Wondering what are some of the hottest trends in the blog and website industry? Below we keep you in the loop, by highlighting three of them. These are all the rage now and are not going away anytime soon, so the time to jump in – is now.

1. Responsive Website/Blog Designs -

If you’ve been reading and or seeing a lot of mention lately about responsive web design this is because designers are scrambling to keep up pace with the recent explosion of tablets. Ever since the iPad came out in April 2010 and then the Kindle Fire in November 2011, the universe has simply not been the same. And it very much applies to website design as those smaller screens require different settings for proper viewing. With this in mind, those who create software for websites and blogs such as WordPress have created changes to accommodate this new and (super popular) medium. The thing is that since there are so many tablets and phones on the market, a need for a universal design is on the rise. This brings us to responsive web design. So a WordPress theme that calls itself responsive means that it will adapt to the screen it’s being viewed on, whether the 9 inch iPad, the 7 inch Kindle Fire or the smaller and compact iPhone screen.

Look for more responsive web design trends in 2012 and beyond.

2. Guest Posting -

SEO is a constantly evolving practice that if you don’t keep up, you’ll be left behind in the dust. Google likes to keep us blog owners and web marketers on our toes by implementing constant changes that we need to stay on top of. First it was article marketing, then link directories, then blogroll exchanges, then blog carnivals – and so on. The new and improved methods for website and blog SEO are now linkbait, guest posting, infographics, joining blog communities and forums and blog commenting. If you’re not familiar with guest posting, essentially this is when you seek out blogs in your niche and volunteer to write and submit an article there that links back to your site. This is not an easy method because it involves time and effort on your part, as you need to contact the site owner, email him or her, pitch a good and useful guest article, write the article, then await to hear back from said owner. As you can see – guest posting requires time, energy and most importantly – a good deal of follow through.

This is probably why Google likes it and gives it a thumbs up. So if you’ve not yet tried guest posting, now is as good time as any.

3. Google Plus/ Facebook Timelines -

Social media is not new, Facebook and Twitter have been around for some time now and as far as I can see, are not going away anytime soon. But they also implement an alarming and dizzying amount of changes, enough to make a good natured website and blog owner – reach for the BIG bottle of Tums. The most recent change at Facebook is the infamous timelines and the timeline cover. This change is meant to maximize your page and engage your base. By adding in a large cover photo of your business, it makes photos a good part of the overall mix in your social media chest box. Speaking of photos, another crazy insane popular service that just recently has been mentioned everywhere except the New Testament – is Pinterest. It’s a social network based around images. Is it useful? Is it helpful? I’m not sure as I have yet to do any analytics or anything like that. Like many others, I signed up and have added a few pins here and there, but nothing to hoot and holler about.

Do you HAVE to sign up for all these social networks? My short answer is: No. My longer answer is: Maybe. Depends really on your blog niche, your business and how much FREE time you have. Because fact is, that the one things all of these require is the one thing we don’t have too much of. Time. If you have time to create a Facebook page, update it and keep your fans engaged – then go for it. If not, you can also hire someone to do it for you. But what’s the point in signing up for another one. Which one is right for you? I can’t answer that. Visit each one and see their interface, then decide which one you wouldn’t mind spending 30 minutes a day on.

Which of these three trends are you most excited about? For me, responsive website and blog design is quite an interesting topic and so I am watching it closely.

Kindly,
Missy

p.s. I am working on an epic 3,000 plus word list – which is gonna knock your socks off. Well, at least I hope it does. Be sure to subscribe to my RSS or via email, follow me on Twitter or fan up on Facebook so you don’t miss it. You SO do not want to miss it.

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