Newbie Question(s) so dumb, you're afraid to even ask!

[Rrocks]

I consistently publishing 2 articles on my blog daily. Will I need to submit sitemap for each and every time I publish articles in Google Search Console. Is it mandatory or Submitting sitemap per week/month is enough?

 

[JamaicanMoose]

I consistently publishing 2 articles on my blog daily. Will I need to submit sitemap for each and every time I publish articles in Google Search Console. Is it mandatory or Submitting sitemap per week/month is enough?

You only need to submit your sitemap once.

 

[freshpeppermint]

Hey you guys think it's smart to do this?
So for let's do an example on siteground hosting review.
Instead of having a heading 2 for Pricing, you think it's smarter if I do Siteground Pricing?

 

[Rrocks]

When I do internal linking on my blog posts, it shows pingback messages on both WordPress comment section and also it sent out an email. It's really annoying. How can i solve this issue? Any coding? @Ryuzaki

 

[Ryuzaki]

When I do internal linking on my blog posts, it shows pingback messages on both WordPress comment section and also it sent out an email. It's really annoying. How can i solve this issue? Any coding? @Ryuzaki

Wordpress Settings > Discussion Settings > Default post settings > Untick "Attempt to notify any blogs linked to from the post" and "Allow link notifications from other blogs on new posts"

Then you need to go to your list of existing posts and also pages. In the Screen Options on the top right, click the drop down and tell it to show 1000 "number of items per page" so you can get to them all in one go.

Tick the checkbox to the left of the word "Title", which is a header at the top of the list. This will select all of your posts. Then in the Bulk Actions drop down just above the "Title" header, select Edit and click Apply. In the box that appears, Set "Pings" to "Do not allow" and press the blue Update button.

Now all old and new posts will not show pingbacks or send them. This is what you want. Pingbacks get spammed as much as comments do and people can send you pinkback notifications without actually linking to you. We used to get tons of links this way back in the day. They're nofollow but still, there's zero sense to link back to any post that links to you. That's reciprocal linking and not good.

 

[Jesse]

In the Screen Options on the top right, click the drop down and tell it to show 1000 "number of items per page" so you can get to them all in one go.

Oh damn. It had never occurred to me to even look for the screen options tab on WP listing pages.

 

[Rrocks]

Wordpress Settings > Discussion Settings > Default post settings > Untick "Attempt to notify any blogs linked to from the post" and "Allow link notifications from other blogs on new posts"

Then you need to go to your list of existing posts and also pages. In the Screen Options on the top right, click the drop down and tell it to show 1000 "number of items per page" so you can get to them all in one go.

Tick the checkbox to the left of the word "Title", which is a header at the top of the list. This will select all of your posts. Then in the Bulk Actions drop down just above the "Title" header, select Edit and click Apply. In the box that appears, Set "Pings" to "Do not allow" and press the blue Update button.

Now all old and new posts will not show pingbacks or send them. This is what you want. Pingbacks get spammed as much as comments do and people can send you pinkback notifications without actually linking to you. We used to get tons of links this way back in the day. They're nofollow but still, there's zero sense to link back to any post that links to you. That's reciprocal linking and not good.

Thanks @Ryuzaki finally I fixed it. One more thing i have to say. I need to show the Author Name under blog posts title. Problem is the url of username because it shows my login ID as username. Like https://somesite.com/user/tech_8888

That tech_8888 is my WordPress login ID. I can't able to able to make changes over that url in WordPress dashboard.

This leads to hack attack in the future. Because they easily know our username id through author url link. How can I fix it?

 

[Ryuzaki]

This leads to hack attack in the future. Because they easily know our username id through author url link. How can I fix it?

If you have a strong and unique password it won't matter. It irks me too that they do that. They also leak all the usernames for all user accounts in the REST API too. Best thing to do is have your password game on lock. Never use a password you ever used anywhere else so you don't get caught in database leaks where they match your email address up and all that.

 

[DarkCarnage]

A few brands in my niche have asked me for a media kit of my website/brand. I'm mentioning important metrics that they care about in the media kit.

I'm unsure of what rates to specify in the media kit. I am already in an advertising network that doesn't allow other ads, i.e the contract gives exclusivity. This means they have to go through the ad network to run ads.

I've also never done a sponsored post. Should I?

What else can you offer the brand? I am in the process of launching a YT channel, but that's at ground zero now.

 

[AmicableSkipper]

I initially built my site with a template back when I was completely new to everything. I just chose an Astra template in Wordpress. Now it seems to be pretty bloated with unnecessary code etc., which impacts site speed so I'd like to change it to something simple. I've got 2 questions:

1. What do you recommend and what works for you?
2. What do I have to watch out for? Will it destroy the site structure and therefore my rankings? And should I save all my posts to be sure?

Another question: Do you think it helps to post articles on Reddit or similar? I mean, the traffic is pretty minimal, as most Subreddits don't like those kinds of posts and downvote or straight up delete it. Does it have a notable SEO benefit?
For context: I've got about 45 posts published and traffic is very low.

 

[Ryuzaki]

A few brands in my niche have asked me for a media kit of my website/brand. I'm mentioning important metrics that they care about in the media kit.

I'm unsure of what rates to specify in the media kit. I am already in an advertising network that doesn't allow other ads, i.e the contract gives exclusivity. This means they have to go through the ad network to run ads.

I've also never done a sponsored post. Should I?

What else can you offer the brand? I am in the process of launching a YT channel, but that's at ground zero now.

You're in an ad network which reports to you revenue numbers. Figure out what your RPM (revenue per thousand sessions) is. That's your rate.

If you do a sponsored post, you'll make money. If you label it a sponsored post, you'll need to nofollow the external links or the gorg-mind will get you.

I initially built my site with a template back when I was completely new to everything. I just chose an Astra template in Wordpress. Now it seems to be pretty bloated with unnecessary code etc., which impacts site speed so I'd like to change it to something simple. I've got 2 questions:

1. What do you recommend and what works for you?
2. What do I have to watch out for? Will it destroy the site structure and therefore my rankings? And should I save all my posts to be sure?

Another question: Do you think it helps to post articles on Reddit or similar? I mean, the traffic is pretty minimal, as most Subreddits don't like those kinds of posts and downvote or straight up delete it. Does it have a notable SEO benefit?
For context: I've got about 45 posts published and traffic is very low.

If you change your theme, as long as you didn't use any "page builders" the only thing that should change is the HTML in the source code. Yes, it can cause disruptions, but if this is all you do and you wait and make sure everything is fine (3 months?) I think you'll be fine. If you change a LOT of stuff all at once you have a chance of confusing Google and getting your content re-evaluated, which means bouncing, loss of ranks for a while, etc.

And no, it won't effect the posts in the database. You can do an XML export of your content if you want but it shouldn't be necessary (as long as you didn't use a page builder).

Yes, there's an SEO benefit to getting a link from Reddit, if you can get enough upvotes to turn it dofollow. Reddit links start as nofollow until they get enough votes. The amount seems to vary by subreddit. This means you can post quality content, pay for upvotes or get friends to do it, or just post in a basically abandoned subreddit and get fake upvotes. Another option is to drop a link in a comment in a a thread in an aging thread that's not locked yet. It's less likely to be noticed there.

 

[AmicableSkipper]

If you change your theme, as long as you didn't use any "page builders" the only thing that should change is the HTML in the source code. Yes, it can cause disruptions, but if this is all you do and you wait and make sure everything is fine (3 months?) I think you'll be fine. If you change a LOT of stuff all at once you have a chance of confusing Google and getting your content re-evaluated, which means bouncing, loss of ranks for a while, etc.

And no, it won't effect the posts in the database. You can do an XML export of your content if you want but it shouldn't be necessary (as long as you didn't use a page builder).

Well, this is where it gets tricky. I basically ended up with a mixture of Elementor and Astra Theme, which is really frustrating, as I just explored what Wordpress is and threw those together. That's part of the reason why I'd like to try to re-do it.

As of now my posts aren't bringing in substantial amounts of traffic anyways, so maybe I'll just try it out and see what happens?

Yes, there's an SEO benefit to getting a link from Reddit, if you can get enough upvotes to turn it dofollow. Reddit links start as nofollow until they get enough votes. The amount seems to vary by subreddit. This means you can post quality content, pay for upvotes or get friends to do it, or just post in a basically abandoned subreddit and get fake upvotes. Another option is to drop a link in a comment in a a thread in an aging thread that's not locked yet. It's less likely to be noticed there.

Huh, I didn't know that, thanks for the info.

 

[freshpeppermint]

Btw I just realized a lot of the questions I asked can be found on the crash course...

Question about link building:

Ok, so you say to do traffic leaking like basically promoting your website and stuff on communities and forums. Here's my issue with this, what if someone asks or calls you out being bullshit because I review products I don't own and stuff. I also claim that I am the sole author of my site and if I post a ton of posts on my site at few intervals, it's obvious it's not 1 guy writing. I am also claiming I am someone I am personally not.

Also wouldn't doing a lot of blog comments make you prone to botted traffic causing issues with ad networks? Ezoic talked about how blog comments might send spam traffic to your site.

But I realized the key to link building is finding creative angles and marketing. I can see how If you have the BEST BEST content this process is REALLY easy to do.

 

[CCarter]

Btw I just realized a lot of the questions I asked can be found on the crash course...

someone asks or calls you out being bullshit

You need to read the traffic leak bootcamp. It teaches you how to Identify trolls and create polarizing content to get the audience engaged.

Creating compelling content is key to getting around authority problems.

The easiest way to get backlinks and engagement is data. Basically charts, visuals, within your industry. Lets say you talk about used cars. You can create a content piece called "Used Cars That Get Stolen the Most", then have visuals like so:

--

--

--

People will then talk about their own experiences in the comments.

Others will use YOUR data for their own future arguments. make sure you watermark them - that way people looking for further data in the future will start googling your brand.

People will link to your data naturally, cause you took the time to hire a Fiverr graphic guy and got an image/infographic made for $5.

And of course there will be people that will argue that "you don't know what you are talking about!" That's good. Become a master at neutralizing trolls like we do to you here at BuSo. Overwhelm them with data, throw in some gifs, and they will stop questioning you.

Now YOU are the authority simply because you have visuals and not a wall of text.

Next you take your fancy images and post it all over social media on repeat. The best images continue getting reposted and the bad ones you decrease exposure to. Now you'll get social media talking about you, get traffic from there, and amplify your brand.

Now YOU are the authority within social media, cause you took the time to create visual content that fit the platforms.

And if there are really crazy haters that you can't handle, ignore them. They'll continue bashing you and spreading your brand for you.

That's it. That's how you win online.

 

[freshpeppermint]

You need to read the traffic leak bootcamp. It teaches you how to Identify trolls and create polarizing content to get the audience engaged.

Creating compelling content is key to getting around authority problems.

The easiest way to get backlinks and engagement is data. Basically charts, visuals, within your industry. Lets say you talk about used cars. You can create a content piece called "Used Cars That Get Stolen the Most", then have visuals like so:

--

--

--

People will then talk about their own experiences in the comments.

Others will use YOUR data for their own future arguments. make sure you watermark them - that way people looking for further data in the future will start googling your brand.

People will link to your data naturally, cause you took the time to hire a Fiverr graphic guy and got an image/infographic made for $5.

And of course there will be people that will argue that "you don't know what you are talking about!" That's good. Become a master at neutralizing trolls like we do to you here at BuSo. Overwhelm them with data, throw in some gifs, and they will stop questioning you.

Now YOU are the authority simply because you have visuals and not a wall of text.

Next you take your fancy images and post it all over social media on repeat. The best images continue getting reposted and the bad ones you decrease exposure to. Now you'll get social media talking about you, get traffic from there, and amplify your brand.

Now YOU are the authority within social media, cause you took the time to create visual content that fit the platforms.

And if there are really crazy haters that you can't handle, ignore them. They'll continue bashing you and spreading your brand for you.

That's it. That's how you win online.

How would I get the data to create these infographics and charts from?

Is this good idea? (below)
So basically I bought canva premium yesterday, and I noticed there's a video section and I wanted to add a gif to my article, so I made one using their videos footage thing.

So, this got me thinking, can't I get some good videos from Canva and basically add my own watermark at the bottom and make my gifs and upload to sites where you get gifs from like tenor?? So when someone needs let's say for example camping niche, they might search camping and find my gif and add it to their site with a link back? Is this waste of time or would this be of some use?

 

[CCarter]

How would I get the data to create these infographics and charts from?

The library. Within your industry/niche's newsletter publications. Google.

The same ways you gain new knowledge.

Is this good idea? (below)

Try it and see what happens. Life is literally about trial and error. Fail, failing, learning, failing, and then succeeding by not giving up.

 

[freshpeppermint]

Question about affiliate links in your posts for product reviews and best of?

I notice people put many buttons and things on their post, wouldn't adding more than 1 affiliate link per post make it seem spammy?

Also, is this idea I thought of better than having tons of affiliate buttons? So for product reviews/best of you have this right at the end of the product description/pros and cons Or above conclusion if you're doing product review.
"
Where to buy Product X? Product X Discount
There are no discounts for Product X. There are many sites claiming to offer discounts so, make sure you only buy from the official website here.
"
You'd link on the official website part.

Would this be a better strategy than having buttons on the top of the post, middle and ending?

 

[Jesse]

Question about affiliate links in your posts for product reviews and best of?

I notice people put many buttons and things on their post, wouldn't adding more than 1 affiliate link per post make it seem spammy?

Also, is this idea I thought of better than having tons of affiliate buttons? So for product reviews/best of you have this right at the end of the product description/pros and cons Or above conclusion if you're doing product review.
"
Where to buy Product X? Product X Discount
There are no discounts for Product X. There are many sites claiming to offer discounts so, make sure you only buy from the official website here.
"
You'd link on the official website part.

Would this be a better strategy than having buttons on the top of the post, middle and ending?

I'm not an expert on this stuff by any means, but here's my general approach to relatively small things like this that I don't know about:

1. I look at what the people are doing who are winning.
2. I do as close to that as I can.

This allows you to get things done well enough instead of worrying about every little thing being perfect.

 

[freshpeppermint]

Is this a good idea to get backlinks? So I was looking for blogs to comment and I came across a job listing in my niche. So this made me think, should I create a jobs/careers tab, create looking for writers and stuff and then pitch these websites to upload my listing, as well as indeed, and other job sites?? Is this considered spammy/risky to create backlinks like this?
Sorta similar to the scholarship thing people did before to get backlinks.

 

[CCarter]

Is this a good idea to get backlinks?

You're a lost cause. You just were given the best way to generate backlinks naturally, but you decided to explore some nonsense cause it seems easier.

All you had to do was gather data and go to Fiverr for a $5 graphic designer, literally.

Instead you are mentally masturbating to what seems like an easier route. Literally a route to trick, swindle, and play games with people.

 

[freshpeppermint]

You're a lost cause. You just were given the best way to generate backlinks naturally, but you decided to explore some nonsense cause it seems easier.

All you had to do was gather data and go to Fiverr for a $5 graphic designer, literally.

Instead you are mentally masturbating to what seems like an easier route. Literally a route to trick, swindle, and play games with people.

Who's saying I am not going to do the other way as well? You take every advantage you can get.

What about that one marketing trick you shared where you said to PM website owners saying the image they were using was yours and all you ask is for attribution? How is that not tricking/swindle? How is creating troll things to get more engagement to your site any different?

Also, you want to start with the easier wins first then move on to the bigger ones like creating social profiles then blog commenting, and then doing outreach.

 

[CCarter]

How is that not tricking/swindle?

The one within the "Unethical Marketing Tips" thread? I think the title should give away the answer.

Who's saying I am not going to do the other way as well?

By looking at ALL your questions across the forum it's easy to surmise you have a "lot of ideas" and never execute. So just asking for more and more answers is procrastination. At some point you have to execute upon the hundreds of ideas directly and indirectly flowing from BuSo.

It's rather easy to conclude you aren't, especially if you are still digging. At some point you are going to have to focus on a single idea.

 

[freshpeppermint]

Are categories supposed to be noindexed? Do you guys do this? I recently realized a lot of my archives are ranking for some of my sites. I found the solution from generatepress since I have premium it lets me adjust the word count on excerpt to 0 <-. But, I have Astra WP theme but I don't have premium and they don't let me allow it, and people have told me display: none; won't do it cus crawlers can still see it.

 

[Ryuzaki]

people have told me display: none; won't do it cus crawlers can still see it.

Correct. That CSS snippet just makes something invisible, but it still remains in the HTML source code.

Are categories supposed to be noindexed? Do you guys do this?

Categories should be indexed. I get tricky with it and keep page 1 of the category indexed and add unique content to it, then I noindex page 2 and onward. But that's a whole, involved fiasco you're not ready to implement. It would sideline you and distract you.

I recently realized a lot of my archives are ranking for some of my sites.

This happens in many cases, such as when your homepage has more page rank and links to it than anything else, and then it all flows out to your categories through the main navigation first (in combination with your posts not having links, topical authority, relevance built up, etc).

Another reason it happens is that Google will often crawl your categories before anything else to discover more content and because they have more page rank. So it'll encounter keywords on those pages and those category pages may rank first, especially if your posts are falling under the "crawled but not indexed" issue.

Anyways, it's not a problem. It just means you need to keep adding high quality content, interlink it, and start building/earning links to more pages. Just keep hitting the basics and a lot of Google's confusion sorts itself out. It needs more to work with, basically.

 

[freshpeppermint]

Correct. That CSS snippet just makes something invisible, but it still remains in the HTML source code.


Categories should be indexed. I get tricky with it and keep page 1 of the category indexed and add unique content to it, then I noindex page 2 and onward. But that's a whole, involved fiasco you're not ready to implement. It would sideline you and distract you.


This happens in many cases, such as when your homepage has more page rank and links to it than anything else, and then it all flows out to your categories through the main navigation first (in combination with your posts not having links, topical authority, relevance built up, etc).

Another reason it happens is that Google will often crawl your categories before anything else to discover more content and because they have more page rank. So it'll encounter keywords on those pages and those category pages may rank first, especially if your posts are falling under the "crawled but not indexed" issue.

Anyways, it's not a problem. It just means you need to keep adding high quality content, interlink it, and start building/earning links to more pages. Just keep hitting the basics and a lot of Google's confusion sorts itself out. It needs more to work with, basically.

So I basically just did the word count to 0 thing yesterday (generatepress) and today I check a specific keyword, on the first page of google before the archive was on the 2nd page. I just bought Astra and did the 0 count thing on all my blogs.