Wit & Travesty

Do what you love—love what you do.

5 Ways You Can Improve Your Website SEO

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5 ways you can improve your website SEO through Wit & Travesty

I’m really happy to share this and future SEO posts with you! I went to social media to get a feel of what you want to hear from me, and apparently website SEO or self-promoting is on your brain!

Today we’re starting with SEO strategies for your website. I’ve learned a lot about these things through personal experience and also skills I’ve learned from work. So here’s a summary of stuff that will help writers and bloggers get more traffic.

Get Down to the Details

The basic goal of SEO is to be as accessible as possible for future viewers and consumers. There are a lot of simple, behind-the-scene ways to help yourself look good and be super easy to find. Here’s some things to start with:

  • Keywords—Consolidate your topic idea into a noun, then incorporate it intelligently in the title, meta, alt tag, and body text.
  • Alt tags—This is a basic description of a photo you’re using on your site which makes it easier for readers to find your work. When you edit a photo, add in a simple sentence describing the photo and try to incorporate the title of your website and a relevant keyword.
  • Meta description—This is the description you see under the title of a search engine item. Give a succinct summary of the post and put in the keyword if possible. This should be about 130–156 characters.
  • Feature image—Establish a feature image so when people pin or share elsewhere, your best pic shows up. WordPress has a section on its column where you can upload your feature image.
  • H1—In basic coding, you can establish a certain style for your headings by selecting the heading and choosing the h1 option. Regular text is usually under the “paragraph” option. This makes everything look streamlined but Google also looks at your h1 text for important info that could improve your SEO.

Screenshot example of different aspects of website SEO

Most of these are pretty easy to fix, thanks to WordPress plugins like Yoast SEO. I’ve shared a preview of what it looks like at the end of your post. I don’t know what I’d do without it.

I’m not sure how other blog or web host sites help users with their SEO, but look into plugins and other setting features to make this easier for you to access and change. Definitely comment below if you have questions!

Whether you have 10 posts or over 100, it’s worth your time to streamline all your posts and make sure they are optimized. I started using these tips halfway through my blogging experience and I’m still working on it.

I have an Excel sheet that helps me keep track of which posts still need better SEO. I’ve even created a blank one for you to use to help the task seem less overwhelming. You can click here to download it. Once they’re updated, you can share them as #tbt posts and make them do more work for you!

Draw Readers in with Great Images

How do you establish your brand? If you at least stick to a few design rules, it makes each page look good, and establishes your web presence on every platform you use to market yourself.

You’ll notice that my images use the same font pairings and font colors. That’s about the only consistent thing I do. I use a free stock photo, put the title on there, make a word or phrase stick out, then make sure the URL is somewhere on the image.

Depending on your vision and what you’re marketing, pick some rules and start sticking to them! I use Canva to make this process ten times easier for myself. Canva is particularly useful if you want to streamline all of your headers and images across all your social media platforms. You’re welcome.

Make it Extremely Easy for People to Interact, Follow, or Contact

Good content will only take you so far. You have to make it super easy for people to find it, read it, comment, and share it. Make it easy and fun for people to fall in love with your work and your persona! To help you with this, here’s a quick list:

  • Check all your links so people can access your other social media platforms.
  • Put invitations to subscribe or follow you towards the top of your page.
  • Provide multiple opportunities to subscribe or follow. You can find plugins that create a pop-up invitation, or easy quotes from your post that can easily be tweeted like Click to Tweet.
  • Ensure your comment section makes it easy for people to submit a comment. The more hoops they have to jump through, the less likely they will comment.
  • Answer comments within a day—don’t expect any comments without being the other half of what could be a meaningful conversation!

I’ve learned a lot about sprucing up my website through Bridgid Gallagher. She taught me about the plugins especially. Definitely reach out to her through her Build a Better Blog challenge if you’re serious about self-promotion.

Share Your Post—Everywhere

There are so many appropriate places to share your posts. Here’s just a short list:

  • Pinterest—Pin your articles to all relevant boards and group boards

    A guide for those wanting to improve their website SEO on when to share their blog posts and where.
    Click me to read more via the original source!
  • Facebook—Share your work on your personal account, your professional page, and other relevant communities (with permission).
  • Instagram—Be sure to use your Pinterest-ready photo so viewers can tell this is about a blog post, not just a pretty picture.
  • Engagement groups—These are community-based groups that basically share a link to their content and the other group members go and comment on the post.
  • Twitter—Tweet about your post and pin your most recent post to the top of your feed for easier access.
  • Google+—Post to your personal account but also find related communities to share your content.
  • Email—Take advantage of recap posts where you talk about the things you’ve accomplished in the past month, and you can mention all of your relevant posts.

I have a lot to say about tactics for sharing your posts, so check out a future post that will go into more detail about this!

Do the Work & Wait for Success

The hardest part about self-promotion is that it takes time. Your favorite writer or blogger has likely been in the business for years if not decades. A lot of them also treat their website as a full-time job, so they’re naturally reaping the rewards sooner than the hobby blogger.

Wit & Travesty has only been around for a couple of years, but it took a lot of community-building and networking to get where we are right now.

To truly see success, just remember what you define as “marketing success.” Do you just want a lot of shares, comments, or subscribers—or do you want to actually be paid for your work?

You’ll feel a lot more satisfied with your online presence if you set reasonable expectations for success.

The hardest part about self-promotion is that it takes time.

Click To Tweet

 

Well, that’s it for part one of this SEO series. If you missed it, you can download our SEO Checklist to help you catch up on optimizing your present and previous posts. Check out the other posts in the coming weeks. Until then, what questions do you have about SEO and self-promotion? What are you doing now that works for you? Share with us below or via social media!

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5 Ways I’m Shifting My Writing Process for My Third Novel

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a look at my writing process found at Wit & Travesty

So third novel, eh? How can I be working on a third project when I haven’t published the other two yet? I’m currently tweaking my query letter skills as I solicit for a literary agent for Destiny Seeker, and I have Speechless that has blossomed under multiple NaNoWriMo sessions.

This third novel, The Throwaway Queen, is my way of staying in the writing/creative mode while Destiny Seeker is pretty much finished at the moment, and I’m not super stoked about the massive editing Speechless will require. I started feeling excited about the premise of The Throwaway Queen and decided to take on this new project.

However, as a reformed pantser, it meant that my approach to my writing process has totally changed. If you’re like me, you’re likely looking for the balance between being creative and following a structure. Here’s a few strategies I’ve taken on to ensure this next project doesn’t take literal decades to finish. Hopefully this writer’s life update helps you as you decide to tweak your writing habits to be a more productive and cheerful writer.

1. I’m crafting the synopsis first—not last

To be honest, I didn’t really know the overall theme or synopsis of Destiny Seeker—I was just writing about Ilsi’s adventures. So when it came time to explain the plot to friends and family, it became difficult. How do you express how cool your novel is without the proper elevator pitch?

It took years for me to pin down the overall plot so I could talk about it in my query letter. It also meant I had to revise a lot of the structure so the plot outline and the actual story lined up.

This is legit what happens when you’re a pantser to the max.

So this time around, I’m using Scrivener to plot out my novel. I have a folder specifically for my plot outline and different versions of my synopsis—a short elevator pitch, a cover blurb version, and a longer, fuller synopsis that I could use for query letters. Figuring this part out now will make it so much easier to write this novel and brag about it later.

2. I’m doing my due research

So before you go on thinking that I never did research in the past, I’d like to clarify: I’m researching more about what readers are looking for in books, what’s already been done, and how I can do justice to characters in regards to skin color and sexual orientation.

But there is something to say about doing research before you actually tackle a project. I wouldn’t want something to be unrealistic in a scene and then not only have to edit it, but maybe reroute the whole scene or plot to make up for it.

Most of this research is reaching out to readers (people who read books and/or follow this blog) and the writing community so that I get things right—even in fiction. I wouldn’t say that there was something massively wrong with how I did research before; I’m just doing more smarter research.

3. I’m putting more care into character’s back stories

I used to really hate writing back stories—especially if nothing would be used in the final manuscript. It feels sort of like going backwards, doesn’t it? As a pantser, I just wanted to steamroll right into the story and get on with it.

However, as I’ve started to think about the backstories of multiple characters, it helps me narrow down their voice (that elusive thing we keep wanting to master) and their motives. Basically, I’m helping them think like they would, and not how I would.

4. I’m using Pinterest to help visualize my characters & setting

When pantsing a novel, it feels like you’re making things up as you go: what characters look like, what they’re wearing, where they live, etc. If you don’t have a clear picture in mind, it’s really easy to forget later on and pants again when you re-enter the setting. It created mass confusion for my beta readers and editors.

A funny-yet-embarrassing example was a dragon that was sometimes described as female and other times as male. My editor joked that my dragon was gender non-conforming! Yup, that required a lot of revising, too.

So this time around, I have a Pinterest board that helps me plot out characters, setting, etc. so that I can describe things in great detail, but remain consistent. I likely won’t rely on every single image, but what I contribute also adds to the mood I’m trying to convey. It helps to edit the photo description to mention what I want to “borrow” from the image and use for my novel, such as a hairstyle, face shape, or outfit feature.

writing process wit & travesty

5. I’m writing with the publishing industry in mind

I know that many of you want to go traditional and many of you plan on self publishing. Either way, it’s really hard to pitch your book to potential readers. Like, how do you make sure that you’re writing something the readers want, but it’s true to what you want?

As I’m thinking about this new project, I’m soliciting for a literary agent. It’s really eye-opening, but difficult. I’m already having doubts if I’ve missed that train. It’s a scary thought to have when you’re already done with the manuscript.

Okay, so I’ve only solicited 7 agents. I’m being a touch dramatic. But it’s hard to solicit people to be interested in your work if you didn’t have them in mind for the majority of the writing process.

Since I’m sort of juggling these projects at different points in the process, I still think I can give my novel a leg up. For example, a lot of agents are looking for women’s fiction or feminism writings. While I’m not writing a chick flick or an essay on modern intersection feminism, I can still use those interests to catch the agent’s attention and ensure the novel lives up to my claims.

What’s your writing process?

Many prolific writers have a system that works for them—they’ve they’ve tried different tactics and then fell into a groove that works for them. My goal is to find my groove, too.

I want to leave you with this point: I’m in no way bashing pantsers, because deep down, I loved being a pantser. I still want to be one! I’m just saying that it took me over a decade to write my first novel. I didn’t start with the confidence that I could finish or write something of quality. I did finish and I did spend half that time editing and rewriting. If that’s your jam, then don’t fix what isn’t broken.

Finding my middle ground—punnily enough it’s called being a “planter”—will help me get this novel done within a year or two. I hope this insight on my writing process can help you with yours.

What’s your go-to strategy when you’re ready to write? We’d love to hear about it via social media or in the comment section below!

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12 Types of People You Meet as a Writer—LOTR Edition

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lord of the rings writer wit and travesty

Hey writing friends!

What would happen if the Lord of the Rings series was actually an allegory for the writing process? Wonder no more! In our efforts to motivate ourselves to write novels and get them published, we’ve highlighted some characters from the series and how they translate to people we meet in our writing experiences. We’d love to hear about the people in your life that have helped you get to where you are today!

1. Samwise—Your faithful friend/spouse that makes it in the acknowledgements

Personally, Sam is the gem of the LotR cast. He sticks with you no matter if you make your word count or not. In fact, he’s probably the one that encourages you to keep writing no matter if you think you’ll never ever be done with your book or “make it big.” He’s the friend that none of us deserve but still stays loyal to the very end.

2. Gandalf—Your favorite author or writing mentor

There’s at least one writer that gave you the initial spark to write something yourself. In a sense, you would still be living your life and having loads of free time had they not written something that spoke to your inner writer and convince you that the writer’s life is worth living.

In our eyes, they’re a pretty big deal, and whenever we’re in a Q&A about who inspires us to write, we’ll think fondly of this mentor/senpai person. And we’ll likely sputter and guffaw if we get to meet them at a book signing. It’s okay—they speak gibberish.

3. Aragorn—Supportive writers in your genre

The writing community is amazing: mainly because in a orc-eat-orc world, writers will gladly rally around you and support your writing success. The Aragorns in our lives are the writers that are legendary, nice, and brave; we’d hate them if they weren’t so beautiful and kind.

4. Gimli—Feisty self-published friends

It takes grit to be a self-published author. They get most of the traditional author taunts and jabs but are resilient nonetheless. Don’t underestimate the Gimlis you meet: they will be first in line to review your books via Amazon and Goodreads, and they’ll welcome you into the self-publishing community if you decide that’s where your heart truly lies.

5. Legolas—Your friends that rarely talk to you but are surprisingly supportive from afar

Okay, this gif represents the one time Legolas speaks directly to Frodo. Bearer buds forever? All jokes aside, the Legolas in your life are the people that you met in high school, college, your hometown that currently aren’t involved in your writing career, but come out of the woodworks (woods? Is this an elf pun?) to buy your books, congratulate you, or otherwise spread the news to their friends about your novel.

6. Pippin and Merry—Online book bloggers or bookstagrammers

Pippin and Merry face their own battles, but these friends prove you don’t have to be a writer to take part in the book promoting process. They don’t understand the burden of being a writer, but they will certainly sing your praises (sober or drunk) and tell all their blogging friends about your latest release.

7. Boromir—Writers making good bank on their mediocre series

We all know at least one Boromir in our lives: that one writer that gets all the glory and praise from their dads for their writing—even though you know your work is better. Instead of being jealous, we can acknowledge that they for the most part did the work and deserve their time in the sun—before they die from multiple arrow wounds.

8. Gollum—Online trolls that try to steal your ideas

Ugh, literally the worst. They can’t piece together simple fanfiction, let alone a full-blown novel. They come across as huge fans of your work, but while you’re sleeping, they’ll take bits of your novel and claim it as their own. They’ll never make it far, but the betrayal still stings. (Another LotR pun??)

9. Arwen—Literary agents and other network contacts

Just about every writer either needs a literary agent or professional editor—someone who heals your manuscript mistakes with beauty and grace and saves you from the demons of criticism and self-doubt. These Arwens put their trust in us mere mortals as they represent our work. They are also rare and treasured friends as they see us through a difficult part of the writer’s journey.

10. Galadriel—Tough but amazing writing critics

Woof, have you ever wanted to quit a novel because of harsh-but-true criticism? Galadriels tend to be scary and beautiful. They’ve been around the writing block a few times and want to help you, but they tend to get really scary when providing feedback. Like, their voice gets super deep and foreboding and everything. But their advice is ultimately what will turn your manuscript around and point you in the right direction.

11. Eowyn & Faramir—Fellow writers suffering from writer’s block

Eowyns and Farmirs are the types of writers that don’t get a lot of positive reinforcement from family members. Like, their parents are either not around or try to set you on fire. They didn’t say being a writer would be easy. Luckily, even though they spend a lot of time doubting their work and their skills, all they need is positive reinforcement and that one writing friend that inspires them to ditch the haters—or stab them in the face.

12. Theoden—Writer still soliciting a literary agent

Thodens have seen rejection; soliciting for literary agents or publishing companies is ultimately an invitation for people to email or send letters about how your book isn’t good enough. When you meet Theodens, they try not to be bitter about rejection letters—but it eats at them after so many attempts. It’s not until they change their attitudes and rally their friends and family around them that they’re able to pursue their writing dreams—even when it seems like all hope is lost.

 

Hope you enjoyed this brief writing break! Did we leave out any characters? Continue the allegory in the comments below!

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