10 Of The Web’s Best Sidebars

10 Of The Web’s Best SidebarsProBlogger Blog Tips

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HomeBlogForumWorkbooksBookJobsMake MoneyArchivesWritten on 11/3/2011 at 10:29 am by Guest Blogger 10 Of The Web’s Best SidebarsFiled Under: Blog Design, Blog Promotion, Blogging for Dollars 52 Comments Tweet

This guest post is by the Blog Tyrant.

The sidebar is the second most important place on your site. It is where, after engaging with your content, people head over to subscribe to your list, follow you on Twitter, or buy your product.

It is vital that you get it right.

In this post I am going to show you some of the web’s best sidebars, and then talk about how you can improve yours with a goal to get more subscribers and conversions, and make more money.

NOTE: You might also like the best About Us pages and the best Contact Us pages.

Criteria for a great sidebar

So what makes a sidebar great? Well, I have come up with a few criteria over the years but, of course, I would love to hear if you can think of any others.

Above the fold: Do you know what I mean by above the fold? It’s everything you see before you scroll. Good sidebars have good stuff above the fold.Eye-catching, but not distracting: The sidebar needs to be eye-catching in that it gets people to interact, but not so much that people forget about your content.Takes readers deeper: The sidebar should take people deeper into your blog or site. It should get them to subscribe or convert them in some other way. That is the purpose of true navigation.

Of course there are more but these are the ones that really do it for me. After all, the whole purpose of the blog’s sidebar is to increase conversions.

The 10 best sidebars on the Web

Okay so let’s get into those sidebars. Here are the ones that I thought ticked the most boxes and really helped their users navigate their way towards a sale or a conversion, while still providing a fantastic user experience.

1. Tumblr Staff Blog

The Tumblr Staff blog is really cool because they show you the faces and personalities of everyone who works there.


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7 Reasons Why Competition is Good

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Blog Tips 33 Comments Tweet

This guest post is by Sean Houser of StartByDoing.com.

I hear a lot of talk directed at new bloggers. Things like, “Stay out of competitive niche markets when you’re blogging. Find smaller, less competitive niches, it’s easier to establish yourself and make money.”

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How to Attract Your Perfect Reader

Filed Under: Blogging for Dollars, Writing Content 38 Comments Tweet

This guest post is by James Chartrand is the owner of Men with Pens.

One of the greatest challenges of writing for your business is figuring out your ideal reader.

It’s tempting to think that everyone will read your work

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What I Learned as a Bestselling Author that Can Equip You for Blogging Success

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Blog Tips 37 Comments Tweet

This guest post is by Peter G. James Sinclair of selfdevelopmentmastermind.com.

When I was only 14 years of age I was handed a set of lyrics from an adult friend demanding that I should add a melody to bring the words to life musically. I’d never written a song in my life, but his belief in me allowed me to produce my first masterpiece.

This then led to hundreds of original lyrics over the next ten years that culminated in a number of professional recordings.

I learned the power of concise

The habit of writing lyrics for songs sharpened my talents for writing concisely about the subject matter of each song.

This then led to writing articles for magazines, journals, and newsletters, but I always knew that I had a book within me.

I learned the power of persistence

I wrote three books over time and submitted them to the publishing fraternity all over the country and even overseas.

I often laugh when people ask me for the names of literary agents or publishers. My response? “I know them all. They all rejected me.”

But then I decided to write book number four. I gave it to my finest critic

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Get Your Blog World Expo Fix Here [#BWELA]

Over the last couple of days I’ve been in Los Angeles getting my annual fix of the wonderful Blog World Expo conference.

I wrote about why I come to BWE a few weeks ago but this year has been a great event. I’ve had a less hectic speaking session than usual which has allowed me to attend a heap of sessions. With still a full day to go I’ve already come away with pages of notes and ideas that I need to go home and put into action.

I also had a blast yesterday giving one of the track keynotes – the feedback was wonderful. I talked about blogging from the Heart

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Fiverr Outsourcing Tips for Bloggers

Recently I’ve been a part of a great discussion on a few blogging forums where we’ve talked about Fiverr. Fiverr is a website where, for $5, you can get a variety of tasks completed. For bloggers, particularly those starting out, outsourcing some of your blog to a third party may seem to be a luxury you can ill afford. However, with Fiverr, you outsource for small tasks (known as “gigs”) to individuals.

The forum and myself have gained results, some good, some not so good, from the site. As a result, here are the five things I’ve learned from Fiverr.com.

1. Use it to test software

There is a plethora of blogging software on the market, from ebook creators to social bookmarking software. How do you know which get results? I use Fiverr.

Use the search box to search for the name of the piece of software, and you will get a list of people who will offer to run the piece of software on your behalf. I use this with various link-building pieces of software (such as directory and article submission software). If I get a stream of links back from them, then I know the software is good, and I’ll probably buy it.

Secondly if you need to do something once or twice (such as create an ebook cover from a static image), it can be more cost effective to buy the work off Fiverr than purchase the software yourself.

2. Combine “gigs” to get what you want

A good friend of mine told me about this idea. Basically, a number of Fiverr gigs (particularly an audio track or a video message) are offered on a time-limited basis. Say you want a two-minute narration of a video, but the buyer only has one-minute slots. Simply buy two one-minute gigs from them.

Most are okay with doing two minute jobs; you can also contact the seller to ask if they’ll give you a bulk discount. I’d recommend this if you are need a longer piece done

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Why Bloggers Should Meditate

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Blog Tips 40 Comments Tweet

This guest post is by Orna Ross.

If you’re a blogger, you should meditate. That’s the conclusion of a flurry of recent research from the fields of psychology and neuroscience.

Willpower, discipline, and hard work may squeeze your blog post out. But if you want to produce words and ideas with ease, if you want to revel in the joy that makes it all worthwhile, and if you want to be as good as you can be, you need to know how to nurture inspiration, detach from daily distress, and cultivate creative mind states.

For all of this, meditation is the best tool in your pack.

What is meditation?

A meditation is a moment

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