Write His Answer

Donna Brennan
Interviews
CCWC Faculty Member
Megan Breedlove

As authors we’re told we need a web presence, so we learn how to create a blog or a webpage. But how do we get people to visit our website? And if we do manage to get them there, how do we get them to stay or come back?

Well, if you’re attending the May 15-18 Colorado Christian Writers Conference, you can find out by taking the “Get Them Coming to Your Blog/Website” clinic with Megan Breedlove. Megan’s website, www.ManaForMoms.com, consistently ranks in one of the tops spots on Google for her keywords.

I got in touch with Megan and asked her about her website and about the clinic she’ll be teaching.

Question: Who should attend your clinic or make appointments with you?  Do we have to be technology experts? 

 Anyone who has a website up and running should attend. You absolutely do not have to be a technology expert. (If you are, that’s okay, too!) This clinic will be taught at a level that’s easily accessible by anyone, yet upper-level enough for those who may be more technologically inclined. All you need is a website and a desire to improve it.

Question: We’ve all heard of “keywords” and “Search Engine Optimization” (SEO), but many of us don’t know much about these topics or the best way to use them. Will you explain these terms to us in a way that makes sense? More importantly, will you help us apply SEO to our own websites to improve our ranking in search engines like Google? 

That’s exactly the point of the clinic: learning what you need to know so that you can increase your Google ranking. You don’t have to know a lot about technology before the clinic; I’ll teach you. You just have to be willing to learn and work hard.

Question: What’s the first thing we need to do, before we try to come up with any keywords or other optimization strategies? 

It sounds simple, but you have to know what your website is about. Sometimes, in an attempt to attract as many readers as possible, people will try to include too many things on their website. This leads to an unfocused, scattershot approach, and your potential readers won’t know what you’re about. So figure out the one thing you’re about. If you can’t tell me what you’re about in 10 words or fewer, you’re not focused enough.

Question: Will you show us how to select good keywords to use for our target audience? Can you give us any advice now? 

We will definitely talk about that. One thing that’s huge in figuring out the keywords you need is to figure out what “felt need” the person who comes to your website will have. What need will a random stranger in Rhode Island have, and what will he or she sit down and type into a search engine as a result of that need? Those are the keywords you need on your site.

 Question: Will you share with us other optimization strategies? Is there a checklist of do’s and don’ts? 

 I’ll share tons of strategies, tailored to your individual site. You can make them into a checklist if that is helpful. You’ll learn more than you ever thought there was to know about optimizing your site for your target audience.

Question: Okay, now that we’ve drawn people to our site, how do we keep them there long enough that we don’t have a high bounce rate? Do we provide the content right up front? Do we make them search for what they want? Do we entice them to click on internal links? (Doesn’t our search engine ranking go up if people click on those internal links?) 

The short answer to these questions is that you have to interest people in your site within about the first three seconds after they see it.  We’ll talk about ways to do that–both general ways and ways that are particularly relevant to each person’s site.

Question: If we have other sites linking to us, does that help our Google ranking? Does it matter how big or highly ranked those sites are? Does linking to other sites affect our own ranking?

Yes, yes, and yes.  Absolutely!  The more and bigger, the better!

Question: What about twitter and Facebook? Will you be sharing how to use these and/or other social media to drive traffic to our website?

Definitely. As well as working on each person’s website, we’ll talk about other sites you can use to help yours.

Question: Will you show us how to check the effectiveness of our optimization strategies? Can we get this information all in one place or do we have to use various ways and different locations?

There are several ways to check, but we’ll talk about one primary way which is extremely helpful–vital, in fact.

Question: On your own site, Manna for Moms, you provide wonderful devotionals based on your experience as a mom. I see you add new devotions fairly regularly. Is there a rule for how often we should update our content?

The minimum is once per week. It’s better if you can do it more often.

Question: I noticed that your speaking topics, your website devotions, and your books are all very interrelated—they’re all designed to encourage moms and draw them into a closer relationship with God. It’s obvious that’s something near and dear to your heart. But I get the sense you are also passionate about helping other writers get the most out of their websites so they can promote their books and their ministries. Can we expect a book on SEO or website enhancement from you in the near or distant future? 

Probably not.  At this point, I need to focus primarily on my family (I am married and have 5 young children), then secondarily on my website, books, speaking ministry, etc. 

Thank you, Megan. And I look forward to meeting you in Colorado.

Thanks! And thanks for the great questions. I look forward to meeting you too!
________________ 

 Megan’s clinic is limited to 10 participants. Click here for more info and the application that needs to be completed by April 16.