As food bloggers, the one thing that we work on almost as much as our cooking is search engine optimization (SEO).  One of the most commonly used tools in the search engine arsenal is the reciprocal link.  A reciprocal link is a link that you put on your site that points to site B and site B puts a link on their site back to yours, site A.  The link that site B puts up that points back to your site is called a backlink or inbound link.

Quality is the word of the day when it comes to reciprocal linking.  Search engines look for your inbound links to come from quality sites (quality = sites that have relevant content to your own site).  If an inbound link to your site isn’t relevant to the topic you write about (your site is all about vegan cooking and the inbound link is from a home decorating site), the search engine considers it less relevant and essentially ignores it.  However, if you have a reciprocal link to this decorating site, the search engine views this link negatively and can downgrade or dilute the relevancy of your site.

Search engines also look for links to be developed over time.  Much like our friendships take time to develop…search engines believe websites should have that same dynamic.  If you spend a hardcore weekend sending out those pleasant quid pro quo e-mails looking for reciprocal link trades, the search engines are going to frown on your site.  While no person makes 50 friends overnight (Twitter and Facebook don’t count in this discussion), search engines don’t believe that websites make 50 friends that quickly either.  If you’re going to carry out this e-mail campaign strategy, do it slowly over time.

When undertaking your backlink strategy (yes, you should have a strategy for your backlinks) there are some tools to help you keep on track.  You need to keep track of who is linking back to you (especially if you were using the quid pro quo methodology for building links).  A reciprocal link checker can help you determine if everyone is playing fairly with you.  This tool does require you to know the url of each of the sites that is supposed to be linking to you.  Another tool to check your backlinks is a link popularity tool.  This tool will show you how many inbound links you have on a specific url of your site and it shows the link counts for Google, Yahoo, and MSN.  It won’t tell you where the links are coming from, just the overall number.  The overall number of inbound links a site has, the higher it typically ranks in the search engines.

When undertaking link building as part of the Search Engine Optimization of your web site, make sure that you have a strategy for creating your links.  As with most things in life, it’s quality over quantity when it comes to website linking.

You’ve seen other blogs and notice that their photos have a “watermark” on them, maybe a copyright (c) or their website, such as www.WorthTheWhisk.com.  It’s actually ON that photo… how do you get it there?  Here are the steps to do that, pretty simple:

1. Open your photo in a photo editing program (I use IrfanView, but there are lots out there). Which means, either double-click on the photo file and it will automatically open in your default program OR right-click, select Open With and pick from your drop-down menu.
2. “Draw” a text box where you want your copy to go. That means, pick a top-left starting point, hold down your mouse button and drag the pointer — you will see a box growing there. Let go of the mouse and it sticks.
3. Go to Edit. Click on Insert Text Into Selection and a box will pop up with several options. This is where you have to “play” with it all to get what you want – font, color, size of text (subtle vs. large).
4. Just play with it, insert your text and if it isn’t right, hit your Undo button and the text will disappear but the box will remain. However, if you click your mouse somewhere else on the photo, the box will disappear, too.
5. Once you get what you are looking for, do a Save As on the photo and name it for use on your blog.

1. Vastly improve my food photography.
2. Refine my content quality: recipe writing, style, voice and proper attributions.
3. Grow my readership via smarter SEO techniques.
4. Gain precious face-time with food bloggers to expand my circle of support and contacts.
5. Strengthen my grasp of the blogging “business” and what’s out there for me – corporate contacts, PR folks, tax insights, monetizing.

For a serious kick-start, plan to attend Camp Blogaway Bootcamp for Food & Recipe Bloggers May 14-16 in the beautiful mountains of sunny Southern California (near Big Bear).

The jam-packed itinerary addresses all this and more at a great value: $325 registration includes two nights’ lodging, all meals and sessions, valuable workbook, plus all the fun you can stuff into a weekend away from the hassles of work and home. Early January, we’ll finalize registrations, so HURRY and pre-register.  

Here are five top things food bloggers have told me they want most from their blogging efforts:

1. To grow traffic to their blogs. Aside from validation for delivering valuable and worthy content, visitor traffic produces real payoffs: money, visibility, deals, success. Many blog platforms provide statistical information that is quite insightful. And bloggers admit to often obsessing about their traffic to the point that their stats drive them crazy. Growing traffic is a complicated challenge, and that’s why networking with other bloggers really helps shed light on this topic.

2. To be treated as bona fide media. Bloggers influence consumers just like magazines, TV, newspapers, radio. And many feel strongly that their influence ranks up there for such considerations as trade show press badges, junkets, swag, backstage passes and more. Getting to that level of respect is a strong desire and a blog’s traffic is key to opening that door — sometimes, but not always. Personal contacts often can override the roadblock of lackluster stats.

3. To make decent money. Not every blog has ads, but lots of bloggers earn income via subsequent cookbook deals, speaking engagements, spokesperson work, freelance copywriting, teaching assignments and other prized gigs. Little ads don’t pay many bills. Decent money is a valid goal, and dovetailing efforts to build income from a variety of sources is a lucrative approach.

4. To be recognized as a brand. In this growing pool, each really wants to establish themselves as unique for their content, talent, style, outlook. Standing apart matters to many bloggers. How to do that is a constant struggle in this highly competitive field, yet making a name for yourself is the most effective method to step away from the herd.

5. To be wooed by money gatekeepers. Joining the elite circle of marketing insiders is a major springboard to the big leagues. PR agencies, advertising agencies, research firms, publishing houses, corporate marketing departments are the People With Money to Spend. For bloggers, making their acquaintance can be the Holy Grail. It’s not easy, but it’s doable.

Helping bloggers achieve their goals is the mission of Camp Blogaway. In addition to educational sessions, the on-site camaraderie and networking opportunities at Camp are invaluable. Successful bloggers will tell you, attending a blogging conference makes a big impact on your blog’s future. Join us May 14-16 in the beautiful Southern California mountains.

Many of our campers have succeeded in landing a business to “sponsor” their attendance – GREAT!  At Camp Blogaway, we work hard to ensure attendees meet and mingle, but YES — bloggers are encouraged to “think marketing,” too.  Here are five ways* to maximize your visibility, or that of your sponsor at Camp – they’re easy and cheap!

1. Bring business cards. Blog name/logo, URL, your name, email, twitter, Facebook. No need for phone or address.
2. Make use of the Networking Table for flyers, business cards — especially if you have been “sponsored” to attend. Consider standing out on that table. How about a Signature Recipe? A postcard from Camp? Invitation for a fun contest? Luggage tags?  Whatever you do should be easy to carry home and good enough for someone to not toss in the trash. 
3. Give away a nibble. How about a candy with your card attached? An imprinted lollypop, or other cute snack. Two things are important here – first, that your goodie doesn’t appear to give an impression you are a “sponsor of Camp,” and second, proper packaging. Don’t be the one whose goodie leaked or melted in suitcases.
4. Wear your logo. This is easy. Just buy a packet of Ink Jet T-Shirt transfers and iron yourself up a logo shirt or apron. FUN. 
5. Follow-up. Attendees will receive contact info for all our bloggers, sponsors, speakers, staff.  Making a real effort to reconnect once home is a valuable way to help you make things happen for your blog.

*Note – While here, we request attendees respect Camp Blogaway’s wonderful sponsors by ONLY promoting your blogs or personal sponsors via the methods, above.  Registered campers receive additional info on this topic in their Registration Packet.  Any questions, just email Fearless Leader patti@londre.com and she’ll give you a hand.

Many thanks to attendees Tastestopping, Earthbound Chronicles and Stockpiling Moms, for their input on these opportunities.

Now a food blogger, I’m working on my composition, food styling and cooking.  But what kicked me in the head was the constant rejection by Food Porn sites, which resulted in my competitive nature getting riled up – “Get better equipment, Patti.  And LEARN HOW TO USE IT, sheesh.”  I guess potato salad really isn’t supposed to look blue (White Balance issue, amongst other obvious problems).

After due diligence, the Canon G10 appeared a solid match to my abilities, and last weekend’s digital camera workshop was a necessity.  I know what I want to achieve, I just need to remember all the steps to telling a camera how to get there.  AUTO is my friend, but not my only option.

Thankfully, the teacher was very clear in his instruction, so I’m sharing five of his helpful Rules of Thumb.  After these, playing with settings is encouraged:

1. ISO 200 is a good all-around setting.  All cameras are tested at 200.
2. Image stabilization assumes you are holding the camera; if you use a tripod, turn it off and photos will be clearer
3. Shoot your first picture on AUTO WHITE BALANCE to set tell the camera accurate colors
4. Shoot your first hero picture on AUTO setting, after that you can mess with the settings
5. When adjusting a shot in an editing program, use a Control Shadows & Highlights feature, not Control Brightness.  Brightness tweaks everything, but Shadows and Highlights spot-tweaks.

Teacher really drilled down with our camera features and settings, it was a lot to absorb.  Meantime I must PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.  And keep planning for the upcoming Camp Blogaway Bootcamp for Food & Recipe Bloggers.

SURFACE – this is a gigantic poster board from the art store, $7.95.  What I like is that it bends. A clamp from our garage holds the front, and kitchen stool behind props it up. I don’t shoot everything with this, since “artistically” that would be boring (oh puhleeze, listen to me, like I know). Getting it into the car was hilarious to onlookers, thanks to gusts of wind. But I did it. And once it gets splotched or creased, I will buy another. Cheap.

LIGHT BOUNCE – 8 1/2 x 11 cardboard from the back of a yellow pad of paper wrapped in a sheet of foil (matte side out). I use this with every shoot because it can make a subtle but noticeable difference in my mediocre food photography. Look at the chocolate in the photos, below, and notice how the “with” just has more yum to it.  Bouncing light is a nifty technique.

Experiment throwing light onto little places by holding it opposite your light source. If you set your camera for a 2-second timer, you can let go  completely (avoids shakes) and bounce your light without rushing. Bounce it here, bounce it there, you will then have lots of photo options when you look at your shots.

PROPS –  The Goodwill Store in Santa Monica is probably like any thrift shop in our town, with piles of unmatched dishes for sale. They were in a generous mood the other day and sold me a nice batch of little bowls and dishes for $8. Total.

I learned from reading other bloggers’ photo tips that a collection of white is most useful. And I am learning that plates with some texture, like a basket weave edge add interest to a shot. Add cool shapes like square or triangle plates and bowls, and you have plenty of options.

By the way, one of the planned activities at Camp Blogaway is the “Prop Swap.” Bring a bowl, spoon, cup, napkin, glass or whatever could be a useful prop for someone else, and take home a fresh one. Is it time to let go of something you’ve been shooting just a bit too much?

FABRIC SURFACES – I like tablecloths, but I don’t NEED a lot of tablecloths. The local upholstery fabric store, F&S Fabrics on Pico in West LA has quite a few bins containing swatches for .98 each. Nice textured things, fanciful colors, crazy patterns, it kind of doesn’t matter. 

The camera sometimes needs some options when shooting foods, I am learning – a pound cake on one fabric looks different than the same thing on something else. The other day, I bought 6 swatches for under $6 and have used two already. I keep an iron nearby because creases sneak up on me without looking until I’m done shooting and THEN see them in the shots. 

Hope to see you all at Camp Blogaway. We’ll be sharing a whole lot more of such ideas then.