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In March 2021, Google implements 100% mobile first indexing. Are you prepared? What all should you do to be up-to-date in terms of SEO? Just from a knowledge point of view too, a number of queries arise: Does ' mobile first indexing ' mean that Google now has two types of search bots and it maintains two types of search indexes of websites? Is mobile first indexing a sudden change? Does it impact our websites or blogs from SEO point of view? What happens to the desktop versions of websites on Google search? What is mobile first indexing? Mobile first indexing means this: F or ranking websites and web pages for search purposes,  Google (or any other search engine) gives precedence to the mobile version. When a mobile version is available, that one is assessed for indexing.  Does Google maintain a separate index for mobile websites? No. Google has clarified this recently: ... there isn't a separate mobile-first index; Google Search continues to use only one index. Google S...

We bring you the updated list of 40 useful websites, apps and tools for bloggers, web writers, authors, newspersons, photo and video editors - all those who create and modify content for the web or elsewhere. Some of these are excellent tools for other purposes such as Search Engine Optimization, web security, and checking whether someone has stolen your content. Each of these free tools/ apps have been used by me and my friends and blogger friends. I have only included websites and software when I find them safe, stable and really useful.  Tools that do not install well or are reported to install junk on your computer, those with useless features in their free versions, and tools/ apps that are not found totally safe in my and others' reviews have been rejected.   Some of the entries in this free tools' list are freemium tools - these have free as well as paid versions. Repeat: all these great tools/ sites/ apps are FREE! Free writing tools for bloggers, writers G rammarly...

Bing vs Google market share and usage  Google is the daddy of web search, no doubt about that. The second most important search engine is Microsoft Bing (earlier called just Bing), with market share ranging from about 2% to 16% in different geographies. In addition, Yahoo! search engine also uses Microsoft Bing data and its market share goes up to 14% in some areas.  Though I use Google predominantly for search purposes, I do use Bing when I need better results. It might look counter-intuitive but it is a reality. Try it and you will find that its search is simple and straight, and it sometimes gives better results than Google. It might be behind Google in innovations, and it might lag when it comes to finding the intent of the search but it seems to excel when the query is straight forward. Moreover, its filters on top of search pages are very easy to apply. You do not have to look for 'advanced search' as on Google. I checked a dozen webpages of my blogs on both Bing and Goo...

This post shares experiences of four established travel bloggers. especially during and after Covid 19 pandemic. As one would expect, Covid 19 has disrupted travel bloggers’ routine badly. At the same time, this has given them an opportunity to do maintenance, reflect on their blogging journey and innovate so as to adjust to the new reality.  Indrani Ghose, of i Share says the pandemic slowed her down but it threw up a wonderful opportunity to connect with nature.  “I have indulged in bird photography and clicked several hundreds of pictures of different birds. This has kept my Insta feed live with fresh pictures. I have also contributed articles to newspapers. This period of lockdown gave me the opportunity to look back into my old posts, update and repost them and I am really glad about it,” Indrani shares. Ami Bhat, who runs Thrilling Travel blog, says, “After a very eventful year in 2019, 2020 turned out to be a complete wash-out. The numerous plans and advance bookings ...

This post is specifically on blogging in Hindi. A summary in English is given at the end of the post. हमने पाया है कि ब्लॉगर प्रायः कई तरह की चिंताओं में पड़ने लगते हैं. जो लोग ब्लॉगिंग शौकिया कर रहे हैं वो भी और जो इसे एक व्यवसाय की तरह कर रहे हैं वह भी. वेब में Quora और अन्य स्थानों में उनकी चिंताऐं देखने को मिलती रहती हैं, इसलिए यह पोस्ट लिखी है.  ये चिंताएं मुख्यतः इन कारणों से होती हैं: क्या मैं ब्लॉगिंग में बे-मतलब समय तो नष्ट नहीं कर रहा? क्या मैं अगले एक साल या निरंतर ब्लॉगिंग को जारी रख पाऊंगा? मेरे ज़्यादातर साथी अब फेसबुक और व्हाट्सप में चले गए हैं, क्या मुझे भी ब्लॉगिंग पूरी तरह छोड़कर वहाँ चले जाना चाहिए? मैं जो लिखता हूँ क्या उसे लोग पसंद करते हैं या पीठ पीछे मज़ाक उड़ाते हैं? मैं जो दूसरों की वेबसाइट से कभी कभी चित्र या लेख उठा लेता हूँ क्या ये सब मुझे किसी कानूनी मुसीबत में डाल सकते हैं? अगर लोग मेरे लेखन को चुरा लें तो? देखिये, अगर आपने ब्लॉगिंग इसलिए शुरू की है की सब संगी साथी ऐसा कर रहे हैं या आप उनसे ज़्यादा प्रगतिशील दिखना चाहते हों या ब्लॉगिंग...

We shall discuss the broad topic 'blogging for writers' by answering these specific questions: Is blogging useful for an author? What does an author website or blog achieve, and what it does not? Should an author open a blog or website?  Before we move further, a small clarification: in general parlance, you are a writer if you write; you are an author if you have published books, especially in print/ through a trade publisher. In the present article, I have used the expression author and writer interchangeably in a broad meaning of a person who writes as his profession and has either authored a publication or is aspiring to do so. Thus, these words depict published as well as unpublished writers of books. The books can be in any literary genre (including poetry) or non-fiction; they can be published through trade publishers or self-published; they can also be print publications or ebooks. The second thing: websites and blogs have different personalities, but since most of the...

It is 2021, and blogging has become more than 25 years old since it first started. In the meantime, its definition, use, importance... everything has undergone a big change. So, in this small post, let us have a look at this activity in modern context. What is blogging, in 2021? Blogging is the publishing of long-form content on the web on a regular basis.  Blogging has matured and become much wider than the narrow ways it used to be defined. In 2021, the earlier definitions of blogging do not hold. Blogging is no longer "maintaining a web diary", "writing on a blogging platform", "having articles on a website in chronological order", etc.  You are a blogger if you regularly issue videos on your YouTube channel or publish photographs on Instagram. On your standalone blog, you need not keep posts in chronological order. You also need not have the earlier tool of engagement (comment box) because you can better engage with visitors and followers through socia...