Site School: Smarten Up Your Blog

Acing Affiliates (& Products, too!) with Amanda Williams

Welcome back, scholars!
Ready to up your affiliate marketing strategy in 2023? This one's for you. I recorded this interview with Amanda Williams from the travel blogs A Dangerous Business and Cleveland Traveler back in 2021, but the advice is as good as ever. In our chat, we discuss affiliate marketing strategies, how to choose affiliates, what to look out for, and more.
We also talk about products – yes, real, live, physical products – and how to brainstorm ideas to come up with products you can sell through your site. 
In this episode, we also mention a few items I said I'd link, so here they are:
Recommended affiliate platforms like ShareASale and CJ
Affilimate, a handy software for tracking all your affiliate sales (I've tried this since our chat but didn't find it worth the investment)
Printful, a great service for drop-shipping physical products
Candace Rose Rardon, the artist we mention whose work is inspiring – even if you're not able to commission her for your site
Amanda's affiliate course, Affiliate Marketing for Travel Bloggers
That's enough homework, right? Class dismissed!

Here’s Your Strategy for Site Success in 2023

Welcome back to class, Site Scholars! 
Piggy-backing off last week's episode about SEO resolutions, here's an episode focused on the lessons I learned in 2022, how I'm applying them to all my sites going forward, and a complete, comprehensive, I-swear-this-will-work strategy for YOUR site(s) in 2023.
If you prefer to read instead of listen, you can find a written version of this episode over on Site School. 
I also mention a guide to creating eBooks partway through the episode. Here's the link to that resource.
Lastly, I mention my BOSS spreadsheet – literally the key to my success running each and every one of my sites, and something that has helped many other bloggers take control of their sites to make smarter, strategic decisions. Want your own BOSS? Check it out on Teachable.
Happy New Year, scholars – and that's it for this time, class dismissed!

SEO Resolutions for 2023

Happy New Year, Site School listeners! Here's a podcast to kick your year off on the right foot – it's focused on the six areas of SEO that you should focus on in 2023.
Naturally, it includes EEAT and Page Experience scores, but you might be surprised to learn a few of the other areas I think are essential for your focus in the next 12 months.
This episode is available in written format on the Site School blog. And you can connect with me and other site owners in the Site School Facebook community.
Please consider leaving a rating and review if you've enjoyed this podcast; it helps me reach new listeners and help more site owners grow and earn from their sites this year. That's it – class dismissed!

Setting Goals You Can Control & Accomplish for 2023

Welcome to class, Site School podcast listeners! As we cross into the new year, here's a new version of my strategy for setting goals.
Instead of setting traffic or income goals, this episode covers how to identify actions you can actually control that will help you reach the next level on your site. Setting goals around those actions will help you grow and earn more from your site – and that sounds like a great way to start the new year!
Please don't forget to leave a rating and review – until next episode, class dismissed!

Eat Like Bourdain 18-Month Case Study Update

Welcome to class, Site School listeners! In today's episode, I'm providing a peek beneath the hood of my Eat Like Bourdain site (https://eatlikebourdain.com). I started this site about 18 months ago, and it's been a different kind of adventure.
In this episode, I'll compare the traffic, email subscribers, and total earnings for my site at the 12- and 18-month marks, plus dive deep into my strategic takeaways and goals going forward. In particular, I spend time talking about how using internal linking as an SEO content strategy can be a powerful way to grow.
You can read this recap and review all the numbers over on the Site School blog.
I also reference EEAT, which you can learn more about in Episode 6 (EEAT: The Future is Now) and Episode 4 (Expertise, Authority, and Trust: The Future of SEO). 
Lastly, I talk about my Bourdain podcast idea, and how I hope to get creatively un-stuck from that soon – and will be sure to put together a podcast episode update when I have more to share.
Class dismissed!

Getting Ready for the December Traffic Bump (8 To-Dos)

Welcome to class, Site School listeners! Today, we're timely: this episode (released originally in mid December 2022) is all about preparing for the December Traffic Bump.
Not sure what that is? It's the last week of December when everyone wakes up and starts searching for new information and ideas – it usually results in a boost in traffic during the last week of the year leading into January, which is often one of the biggest traffic months for many bloggers and site owners.
In this post, I cover 8 to-dos that you should try and squeeze in before December 26th... or take notes on to ensure you're ready for next year's December Traffic Bump.
If you want extra context on these tips, check out my full written guide to preparing for the December Traffic Bump on the Site School blog.
See you next week; class dismissed!

EEAT: The Future is Now [Shorty]

Welcome back to class, Site School listeners!
Here's an update to my recent episode (#4) all about Google's E-A-T – now E-E-A-T – and what you need to do, to adjust your SEO strategy. (Spoilers: Nothing!)
This is a shorty episode so nothing to take notes on or click here, but I'll be back soon with another full-length episode. Class dismissed!

Space Tourism Guide: 5-Year Case Study Update

 
Welcome back to class, Site School listeners! In this episode, I'm giving a case study update on my second blog – that is, the second-oldest blog I run – Space Tourism Guide.
STG turned five years old last month, and is definitely in a different stage of its life as a creative project and mature website. 
In this case study update, I cover:
the growth (and losses) I've seen in the last year on this site
strategic takeaways I have at this milestone
my plans for the coming year, including some helpful tips if some of my areas of focus sound like a good idea for your site too
Here are some of the links from today's episode:
Space Tourism Guide, if you want to check out the site
A written version of this episode, my 5-year case study update on Site School
Publish Press Revisions, the podcast I recommend for managing updates on your site.
Please don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the Site School podcast on whichever podcast app you're listening on – this helps us reach new site owners and bloggers who need to smarten up their blogs too.
That's it for now – Class dismissed!

Expertise, Authority, and Trust: The Future of SEO

Curious where SEO – search engine optimization – is headed in 2023? This episode will help.
Welcome back to class, Site School listeners. Today we're focused on E-A-T, one of the primary quality indicators Google has been working hard to incorporate into the algorithm and will continue to focus on.
In this episode, you'll learn what E-A-T is, why you should focus on it, and most importantly, eight ways to improve your Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, including:
Hitting the right level of comprehensiveness
Harnessing the power of your About page
Being conscientious about agreeing with the consensus
If you want to read more about E-A-T and how to improve yours, check out my article on Site School covering the same topic. 
Please don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review to help fellow site owners and bloggers discover this podcast. #ClassDismissed

Jordan Traveler: 18-Month Case Study Update

Love to know how other people's sites are REALLY doing? This one's for you...
Welcome back to class, Site School listeners!
In this episode, join me on a journey through the data – it's time for a case study update on my site, Jordan Traveler.
I'll cover the site's growth at the 6-, 12-, and 18-month mark – and share my current strategy, as well as my future goals:
Getting better at email marketing
Optimizing affiliate marketing
Building a new content strategy to get the site off hiatus
You can also read this case study if you want more detail, or see all published case study updates for this site.
Have any questions? Head on over to the Site School Facebook community and raise your hand – aka post – there!
Class dismissed!

From Idea to ISBN: Products & Services with Danielle Desir Corbett

If you have needed to come up with your first product, or just need a new idea, here's the wisdom you need.
Welcome back to class, Site School listeners!
In this episode, I'm joined by Danielle Desir Corbett, whom I've known for years – and who is a pro at creating complimentary products and services to help grow her site. 
Danielle is full of insanely solid practical knowledge and shares it all with us in this interview, including:
Low-risk ways to test a product or service idea
What to do if a product or service flops, fails, or just underperforms after launch
Monetization strategies for your podcast (if you're considering one!)
... and much, much more.
Seriously though, I took notes during this one!
If you want to connect with Danielle following this episode, here's where to do it:
Her site is The Thought Card, focused on helping travelers be more financially savvy
She's active on both Instagram (@thedanielledesir) and Twitter (@thethoughtcard)
She offers podcast coaching if you're considering a podcast to complement your own site
Also, if you're curious following the episode, she beat me on our bet: she launched her YouTube channel long before I launched this podcast 😅
As always, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast so more website owners and bloggers can find us. You can also join the Site School community on Facebook to reach me, ask questions, and get support.
Class dismissed!

Hello! What’s Site School? 🤔

Welcome to Site School – the podcast for site owners and bloggers who want to learn, grow, and earn more. 
In this first episode, I'm giving you a full introduction to your host – me! Valerie Stimac Bailey – and all the sites I run. I also cover the five core areas of focus on Site School, both this podcast and the blog I run too.
Helpful links from this episode include:
The Site School homepage, where you can find resources, case studies, and more.
How to Spin Out a Niche Site from Your Main Site, a resource I mention in the episode that explains how I created so many sites from my main travel blog.
The Site School Podcast page, where you can find EVERY SINGLE EPISODE!
Have any questions? Join the Site School community on Facebook to connect with me and fellow bloggers and website owners on the same journey
Thanks for joining me – and don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review to share this podcast with others.