Updates & Random Notes

I've been such a bad blogger! I was slammed with portrait sessions in the fall, then the holidays, then working on new marketing pieces. I just realized how long it has been since my last post!

I recently attended another After Dark Education experience in Dallas, Texas. It was, amazing. The mentors are so great and extremely accessible during the event. I highly suggest the AD to photographers of any level. I will say, it's pretty much information overload with 3 days, 12 or more hours a day and the chance to touch on pretty much all types and aspects of photography.

I spent the beginning of January working on updating my website and blog. About this time last year I had ditched the Flash site and went with a Photocrati theme for my wordpress site. Wanting to spice up my site a little more, I decided to take a look at the themes on ThemeForest.com. With so many templates to choose from, I carefully read reviews and comments by users. I ended up selecting a theme who's author ran a support forum. While it took me a little longer than I was planning, I love the look of my new site. And since I was updating, I took a look at the newest version of the ProPhoto blog theme. The new features are fantastic, so I caved (again) and upgraded (again). If you're looking at the ProPhoto theme and are purchasing for the first time, use the code DANNE232B for a $10 discount.

I've made some new purchases recently and as I try out these new products, I'll be sure to post reviews!

Facebook Pages SSL Deadline 10/1/11: Another Option

If you didn't hear, Facebook is going to soon require that all Facebook Fan Pages (including welcome pages) and Applications have a valid SSL Certificate. This new requirement starts on October 1, 2011. The problem - I currently have my Facebook Welcome Page hosted on the back of my website. I just plugged in the html code to get my cute graphic to show on the page. Starting 10/1, since my website doesn't have an SSL Certificate, the embedded graphic won't show. SSL Certificates can cost $50-$150.

The solution I found after a lot of searching is ShortStack. After trying a few different "free" Welcome Page Creator sites, I liked this one the best. If you have less than 2,000 fans, it's free. After 2,000 fans, there are different levels of pricing. There are a ton of options for different tabs including promotions, contact forms, coupons for fans only, etc. So if you're looking for a new way to create your Facebook Welcome Page and not have to worry about SSL Certificates, this is the way to go!

Full Disclosure: commission on sale via my link.

I've Been Featured!

My Twitter page is featured in a new Photography Social Media Handbook just released by Design Aglow. It’s an all-in-one resource to grow your photography presence in social media. So if you need help building a social media entourage, now’s your chance to learn how. Special thanks to the writer of the handbook, Zach Prez who is full of photography marketing ideas.

Here’s an excerpt featuring yours truly!

Danielle Neil uses a simple logo with sample photos and a nice color scheme to match her brand. She says:

“Creating a consistent brand across social media platforms is a must. It's so much easier for my clients and potential clients to recognize my brand when they see the same design elements, fonts and logo no matter what site they visit. When I first started on Twitter and Facebook I didn't have myself branded as well as I should have. Once I created a stronger brand presence with coordinating looks across sites and linking to my most recent blog posts I saw a huge increase in my followers.”

The book launches, today, Friday, August 2 in the Design Aglow store at at a launch price of $50 ($20 off). So if you're interested, snag it now before the price goes up!

Need help with your SEO?

You guys know that I'm obsessed with SEO! I heard about Scribe awhile back, but wasn't sure if I wanted to justify the monthly cost of another bill. I finally decided to try it out for a month and I'm loving it. I'm not a writer and it's pretty hard for me to come up with descent content for my blog posts. I've read time and time again that each post should have a minimum of 300 words! That's a lot for someone who isn't fond of writing. And since content is what drives SEO rankings, I figured I better have some descent content in those blog posts. Scribe doesn't write the content but it does check your content to make sure that you're using the right keywords for your target market. It also shows you options for additional keyword phrases that you may have not thought of. It's a great way to optimize your text while following SEO best practices.

There's a few options of Scribe available. A WordPress plugin and also a web version for those that aren't using WordPress. I've not only used it to optimize blog posts, but to also tweak my website pages. Since SEO can take a while to kick in once you've made changes, I haven't seen the results just yet. But I'm already loving the options it's giving me for keywords and ways to better work my blog posts.

Click here to Take Scribe On A Risk-Free Test Drive!

Full Disclosure: commission on sale via my link.

New Version of Photo Cart Now Available!

I was surprised the other day to receive an email that there was a new version of Photo Cart from Pictures Pro for download. One of the great things about the investment in Photo Cart is that once you pay, you get free upgrades for life. This newest version is definitely more user friendly for both the admin and the client to use. I haven't had a lot of time to test out the newest features, but there are a lot more options to customize the look and feel of your shopping cart. You can now set a minimum order amount for each gallery, there's a new system to add packages and images to the cart, a new checkout process and a ton of other features that I haven't even touched yet.

I also decided to purchase the Design Proof add-on for my cart. I've already used it with two clients with great success. One for an album design and another for a cd case design. This new add-on allows clients to comment on the online proof with any changes they have and approve or deny the current design. The best part is you don't have to worry about emails back and forth, sending pdfs to clients and sifting through emails to double check their changes. I love this add-on and for $59, it's already done it's job for me!

If you're already a Photo Cart user, the upgrade was pretty simple. I ran into some bumps and was able to find out what my issues were with their FAQ section and the help of other users in the online support section. So if you're nervous about the upgrade, it's pretty painless. If you're not using Photo Cart, you should consider it. I've had some issues in the past with the way my collections were setup, but I've learned no shopping cart is perfect. For the most part, Photo Cart fits my needs and with a one-time fee, you can't beat that.

Blogging Success

Blogging Success

I feel like many of my blog posts lately talk about Zach Prez! But the guy does great things, so I feel the need to share! Zach first contacted me about doing a guest post on his blog about Photography Branding Tips for Facebook and Twitter. Then, a few weeks later Laura Swanson contacted me, she and Zach were working on an ebook and wanted to feature my blog in their book. Of course, being a fan of Zach's wise SEO wisdom, I said yes.

I was surprised to get an email to preview the ebook before it was released to the public. There are tons of great tips in there on what and how to blog to not only improve your search engine optimization but to also get those visitors to contact you. The other great part of the book is the show and link to many great examples from other photographers which is a fantastic way to get the ideas rolling on what you can do to make this work for your own business. I even walked away with a few ideas of some possible topics to write about to keep my blog fresh and posting more often.

Zach was generous enough to share a discount code for my readers. It's good for $9 off the ebook purchase. The code is only good from May 16th through May 31st. If you think this book might help you to be a better blogger, be sure to snag it with the discount code in the next few days using "bloglaunch". Click here to take a look at Photography Blog Success and the Photography Web Marketing Guide.


Full Disclosure: commission on sale via my link.

Making the Switch to a Non-Flash Website

Let me start by saying that I still love my former website provider Portfoliositez, but it was time for a change. I've been with them since the beginning of my business and I have raved about them on here many times, if you're looking for a Flash website template then I still highly recommend them. But with the ever-growing amount of photographers popping up in my area and the news that I was going to be laid off from my full time job, it was time to really boost my Google rankings.

As my regular readers know, I'm mildly obsessed with SEO and with having another job, I haven't had as much time as I would like to get out and build my business. I have had to rely on website searches to get a large portion of my business. Last year I came across Zach Prez and over have purchased a few of his ebooks about not only ranking on Google, but also how to turn those leads into business. With all the changes on how users view websites I think Flash is becoming a dinosaur. I had added an iPhone and iPad version of my Portfoliositez website for those users, but I was still talking to people who had Flash sites blocked from their work computers. We all know a lot of potential clients do their searching at work and the fact that some people weren't going to be able to see my site was becoming a problem. Even though I have a blog as well, I wondered how many people I lost once they realized they were at a Flash website.

I would have loved to been able to design my site working with a web designer, but I couldn't justify the cost to do that just yet. I started researching html templates and realized there were not a lot of options out there. A web designer I am friends with suggested I do a Wordpress site and purchase a theme I liked for the right look. I found dozens of themes that worked perfectly for a photographer's portfolio site! In the end, I decided to go with a Photocrati theme for my site. Photocrati offers portfolio galleries that are protected to deter copying, allows iPhone and iPad viewing, music and multiple themes you can customize. The theme is only $79 and they even let you try it out for 30-days to make sure you like it. With that I was sold and ready to change. The next task on my list was finding new web hosting. There's tons of choices out there but I quickly decided to go with Kimtown. I've worked with Kim in the past and I knew that using her hosting would be perfect for me.

I played around with my Photocrati theme for a few weeks on the back end of my old website to figure out exactly what I wanted the site to look like when it went live. By the time I was ready to go, Kimtown switched all my files (new site, email, blog, client planner, etc.) over to their hosting and within two days I was ready to go with my new site.

I was already ranking well for certain phrases on my old website, so I can't wait to see what the changes I've implemented can do for my SEO in the upcoming months. Yes, I said months, because no matter how great your SEO is, it takes time for it to be reflected in the search engines.

The support with both Kimtown and Photocrati have been fantastic. Both companies respond quickly to any questions I had and through the whole process the only issues I had were user errors on my end. If you're looking for new hosting or a non-Flash option for your photography website, I think both these companies have great things to offer!


Full Disclosure: commission on sale via my link.

I Caved ...

I think all my readers know I love the ProPhoto blog theme. I've been using version 2 for awhile now and finally caved to get version 3. I'm so glad I did! There are a lot of new customizable features available in this version to make your wordpress blog standout from the rest! It took a few hours of tweaking, but I love the minor changes I've made on the blog. I wasn't looking to revamp the whole look, just add some little changes to spice things up. So for those of you who are on the fence about upgrading, I personally think it's totally worth it! If you don't use the ProPhoto them and you're looking for one (you must have a wordpress blog to use it), I highly suggest it. Big photos with lots of impact and a lot of options for the look and feel of your blog.

If you do purchase, use discount code DANNE232B for an additional $10 off your purchase.

I just returned from ImagingUSA and I'm overwhelmed from the education and the fun new products I saw. I'll be writing up my thoughts on the event in the next few weeks. I've got a lot on my "to do" list now that I'm back to continue to grow my business!!

Full Disclosure: commission on ProPhoto Themes sold via coupon code.

Inexpensive Email Tracking

I've had some email issues lately. One client I email with frequently called me to say a few of my emails had ended up in her spam folder. Also my online galleries are limited to 7-days — I wanted to be 100% sure clients were getting all the info and receiving any answers to questions during the live gallery. I decided to find something that would let me know when my emails were read. I came across ReadNotify and decided to give it a try especially since they have a free trial period or 2 weeks or 25 emails. They offer a plugin for the tracking, but I'm on a Mac and the plugin is for the PC, so I haven't had any experience with that option. But, there is a manual tracking option that is easy to use. You just add .readnotify.com to the end of the email address. I was notified when the email was opened by the receiver. So easy! And there is also an online personal tracking page that shows the date, recipient, subject and when the email was opened. There are a few other bells and whistles ReadNotify offers that I haven't tried out yet.

I opted for the 1-year basic subscription. For $24 I can track 2000 emails. There is also a monthly option for $3.99 and a premium for $36. The basic subscription works best for me. I won't be tracking every email I send, but I will track anything that has time sensitive information that I want to make sure clients read. If you're looking for an option to track some of your emails, I think this is a great product. Sign-up for the free trial at ReadNotify and try it out for yourself!

Are You Accepting Credit Cards?

I finally decided to "cave" and start taking credit cards this year. Previously I was cash, check or paypal. I had a customer last year that didn't have the cash, refused to use paypal and was left with option of a check and wasn't thrilled about that either. While the sale was a good one, I wondered if she had the option to pay with a charge card if she would have spent more. Personally, we no longer use credit cards in my family, but I know a lot of my clients do. And when I used to use credit cards, I would always come home from the mall with many more purchases than I originally planned on buying!

So, are you getting the sales that you could?? I do 95% of my sales via my Photo Cart, since with my full time job I just don't have the time to meet every client in person. After talking with fellow photographers, I knew that charge cards were the next step in increasing my online sales. I'm still offering paypal payments to clients, which some are using, but a lot are migrating towards the ease of paying with credit cards.

After much research I decided to go with NobelPay. Chris at NobelPay worked with me to find the right plan that worked for my online needs and offered me a great price on my monthly payments as well. The customer service with NobelPay has been great. Anytime I have any questions or problems, Chris is fast to respond and if he doesn't have the answer, he finds someone who does.

While it's only been a short period of time since I started taking credit cards, it was definitely the right move for this stage of my business. More and more people are having issues with paypal and I don't want my clients to be forced into using something that they are unsure about. If you're currently not taking credit cards, think about the potential added sales you could see from making the small change!

Wildfire App for Facebook Contests

I decided to again this year offer a Fresh Faces contest for kids. I've seen a lot of other photographers offering contests on their Facebook business pages. After some research, I realized that Facebook has a lot of guidelines in place if you want to run a contest within the site. There have been photographers who have had their pages suspended because they didn't follow the guidelines. I didn't want to get my account suspended, so I was on a mission to find another way to conduct my contest and not break the rules. (Read more about their guidelines here: http://www.facebook.com/promotions_guidelines.php)

Enter Wildfire - a third-party application that manages contests and promotions that are web-based. I decided to test drive Wildfire for my contest. Depending on your personal needs, there are 4 versions of pricing. You pay a base price per contest or campaign then an additional dollar amount per day. I first planned on using the basic plan, but once I started creating the details of the contest I needed to upgrade to the standard version. The good thing about the app is you can start creating your contest in basic form and if you want to make changes, it lets you know the difference in pricing before you pay.

I did have some issues with entries being incomplete because people were having issues uploading their photos. Since this was a photo contest, it was a big deal. I contacted the Wildfire customer service - they responded promptly, tested my contest and said everything was working fine. I continued to have incomplete entries, so at that point I had people email me all their information and child's photo and I uploaded them myself. Extra work, that's for sure. The other snag I hit was that people could only enter the contest once, so if they had multiple children they had to pick one, I didn't like that idea so yet another reason why I was entering them myself.

I only gained a handful of new Facebook fans, so contestants weren't letting the application post on their Facebook wall that they had entered. I did have a few entries from California. People were somehow finding the contest but not reading the rules that the session would take place in Ohio. I was able to disqualify entries based on the fact they were more than 3 hrs away from me. I could have set the contest to be only Ohio entries, but I know a few folks that live out-of-state that come to Ohio often and wanted them to have the chance to participate as well.

I didn't love the Wildfire App and I didn't hate it. For me, it didn't do exactly what I wanted it to do for the budget I had to run the contest. It sounds like they are always looking for ways to update the application and make changes to suit users' needs, so maybe down the road it will work better for what I want it to do. If you're set on finding a workaround to running a Facebook contest, then this may work for you if you want to deal with the bumps in the process. I plan on running future contests on my blog, which is free!

A Comparison on Two SEO Guides

So here I am again, talking about SEO. A few of my fellow photographers have been using the Photographer's SEOBook from Zach Prez, so I decided to pick up a copy to compare to the SEO School ebook from Naomi Dunford of www.IttyBiz.com. Both ebooks cost the same at $39.

One of the main differences between these two ebooks is that Zach targets photographers only while Naomi's readers are small business owners. A few things that Naomi does: she gives you a lot of info on how Google works and how to figure out what type of site you are. She also gives a wealth of information on how to check your competitions' rankings and how they've set-up their SEO. Zach goes about things a bit differently, giving a brief overview of Google and then very specific information on setting up your key phrases, basic coding for your splash page and suggestions on where to find links. Both books review linking, anchor text and blogs.

If you know enough about coding to make you almost dangerous, then Naomi's ebook may be a better bet for you. She doesn't spell out do xyz, but gives you enough information to get started. Personally, I'm into more details on how the SEO process works and all that nerdy stuff, so I was digging the extra details about figuring out what type of site you are and other goodies like long tail searches. I really enjoyed the section in Naomi's book on checking out what your competitors do and how to "beat" them. I realized that not a lot of my competitors were implementing Naomi's suggestions, so I hope that I can quickly gain a better Google ranking by making some minor tweaks that they aren't using. If you have no clue about html code and you want a basic how to start the SEO process then you're better off to go with Zach's ebook because he tells you how to set up code for your site and where to place it. There's even a generic piece of code in Zach's ebook for your splash page, you just have to change the info for your area and speciality.

I started with Naomi's info and saw some great changes in my page rank on Google. A few of the photography-specific tips Zach suggested have also made their way into my SEO process and I've already seen a little more of a bump in my rankings as well. Is one book better than the other? Probably not, different users with different needs. If you're looking to learn tons details for for your SEO than I would suggest getting both books. If you want a quick, easy way to start than go with Zach (especially if you are only optimizing for photography) and if you want to learn more in-depth and know some html than go with Naomi's book (and if you aren't a photography business).

SEO is a huge tool for photographers in getting their name out there and finding new clients. But, remember that SEO isn't the only marketing option you have. Word of mouth is one of the best things to do to gain more business. People love using a product or service that their friends have high praise for. And there's a lot of other ways to market yourself as well. Since I still work a full time job and shoot on weekends, my time is somewhat limited in what I can do to market my business, right now SEO is key for me. Hopefully, photography will be my bread and butter job soon and I can really start focusing on getting out in the community more, networking and having displays in other businesses. Until that time comes, I'm making the most out of the internet, social networking and Google to bring in more leads.

How to Make Twitter Work for Your Photography Business

I'm obsessed with social media, probably more than I should be. But it's also part of my day job, so I take in as much as I can learn about the subject. I Google everything, I no longer own a phone book because if I need to find something I just go online. As time goes on I believe more and more people will get most of their information via the web be it Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Now, I also believe that positive word of mouth is huge too, so don't think that I put all my eggs in the social media basket, but I do believe it helps.

I signed up for my Twitter account 6 months, 2 weeks, 5 days, 6 hours, 10 minutes, 9 seconds ago. And in that time I've Tweeted just over 1,100 times. I talk about everything, not just my photography business. I'm currently doing Biggest Loser at my day job and Tuesday mornings you can check my page and see what I weigh in at (I know, bold move). I talk about meeting up with other people I'm friends with on Twitter, the weather, sports, and just life in general. I think to talk solely about your business is missing out on a big part of the Twitter experience. I've gained some cool local followers who also own small businesses, met some great photographers who live on the other side of the country or world for that matter and get my daily dish on the celebrities I follow. I get the chance to learn about new sales and promotions from the vendors I use and also read new blog posts from marketing gurus I follow.

I'm currently looking for some dog models for a pet photography project I would like to do in the spring. I've already photographed most of my friend's dogs and wanted to meet some new pups and people. I created a blog post about what I was looking for and how to apply, then I Tweeted about it. One of the local pet groomers saw my Tweet and re-tweeted it to their followers. In turn, I had 3 local people send in their information! So for my 10-15 minutes to write the blog post and link it to Twitter I made contact with 3 people who didn't know about me prior. And best of all, I didn't have to spend a dime on marketing my project. I think 3 new local connections is a big deal. These people may or may not participate in my project, but they now will think of me if anyone they know is interested in pet photography.

So, if you're not on Twitter (or Facebook or LinkedIn for that matter) I think you should take the time and set-up an account. But, just like anything on the internet, make sure you only allow x amount of time a day or week for social networking. I've been caught in the trap a many of times that I plan on sitting down and working on something and end up on Facebook or Twitter for the entire evening.

If you do jump into Twitter, make sure you follow me and say hello! My Twitter page is http://twitter.com/DanielleNeil.

And if you're totally confused about Twitter, Mashable has a great Twitter Guide Book that will give you the basics and more on building your Twitter page and all the do's and don'ts. The Mashable Guide Book is completely free and has tons of useful information! Happy Tweeting!!

Always Great Customer Service at Portfoliositez!

I love, love, love the gang at Portfoliositez.com! I just upgraded to their new Jackson template and it's so cool!! There are so many advanced settings I haven't even gotten into half of them! I have to admit, I was getting pretty bored with my previous template, Dorthea. It worked, did it's job but I needed some freshening up on my site. I have been following Portfoliositez on Twitter and saw before the holidays that they were planning on a few new templates after the first of the year. The day Jackson was released, I signed up!

These guys are great. I purchased the upgrade on Friday and they had it posted to my site by Tuesday. I hit a few snags, probably more user error than anything else, and my support tickets were answered within 24 hrs (even on the weekend I got answers!). Every problem I had they had a solution or they checked and made the back-end fix for me. So in just over a week I was able to go live with the new site. It would have been quicker, but I was dragging my feet on re-sizing images for the galleries.

Some things I love about this new template - bigger photos!!! My last template the photos were what seemed like half the size of the new template. Plus this template re sizes based on the width of the viewer's monitor. So if they've got a giant screen - it fits, if they have a tiny laptop, it fits! You can directly link to each page in the flash website - which is fantastic if I'm blogging about something and what to direct my readers directly to that gallery! There is also a video option which I haven't had the chance to use yet. They also include a shopping cart, but since I already use PhotoCart and I'm happy with it, I can't give you details on the cart. With all the updated features and options I'm also hoping that the Jackson template will improve my SEO as well.

I HIGHLY suggest Portfoliositez for website templates. In the over two years I've been with them and the three template changes I've never had any problems and their CS is top notch! Be sure to check them out, they will be releasing more new templates in the next few weeks. Best part, when you become a customer, it's very inexpensive to change templates if a new one comes out that you love more than your current!!


Full Disclosure: commission on sale via my link.

Follow-up on SEO School

I really didn't expect to see any results so quickly from using the tips in the SEO School, but I have already in just a few weeks! If you didn't read my initial post about the ebook, check it out here. I redesigned my splash page using her suggestions for keywords, did some minor tweaking on my blog and splash page and I'm seeing a difference already!

I use WebsiteGrader.com as a very rough estimate of where my website ranks. I do not believe the Grader is 100% accurate but I do think it does help to show when you've made changes that are effective. I was in the low 60's prior to making the changes suggested in the SEO School, I'm now at an 84! But there are tons of ways to see how your page ranks, and while mine is still pretty low on the list. I have seen an improvement using the various free SEO checker programs out there. I'm still not ranking on the first three pages of Google for Columbus Ohio Photographer, but when I Google some of the suburbs that I work with I'm on page two and three, so I'm getting closer.

I'll continue to track the changes on my website over the next few months. There's a lot that I have changed that has yet to show results, but I have a feeling they are coming. I just ordered a template change of my current website. The new version from the girls over at Portfoliositez has improved SEO features, along with a few other cool upgrades. I can't wait to see the difference that will make as well. Once I get my new site up and running, I'll be sure to let everyone know about that as well.

ProPhoto Blog Theme - Version 3 Is Here!

I'm currently on version 2 of the ProPhoto Blog theme, but version 3 has been released! I'm holding out for a bit till I get a little more money in, but I'm pretty sure I'll be upgrading soon.

There's a huge list of new features available in this upgrade. The biggest new feature is the gallery slideshows. A huge feature is also the watermark overlay, you can add your custom watermark over any posted photograph with one click. They've also included new features with sidebars, widgets, social media icons and RSS feed image protection. There are tons of other great new additions and changes, too many to list here.

If you're new to ProPhoto, the Do It Yourself Package is $199 (this is the option I picked when I purchased) and the Handheld Installation is $279. If you're upgrading from version 2 of ProPhoto it's $89. Looking for a discount code for the theme? Use at DANNE232B checkout for an additional $10 off your purchase!


Full Disclosure: commission on ProPhoto Themes sold via coupon code.

SEO for Photographers - Totally Over My Head!

I've been on a mission for the last year to improve my Google rankings. Currently when I Google Columbus Ohio Photographer - there are 1,860,000 results. Yep, that's a lot of pages to be clicking though for clients to even come close to finding me!! I've done tons of research on SEO from better blogging to getting my splash page right. While I've learned a lot of information from my free (aka internet) research I knew I still missing out.

I was really, really tempted to pick up some new DVDs that are out there specifically for photographers. Till, *gasp* I realized they were over $1,000. What? I don't have that kind of money to improve my SEO! So, I passed on those. I'm sure they're great, but I'm also sure I don't want to spend that kind of money to find out!

So, I keep seeing this crazy Ninja SEO School icon when I'm on various blogs. Honestly, at first, I thought that it was just some lame paid for ad and who knows what silly ebook they were offering. Then I read a few reviews about it and thought what the heck, it's only $39. I can spend $39 way easier than $1,000+. So I ordered SEO School by Naomi Dinford of Itty Biz. This ebook is not for everyone! If you're offended by some profanity mixed in, then it's not for you. Naomi is pretty funny about it, but I wanted to make sure I warned you off the bat! Is this the be all end all of SEO? No. Will it help you to figure out what the heck to do. Yes.

Naomi does not say go to your wordpress or blogger blog go to xyz and do abc. So if you want a quick fix, keep on searching and if you find it, please call me asap and let me know! If it was that easy, we'd all be doing it! What she does do is explain how search engines work, Google in particular. There were some things that she talks about that I already knew, but there were other things I had no idea about. As I read the ebook I started making changes on my blog and website. Do I have results for you? Not yet, it's been too soon to see if the changes I made have worked. BUT from what I previously knew about SEO and how she explained everything, I'm pretty darn sure that it will help.

The SEO School - How to Become an SEO Ninja covers a few things: What search engines are looking for; how to find the right keywords for your business; the do's and don'ts of both optimizing your site and also optimizing links coming into your site; and a section for bloggers.

You do need to know how to do some minor tweaking to your site. If you're too scared to go into the back end of your blog or website or cannot update your own web template, then do not get this book. If you're fine with changing a few little things here and there (no major code writing involved) then I say go for it. This ebook is for any sort of business, so unlike a lot of other SEO tips and pointers for photographers, this is for anyone with a blog or website.

I've marked down where my blog and website were before I started making changes. I'll be tracking any improvements over the next few weeks and months and keeping everyone posted on how the SEO optimization is going for me!

Are You Tweeting?

I recently signed up for a Twitter account. Not that it's helping tons with finding new clients, but I love it for connecting with other photographers and various vendors that I use. I've been painfully trying to find my clients on it, but no such luck. Maybe Ohio folks aren't as hip to Twitter as some other areas. I did put my Twitter badge on my photography blog, for my clients that stop by the blog who want to find me on Twitter. If you're on there - be sure to follow me - @DanielleNeil. If you're not on there, you should be! It's a great way to get updates from vendors, follow your favorite photographers and of course chat with current friends. See you on Twitter!

Portfoliositez - Great Web Templates for Photogs!

I love the gals over at Portfoliositez - they made getting a web site up and running a total breeze for me! I've been with them for about 6 months and can't stop spreading the love about them.

I only have had 2 issues with my site, one being that music wouldn't upload and the other was that my logo was super small, when I sent it a support ticket they did a follow up email in less than 8 hours saying they would look into it and then had it fixed in less than a day. I told them it wasn't important as my site wasn't ready to go live, but they fixed up my issues asap. And checked in with me 2 times after the fix to make sure everything OK!

I've read a lot of bad things about other web site providers (I won't name names) and their customer service - but I must say Portfoliositez goes above and beyond to help their clients get their sites up and keeping them running!!

I was checking out their blog the other day and see that they now offer a "Andy" a blogsite! I'm kinda jealous and think I may need to look into that a little more. Although I am still in love with my template - Dorothea V2.

You can purchase your template only if you have your own hosting or you can host with them, not a bad deal! I'm not going to go into all the details of their sites but here are some of the features depending on the template that you select - unlimited galleries, videos, proofing areas, shopping cart, mini client sites, email database, ability to add music and customize colors. I could go on and on ... but I'll leave that up to you to see what they have that fits your needs.

Full Disclosure: commission on sale via my link.

MachForms - Build Your Own Online Forms

I've got to admit - I wasn't too sure how I was going to like Appnitro MachForms. A lot of other photographers on the various forums I'm on were raving about them and for only $39, I figured I'd check it out. I've been pleasantly surprised by the results.MarchForm is a self-hosted HTML form program that helps you to easily create online forms for your clients.

I have to admit, I was beyond confused about how to intall MachForm myself. So, I emailed them to set it up for me, which is FREE (my fave word) when you buy the product. You just fill out their online installation request form and they promise setup will be done in 2 business days of less. Once installation was complete the fun began in setting up my online forms. The interface lets you select what type of form field you'd like to add from single line text to multiple choice to address information. In less than 15 minutes I had my first form created. Then, you just click on the embed code button, get your HTML code and paste that into the page you want the form to show up on!

I keep my forms on my Wordpress, ProPhoto blog. The great part about having the forms on my Wordpress blog is that I can keep them password protected, so only the clients I give the password to can access them. I currently have forms for Senior Spokesmodels and also Pre-Senior Session Interviews. I plan on adding more forms in the future, I just haven't gotten around to them. You can set-up your forms so that they are emailed to you when completed by your clients.

There are a lot more options on the MachForms - so check out their website if you're looking for easy and green forms for your clients!