SEO is incredibly important to the success of any online news outlet
You have a great online newspaper, but aren’t getting as much traffic as you'd hope. Ensuring that your website has complete visibility to customers should be your number one priority. This is where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in. SEO is incredibly important to the success of any online business. Although Google makes dozens of…
Quality people skills are important if you want to be promoted to a management position
Human Resource professionals and headhunters classify skills into two categories, hard skills and soft skills. "Hard" skills are easier to define because they apply to a specific function – computer programming, database management, driving a truck, piloting a plane, designing a house or office building (architect), building a cabinet (carpenter) or wiring a building (electrician). Soft…
Romantic visions aside, consulting is not all it's cracked up to be
Most IT people have a romantic vision of what the consulting lifestyle is all about. What does it take to be a consultant? Consulting is about knowing who to sell your ideas to, coaxing people to think creatively about solutions, and working with many different people to follow through on those ideas and achieve results.…
A promotion to boss changes relationships with everyone – especially co-workers
A promotion to boss changes relationships with everyone – especially co-workers. No longer one of the gang, you've joined the other side. There is a boundary line separating bosses from the rank-and-file. Newly minted managers are saddled with responsibilities no one prepared them for. Unlike musical or athletic abilities, which often have a genetic root,…
Getting the gig is just the beginning. All kinds of landmines exist and there's a good chance you can injure your chances without a good plan
Great news! You've been through the interview and now you've been invited to sit down (or have a Zoom meeting) with the HR department for a job offer. You like the people, the money is good and the job is challenging. Sure, it's a bit of a stretch, and your potential boss was even kind…
To get your boss' attention, you need to know your stuff. Be firm and communicate in a way that your boss can understand
It can be hard to get your boss' attention, even when you need it the most. Listen to this story from ... let's call her Rhonda. Rhonda, a VP of communications, went into the CFO's office for a signoff on the annual report. She made a point of explaining carefully that the report was going…
No matter how desperate and unhappy you are, you'd be making a big mistake if you followed Johnny Paycheck's lead
It's hard to find someone who hasn't had a problem with a boss at some point in his or her career. The higher you go on the corporate power ladder and the more you earn, the more complicated the boss-employee relationship becomes. But no matter how desperate and unhappy you are, you'd be making a…
Performing regular SEO audits on your website is key to maintaining organic search engine rankings and online presence
Since search engine optimization (SEO) strategies are constantly evolving and adapting to changes and updates in search engine algorithms, it’s important to ensure that your website stays up to date. Performing regular SEO audits on your website is key to maintaining organic search engine rankings and online presence. There are several reasons why it’s important…
How much effort you should take in deciding on keyword density is always a popular topic among bloggers
Deciding on the proper number of keywords – the keyword density – to use in a post is always a popular topic among both successful and newbie bloggers. If you are not familiar with the term, follow along as I describe the key ins and outs of keyword density. What is keyword density? Keyword density…
When it comes to interoffice e-mails, most employees are under the impression that they can be more casual and informal
There have been hundreds of stories and several books published about the importance of crafting grammatical, well-thought-out, professional e-mails at work. Yet most people are still under the impression that different rules apply to e-mail. Discipline and planning go into writing letters and memos committed to paper, but most employees think they can be more…
Here's how to find the right mix to drive traffic to your website
Most companies are still not using social media effectively to increase traffic to the websites. What companies fail to realize is that their new customers are on social media channels that they’re not on. Also, those customers are not captivated by traditional marketing. The best marketing efforts rely on connecting with their community via social…
Experts say that the average person actually remembers a fraction of what is said to them
Speaking is easy; listening is difficult. Experts say that that the average person actually remembers a fraction of what is said to them. In the course of a lifetime, so much time is spent mastering nuts and bolts career skills but little time is spent polishing essential interpersonal skills. Listening is one of them. For…
The worst thing an organisation can do is to reward pathological behaviour
One of my bosses, Janet, was clever, hardworking and had an amazing eye for detail. She had high standards: if you e-mailed with a question at 10 p.m., she replied by 10.05. She worked hard, delivered on time, hated mistakes and expected the same from her team. She was driving us mad. We had been…
Rather than asking if you are a happy, ask whether you are good
It was 2,400 years ago that Aristotle identified happiness as the goal all people seek – the end of all “why” questions. But is happiness really the point of human life? I ask this question because when we look at history (or even the news today), it is apparent that there are a lot of…
Stay the course and hold on to your vision, no matter what anyone says about you
War is a powerful metaphor for work. So says Kay Hammer, author of Workplace Warrior, Insights and advice for winning on the corporate battlefield. The real enemies aren't only bad bosses and inefficient management, it's also yourself. The toughest battles we fight are often with ourselves. Hammer should know. She fought all the way to…