101 Fashion Tips and Tricks That Will Change Your Life

When it comes to fashion tips, it sometimes seems that everyone and their mother (literally!) has tried-and-true style advice they absolutely swear by. Some are useful, while others … well, not so much. With that in mind, we’ve culled 101 style tips from the best: designers, lifestyle experts and, of course, our staff. Trust us: With these gems, you’ll be well on your way to living your most stylish life.

101. Despite what it says on the tag, cashmere is best washed by hand. To dry it, use a salad spinner, which releases excess water in seconds.
100. Use white wine to remove red wine stains.
99. Wash new jeans twice before taking them to the tailor. Why? Because jeans will always shrink in length when washed.
98. To stop angora or mohair from shedding, fold the garment and place it into a zip-top bag and freeze it for at least three hours.
97. Remove odors from vintage or thrift clothing by spritzing them with a mixture of one part vodka, two parts water.
96. “Remove white deodorant marks from a garment by gently rubbing the protective foam used on hangers against the fabric.” — Jonathan Simkhai, designer
95. If you get an oil stain on your favorite handbag, coat the mark with baby powder and let it stand overnight. By morning, the stain should be gone. If a bit still remains, repeat the process until the stain is completely gone.

94. The best at-home method to keep diamonds sparkling: liquid dishwasher detergent and an old toothbrush.
93. The secret to well-fitting everyday clothes is Lycra. The formulas to look for: 95% cotton/5% Lycra spandex for T-shirts, and at least 2% Lycra for jeans to hold their shape.
92. “Always organize your clothes going light to dark from left to right in your closet. Your eye will follow the color and thus help you stay organized.” — Melanie Charlton Fascitelli, Founder, Clos-ette and Clos-ette Too.
90. Wondering about the quality of your cashmere? Gently stretch the body of the garment to see if it snaps back. A lower-quality cashmere won’t.

J. Crew

89. “If you don’t have time to try on jeans in the store, try the Neck Method: You can determine your size by placing the waistline of the jeans around the diameter of your neck. If the waistline of the pant comfortably meets at back of your neck, then the jeans will fit.”— Sarah Ahmed, Creative Director, DL1961 Premium Denim
88. Cut down your closet by 25% by asking yourself this one question: “If I were shopping right this second, would I buy this?” If the answer’s no, out it goes. — Melanie Charlton Fascitelli, Founder, Clos-ette and Clos-ette Too.
87. “Never put your swimwear in the washing machine, and always hand dry. The machine will damage the suit and it will lose its elasticity. The only exception: At the end of the summer or vacation, wash your swimwear in lingerie washing bags on the gentle cycle with a bit if Drift or Woolite. But only after many wears.” —Shoshanna Gruss, Designer

86. To drop bloat five days before a big event, stay away from dairy and whole grains, which can do a number on the digestive system.
85. A useful style tip: While fake designer bags are a huge don’t, fake diamond studs are a huge do. Faux stones are hard to spot to the untrained eye.
84. Dressy occasions aren’t the time to play with trends, so know your silhouette and stick to it to always look your best. Perfect example: Sofia Vergara knows she looks good in mermaid dresses, and always chooses variations of the shape on red carpets.
83. “Never put a garment on immediately after ironing, as this can actually cause new wrinkles to form. Instead, let it sit for five minutes to set the press.” — Althea Harper, Designer and Rowenta Brand Ambassador
82. The best way to de-fuzz a sweater: use a pumice stone.

81. Snap clip-on earrings onto flats for an instant evening shoe, or onto shirt collars for DIY embellishments.
80. If you get wax on a piece of clothing, layer wax paper over the hardened wax and then run an iron over it to loosen it up. Once you pull off the paper, the wax should come right out with it.
79. Pour a dash of vodka into vase water to extend the life of your flowers.
78. Spray tights with sticky (read: cheap) hairspray to avoid holes and runs.

77. To clean dirt off suede, remove the crust from a piece of bread and allow it to become stale. Gently rub dirt and stains with the edge of the stale bread, and they’ll disappear. To de-scuff suede, use an eraser or nail file.

76. Shopping for a wedding dress or another big-event outfit? Head to the store with makeup on, proper undergarments, and your hair semi-done to get a better sense of how it’ll look.
75. Double-stick tape work to shorten a hem in a pinch if you can’t get to the tailor before an event.
74. Blot, don’t rub, when you spill something on your clothes. Wiping or rubbing will actually further ingrain the stain into the weave.
73. “Panty lines are not okay! Every woman should invest in nude, seamless underwear.” — Giuliana Rancic, HSN designer and E! host
72. If you don’t feel like trying on a dress but still want to see where the hem will hit you, align the shoulder seam exactly with your shoulder bone (not your collarbone).
71. Repurpose old or thrift sweaters and blankets by using them to reupholster a throw pillow, a chair seat or cover a stool.
70. “Use hairspray to remove a lipstick stain.” – Kaelen Haworth, designer, KAELEN

69. Add a 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to the final rinse cycle while doing laundry to maintain the wash of your favorite pair of dark jeans.
68. To stretch tight shoes, fill two freezer bags with water and place into each shoe. Let it freeze overnight. As the water freezes, it’ll gently expand your shoes.
67. Frame vintage scarves for cool original artwork.

66. Due to its high level of surfactants, Dawn dish detergent is especially successful at removing grease and oil stains from clothing. 65. “A flattering silhouette begins with the right underpinnings. Never underestimate the power of Spanx—they’re a girl’s best friend!” — Lucy Sykes Rellie, Fashion Director, Rent the Runway
64. Revamp an old coat by swapping out the buttons and having a tailor replace the lining with something eye-catching, like a pattern or a bright color.
63. When getting jeans shortened, always ask your tailor to reattach the original hem. It may cost extra, but it’s worth it.

62. If blush or bronzer breaks in your handbag, pre-moistened makeup removing wipes will clean up the loose powder flawlessly.
61. Break in stiff or too-snug shoes by slipping them on with socks and blasting your feet with a hot hairdryer.

Coffee, Light & Sweet

60. Hang a shoe bag on the back of your bathroom door and use it to hold makeup, toiletries, brushes, hair ties, etc.
59. A vintage trunk not only makes a stylish coffee table, but it can also house shoes and clothing you rarely wear.
58. “To remove watermarks from leather boots, add a few drops of vinegar to a bowl of cool water and scrub the stains with a soft bristle brush until stains are no longer visible. Let dry overnight.” — Daryl Carr, Marketing Coordinator, Stetson
57. To stop squeaky shoes, remove the insole and apply Vaseline or WD-40 before replacing it.
56. To determine if pearls are real, lightly rub them over your teeth. Fake pearls will be perfectly smooth, and real ones will feel slightly gritty or textured.
55. When you’re shopping for a jacket, coat, or blazer, pay attention to the fit around the shoulders. While a tailor can tweak pretty much everything about the fit of a jacket—from tapering the waist to shortening it—they can’t change the shoulders. Make sure the seams sit perfectly at the bony tops of your shoulders.
54. Chic up a sporty puffer vest by cinching the waist with a skinny belt.
53. Unless they’re cropped or tapered, pant hems should just graze the tops of your shoes and be from 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch off the floor.
52. Always dry-clean coats before storing them, and place on cedar hangers inside cloth garment bags. This preserves the fabric and keeps moths away.
51. If you have a small closet, never keep your shoes in clunky shoeboxes. Instead, always line up them on the floor.
50. Going to a winter wedding or formal event? Try wearing a sleeveless fur vest as a top, cinching it with a skinny belt or piece of ribbon and pairing it with a floor-length skirt.

49. How to care for fur at home: “Pass the fur with a hairbrush and steam it for added bounce, volume and shine.” —Eran Elfassy, Co-Creative Director, Mackage

Getty Images

48. “Marquise ring shapes help to create the illusion of longer, more slender fingers, even on small wide hands. Pear or oval stones are also flattering.” — Carol Brodie, Fine Jewelry Designer, HSN’s Rarities: Fine Jewelry with Carol Brodie
47. Everyday bras should be replaced every three to six months, as that’s when they start to lose elasticity and support.
46. Ideally, a pencil skirt should hit just at the top of your knee. Any lower and it will start to shorten your leg.
45. Pants a bit too tight? Let them air dry and stretch the waistband by hand (or with a hairdryer) while they’re still damp.

44. Still look chic while showing some skin: If you’re wearing a miniskirt or shorts, cover up on top. If your top is skimpy, go for full-coverage bottoms.
45. Don’t underestimate the power of a well-fitting, stylish winter coat. You can be wearing pajamas underneath and you’ll still look perfectly put together.
44. Windex restores the glossy sheen on patent leather without doing any damage.
43. Fold jeans like a pro: Lay jeans on a flat surface, fold in half from left to right. Grab the stacked jean legs and fold them in half so the hem of the jeans lines up with the waistband. Fold the jeans in half one more time.

42. The power of a silk pillowcase isn’t a myth: Not only do they prevent “sleep crease,” they’re much, much gentler on your skin and hair.
41. “The best way to store fashion jewelry, including Sterling Silver, is in Ziploc bags. This helps pieces retain luster and reduces tarnishing and scratches.”—Jordann Weingartner, Founder, I Love Jewelry Auctions
40. If the garment you’re ironing has delicate buttons or detailing, cover them with the bowl of a metal spoon and press the surrounding fabric.
39. Don’t buy items you know you won’t properly care for. For example, if you know you’re never going to hand-wash that delicate cami or beaded sweater, don’t buy it.

38. “Pair flirty, feminine dresses with masculine spectator shoes for an effortless and unexpected look.” — Gabriella Perezutti, Designer, Candela
37. To achieve the perfectly effortless cuffed sleeve, keep the top button (which is called the gauntlet) buttoned while you roll.

36. V-neck sweaters and tees give the illusion of a longer torso.
35. Spritzed a bit too much perfume on yourself this morning? Use unscented, oil-based makeup remover to remove excess perfume.
34. Tend to wear certain leather shoes without socks? Always stuff them with a soft cloth when you’re done wearing them. This absorbs moisture and help the shoes keep their shape.
33. “Hoop earrings are a classic style that every woman—regardless of age—should have, but the type depends on your face. If you have a thin face, go for larger round or embellished hoops. If you have a round face an elongated hoop or drop style is best.” —Elena Kiam, Creative Director, Lia Sophia

32. Freeze jeans inside a plastic bag for two days to zap odor without running them through the washing machine.

31. Looking for an easy trick to make your bare legs look longer? Try pumps the same color of your skin, which gives give the illusion that your legs extend a few extra inches.

30. Wrap an empty bottle of your favorite perfume in a handkerchief and tuck it into your underwear drawer for a subtle scent.
29. Heat can warp your glasses frames, so always keep them in a hard case and never wear them on your head on a hot day.
28. Spray shirts prone to sweat stains with lemon juice before washing. The natural acid dissolves alkaline sweat reside that could cause yellow discoloration.
27. “It’s a myth that loose styles flatter a large bust or a plus-size woman. The area just under the bust is a woman’s smallest torso measurement, so emphasizing it with a structured waistband that hits higher than your natural waist will make you look a size smaller. —BG Krishnan, President, eShakti.com

26. Use shaving cream and a washcloth to remove liquid makeup from shirt collars.
25. A modern trick to looking like the most effortlessly stylish girl in the room: Pair dressy bottoms (a velvet maxi, a leather or beaded skirt, silk pants) with a worn gray crew-neck sweatshirt or T-shirt.

24. When it doubt, always choose the smaller denim size, since jeans stretch with wear.
23. “Never dry a wet shoe with heat. Let it dry naturally in open air. Heat will dry out leather and the lifespan of the shoe will be cut in half.” —Jordan Adoni, Designer, Modern Vice
22. The easiest way to make your closet look organized: Buy all the same hangers for everything–same color, same shape.
21. Before bed, pour two or three tablespoons of baking soda into sweaty workout sneakers and tilt the shoe to distribute the soda evenly. This will eat any odor and absorb perspiration.

20. “For guaranteed weight loss, I advise people to follow my A, B, C’s – no Alcohol, Bread or processed Carbs.”—David Kirsch, celebrity trainer and fitness guru.
19. To prevent clothing from wrinkling in a suitcase, fold everything in plastic dry cleaning bags.
18. If you can’t fit two fingers underneath your bra band comfortably, it’s probably too tight.
17. Pile on good accessories—scarves, sunglasses, hats, statement jewelry—to instantly transform even the most basic outfit.

ImaxTree

16. Confused about laundry settings? Remember this: The hotter the water, the cleaner the clothing will be. While warm water is fine for most clothes, linens and dirty white clothing are best washed in hot water to remove germs and heavy soil. Cold water is usually used for delicates.
15. A structured hat should rest about 1/8 to a 1/2-inch above the ears.
14. After a shower, use your hairdryer to de-mist bathroom mirrors in seconds.

13. A good tip when cleaning out your closet: Ask a friend whose style you admire to come over and help. She/he might offer new insight on how to wear certain items before you toss them.
12. It might sound “budget,” but a hot glue gun works amazingly well to hem skirts, pants and even jeans in a pinch.
11. Looking for uses for all the single socks you’ve amassed while doing laundry? When you’ve got aches or pains, fill a sock with dry beans or rice and pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Voila, an instant (and free) heating pad.
10. Wear your new real leather jacket in the rain to break it in. Water will soften up the leather and allow it to stretch and crease at specific points on your body.

9. Who has the time to hand wash bras? Machine wash them in cold water in a mesh zipper bag and drape them over a hanger to air dry.
8. Use a lemon wedge to remove excess or streaky self-tanner.
7. Track lighting is possible even for the tiniest closet: Buy a track kit, screw it into the ceiling, run the wire down the wall and plug it into the nearest outlet. Not only will you see all your clothes better, but you’ll feel like you have a more luxurious closet.

6. Invest in silk or satin pillowcases to keep your hair from breaking during the night. (They also keep your skin looking smoother than rough cotton cases!)
5. If you’re unsure about an impulse or sale purchase, leave it at the store. If you’re still thinking about it when you wake up the next day, buy it.
4. Have a sequin garment you don’t wear anymore? Remove the sequins and sprinkle them into a vase of flowers. Gorgeous!

3. A good shoemaker can fully rebuild your favorite pair, even if the arch is cracked.
2. To coax a loose thread back into place, gently tug at the stitches to the sides of the pull as well as above and below
1. There’s nothing cooler than sticking to a signature style you know looks good on you. Slaves to fashion are never chic!

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8 Ways To Make Your Blog Better 

by Zaheer Khan..

Blogging Tips

As bloggers, we all want to make our online homes the best they can be. We want to make sure the content appeals to our visitors, that the design is attractive and the functionality is top notch. It’s easy to overlook things when we get so wrapped up in creating and tweaking elements so that they work well for us, but often times we forget about those new visitors.

Keep your visitor’s experience in mind

A lot of new bloggers make the mistake of creating a blog that only appeals to them. It can be tempting to develop an online space that really speaks to you individually, but it’s extremely important to sometimes put your visitor’s preferences above your own. Design wise, try to think of your blog as if you are a first time visitor who knows absolutely nothing about who you are. What links would you want to be prominent? Is everything easy to find? Your blog is like a virtual introduction to a stranger, so make sure it is a good one to keep them coming back!

Create a clutter free space

With an abundance of widgets and features available at your fingertips, a great layout can easily become cluttered with too much “stuff”. Before you add any additional gadgets, ask yourself if it will benefit your blog or your visitor’s experience in any way. If it won’t, forget about it!

Create a posting schedule

You don’t need to be posting new content every single day, especially if you are a solo blogger. In fact, you really should be following the 80/20 rule and creating content 20% of the time, while promoting it 80% of the time. Create your own posting schedule and decide when you will publish new content, whether it be once or twice a week, or at a certain time each day. Fill the vacant days with promotion strategies to get that content in front of more eyeballs.

Utilize great headlines

Your post titles and headlines are probably the most important piece of the blogging puzzle. They not only help greatly with SEO, but they also have the ability to attract more visitors depending on your wording. Experiment with long-tail keywords in your headlines and make sure they are relevant to the post. The visitor should know exactly what they are about to read before diving in.

Show your personality

A lot of bloggers make the mistake of trying to mimic other bloggers in the way they post and the tone they use. This tends to leave your writing a little less authentic and lacking in your own personality. Try to show what makes you unique through your writing style. This can take some time, as it’s sometimes tough to convey your personality through written words, but once you master it, it will come naturally.

Focus on certain topics

Not everyone needs to have a niche blog, but if you try to focus on certain topics, you’ll find that you’ll be attracting more people. It really comes down to what you want your blog to be about. From there, you can decide which areas you will cover frequently. In doing this, you’ll find that a lot of content ideas just might not make sense for your overall blog vibe and will be able to concentrate more on the topics that make your blog what it is.

Take time to learn

Sure, you could just sit back and publish posts every day, but taking the time to learn more about blogging and technical aspects in particular can go a long way! You’re already reading this article, so I assume that you are eager to learn more about blogging. If you ever come across a question, a glitch, or a feature you’d like to implement, take some time to actually research the answer instead of looking for an easy solution or relying on someone else for help. Hands on trial and error is one of the best ways to learn a new skill.

Create a to-do list

An ongoing list of actions to complete can help you stay on top of your blog. My brand new book, The Ultimate Blogger To-Do List takes the trouble out of coming up with tasks to improve your blog. It is filled with tips and actions just like these ones that will help you launch your blog to the next level, while improving your site’s functionality, design, and promotion techniques. It’s basically like a big sticky note full of reminders that you hadn’t even thought of yet. For more information,
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How To Add a Contact Form on a Blogger Blog 

by Zaheer Khan..

Having a contact page on your blog is highly important. It is how visitors, brands, and companies can reach you and it’s something that every blogger should have. If sharing your email address on your blog is not your cup of tea, a contact form can serve as an easy way for others to get in touch.

If you do go the route of using a contact form, I do suggest that you also include an email address on the Contact page as well. You can set one up specifically for your blog if you don’t want your personal email address to be seen. The reason I believe this is so important to offer both options is because most brands and companies will not fill out a contact form to contact you. They usually want to email you through their own email client and add you to their contacts.
Adding a contact form to Blogger can be done with a few coding tweaks. Blogger actually offers a free contact form for your blog, unfortunately they’ve made it as a Gadget and placed it on the Layout page so that it is added to your sidebar. Not the ideal place for a contact form, if you ask me! It should be situated on its own page, so here’s how to set it up that way:

Adding a Contact Form to Blogger

Step 1 – First, go to the Layout page in Blogger and click an Add a Gadget link. From the popup, choose More Gadgets in the sidebar and then select Contact Form and add it. It doesn’t matter where it ends up in your sidebar right now, since we are going to modify that and make it look nice!

2. Now, visit your Customize > Edit HTML page.
Click inside of the editor textarea and press CTRL+F (CMD+F on a Mac) and in the search bar type ContactForm then hit enter.
It should find the code below. Click the black down arrow to the left of:

<b:widget id='ContactForm1' locked='false' title='Contact Form' type='ContactForm'>

then click the down arrow again beside:

<b:includable id='main'>

if they are not already open.

3. You will see this code:

<b:includable id='main'>
  <b:if cond='data:title != &quot;&quot;'>
    <h2 class='title'><data:title/></h2>
  </b:if>
  <div class='contact-form-widget'>
    <div class='form'>
      <form name='contact-form'>
        <p/>
        <data:contactFormNameMsg/>
        <br/>
        <input class='contact-form-name' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_contact-form-name&quot;' name='name' size='30' type='text' value=''/>
        <p/>
        <data:contactFormEmailMsg/> <span style='font-weight: bolder;'>*</span>
        <br/>
        <input class='contact-form-email' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_contact-form-email&quot;' name='email' size='30' type='text' value=''/>
        <p/>
        <data:contactFormMessageMsg/> <span style='font-weight: bolder;'>*</span>
        <br/>
        <textarea class='contact-form-email-message' cols='25' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_contact-form-email-message&quot;' name='email-message' rows='5'/>
        <p/>
        <input class='contact-form-button contact-form-button-submit' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_contact-form-submit&quot;' expr:value='data:contactFormSendMsg' type='button'/>
        <p/>
        <div style='text-align: center; max-width: 222px; width: 100%'>
          <p class='contact-form-error-message' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_contact-form-error-message&quot;'/>
          <p class='contact-form-success-message' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_contact-form-success-message&quot;'/>
        </div>
      </form>
    </div>
  </div>
  <b:include name='quickedit'/>
</b:includable>

Delete everything shown in red so you should just be left with:

<b:includable id='main'></b:includable>

4. Do a new search, this time looking for ]]></b:skin> and pasting this code directly before it:

/*CUSTOM CONTACT FORM BY ICANBUILDABLOG.COM */
.contact-form-widget {
margin-left:auto;
margin-right:auto;
width: 600px;
max-width: 100%;
padding: 0px;
color: #000;
}
.fm_name, .fm_email {
float:left;
padding:5px;
width:48%
}
.fm_message {
padding:5px;
}
.contact-form-name, .contact-form-email {
width: 100%;
max-width: 100%;
margin-bottom: 10px;
height:40px;
padding:10px;
font-size:16px;
}
.contact-form-email-message {
width:100%;
max-width: 100%;
height:100px;
margin-bottom:10px;
padding:10px;
font-size:16px;
}
.contact-form-button-submit {
border-color: #C1C1C1;
background: #E3E3E3;
color: #585858;
width: 20%;
max-width: 20%;
margin-bottom: 10px;
height:30px;
font-size:16px;
}
.contact-form-button-submit:hover{
background: #ffffff;
color: #000000;
border: 1px solid #FAFAFA;
}

5. Save the template then go to Pages to create a new Contact page if you haven’t got one already. In the page editor, switch to HTML mode and paste the following:

<div class="widget ContactForm" id="ContactForm1">
<div class="contact-form-widget">
<div class="form">
<form name="contact-form">
<div class="fm_name">
Your Name:
<input class="contact-form-name" id="ContactForm1_contact-form-name" name="name" size="30" type="text" value="" /></div>
<div class="fm_email">
E-mail Address *:
<input class="contact-form-email" id="ContactForm1_contact-form-email" name="email" size="30" type="text" value="" /></div>
<div style="clear:both">
</div>
<div class="fm_message">
Message *:
<textarea class="contact-form-email-message" cols="25" id="ContactForm1_contact-form-email-message" name="email-message" rows="5"></textarea>
<input class="contact-form-button contact-form-button-submit" id="ContactForm1_contact-form-submit" type="button" value="Submit" />
<div class="contact-form-error-message" id="ContactForm1_contact-form-error-message">
</div>
<div class="contact-form-success-message" id="ContactForm1_contact-form-success-message">
</div>
</div>
</form>
</div>
</div>
</div>

6. Save your page and view your new contact form! It should look like this:

Since this uses the Blogger Gadget interface, the emails sent using this form will be sent to the email associated with your account. You can change this email address in the Admin settings of your blog.

11 AdSense Tips And Tricks to Maximize Your Earning Potential

AdSense is a great tool for monetizing your website. Unfortunately, a large number of users fall prey to some common mistakes and never even realize that they’re functioning way below their maximum earning potential.
Here are a few AdSense tips that will help you optimize your website for both higher revenue and an enhanced user experience.

• 1. A/B test your ad units
• 2. Use multiple ad units to maximize conversion
• 3. Limit the number of ads above the fold
• 4. Optimize the color impact of text ad units
• 5. Create and implement responsive ads
• 6. Link your AdSense and Analytics accounts
• 7. Keep your design and content user-focused
• 8. Publish high-quality content on a regular basis
• 9. Build an audience before setting up AdSense
• 10. Go easy with the blocking and filtering
• 11. Keep yourself updated

1. A/B test your ad units

Experimenting allows you to pit one variation of ad settings against another variation and select the one that performs the best. You can compare the performance of text-only ad units to ad units that have both text and display enabled, or analyze the effect of changing the color of ad text on ad performance, or determine the impact on your revenue by serving ads in the sensitive and/or general categories.
Although you need a little tech-savvy to navigate your way through the entire process of preparing your experiment, creating your experiment, monitoring your experiment, and finally choosing your winner—it’s all well worth the effort.
(Note: If you’re looking for a smarter, automated solution for this, you could try out our advanced A/B testing software, which automatically creates ad multiple variations for you and then selects the combination that performs the best.)

2. Use multiple ad units to maximize conversion

A simple way to bump up your AdSense click rate and revenue is to place ad units of more than one type (AdSense for content, link, and search) and in different sizes on your pages. This way, your users are served more ads from Google’s large ad inventory, increasing the probability that they will end up clicking on one of them.
Make sure that the best-located ad on your web page shows up first in your HTML code. This will ensure that your most visible ad real-estate is taken by ads that place the highest in the auction—increasing your revenue.
And remember to adhere to the AdSense maximum ad policy, which is up to three AdSense for content units, up to three link units, and up to two search units on each page, to avoid having your account banned.

3. Limit the number of ads above the fold

In web design terminology, “above the fold” refers to the portions of a web page that are visible without scrolling. When too many ad units are placed above the fold, users get turned off because finding the content that they came in for, gets difficult, and the tendency to exit the page increases. As a result of this, Google now penalizes such pages. Here’s an excerpt from the Google Webmaster Central blog:

“As we’ve mentioned previously, we’ve heard complaints from users that if they click on a result and it’s difficult to find the actual content, they aren’t happy with the experience. Rather than scrolling down the page past a slew of ads, users want to see content right away. So sites that don’t have much content “above-the-fold” can be affected by this change. If you click on a website and the part of the website you see first either doesn’t have a lot of visible content above-the-fold or dedicates a large fraction of the site’s initial screen real estate to ads, that’s not a very good user experience. Such sites may not rank as highly going forward.
We understand that placing ads above-the-fold is quite common for many websites; these ads often perform well and help publishers monetize online content. This algorithmic change does not affect sites that place ads above-the-fold to a normal degree, but affects sites that go much further to load the top of the page with ads to an excessive degree or that make it hard to find the actual original content on the page. This new algorithmic improvement tends to impact sites where there is only a small amount of visible content above-the-fold or relevant content is persistently pushed down by large blocks of ads.“

4. Optimize the color impact of text ad units

Experimenting with the color of text ad units is essential to increasing their visibility. An ad style that work on a light website theme may look too bright and distracting on a darker one, turning users away not only from the ad but from the web page.
For the most unobtrusive user experience, match the background and border color of the ad unit to the background of the page where the ad will be placed.
For a more distinct ad, match background and border colors to your website, but don’t match them exactly to where the ads are placed. Try out different styles and measure ad performance over time to settle on the best performing format.

5. Create and implement responsive ads

This ties into a larger point of implementing a responsive design on your website (which is something you really need to do if you’re running a website in 2015). Wikipedia explains responsive design as follows:

“Responsive web design (RWD) is an approach to web design aimed at crafting sites to provide an optimal viewing experience—easy reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing, mobile phones).”

Last year, Comscore reported that mobile platforms — smartphones and tablets — combined account for 60% of total digital media time spent, up from 50% a year ago. If your website is not optimized for these devices, you’re missing out on a big opportunity to capture this audience.
So what does this have to do with AdSense, you ask? Well, AdSense plays well with responsive design, and allows you to generate codes for responsive ad units, which automatically resize themselves to offer the best viewing experience to the mobile audience. Do this now because that 60% is a number that’s only going to go north.

6. Link your AdSense and Analytics accounts

Linking your AdSense and Google Analytics accounts gives you access to AdSense metrics such as revenue, clicks, and impressions which you can add to your favorite analytics reports to get a better understanding of how well your pages or content is monetizing.
This data can assist in optimizing your site such as the optimal ad load or what type of content to focus on.
Once you’ve linked your properties, you can use insights from Analytics to refine and optimize your AdSense ad units, improving the overall performance of your website.

7. Keep your design and content user-focused

In the mad race to increase ad revenues, it’s easy to lose sight of the real goal of why your website or business exists in the first place—to provide value to users.
Use a judicial mix of ads and content so that users are not overwhelmed by the former. Sometimes ads are placed haphazardly on the web page and in between content without any thought to usability or aesthetics.
Even Google says that to get the most of your account, you should first consider the user and then think about anything else. Doing it the other way around is like putting the horse before the cart, it’s never going to work.

8. Publish high-quality content on a regular basis

This really is the big one, the other points are all just tweaks in one way or another—but when it comes to AdSense earnings, content really is the king.
Simply put: No traffic, no money; more traffic, more money.
But this is always easier said than done. It helps to publish content about a topic that you’re both interested in and have some level of expertise in, as people will then be more likely to view you as an influencer on your topic.
Google’s algorithm rewards websites that publish content on a regular basis with a higher ranking, and consequently, higher traffic—so make sure your publishing is more predictable than erratic.
Finally, going the extra mile to optimize your content for search engines can yield great results in terms of organic traffic, especially, in the long run.

9. Build an audience before setting up AdSense

Though it may be tempting to set up AdSense on your website right after you’ve published the first piece of content—the temptation is best avoided.
Cluttering your website with ads before anybody really knows about it will likely put visitors off, and consequently, they’ll be less likely to share or link to it. This limits your ability to emerge as an authority in your niche.
Focus instead, on winning a sizable audience in terms of email subscribers, RSS readers, and monthly visitors before you start displaying ads.

10. Go easy with the blocking and filtering

Each ad that you block by URL will be one more ad that won’t be bidding for space on your website in the auction—effectively reducing the earning potential of that ad space.
Furthermore, advertisers whose ads you block may decide that they don’t want to advertize with you in the future. The same thing happens when you filter out entire categories, but on a larger scale. Don’t block ads unless it’s absolutely necessary.

11. Keep yourself updated

Subscribe to the official Google Inside AdSense blog, so that you’re always up-to-date with the latest news about the platform from the creators themselves.
Apart from this, the Google help center has this brilliant AdSense optimization overview that you could look at and take ideas from to get more mileage out of your AdSense account.
There’s also a free online course that Google runs, which aims help publishers earn more money from their website.
If you just follow the links mentioned here and treat them as your guide to AdSense, you’d do better than 90% of the people using the system.
What are some of the things you do to optimize your earnings from AdSense? Share in the comments and let us know.

Top 10 Blogging Tips for Beginners

Top 10 Blogging Tips for Beginners

by Zaheer Khan..

I'm excited to finally get this post written! I frequently get emails asking for advice on starting a blog, and I always wish I had the time to respond with a really helpful answer, more than just a paragraph. Now I can direct readers to this post. There's obviously a lot more I can learn about blogging, but I definitely have a few thoughts I can share. One of these days I'll do a post about blogging beyond the basics. Until then...

Next page: Write What You Love

WRITE WHAT YOU LOVE

What is your blog about? Cooking? Parenting? Crafting? Government? Boogers? Whatever it is, make sure it's "you." Maintaining a blog is a lot of work, and if you don't love boogers enough to write about them several days a week -- until the end of time (or you quit) -- don't start. If you don't have the passion for your topic, you don't have much to offer your readers... and, they will soon be gone.
I personally LOVE coming up with ideas and giving advice. I always have. It may sound weird to some, but that is "me." When I get a phone call from a friend in need of ideas or advice, I get a rush. Really. That's how much I like it. People ask me all the time if I ever worry that I'll run out of things to write about, or ideas to share on the blog, and I can easily say "no." I feel confident that I can spew out ideas for the rest of forever, assuming I'm never bound by duck tape and gagged with a smelly sock. That may be a big assumption. Clearly, a blog about ideas would suit me well. And it has.
So, think about where your passion lies, and blog about it. One word of caution I have is to not get caught up in the linky party or giveaway trap in an effort to gain readers. I've seen several great blogs quickly go downhill because they became obsessed with hosting giveaways and linky parties. Their content suffers and I don't know about everyone else, but I take off in a flash. See ya. It's fun to host giveaways every once in a while. It's fun to host linky parties every once in a while. But unless you are a blog dedicated to those things, that is NOT why the majority of your readers are coming to you. They are coming for your content; to revel in your passion. Don't leave them hanging. What you want is readers who LOVE reading what you write about, not readers who sign up because they have to in order to enter the giveaways. That's not how you build an audience. I do giveaways now and then, as a treat to my readers, to build some excitement, and hey... to get some free stuff for myself. I may do a linky party someday; haven't yet. But, I want to keep it minimal. I know that's not why y'all are here.
Anyway, my whole point... write about what you love and stay true to your blog.

Next page: Be Different

BE DIFFERENT

The truth is that whatever you choose to blog about, there are probably already a zillion other blogs on the same topic. So spend some time thinking about ways your blog can be different than the rest. If you're doing a craft blog, see if you can come up with some ideas that most other craft blogs don't do. Recently I stumbled on a craft blog that was dedicated to little boy crafts. I thought that was so clever, because really... lots of the crafty stuff we see is more appealing to little girls. Look at other blogs in your same genre and change yours up a little. Maybe if you're doing a cooking blog, you could host monthly reader submissions, where they submit their recipe for, say, lasagna. You try it, pick a winner, and give them a prize! That sounds fun... never heard of anyone else doing it. Ya know what I mean? Maybe the premise of your blog will be basically the same, but just see what you can do to come up with something different, like the submission contest I just mentioned.
For me, I knew there were a ton of women's blogs giving their readers "ideas." Nothing new. But, I decided to do a few things different. First, I wanted to have a post every day, not just a couple times a week. Second, I wanted to give even new and undiscovered bloggers a chance to share their ideas on my blog. As opposed to only accepting guest posts from superstar bloggers. Third, I wanted to address topics beyond just cooking and crafts. If I wanted a post on infertility, potty training, or complimenting people, I would do it. I wanted each day's post topic to be a surprise to the reader. So, that's that. That is what my goals were as far as "setting myself apart," and unless I'm delusional, I think that my readers have liked it.

Next page: Write Like You Talk

WRITE LIKE YOU TALK

I love reading a blog where the personality of the author shines right through their written word. You feel like they're right in front of you, sharing their thoughts. The posts are more engaging and easier to read... is that redundant? Either way, let your personality shine through. Let your readers build a connection with YOU while they read your content.
I get emails, all the time, from professional writers wanting to offer their content. Now, they obviously have their place in the blogging world, but their professional articles don't fit here. Part of my vision for this blog is to have people feel comfortable. To have women introduce themselves, and share with y'all, just as a good friend would. Nearly all of us are women; many of us are mothers. There is a lot that we can share to help each other out. When a post is overly professional, it is hard to relate to, and not an easy read. So, my advice... keep it casual. People will love it. That doesn't mean you need to be a foul-mouthed yucky; just be you, in a good way, casually.
If, for some reason, you have really bad spelling (and won't use spell check), can't remember the difference between "lose" and "loose," or have a hard time organizing your thoughts, maybe you should wait on the blog thing. Readers are fairly forgiving of misplaced commas and the like. But don't you dare mix up "their," "they're," and "there." You'll be in a world of trouble from the grammar police. There all over the internet. ;)
...did you catch that?

Next page: Good Content is Key

GOOD CONTENT IS KEY

Write content that YOU would want to read. Avoid the painstakingly obvious. It stinks to get really excited about a post title, only to find the content obvious and worthless. Hmmm... I don't know, I imagine that someone, somewhere, could think that about any given post I write. You'll never please everyone. But really, put effort into being creative. Let's say you are doing a post called "5 Great Games for Kids." In my mind, I'm like, "sweet!" I open the post, and the games suggested are Ring-a-Round-the-Rosie, Mother, May I?, Simon Says, Hide and Seek, and London Bridge. "Okay, really??? That's what you have to offer??" No, thanks. See what I mean? The Internet (and, magazines, for that matter) tend to be full of the obvious. Make your blog stand out with GOOD, creative, helpful, inspiring content.

Next page: Photography Skills

PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

 
If you want your blog to grow, your photography skills need to improve... unless you're already a pro. Looking back at the posts from the first year I blogged, my photography sucked (to put it lightly). I had no idea how crappy it was until I got better. And still... sigh... I have a LONG way to go. But, I can't tell you the wonders that good photography will do for your blog. You want your readers to share your content. If it's super great with crappy pictures, they will still share it. But they will share it a hundred-fold if you've got attractive photos to go along with it. Think of recipes. The best recipes could have the worst pictures and some of the worst recipes can have some of the best pictures. But, guess which ones people are most likely to make and to share? That's right. There are lots of great photography books out there, online tutorials, and classes you can take. Here's a link to some free online photography lessons, from Two Peas in a Bucket. Also, you could just do a Pinterest search and find some great ones out that other people have loved. The more professional your pictures look, the more professional your blog seems.

Next page: Formatting

FORMATTING

The more time I have spent blogging, the more I have become opinionated about formatting. So maybe some of you don't care at all. But, to me, I love a post to be aligned to the left with the pictures centered. (I used to love centering all of my posts, but then realized it looked like I was writing poetry, which I was clearly NOT.) Posts that are aligned to the left are just easier to read. Also, using headings (with large font, bold, or underline) can help readers follow your post, and jump back around to key points. For example, you're explaining how to make Bacon Stuffed Bacon. Sounds good, right? Well, make a little heading for all the ingredients needed.
Ingredients Needed:
Bacon
Bacon
another example...
Bacon Fried Bacon
Bacon
Bacon
Directions: Fry your bacon. Wrap it in more bacon. Fry that bacon.
Headings help separate key information or explain what is about to be read. They also break up long blog posts and make them seem more readable. They're great. I love them. It seems like common sense, but I still think headings are under-used. Something that makes me absolutely queasy is a blog post that rapidly changes font colors. I would avoid that. Try to convey your cute personality through your writing.

Next page: Research

RESEARCH

One of the best things you can do to help your blog grow is to study bigger blogs. What are they doing that you like? What do you not like? Look at lots and lots of them and take notes. Maybe they have some cool widgets that would be helpful to you. Maybe they are running a contest that is really exciting their readers. Maybe they are using an advertising agency that you've never heard of and want to look into. There are so many things you can learn! Obviously, you don't want to copy everything someone else is doing, but pick out your favorite things from several different blogs, come up with ideas of your own, and even learn things you would never want to do.
But... sometimes just when you're feeling excited about your blog, you decide to check out some other ones, and then you start to think, "Gosh. Mine stinks. I shouldn't do this anymore." That's when you get off their blogs and focus on your own. Blogging is not a competition. It's a fun way to express ourselves and share our passion with the world. There's room for everyone. Maybe your blog will never be HUGE, but it can still make a huge impact on your readers. So, focus on that. The minute I start to try and mimic someone else, is the minute I suck. You will always get the best response when you're being yourself.

Next page: Fake it Until You Make it

FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT

Is that lying? I guess, in some situations. But what I mean is: Put your best foot forward and be overly confident. It can get you far. Your blog may be as small as a pea, but make it look as big as the best. Obviously, money can be an issue. But, just do what you can to have a nice layout and an attractive header. When this blog first started, I designed it all myself. I read lots and lots of tutorials online and learned how to make a header and do a custom layout. It was great for my beginning blog look, but eventually I realized I needed to step it up. I started shopping for blog designers and found one who suited my taste. I think it ended up being $600.
Another year later, the time came again when things had to change. I had learned a few things and decided the blog would be more efficient and professional if it was designed differently. I hired Dan from Single Dad Laughing to design the blog you see today. I am still loving it. But each time, I always felt like the blog looked better than it really was! It kind of forced me to rise up and improve everything else. Besides motivating you to continuously improve your blog, a professional-looking blog attracts more people. It makes them think, "There must be some good stuff here."
When this blog was new, I didn't have any advertisers. But I didn't want advertisers to think my blog wasn't worth advertising on. Boo. So, I faked it. I advertised for my mom, my brother, and all of my friend's small businesses. For free. I made it look like a potential place to advertise for some of the small-time businesses, such as small Etsy shops. And, it worked. I had some small shops advertising on my blog, and as the blog has grown, I'm now able to get some bigger fish. And, there is more growing to do!
When the girls on the morning show Good Things Utah noticed my blog, they emailed me. They asked if I liked to cook. The truth was, I kinda did. Kinda. The blog hadn't been around that long, and I hadn't made lots of recipes. I would have never considered myself a "cook" enough to go on a TV show, that's for sure. But, I took a deep breath and faked it. I was scared out of my mind, but it worked. Not only did it help my blog, but it boosted my confidence. I started cooking like crazy, and now... as you've noticed, the blog has tons of recipes! And, I've done several other TV appearances and had many other opportunities, which have all been fun. I could tell you several stories about times I've had to pry myself out of my sweatpants and into my fancy pants to seem impressive. Inside, I'm totally unsure of myself, but I suck it up, put on my confident face, and things are better because of it. I learn a lot, get new opportunities, and things improve. Try it.

Next page: Do Good

DO GOOD

There are so many great blogs on the Internet. There are also a lot of crappy ones. And by crappy, I don't mean new and undeveloped. I'm talking depressing, bitter, foul, make-you-wanna-die blogs. And, sometimes I can't believe how many followers those blogs will have, until I remember that "misery loves company." Sure, everyone has a bad day or a rough patch, and it feels good to let out a good rant. I do it myself sometimes. It's just so disheartening to stumble upon these blogs that are dedicated to their bitter attitude. Sometimes it's super blatant; other times it is a constant underlying theme. There was this great quote being passed around on Pinterest that said it perfectly... "Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate." Blogging is a fantastic platform; use it for good. And, whether you believe in luck, karma, or blessings, remember that goodness brings about goodness, not only to others but to yourself.

Next page: Make Friends

MAKE FRIENDS

Remember, never find yourself too cool to respond to your readers' questions and comments. Your readers will love to hear from you, and will be impressed that you addressed them specifically. Interact with them on your social media networks, such as Twitter or Facebook. Visit their blogs, if you can, and leave a comment. Be complimentary and humble, and all of those good things. Not only does it make you a better person, it makes people more likely to want to read your blog and tell others about it.
Last of all, have fun!
What are your best blogging tips?

How to Add Related Posts in Blogger Under 3 Minutes

Do you know related posts can be used to make consistent readers? You might feel confused how. So let me clear it for you.
Suppose a visitor has come to your blog from search engines. He will look for his prospective areas. Here in this case the visitor will possibly leave after reading it.
But if you can serve related post links besides the main content, the visitor will feel very much interested to check them. Their intention was to solve the problems. So anything related will be regarded by them.
This is the main concept how related contents help to make visitors consistent. There are further more advantages as the following:

• Related posts reduces bounce rate.
• It can convert search traffic into regular traffic.
• It dramatically improves the conversation rate.
• It drives seo value to the internal pages.

That’s why, your blogger blog also needs this feature. But unfortunately Blogger doesn’t have it in default.
Not sure why Google hasn’t included it yet. But whatever we can’t lose this superb opportunity.
There are several ways to add them. Let me show you the quickest and the easiest ways to add related posts in no time. It took less than 3 minutes for me.

Method #1: Add related posts using LinkWithin

LinkWithin is a pretty service to show related stories. It doesn’t require sign-up, easy to install and provides elegant designs with minimal coding.
Their objective is not to get passed the old articles. Instead, leverage old articles to drive some additional views without any additional effort.
Most amazingly it is free of cost. You don’t even need to invest a single penny to use it. So let’s get back to the process.

Step 1: Go to linkwithin homepage

Simply head over to http://www.linkwithin.com/. You’ll be able to see a form to generate it.
Now input your details such as email, blog link and platform (blogger in your case).
The width is defined to choose how many stories you will show. 3 stories in default means it will show 3 most related stories in a row. You can increase it up to 5.
There is a check-box to define if your blog has a dark background. That’s mean it will show light texts (ex: white) while ticked. But if your design doesn’t have any dark background, just leave it unchecked.
If everything is done, click the “Get Widget!” button.

Step #2: Install the widget

Now you’ll see a documentation how does it work. You can follow it up as explained. Though I’m gonna show you here step by step.
Click the “Install Widget” button while logged into your blogger account.

You will be taken to the widget adder page. If you’ve multiple blogs on blogger, choose your preferred one. When you’re done, click add widget button.

Now a new block will be added along the widgets. Simply drag and drop it underneath “Blog Posts”. Then finally click “Save arrangement”.
You can put the block anywhere, even in widget area. But for optimal performance, it should be added under the posts.
N.B: It will need a few hours for indexation in the third party website. So you will need to wait before seeing related contents live.

Method #2: Add related posts using OutBrain

OutBrain provides very much flexible related posts service. It offers to show them as texts or thumbnails.
It’s also free of cost and could be added instantly. But it will require users to sign up though it is very easy. Let me guide you how to add this very easily.

Step #1: Go to outbrain widget page

You need to head over to https://my.outbrain.com/getwidget. The form will appear to generate the widget.
First, you need to choose how you want the stories to appear. There are two options, (1) as simple textual links (2) links with thumbnails. Click your preferred one.

Then you’ve to choose your platform. Same as before, you should select blogger.

Next, you’ve to fill a short form in order to complete the registration. Input the correct information for all required fields. When you’re done, tick the check-box to accept terms and conditions and click “Install”.
Then check your email account to confirm the sign up.

Step #2: Install the widget

After you click the install button, a pop up will appear to add the widget. Make sure you’re logged into your blogger account.
Choose your preferred blog from the drop-down and click “Add Widget”.

Now same as the previous method, a new block will be aligned between the widgets. You need to drag and drop the block underneath the “Blog Posts” element for optimal performance.
Are you done? Click the “Save arrangement” button to finalize the changes.
N.B: It will need a few hours for indexation in the third party website. So you will need to wait before seeing related contents live.

Conclusion!

In this post, I tried to show how to add related posts in blogger blog. I’ve showed you two different methods. But both of them are trusted and tested by myself.
Here one is another’s alternative. So you can choose your preferred related post service. If you face any unexpected problem, don’t forget to let us know here. I’ll try my best to solve it.

What is the Average Bounce Rate for Blogs?

Abrar Mohi Shafee December 16, 2013 3 Comments

Bounce rate means the exact percentage of visitors that arrive at your website or blog and leave without visiting the second page. The normal or average bounce rate of a blog declares that you are keeping the safe amount of incoming and outgoing traffics. I think, it is an important criteria for blogs and I am sure that it will be used as an important ranking factor in the future. Not only that, the bounce rate also ensures your higher or lower page rank. If someone would like to judge a website or blog, I will advise to compare with the bounce rate. Do you know such lower bounce rate could increase advertising earning in your google adsense account? So, maintaining the normal rate is a must mainly for blogs.

Source: Google Image

The Normal or Average Bounce Rate for All Blogs:

As it is really important for a blog, people could ask what is the average rate of bounce, what would be their target? Actually there is no specific percentage. Because it really depends on the niche. The bounce rate is counted between 0%-100%. If you maintain a site for images or directories, you may get a very higher bounce rate approximately 70%-90%. This mean, 70%-90% of your visitors leave your site after visiting the first page. If you maintain a good blog and people would like to read your contents, you will easily get 30%-60% bounce. But if you are comparing your brand new website or blog, your bounce rate will be usually very high. After comparing all types of niches, I think the average bounce rate for a blog should be between 40%-50%. Please keep in mind that, this is not the exact number. Always lower number is great for all niches.

• You May Like: How to Reduce Blog Load Time

Bounce Rate As a Ranking Factor

The lower bounce rate means the less percentage of visitors has left your site just after viewing the first page. Do you know the good bounce rate can be a great ranking factor for your blogs? Because the new ranking algorithm works through high quality contents and blog structures. If you lead eye catching contents on your blog, the readers bound to read the whole post. Not only that one, they would like to read the related writings too. So, writing good blog posts or contents and making effective internal links would be major ways to maintain the normal bounce rate. Even, a blog with higher bounce rate than average would be supposed as a bad site. If Google will make a major algorithm change in site traffic, they will surely focus on bounce rate.

• The best blog software could lower loading time. It is proved that good loading speed improves bounce rate as well as ranking. So, you have to choose the perfect platform.

So, After All What is Your Blog Bounce Rate?

In the previous paragraphs, I tried to specify what is the blogs bounce rate. And also tried to understand you what is the average bounce rate that is welcomed for all niches. The ways to reduce bounce rate are not included here but will write about it in the future. If you think that you have learned something about bounce rate, don’t forget to share it here.

Top 10 Ways to Reduce Your Website or Blog Load Time

Abrar Mohi Shafee December 6, 2013 No Comments

Loading time of a website or blog is evolved with static user experience. It is a very important factor nowadays, especially in Google’s eye. Now Google is more concerned about ranking the websites providing better user experiences.
For instance, it will be really annoying to wait 5-10 second for a single page to load. The increased load time can increase the bounce rate. That wouldn’t look good in Google’s eye, no even for users. As a result, it can lose you both traffic and search ranking.
This is the reason why you need to reduce load time and serve blazing fast web pages. The question you would probably ask me “How to do this?”. This post is with the same intention. I will guide you through how to lead an unusually fast site in just 10 steps.

At first check your current page speed:

You can do it by yourself in no time. Just visit your site while peeking upon your clock. You will come to realize, how fast or slow the loading is. Though that will be often inaccurate.
So all you have to do is, go to GTmetrix, input your website and hit the go button. You will get a detailed report of your site speed, pointing out the areas you need to improve. Additionally, it shows you YSlow result, which is another useful tool powered by Yahoo.
An unoptimized page will get max B or C grade, that means the speed will be around 50%-60%. Though after optimization, you can expect to have it around 90%-100%, the A+ grade.
Can’t believe it? You will believe it right after seeing my outcome:

Many tools are available online where you can analyze page speed. Though the following two are my other recommendations:

• Google Page Speed Insights
• Pingdom Website Speed Test

How to reduce blog or website load time

#1. Choose the best hosting provider

Site speed mostly depends upon the hosting company. By getting high server response, the load time will significantly increase. Therefore, you need to make sure, you’re on a better host with minimum server response time. If you need company suggestions, I would boldly say to go with HostGator or WPEngine.

#2. Use cache to serve pages

By using cache, the browsers will keep a downloaded version of visited pages. When a person will revisit it before cache expiry, the browser will serve the saved one instead of loading a new session.
The main benefit is, cache will naturally decrease page and server load. Especially in cms platforms like WordPress, it works like a charm.

#3. Minify javascript and css files

Minifying javascript and css files mean assembling all js and css contents into one js and one css file. Several js and css files will increase the number of requests. Greater requests mean longer loading time. That’s why minify them for a stunning performance.

#4. Compress html

HTML compression will reduce the size of html pages. It will remove unnecessary codes and trim white spaces. Search engine loves clean html page sources. Therefore, it will be helpful.

#5. Optimize images

Images will put great impact on page loads. Because they will need more bandwidths than anything else. However, if we give specific image width, reduce image size and put minimum amount of images on a single page, the impact will be low. In WordPress blogs, you can use Smush.it plugin to optimize them.

#6. Choosing perfect template

Template is the site’s backbone where the load also depends. Poor coding and structure will result in high page loading. So choose it wisely and check before selecting template either it is optimized or not.

#7. Use minimum ads

Ads like Google Adsense, Yahoo uses javascript. And it is true, javascripts can cause very slow page loading. If browser can’t execute a javascript file, the rest of page wouldn’t load. So, we should use minimum ads on a page, better to limit it between 1-3.

#8. Avoid flashes

Flash media has disadvantages in SEO as well as page load time. That’s why we should mostly avoid it to keep a good speed.

#9. Use minimum number of plugins and widgets in wordpress

If you are on WordPress, I will recommend you to use low amount of plugins and widgets. Removing unnecessary plugins and widgets is actually better.

#10. Limit single page contents

Try to limit your contents for per page. Excessive content on a page will require extra bandwidth. So, try to limit the contents. If the content is quite large, divide it to two or three. In blogs, limit the number of posts in archives.