Once a Week Newsletter #19 – SEO, Neuroscience, a Blogging Checklist, and more!

SEO, blogging, creativity, Excel, customer acquisition

Welcome to another edition of the Once a Week Newsletter! This is Number 19, in case you're keeping track. LOL

As I write this, it's Wednesday, February 10, 2021. It's freezing cold up here in the Pacific Northwest! It's likely not to get above freezing (32 degrees Fahrenheit, or 0 degrees Celsius) for another week. For this California boy, that's C-O-L-D!

Oh, and it's going to snow the next few days.

So we may be snowed in. While our cars are AWD, they don't plow the streets up here because it snows so infrequently. They do lay down some sort of chemical early in the Fall to mitigate icing over, but it's not very effective. We always laugh at the ONE snowplow the city has that never moves when we drive by where the city keeps it.

(Side hustle idea: Get a snowplow.)

Planning for another Snowmageddon…what is on your Top Ten list of things to have on hand during a prolonged isolation period?

(I know, we've all kind of been there for the past year with COVID.)

Mine are:

1. Milk
2. Rice
3. Beans
4. Bread
5. Cereal
6. Eggs
7. Cheese
8. Ice (ironic in snow)
9. Crackers
10. Water (from the tap and hope the pipes don't freeze)

Of course, there's the flashlights and batteries, candles, lanterns, TP (!), matches. What am I missing?

Alright, onto this week's newsletter…

The Ultimate Guide for an SEO-Friendly URL Structure
See what Google thinks about how URLs are crafted and learn how to create URL structure SEO guidelines for your brand or publication.

Bottom line: URLs matter. They may not matter much from an SEO perspective (or do they? Read the article!), but they do have some sway on whether your stuff gets read.

The Neuroscience of Creativity – A Short Guide
The neuroscience of creativity is very complex, and we're only scratching the surface here, so there's much more work that's needed.

Bottom line: What is creativity? Better yet, how do you beckon it when needed?

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The Meticulous Writer's 12-Step Blogging Checklist – Copyblogger
Blogging checklist with 12 important steps meticulous writers consistently follow when they produce high-quality content.

Bottom line: At heart, I'm a blogger. I love checklists and step-by-step guides. This one is worth reading!

Let me know in the comments if you're enjoying these weekly newsletters. And if you're not subscribed, you can sign up here.

Want New Customers Faster? Avoid This Rookie Habit – Copyblogger
How do you get new customers faster? Many new marketers invest time in a type of writing that doesn’t speak to the right people.

Bottom line: We all want to get more new customers. But how? Read the above to find out what not to do.

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How to Remove the Background From a Picture in Excel
Removing a distracting background from an image allows your audience to focus on the subject matter. Though it's not known for its image editing suite, you can do this using Microsoft Excel. Here's how it's done.

Bottom line: Wow! I had no idea you could remove an image's background with Excel, but you can. You most likely have other tools that do a better job…but in a pinch, you can use Excel.

That's it for this week, folks. Wish me luck. I hope you're safe and warm, too.

Make it a great day!

Bill

The article was originally published here!