At the start of every month, we’ll be rounding up the best posts from the business network of blogs and directing you to them. Here’s the best of business in August, including articles from WorkAwesome, the Netsetter, and FreelanceSwitch.
The Netsetter
An Effective Marketing Plan: Getting Started
Neil Tortorella: A well-conceived and properly implemented marketing plan is the foundation for your business’ success. You might be the best at what you do, but if nobody knows about you and your offerings, and why they’re of value, then that shingle you hung up is going to come tumbling down.
Just How Popular are List Posts?
Collis Ta’eed: Magazines have always known the power of a good list. Look at the covers on your local newsstand and you’ll see plenty of “5 tips to shed your winter pounds” or “10 ways to save on your home loan” type headlines. This style of content just works, and if you’re a blogger, you’d be wise to pay attention.
Does More Posts = More Traffic?
Collis Ta’eed: Yesterday in a post discussing the popularity of list-style posts in blogging, a commenter asked me to look at the frequency of post types in relation to the traffic they bring. Following this comment I put together some statistics and ended up wondering a slightly different question, does having more blog posts mean you end up with more traffic?
How to Search Engine Optimize WordPress
Abhijeet Mukherjee: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to making your website easily accessible to search engines, and helping them understand and read the content so that they can rank it high up in their index.
How to Get Started as a Web Entrepreneur
Collis Ta’eed: In the last four years of building up Envato I’ve had the opportunity to learn a lot about growing and building web companies. So I decided to put some of my learnings into a presentation I gave at WebDU 2010 earlier this year.
WorkAwesome
Making Ideas Happen with Scott Belsky: Book Review and Interview
Scott Belsky has been making ideas happen for some time now, whether it be at Behance, through the annual 99% Conference or with the creation of tools like the Action Method. He’s now made a book happen as well. Peter North not only does a review, but conducts an interview with the author in this article.
Why I Stick to Pen and Paper for Goals and Tasks
While some people are right at home electronic organizers and smartphone apps, others find technology either daunting – or even inconvenient – resulting in a slowdown in productivity. Ana Da Silva discusses why she sticks to the tried, tested and true productivity tools known as pen and paper.
Should You Switch to a Health Savings Account?
Health care has been one of the hot-button issues in the United States over the past year, and there’s a lot to consider when choosing how to manage your (and your family’s) health. Bob Bessette offers his own insights as to whether or not you should go with a Health Savings Account – and why he did just that.
28 Creative PowerPoint and Keynote Presentation Designs
Powerpoint and Keynotes can be boring. In fact, they often turn out that way. We’ve collected some of the best presentations on the web to help you make sure that yours don’t.
7 Reasons to Switch to the Dvorak Keyboard Layout
Ever wished you could increase your typing speed? Wondering why you end up pecking at the keyboard instead of churning out words at a decent pace? It might not be you that’s the issue – it could be the QWERTY keyboard layout that’s holding you back. Red Tani offers seven reasons why you should switch to the Dvorak layout in this piece that has drawn a lot of comments…both for and against the notion.
FreelanceSwitch
What to Do When a Client Kills a Project
So, there you are, working away on a project, and oh, is it a good one. You’re having fun, the client’s loving your work, and then…
…the whole thing comes to a screeching halt
How I Learned to Stop Worrying, Love My Job — And Leave It
Ever wonder how your fellow freelancers ended up where they are today? What goes through your head when you realize you’re not happy in your traditional career? Cassie McDaniel tells her own inspirational and surprising story on how she made the jump from full-time employee to freelancer.
Real Home Offices from FreelanceSwitch Readers
Forget the pristine glass surfaces and spotless, useless office set-ups. We take a look at home office photos submitted by fellow FreelanceSwitch readers–find some real world inspiration for your own home office!
14 Resources for Free and Premium Fonts
You can’t deny that typography is important in design. You could have the most beautiful illustrations in the world, but if you use a font like Jokerman, your entire design will look iffy. Use these tools and resources below to help you find the perfect font for your next project.
When to NOT Invest in Your Freelance Career
There’s no shortage of opportunities to invest in freelancing, whether it’s in coaching, e-courses, college courses, books and e-books, or even retreats for entrepreneurs. But not all freelancers are good candidates for these products and opportunities, and not all times are the right time to invest. Here’s when not to spend your hard-earned cash on career development.