in canon characters. We all have different takes on characters, which is totally fine by me since I basically do the same. Though if the character acts and behaves unlike their personality dictates, it will break the immersion. I hope to stay true to my own words when saying this. If it happens on my side, just let me know! Another pet peeve of mine is that one plot that has been done time and time again…. and I’ve grown quite jaded towards it, which is ‘supernaturals trying to fit into human society’ thing… I mean, I’m not opposed to borrowing from this idea, but for me, it grew old pretty fast. Speaking from experience.


 Il Passione: My wish is to find a partner whom I can have a good time with and develop some chemistry. After all it is a fun hobby. We both should have fun with what we’re writing. Brainstorming among other things is one of my favorite things to do. To see how things unfold and how the characters react to the given situation is the highlight of any story. °°°·.°·..·°¯°·._.· ☥ ·._.·°¯°·.·° .·°°° °°°·.°·..·°¯°·._.· ☥ ·._.·°¯°·.·° .·°°° 




FANDOM: 

I love roleplaying fandoms just as much as I have a blast with building something original universes. Worldbuilding is my preferred cup of tea… but if we opt for something more fandom inspired, I highly welcome in on expanding on the given universe and add some original lore too! The one marked with a * will be the ones I am craving the most.

Hellsing*: Haven’t done that one before and I am curious as to how things play out, especially in such a dark and mystifying universe like Hellsing. There’s a lot of subject matter that we can delve into, plus I am a big fan of powerful vampire characters!

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure*: I would love you for this. No, seriously, I would. This fandom has sucked me into a downward spiral and there’s no possible chance of escaping this inescapable void. The absolute insanity of this franchise had me hooked from the second I laid eyes on it and I would be forever ecstatic if you’d message me on behalf of roleplaying Jojo. I have plenty of ideas for this one, just you wait.

Full Metal Alchemist: One of my favorite mangas and animes ever made. Recently I’ve begun rewatching FMA Brotherhood and felt a small hint of nostalgia swelling inside my blackened heart. I’d be open to play it, though it is not one of my top cravings at the moment.

Justice League / Young Justice / Justice League Dark*: Huge DC fan, though I much prefer the animations and comics over the live-action cinematic. Let’s just say, I like the expansive and dynamic set of possibilities and deep, well-written cast. For instance Hellblazer Constantine or Raven.  

Bayonetta: Need I say more? Let’s dance boys!

APH Hetalia: That includes the 2P version ;)

The Boys: Well.. the 2nd season came out. And I am simply stoked.




°°°·.°·..·°¯°·._.· ☥ ·._.·°¯°·.·° .·°°° °°°·.°·..·°¯°·._.· ☥ ·._.·°¯°·.·° .·°°° ORIGINAL: 
 My ideas for a plot are versatile in which I can give you if you ask for it (Usually the ones that aren’t listed here). It is however merely a suggestion for what we could write - not a mandatory thing. If you don’t like the idea, we can always figure stuff out and keep on home-brewing till we find something we both can enjoy. There’s no need to immediately end things if the first thing doesn’t really fire you up. The one marked with a * will be the ones I am craving the most.

I will cross the oceans of time just to find you*: So this is something that began to fascinate me more and more as time went on. Our characters existing in our current modern timeline are on the verge of a discovery that could shape the very foundation of history. After they accidentally stumble upon an artefact / edifice unrelated to any culture they’ve seen before, their presence unwittingly activates a mechanism that transports them not only to a different place, but an entirely different timeline. Upon awakening, they find themselves in a mysterious setting filled with archaic cultures, wildlife and mythological figures they believed only to be possible in fairytales. It is now up to them to navigate themselves in a time where uncertainty and superstition was rampant. Where their knowledge from the future could either prove themselves as an advantage or a fatal flaw. Every decision and word will count, forcing you to rethink and carefully plan out your actions. They also come to learn that some of these ancient myths were in fact true, and that monsters as well as godly beings did once exist. Following that trail, they will be faced with the truth as to how and why they were able to travel through time and space. But more importantly, it is where they will find their soulmates, and it isn’t where or when they think they’d be.

Supernatural*: From angels to demons, from gods to monsters, I’ve seen it all and I absolutely love it. There can be any sort of creature or being involved, ranging from vampires to sirens to elves, you have it. However, I’ve never done something quite relating to angelic beings and their offspring before. I’ve read up on Nephilim and angels and found it rather fascinating, and it’s a different approach from the usual vampire vs werewolf cliche. 


Crime and intrigue: I never stray too far from the supernatural path, but hell, there’s nothing better than some good old gritty mafia inspired stories with a complex cast of characters and a solid storyline.

Sci-fi and urban fantasy: So this could be basically anything from genetically engineered superhuman (superheroes / - villains) with a dark take on the human psyche, dismantling the idea of heroism and villainy. Or a world where mankind began their interstellar journey to colonize neighboring planets, galaxies before transcending their own humanity by merging themselves with deadly technology. I have a few plans for this…

Historical and mysterious setting*: So one of my favorite eras is the Victorian time period, 30s - 40s - 80s, Renaissance or Ancient times during the rise of the Egyptian / Roman / Sumerian Empire. During these times, a dark discovery was made by man, learning that they were not alone in this world. In fact, they weren’t even the supreme race that destined themselves to dominate the world, for another race of humanoids have lied dormant deep beneath the earth, slumbering through the millennia only to be re-awakened by a cataclysmic event. These ancient humanoids are gods among men, superior in every way imaginable, and they have made it their mission to reclaim their right to rule. But their nature is not what most people think it is…





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If you’re still here and haven’t fallen asleep reading through my loooong paragraphs, then I would like to thank you for bearing with me this far. I am looking forward to your messages. 




 Have a bright day!