In the world of blogging, traffic is king. Many bloggers have been popping up in Google search results thanks to a new Google tool called the rich snippet. The rich snippet tool allows a small picture of you to be shown when someone googles content for which you are the author. It`s basically a little piece of HTML that a blogger can use that will allow their Google + profile picture to be connected to blog posts they create.

Why would you want to do this? It has been proven to drive traffic to your website. Studies have shown that by including this Google Authorship Markup, the traffic can increase by as much as 150 percent. The understanding is that when a picture is seen on a search engine listing, it adds credibility to the post. People naturally like to click on articles that have images attached. Have a look at the image below. Which article are you more likely to click on?

So, how do bloggers capitalize on this feature? Here are options for setting up Google Authorship Markup.

You first need to get a Google + account and then have your email verified and that the email used has the same domain name as the blog. According to Google, as long as the byline on the blog post matches the name on the Google + account, it should be able to pick it up. One thing to remember is that while Google may be all-powerful, they are not infallible. There may be cases and occasions when it doesn`t work. They should be sporadic and if you re-input the information, that should take care of it.

Option 1: Link your content to your Google+ profile using a verified email address.

Option 2: Set up authorship by linking your content to your Google+ profile

The next step involves visiting the contributor`s page of your Google + account. This basically tells people what websites you write for. Make an entry for your food blog and it once again should make the connection. Make the contributor link directly to your bio page on the food blog. If you don`t have an author bio page (in which case, why don`t you?) you can link directly to the post.

The three biggest problems involve people not going through the email verification process properly, not making a direct contributor link connection and not adding the tag correctly at the end. If it`s not working, try looking at those three areas and make sure everything is correct. Having this rich snippet at the end of your byline link should put your photo with the search results.

If you use WordPress, there are plug-ins such as Author Sure that will do all of this for you. You’ll still need a Google + account, but the plugin does make the process easier. What’s more, it also works if you have multiple authors on your blog. The Google Authorship Markup can be a major boon for a food blog, so next time you`re writing a new post about Rangemaster or the newest and coolest tool of the day, don`t forget to add that little extra piece of HTML.

Mystery Meet was started by Boston resident, Seth Resler. Mystery Meet brings together foodies in a city to explore a restaurant together. The catch is participants don’t find out the restaurant they are going to until the day before, hence the “mystery.” To add an interesting twist to Mystery Meet, Seth also includes Find Dining podcasts.

In these Find Dining podcasts, he interviews foodies (bloggers, chefs and food critics) to find out a restaurant recommendation in their city. During the Mystery Meet Find Dining podcast, the interviewee can highlight:

• What you love about your city
• Why is it a culinary spot to visit
• Some of your other favorite spots

What’s in it for you:
You get showcased on the podcast. Seth gives you the chance to tell your story and share why your started your food blog or why you have such a passion for food. Share your favorite spots and tell the world why they should be reading your blog.

Social media promotion galore! Besides the featured restaurant you will be asked about, Seth will ask you a bevy of other questions like where your favorite dessert spot is, or where or favorite cheap eats spot is, or where do you go for a romantic meal, just to name a few. When the podcast is live, he links to EACH establishment on social media channels, promoting you in the process.

No need to be nervous at all. Seth is a wonderful host, with fifteen years in the broadcasting industry, and makes it so easy to speak freely and express your thoughts. Don’t worry about fumbling…thank goodness for editing!

I was recently featured on an Atlanta Mystery Meet Find Dining podcast. I dished on the Association of Food Bloggers, the food scene in Atlanta and of course my restaurant recommendation for Atlanta. You can listen to the interview below:

Tip: Brush up for your quick fire round by listening to past podcasts. Want to be featured on Mystery Meet Find Dining podcast? Contact Seth here.

Find me on Google +

2012 seems to have been the year of mobile. Smartphone users are on the rise. Apps are hotter than ever. We feel tethered to our phones.

Have you made your phone mobile friendly? Simply put, making your blog or website mobile friendly, means weeding out unnecessary information and putting only what users need most. So, while your readers accessing your site via mobile phone don’t need to see your badges, they probably will want to see your recent posts. They may be deciding to go to a restaurant based on your review or at the grocery store and looking for a good recipe.

Are you making it easy for your readers to find information they need on the fly? There are really no excuses as the WP Touch makes it as easy as a few clicks. With this WordPress plugin, readers can easily access reviews or recipes on your site. Take a look at the blog site below. Which view looks better on the mobile – left or right (mobile optimized)?

WPtouch  transforms your WordPress website for mobile devices. It works well with popular mobile web browsing devices like the iPhone, iPod touch, Android mobile phones, BlackBerry OS6+ mobile devices, and more. One of the benefits is that the site will probably load even faster than before.

The admin panel allows you to customize many aspects of its appearance, without knowing a bit of code. It operates completely on its own – your regular version will be completely untouched. And if your visitors want to switch back and forth between the WPtouch view and your site’s regular theme there’s an option for that as well. The best part is this app is one hundred percent free!

Once activated, the WP Touch WordPress theme automatically transforms your website into a sleek mobile version. If you would like to tweak it further, there are options for that as well.

Photo Credit: Unknown

Much to the surprise of many foodies, Hostess company has decided to shut down operations. The maker of the famous dessert / snack, the Twinkie will stop production in the near future. If your twitter feed follows many in the food industry, you won’t be surprised that is was filled with mentions about the end of Twinkies in America.

No doubt that copy cats will continue to produce items like the Twinkie and local bakeries can even capitalize on this. But as bloggers, you should be using a story like to help build your identity and help drive traffic to your blog. This story is hot right now, but instead of reporting the story as is, think about how you can put your own spin on it.

Some ideas are:

• Restaurants that offer similar desserts to the Twinkie
• Local bakeries that are making or plan to make their own Twinkies
• Do you have a recipe that is similar, you can share?
• What are some childhood foods that are not longer available

These are just some story ideas that you can use to capitalize on the attention that Twinkies are getting right now. Of course, there’s only a short window of time to do this, but it can mean more loyal readers and certainly will help to set your blog apart in the blogosphere by helping to give you your own voice.

Back in the late 90s when people were just beginning to use cell phones, the idea of a smart phone was unheard of. Those on the forefront of technology and forecasting predicted that there would come a time in the not-so-distant future that we would be able to pay for goods and services using our cell phones. This seemed unfathomable, yet here we are with this option. While there are several apps that allow users to pay with their cell phones, LevelUp is a newcomer, hoping to gain some market share.

LevelUp is free to use for consumers and available nationwide, currently available at more than 3,000 restaurants and stores across the U.S., including well-known fast-casual restaurants like Ben & Jerry’s and Subway in addition to small local food trucks and coffee shops and restaurants.

To use it is rather simple.
1.) Go to their website and sign up. You’ll need a credit card to link to your account.
2.) Download the app on your smart phone (iPhone or Android)
3.) Show your unique QR code to vendors to pay for goods and services

Once you register for LevelUp and download the app to your smart phone, you’ll have your own unique QR code. Think of this like a credit card. To pay, simply hold your phone up to the vendor’s phone and the payment process should take less than a second. You are notified on your phone how much as been deducted from your account and an email is sent to you for your records.

My first experience using LevelUp was at a Food Truck Park. How great is it not to have to pull out my wallet each time I want to get a taco or bubble tea? While it is convenient, there are some downsides to LevelUp too. Several businesses listed as accepting the app refused to take payment from it. Others had issues with their phones not being charged or getting a signal to accept it. My tacos got soggy waiting for the payment to be accepted.

Pros
• Easy to pay
• No need to carry cash or coins
• Extra value at some places

Cons
• Not accepted everywhere
• Not all venues listed on the app accept it
• Long waits at some places

What about security? If your phone is stolen does that give the theif carte blanche to go charge up a bunch of things using LevelUp? Not necessarily, but it is up to the user to be vigil about this. For example, you can pin lock the app to ensure someone couldn’t gain access to LevelUp, plus you can reset your unique QR code instantly from your account online,rendering your old one invalid. To start using LevelUp sign up on their site here.

Image Source: fanpilot.com

It is rather easy to become complacent with blog writing. After all, many of us do it has a hobby, not as an income source. However, if you are going to blog, shouldn’t you try your hardest to make it search engine friendly and strive to get it as much exposure? And if you are doing all those things shouldn’t you make sure you protect it from hackers? Here are some minimal tasks that should be incorporated to everyday blogging.

Back up your Blog
Make sure you back up your blog on a regular basis. A weekly exercise of backing up your blog is highly recommended. If you lose your data or your site is hacked you will be more easily prepared to restore it. It is simple – just go to: Tools> Export to download a text file of all your data. Of course this won’t keep a copy of your plugins. However, you can purchase plugins that will keep safe a copy of your entire site.

Update WordPress to the Latest Version
Updating WordPress to the latest version can fix bugs or potential bugs that may be caused by plugins interacting with each other. It can also fix other issues as well as the fact that it has a higher level of security against hackers in new versions. Many hosts offer upgrading with the click of a couple buttons.

Name your Pictures with Optimization in Mind
You’ve probably heard or read this before but perhaps have forgotten it: Naming your pictures with a similar name to the content of your post helps your rank. The reason is simple – search engines don’t see pictures differently than they see text. It is all HTML code. So, if you upload a picture named “IMG4853″ that really isn’t helping search engines find what your post is about. However, if you name your image “Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins” or “XYZ Restaurant, City, State Restaurant Review” you are most definitely helping the search engines include your relevant content in searches.

Link Within
Search engines put more weight into sites / posts that have more links to them. Just as you are helping search engines find your posts by optimizing the names of your images, linking within your blog helps with search engine optimization as well. Search engines give credit for internal links on your site, so you should always link to relevant posts within your blog site. For example, if you a have a review of one restaurant or recipe and you are mentioning another similar one, make sure to put a link to that previous post as search engines see that as just another link and give you “link juice.”

Update your Blogroll
If you check your stats regularly, you’ll probably notice people do pay attention and click on your blog roll. No doubt other bloggers have stopped blogging since you began your blog, some aren’t relevant anymore and new bloggers have come on the scene. Make sure your blog roll reflects this. Your fellow bloggers will appreciate it and so will your readers.

Image Source: lovelustandfairydust.com

The problem is inevitable once you reach a certain status as a blogger: you can’t possibly go to all the events you are invited to attend. It is definitely a good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless. Instead of spreading yourself thin and trying to attend as many events as possible, consider a guest blogger.

One the best ways to find a guest blogger is someone who is already a fan of yours or maybe someone who you interact with on Twitter. Asking family or friends to write rarely works. Remember – they have to be passionate about the subject like you are, or they won’t be motivated to write.

If you are already going to lots of tweetups and media events it is possible you may have met someone who wants to write for you. You can even post or tweet about it to see if anyone is interested. There are so many who only want to write occasionally, it presents the perfect opportunity for you to gain a guest poster.

As bloggers, most of us don’t make money from our blogs, but write as a hobby. In lieu of payment, you will give the blogger the opportunity to attend a fun event with no cost to them. In return, you are getting a post out of it, so it is win-win for everyone. And you are giving them a huge opportunity to write on a well-known blog.

In time, you can assign them their own account on your WordPress site. This allows the guest writer to log in and post, so you don’t have to spend time uploading a post and pictures. With an “author” account on WordPress they can upload a post but they can’t change any administrator settings like widgets, ads or the like.

A couple things to consider with a guest blogger:

• They won’t have the same voice or writing style as you. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it can bring in more readers.

• Limit their contributions to no more than twenty percent of your posts if you want to keep your voice or style the most prominent.

• You’ll probably have several others write for you before you find a guest blogger that is a good fit with you and your blog. So don’t get discouraged.

• Never give a guest blogger full (administrator) access to your site as they could delete everything.

There are some individuals you’ve never met who will offer you a free article. Be wary of this. Often times, these individuals are paid to build links and will have many links in any article they write for you. Not only does this not fit with the style of most bloggers, but the same article could be floating around on other sites.

Alternatively, if you are reading this and thinking about blogging but not sure if it is for you, why not reach out to a blogger you admire and ask to guest post for them? Bloggers are overwhelmed with the amount of press releases received and are happy to pass along some of their workload to someone who is willing to help.

We all like to think of ourselves as web savvy individuals. When I hear about someone falling for an internet scam, I feel sorry for them but there is a little voice in the back of my mind that says “Really, they got duped that easily?” However, scammers are getting more crafty with their scams and now there is one directly targeting us bloggers. It also seems that during the holidays we may not be as “on guard” as we normally would be. So I wanted to share the news of this blogger scam before anyone else falls prey.

I was contacted by a so-called advertising agency (Lemma Agency) that requested a quote from me to place a banner ad on my food blog. The person told me they represented Lacoste, a manufacturer of luxury goods. It was curious that a well-known brand would want to advertise on a food blog, but the inquiry seemed innocuous, so I responded with a price.

Here’s where the suspicions grew. My price (higher than I’ve ever gotten paid for any banner ad) was accepted almost immediately with no negotiation. The person responded asking me to visit their site and download a wordpress plugin to be installed on my site. A quick google search led me to several posts from others who were approached with the same offer.

The site (lemmaagency.com) is bogus and has been found to be duplicated on other domain names. The fact that the emails had some grammatical errors were a clue that the Lemma Agency was not legit. I also found evidence that the site owner is from Indonesia, although the agency claims to be French. While I haven’t found any information that explicitly details what the plugin does to your website, I am not about to risk my site and personal data on my computer to find out and suggest you do the same.

If you own a WordPress self-hosted site, beware of any advertisements that require you to install a plugin to advertise. Any legitimate advertiser should simply be providing a link to where the banner image is hosted and perhaps a tracking code. Nothing more.

Here’s some advice:
If an offer seems to good to be true, it probably is.
If the email is written with poor grammar, it is probably a scam.
Only download plugins from a trusted source or directly from WordPress.org.
Realize that any plugin can have code that could have drastic effects on your computer.

Got a blog that seems to be stuck in the past? Have you been interested in adding a little something extra to your blog to set it apart from the others? Aside from a shiny, new theme, video is a terrific way to give your blog that extra umph that you have been missing.

Technology has made it easier to than ever to create videos. Smart Phones are sophisticated enough to shoot optimal video. Webcams can capture your message if you’d rather just record your critique of a restaurant. There are several inexpensive video-editing programs on the market today. In fact, if you own a Mac it comes with a simple, easy to use program called iMovie. If you have set up your blog and are capable of basic computer functions you can quickly become a master video producer with iMovie.

Camera shy? Not to worry. Use the pictures you take and add text and music to make a stunning video without ever having to get in front of the camera. Blog readers also love to see chef interviews, which is another option for those that want to remain behind the scenes. See a sample video below:

Besides making your blog look and feel more modern, adding video can also help with your search engine ranking and your organic listings. Google owns You Tube and videos are indexed very quickly. Adding video to your blog can actually help it come up higher in search engine ranking, provided you put in the description keywords users are searching. For example, list the name of the restaurant and the neighborhood and city they are located in. Ex: ABC Restaurant, Lincoln Park, Chicago. The same goes if you are posting about a recipe – include the name and the main ingredient.

Got a Facebook Fan page for your blog? Video helps with that too. Facebook no longer ranks status updates by those that are most recent. Their precise method of determining rank isn’t known, but Facebook experts say that having video on your page does help your status update to be higher. Of course, the more exposure like this, the better.

Tips for a great Video
• Keep it short – one minute and under
• Make sure the music you use is not copyright protected
• Include pictures of dishes, restaurant interior, customers and staff
• Make sure it is easy to hear and understand anyone speaking or being interviewed

If you still don’t feel comfortable editing videos yourself, try sites like Elance.com, Guru.com or Odesk.com where you can get this done very inexpensively. Don’t be scared of making videos – it is a fun way to add even more creativity to your blog. Jump in and get started and perfect your skill the more videos you create.

1. Contact form or way to contact
This is one of the most important things to have on your site, yet it is amazing how few blogs have them. When we were going through blogs to add to our directory, it was surprising how many didn’t have any form of contact. Not even an email address.
Perhaps you want to remain anonymous and not be contacted by PR companies, your readers, or restaurants.  But nevertheless, a contact method is vital. Perhaps someone wants you to review a book, or invite you to a special event. Everyone is busy nowadays and doesn’t have time for extra steps. Yes, they can comment on your blog, but contact forms are much easier. Given the choice, many of these people will simply move on to the next person. You are missing out on opportunities if you don’t have one of these.

If you use WordPress, there are two plugins we recommend: “Contact Form 7” or “FS Contact Form“  Both are very easy to install and get going. You can have it installed in about five clicks.

2. Facebook / Twitter
The average person spends about 55 minutes per day on Facebook and this is a terrific way to get people to your site. There are tools to automatically publish your posts to your Facebook wall.
As for Twitter, if you aren’t active on it, you may not”get it” at first, but at least start an account and begin to get a feel for it. Again, this is another Social media tool you should take advantage of. You don’t have to be on Twitter 24/7, but just pop on there occasionally and join the chatter. It is also a great way to get readers to your site by tweeting when you have a new post. There are plugins for automatically tweeting your post.

3. About Me Page
One of the important things about your blog is not only being a great resource for quality information for the area or topic  you serve, but also the fact that you have your own unique audience. You gain your loyal readers by developing your voice and establishing a rapport with your readers.

Write about yourself. What are you hobbies or interests outside of food? Why did you start your blog in the first place? Why should they read your blog? This should get you going. I highly recommend an “About Me” page where you share information about yourself (as much as you are comfortable with) with your readers. This will help them feel a connection to you.

4. Blog Roll
Most folks in the food community are truly kind and generous. A blog roll is a way to show your fellow bloggers some love. Often times, if you add them to your blog roll, they will reciprocate and add your blog to theirs, provided you have decent content. This is a good way to get on the radar of other foodies when your blog is new and you are not well known.

5. List of Reviews / Recipes
Don’t make visitors work to find content on your site. Make it easy for them to find what they are looking for or they will look elsewhere. It goes without saying that you need a search feature. However, a listing of reviews or recipes is even more helpful. Think of those folks that can’t remember the exact name of a restaurant or recipe, but can easily pick it out of a list.

6. A Writer with Thick Skin
Bet you weren’t expecting to read that. It is sad to say that as much as many wonderful people there are in the food community, it is appalling just how mean some people can be to one another. No matter how much integrity you write with and how dedicated you are, you will at some point run into those who shoot a snarky tweet your way, leave insulting responses to your comments on a forum, or pick apart a blog post you put your heart and soul into writing. Brush it off and keep going. Don’t let these curmudgeonly people get the better of you.

Did we leave anything off the list? Let us know by commenting below.