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Once you’ve made the big decisions about who your course is serving and what transformation your course will deliver (our topic last week), it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty of determining how you will actually execute your lessons. In this episode, we discuss three important questions you need to ask yourself to be sure that you are moving forward in the direction that serves your big picture goals for your course. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

Once you have your website up and running, and you re consistently publishing good content and connecting with your audience, it s time to ponder whether creating an online course would be a smart next move. There are many different ways — both big and small — to incorporate an online course into your content and product mix. In this episode, we run down a few of them and then explore three questions that will help you plan your online course in a smart way from the beginning so you avoid major missteps later on. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Resources and links mentioned in this episode: The Showrunner Podcast Positioning Course: showrunner.fm/podcast-positioning Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

The best way to navigate the crowded marketplace for online content is with a smart positioning strategy. What makes you stand out? Why will people pay attention to you and your content with so many other options out there? In this episode, we take a high-level look at how to reassess, and improve, the positioning of your content and offers. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Resources and links mentioned in this episode: The Showrunner Podcast Positioning Course Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

This week, as our series on SEO continues, we re talking about getting more links — which remain one of the most important and influential ranking factors that search engines look at. In general, what should you be doing to get more links? Here are three questions to ask yourself … Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll find in this episode: Why you shouldn’t overlook the most basic link strategy question of all The power of a network when it comes to getting links Why any link strategy should actually start on your own site Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Resources and links mentioned in this episode: How to Build a Diverse & Healthy Link Profile Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

How do you attract more search visitors to your site? And more importantly, how do you make sure that the majority of those visitors are members of your target audience? Your keyword strategy will play a huge role in this, and this episode you will discover three areas of focus that will optimize your keyword strategy for success. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll find in this episode: A recap of our SEO series thus far Why you need to trust your intuition, but also inform it further The power of creating cornerstone content to target short-tail keywords Why long-tail keywords shouldn’t be overlooked — and why they can sometimes be even more valuable than the short-tail ones Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

As we continue our series on SEO, we’re diving into local SEO this week. And we have a special guest to help out with this week’s lesson — and it’s a voice you know well: Sean Jackson. He provides insight on what NAP means, how to harness the power of reviews, and why images make such a big difference for local SEO. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll find in this episode: Who needs to pay attention to local SEO What NAP is and why consistency is so important The difference that reviews make, and strategies for how to get more of them The power of encouraging an open feedback loop How to harness the power of images for local SEO success Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

Now that you have a live website, and you re publishing posts, and you re building community and gathering subscribers, it s time to start optimizing what you ve got. And there is no better place to start your optimization than with search engine optimization. This episode begins a multi-part series on improving your SEO, and we start this week by discussing how to optimize your website’s performance. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll find in this episode: A description of why optimizing for search engines is actually just optimizing your human users How to find out some “low hanging fruit” in terms of ways to make your site load faster How to determine if your site is delivering an optimal mobile experience Why you should be making the most of Google Search Console Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Resources and links mentioned in this episode: Google’s Mobile-Friendly Tool Pingdom Tools Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

Brian Clark has written a lot of headlines. And the vast majority of those headlines have been very effective in achieving their simple goal of getting you to click on a post and read it. In this discussion, we tease out Brian’s best and latest advice on how to write magnetic headlines that readers won’t be able to resist clicking on. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

You can waste a lot of time creating amazing content if you don’t invest similarly in writing irresistible headlines. What’s the point of great content if you can’t get anyone to click on it in the first place? In this episode, we walk you through the mindset and techniques you need to write the kind of headlines that will fill your audience funnel with the kind of people you need so that your content can work its long-term magic. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll find in this episode: A review of the section in Episode 50 where we discussed headlines, including: the 50/50 rule, the 80/20 rule, and the four U’s. Why your headline has to make a promise, and why that promise needs to be benefit-driven An explanation of explicit and implicit benefits (and when you need to use one or the other) Additional questions you should ask yourself (see below) once you’ve arrived at a headline you’re satisfied with Why your content absolutely must deliver on the promise that your headline makes Jerod’s unexpected mini-rant on why delivering on your headline’s promise is so important Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Resources and links mentioned in this episode: [50] 3Q Before You Publish Your First Piece of Content Writing Headlines That Get Results — by Brian Clark How to Write Magnetic Headlines Here are the additional questions you should ask yourself about your headline: Have you looked at templates for successful headlines to see if one might fit your content a little better? Look at your recent headlines — are you falling into familiar patterns? Do you need to shake it up a bit? Do you have two competing ideas that might be worth testing? Have you spent a few minutes wordsmithing it to see if you can get the main keyword closer to the beginning? (Not just for SEO, but to make sure it s visible in search and podcast directories)? Is there a verb to make it more kinetic? Are you using the passive voice? Don t! Is your headline as short and to-the-point as it can possibly be (while still including main keywords, clearly articulating a promise, and describing a benefit)? Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

How do you build a community up from nothing, attract the right kind of people, and repel the kinds of fanatics and fools who threaten to derail all of your hard work? In this edition of Site Success, Sean Jackson and Jerod Morris discuss some of the fundamental elements of building a community the right way … from the start. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

As you start building your audience, you may find yourself wondering how you can increase connection and give people more reason to interact with you and your ideas. One great way is to establish a community around your content. But don’t just jump into it head first. Consider these questions to make sure you start a community in a smart and sustainable way. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll find in this episode: The importance of understanding how serious you are about building a community … or if it just sounds good Why defining the purpose for your community — for members and for yourself — is essential to getting it right long-term Why you should not leave the values, norms, and rules of your community to chance The hidden potential for your early adopters and most loyal fans to become your community helpers and ambassadors A discussion of the pros and cons of four different types of communities Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Resources and links mentioned in this episode: Mighty Networks Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

Social media is a great way to extend your reach and influence … if you know how to do it right. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Social media channels play an important role in driving visitors to your WordPress site. And if you are persistent, reaching influencers on social media can dramatically expand your online reach. In this 26 minute episode, Sean Jackson interviews Katy Katz on the tactics and techniques you can use right now to expand the reach and influence of your WordPress site. Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Important links from this episode: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Connect with Sean on Twitter

Now that you have everything in place to build your email list, and you are publishing content, it s time to start getting some attention, driving traffic, and building community. Social media is a great place to do this — but, as with anything else, you should have a smart, coherent strategy to make sure that you aren t wasting your time. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> And one of the questions I m going to propose that you ask yourself may be a bit surprising, because it takes a different view of social media than how we usually think about it … Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll find in this episode: Why determining which social media channel you NEED to be on is the clear first step The importance of being prepared to listen, interact, and offer value more than just posting links Why listening to your audience in their natural habitat is one of the greatest, and most underrated, features of social media What can you automate? And what should you use to do it? Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

You’ve done a lot of work to get to this point. Now it’s finally here! You’re about ready to do what you, presumably, are launching a website to do: publish content so that you can build a relationship with an audience. But before you hit publish on that first piece of content, here are three important questions to consider first. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll find in this episode: An explanation for why it took us so long to get to actually publishing content Why the pursuit of perfection can actually do more harm than good for your audience-building efforts The tricky balance you have to strike when it comes to creating publish-ready content Why it’s so important that your headline be more than just good The 50/50 rule, the 80/20 rule, and the 4 U’s Why you need to stop and assess the reader experience before hitting publish, and how to do it properly Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Resources and links mentioned in this episode: Writing Headlines That Get Results — by Brian Clark Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

This is the second part of our interview with Chris Garrett, Chief Digital Officer of Rainmaker Digital, on the best messaging for your site’s opt-in forms so you can build your subscriber base as big (and attentive) as possible. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Creating a compelling offer is an essential part of the opt-in process. The right calls to action can drastically improve your response rates, if you know the right way to do it. In this episode, Sean Jackson and Chris Garrett discuss the messaging and methods for promoting your opt-in forms with specific tactics and terms that can make a huge difference. Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Important links from this episode: Joanna Wiebe’s articles on how to improve response rates The Right Way to Add Opt-In Forms to Your WordPress Site, Part One Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Connect with Sean on Twitter

Last week, we discussed three key components for adding opt-in incentives to your website. But an opt-in form is only going to be as effective as the incentive you are promising. This week, let s discuss three questions you should be asking yourself to make sure your opt-in incentive is irresistible to your audience. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll find in this episode: A recap of last week’s three questions Why a boring opt-in incentive that doesn’t address an audience problem is doomed to fail The importance of addressing problems that are glaring and common with your general opt-in incentive Why you need to be honest with yourself, and your audience, about what you can commit to doing remarkably well Why describing your opt-incentive in terms of benefits, not just features, is essential Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Resources and links mentioned in this episode: Quick Copy Tip: Boost the Relevance of Your Content with Benefits and Features — by Sonia Simone How to Locate and Define Benefits that Turn Prospects into Buyers — by Kelton Reid Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

In this discussion with Chris Garrett, Chief Digital Officer of Rainmaker Digital, we explore best practices for adding opt-in forms to your WordPress website that help you maximize subscriber growth. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Opt-in forms are an essential part of the online marketing experience. Executed well, your subscriber base can grow dramatically. But if you are not careful, you could alienate your audience, or worse — and see no return on your efforts. In this episode, Sean Jackson and Chris Garrett cover the basics of where to place your opt-in forms and discuss several tools you should consider. Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Important links from this episode: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Connect with Sean on Twitter

We want to prepare for success, and that means being ready to capture subscribers from the first moment such capture is possible — which means from your very first blog post. And that means you must have two things in place: opt-in forms, so people have the opportunity to subscribe to your email list; and a strong opt-in-incentive, so people have a compelling reason to actually give you their email address. In this two-part series, I ll give you advice to help you choose the right kind of opt-in forms for your site, and then combine them with an irresistible opt-in incentive to drive major subscriber growth. This week, we begin with three questions to help you add the right opt-in forms to your site … without incurring dreaded Google penalties. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll find in this episode: A quick review of where we are in our journey toward a successful WordPress website. An explanation for why opt-in forms are the next logical topic. A description of the three types of prospective subscribers your website needs to be catering to. Advice to help you avoid being penalized by Google for pop-up ads. Ways to reduce friction and fear that will help you maximize subscriber numbers. Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 7 Tips for Using Pop-ups Without Harming Your SEO — by Aleh Barysevich, Search Engine Journal Intrusive Interstitials: Guidelines To Avoiding Google’s Penalty — by Myriam Jessier, Smashing Magazine Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

Rafal Tomal – Creative Director for StudioPress – shares his deep insight on everything you need to know about WordPress design. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> The right design for your WordPress site is essential. It helps build instant authority and trust from your audience while providing the canvas for your online marketing. But too often, people approach selecting a design for their site the wrong way. In this 25 minute episode, Sean Jackson and Rafal Tomal discuss the most essential factors you must know when selecting a design for your WordPress site. Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Important links from this episode: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Connect with Sean on Twitter

Once you have chosen your WordPress theme, there are some immediate items that need to be placed atop of your to-do list. Two of them have to do with the emotions your site will evoke, and the other has to do with how users will interact with your site. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By <h3><a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm"></a></h3> <p>Discover why 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress, the industry standard<br /> for premium WordPress themes and plugins. </p> <a href="//www.studiopress.com/fm">Launch your new site today!</a> Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll find in this episode: A quick reminder about why you need to be considering these questions in order Why your choice of brand colors and the color scheme for your site is worth being extra intentional about How fonts complement colors by helping you evoke the right kind of emotions in your website visitors What to think about when you start planning how you’ll organize your homepage content and navigation bar Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Resources and links mentioned in this episode: Color Theory for Designers, Part 1: The Meaning of Color — Smashing Magazine Why Fonts Matter, and how they impact your mood — It’s Nice That Typespiration Other links of note: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com