Driving Traffic Off The Clock

by Meredith Anderson.

Helen from Time Management Training would be so proud to hear that I have hit one of my Stretch Goals! Last week, I launched a new cooking and lifestyle blog called The Southern Source.

I live my best life in the kitchen. So, cooking, mixing cocktails and entertaining are some of my favorite things to share. You can find original recipes, travel guides to Southern cities and much more on my website, thesouthernsource.com (there’s my shameless plug).

As a content marketing specialist, I think it’s super important to manage your own little piece of the internet so that you can test, execute and track data. Starting this personal project is not only fulfilling me outside of the workplace, but it will help me reach my goals inside the office too!

I am more of a “creative” than a “numbers” gal, so the analytics side of my job at Strong has presented some challenges for me. Having full access to my site has given me extra practice using Google Analytics for when it comes time to dive in deeper for a client; find the problem and present a solution.

I have used so many of the tools and teachings here at Strong to help with the start-up and implementation of my blog. These only skim the surface, but they are essential to creating a successful website:

1. Setting up Google Analytics – Thanks, Joey! I still have so much to learn, but getting started is half the battle.
2. HTML and WordPress – I have learned so much about the backend of websites and have built my knowledge of HTML code.
3. Creating SEO friendly pages – You would be surprised by the number of big time bloggers that do not include metadata or descriptions on their pages. Thanks to Carrie and Lisa, I am a pro at this now!
4. Learning how users interact with a site – From colors to eye patterns and emotions, there are so many moving parts that go into the design of a website. Gayle is a great resource for stuff like this!
5. A new style of writing – The SEO and social teams write over 300 individual blog post per month. THAT’S A LOT OF CONTENT. I have learned how to write for maximum engagement. Which means big headers, small paragraphs, and placing internal and external links in the optimum spots.

I am extremely proud to report that after my first week I am DRIVING TRAFFIC!