Blogging Tips Weekly - How Does Your Page Rank?

You have a rocking blog. Now what?

Now, you want to make it better. It is in our human nature to always strive for bigger goals, and let our ambition exceed beyond expectations.

Now that your blog is receiving recognition from peers and advertisers alike, isn't it time to kick it up a notch, and find out how you stack up against other fish in the pond? Because without any evaluation, most (hobby) bloggers often fade fast due to a lack of motivation.

What is a Page Rank?

One of the means that evaluates your blog, or webpage, is a google page rank. It is a number between 1 and 10 given to your blog from calculations done by a complicated google page ranking algorithm. 

This number, or page rank, indicates how important your blog is compared to millions of others -- and of course, the more important your blog is, the more likely it will show up on top when people search for certain keywords in google. 

There he is - Larry Page. Co-founder of Google, and the genius who invented the page ranking system.

How is Page Rank Calculated?

Many factors contribute to how well a blog ranks. The only people who know for sure are the geniuses working at google.

For us ordinary folks, one thing is certain -- the more inbound links or backlinks (links to your blog from other blogs or websites) you receive, the better you rank. And it really helps if those links come from higher ranked websites.

In google, everything is weighted. (It's what sets google apart, and makes it the most popular search engine.) If other websites, especially ones that already weigh a lot, puts more weight on your site, you come off to google as an important virtual property.

(If you are THAT curious, you can find a more mathematical explanation of google page rank at the follow link: http://www.webworkshop.net/pagerank.html)

 

The original page rank algorithm. It's much more complicated now. ** Rolls eyes **

Why is Page Rank Important?

Or is it important?

It depends on who you ask. For commercial websites, professional bloggers and career webmasters, being on top of google search results is vital. Having that kind of exposure pretty much puts food on the table.

For us hobby bloggers, however, page rank is just a piece of mind. Or a good way to attract advertisers, so that we can earn extra income, and someday quit our 9-to-5 jobs and become professional bloggers.

 

How to Check Your Page Rank?

There are many places to do this. PR (Page Rank) Checker (click here) is a good tool to use.

Unfortunately, Girlie Blog Seattle only has a page rank of 2 (10 is the highest, btw), but I'm trying to increase it.

How to Increase Your Page Rank?

If you search the internet, you will find a plethora of suggestions on how to increase your page rank. You should do whatever works for you. My personal favorites are the following:

Write Quality Content 

No one wants to read crap. If you write helpful, in-depth and highly sought-after content, others will link back to you.

Network

Connect with other bloggers in the same niche. Actively comment on their posts.

Networking is the reason why I switched my comment system to CommentLuv. The default comment system on blogger, as well as other comment systems out there, do not allow DoFollow backlinks.

(DoFollow backlinks tell google to count links to your website as weighted links. Leaving a url on other comment systems only gives you a NoFollow backlink, which google counts as insignificant, and won't help your page rank.)

I personally feel that if you take the time to read my post, and leave meaningful feedback, you should receive a legitimate backlink.

Guest Post on Other Blogs

Writing guest posts on high ranking blogs not only gains you backlinks, but also gives you exposure to wider audience. Again, make sure the content is really good.

Submit Your Blog to Directories

Blog directories are great places to get noticed.

Use Social Networking

Places like facebook, twitter and pinterest are loved by search engines, and can help advertise your blog.

For more suggestions on how to increase page rank, please check out this site:
http://www.googleguide.com/improving_pagerank.html

Okay girlies. I am FINALLY done.

 

Do you check your page rank?

 

Do you have any suggestions on how to increase page rank?

 

What I'm Loving Right Now

Summer is for loving,

and here's what I'm loving right now:

A refreshing cup of jasmin green tea.

The light aroma of Paris Amour Body Spray

(by Bath and Body Works)

Face masks that cost only $1.29

Protecting my skin with a healthy dose of sun block.

Chocolate-covered graham crackers. At 3 p.m. everyday.

And the easy, no-fuss summer style of ponytail-and-shades.

I'm loving the summer. How about you?

What are you loving in the summer right now?

 

 

Pregnancy Fashion - Wear Something Bright and Orange

Hey girlies, I'm jumping on summer 2012's orange bandwagon! Not only is this color cheerful on the eye, it's a great way to show off a pregnant belly.

I got this muscle tank from Old Navy for only $2.89. I feel super lucky! Besides its amazing price, I love this tank's light weight material and bright color. It's the way summer -- as well as pregnancy -- fashion should be.

What better time to wear bright orange than summer time?

Striped in the front. Striped in the back. Delightful stripes all the way around.

Have you jumped on summer 2012's orange bandwagon yet?

 

Skin Care Blog Post - Clinique All About Eyes - Eye Cream Review

If I splurged on one skin care item, it would be eye cream. I have found just the right one too -- Clinique All About Eyes eye cream reduces puffs and dark circles, giving you radiant skin for the day ahead. 


I have been using my Clinique All About Eyes for a month now, and I am head over heels in love with it. I've used great creams before, but none soothed eye area like this one. It's a truly great product, and is worth every penny.

 

Clinique All About Eyes Eye Cream Review

Quality

• Light weight formula soothed tired eyes.
• Skin felt immediate moisture after application.
• Eye area, which is the most sensitive, felt amazing comfort after use. Especially when I haven't had a good night's sleep.
• Puffiness did disappear after applying the eye cream. 

Before

Skin needs serious moisture.

Just a tiny dot makes all the difference.

After

Soft, smooth, and completely moisturized.

Formula

• Non-greasy formula applied smoothly and evenly onto skin.
• The formula kind of just "blended" in.

Light weight and creamy. This is one of the best formulas I have tried.

Packaging

• Love the twist top. Makes product easy to use and accessible.
• No agonizing squeezing needed when bottle is near empty. Just scoop out the last bit from the glass bottle.

Classic glass bottle looks elegant and clean.

Twist top make it simple to open, close, and finish the last drop.

Price

• The only bad part is the price. 1 oz. bottle cost $47.50. 
• However, it lasts a long time. You don't need to use a lot at one time.
• Also, if you catch a department store's gift time, you can also walk away with a stash of other Clinique skincare and makeup samples.

So glad I caught Nordstrom's giveaway. Look at all these fantastic gifts that came with!

Likes

• Soothing light weight formula.
• Moisturizes sensitive eye area.
• Depuffs skin as it promises.
• Easy to use twist top glass bottle.

Dislikes

• Price. $47.40 is pretty expensive.

Overall Rating

4/5


Re-purchase?

Definitely.

Have you tried Clinique All About Eyes eye cream?

 

How was your experience?

Girlie Blog Seattle is a DoFollow Blog Using CommentLuv

Quick message to commenters:

Girlie Blog Seattle is now using CommentLuv for all upcoming posts. This allows commenters to leave dofollow backlinks that help promote their sites.

For information on DoFollow links, please go here. 
For installation of CommentLuv, please go here.
To sign up for Intense Debate (for installing CommentLuv), please go here.
To verify your comment URL(s) for DoFollow / NoFollow attribute, please download Mozilla addon here.

Genuine commenters only please! 

Thank you!

  

Would anyone like a tutorial on how to install CommentLuv?

Pregnancy Fashion - Long Maxi Skirts for the Pregnant Belly

Need another pregnancy fashion idea? 

Long maxi skirts are everywhere. They are fun, easy, and super comfy -- all three criteria necessary for dressing a pregnant belly. Plus, long maxi skirts stretch your dollar by being wearable even after you have given birth. Isn't that a fantastic deal?

I love my new maxi skirt. I bought it from Ross for only $16.99. Its material is stretchy, and it flows beautifully as I walk. I got it in basic black, so it matches almost anything I wear on top.

Went bright pink on top today to offset the grayness outside.

Stretchy material works well with a big belly.

As you can see, the skirt goes comfortably over a protruding middle.

Love the way this maxi skirt flows.

 

What do you think?

 

Do you like this season's long maxi skirts?

 

How to Remove Glitter Nail Polish with Foil Nail Wraps

First of all, a HUGE thanks to Lola B. at Burb Beauty, Ashley K. at Beauty Flawed, Miss Lacquer Tracker at The Lacquer Tracker, and Karen D. at Frazzled and Antipolish! They all gave me a wonderful suggestion on how to take off stubborn glitter nail polish.

In my earlier post about Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish Review, I complained about difficulties taking off glitter nail polish. After a week with this nail glitter, I was already picking my nails.

Here's a shot of my nails before:

Pretty atrocious-looking.

Today, I am attempting these girls' suggestion of the "Foil Nail Wraps" technique.

Guess what? It worked wonders! Here's how the "Foil Nail Wraps" method was done:

 Step 1

Cut a cotton pad into 4 pieces.

NOTE: Cotton balls work too.

 Step 2

Soak all cotton pads in a bowl of nail polish remover.

 

 Step 3

Cut tin foil into small pieces.

Step 4

Wrap each cotton pad on your finger nail.

Step 5

Top the cotton pad with tin foil.

Step 6

Wrap tin foil tightly around each finger.

Step 7

Wait for 5 minutes.

Done!

Here's what the inside of the cotton pad looks like. The glitters easily fell off.

Glitter nail polish took off as expected.

NOTE: When some of the glitters remained on my nails, I wiped nails a little more with a cotton pad. Polish disappeared immediately.

 

Here's an after shot:

 

Have you tried Foil Nail Wraps?

 

You should. It worked really well.

 

Pregnancy Fashion - You Can Still Glitter

Feeling depressed about your growing belly? 

Many unattractive side effects of pregnancy cannot be avoided. But don't let it stop you from dressing up and feeling good. You can still wear the latest fashion trends, and even do it without buying new maternity clothes. One of my mama friends suggested buying regular clothes, except in a size larger. 

What a great suggestion!

During date night last Saturday, I decided to dazzle myself in glitter. I bought this shirt is a Medium instead of Small, and it fit my belly perfectly. Not only did it dress me up, it was comfy too.

A shirt that is one size bigger works wonderfully for the second trimester.

After baby, your body needs time to return to normal. During that time, you can still wear your "pregnancy" fashion.

See? You can still glitter, even if you are 22 weeks pregnant.

What other pregnancy fashion ideas do you suggest?

How to Make a Spa Basket for Father's Day

When was the last time you treated your man to a full body rub down?

For Father's Day, I wanted to give my husband a treat that doesn't cost a lot of money. He's quite the weight lifter, and often suffers from sore muscles. So a spa package for men sounded like the perfect idea. However, most spas gift packages cost a few hundred dollars -- yikes!

Maybe I should buy him sushi instead?

But hold it there, lady! He's been such a wonderful husband and father. Doesn't he deserve more than raw fish?

Then, my brilliant idea was born -- a DIY spa basket just for him! It's a home spa gift package custom made just for my husband.


Not only was this spa basket easy to achieve, it's a lovely treat for my husband, and a creative way for us to spend time together.

Same great spa package for men. A fraction of the cost.

If you ever want to save money on a spa package for the men you love, here's how it is done:

 Step 1 - Pick a reusable container

There are so many choices -- glossy gift boxes, straw bags...However, to save even more, you might want something that can be used again.

I happen to stumble upon this little basket. After the spa basket, it can also be a storage container or a desktop trash bin.

 

Step 2 - Get the right spa basket gifts

A spa basket is already a personalized gift. But you can personalize it even further by adding spa gifts that cater to your man's needs.

For example, my husband loves a relaxing bath. So I included candles, bubble bath, and bath oils in his spa basket.

These candles smell like fresh sea salt.

A tin canned candle makes easy storage.

Yummy bubble bath and smooth oil - what a comforting combo.

My husband values a clean shave. I'm making sure he gets it.

All the wonderful products are now neatly placed inside. Almost done!

 

Step 3 - Add something sweet to the mix

Just a spa basket isn't enough. Appreciate your man with a personalized note or card.

Hehe. A "gift certificate" for a massage. Redeemable anytime ;o)

And of course, a note from his little girl.

 

Step 4 - Finishing touches

Always garnish your gift basket with pretty things. Just a few tissue papers and a bow takes your spa basket from DIY to luxurious.

When decorating gifts, I always resort to tissue paper and bows.

Topping this basket with scrunched up tissue paper gives it volume and grace.

At last, a big, fat, beautiful bow.

  

Finally, this Father's Day Spa Basket is complete!

Signed and sealed with love.

What about you?

How did you celebrate Father's Day?