BizSugar Content Submission Guidelines
We want you to be as successful as possible here on BizSugar. So we've created these content Guidelines to help you understand best practices.
1. Submit content that is SPECIFICALLY relevant to small business
Submit content that a small business owner, small business manager or entrepreneur would understand and/or use.Some topics are TOO technical for a business audience. Just because an article is about website development, SEO, CMS, iPhone/Android apps, cloud technology, SMS, or another technical topic, does not mean it is relevant. Tech articles for a business audience should include actionable advice for business use, tutorials for business people, and/or reasons the technology will help small businesses.
2. Pick a snappy business-related title
Make your title stand out! Titles here on BizSugar are important to get people to click through to your site and read the article. Titles are also important today because they get tweeted on Twitter -- the shorter the better. Use the title to clearly show that your post is business related. Here is an example for creating a good title:
- Do THIS: "Best New Android Apps for Business Productivity"
NOT this: "Android Release 4.78 for App Syncs"
Try the Tweak Your Biz Title Generator tool for more help creating interesting and snappy titles. Go ahead, experiment a little!
3. Do not include site names or locations in BizSugar titles
Long titles filled with site names, locations and other words unrelated to the article, are confusing and hard to read. They tend to get fewer clicks and votes. The BizSugar submission form automatically pulls in extra information from your page's title tag, but that does not mean you have to leave it in. Manually edit the auto-snippet for the title when you submit it here at BizSugar. Keep your BizSugar title short, snappy and above all, interesting for readers.- Do THIS: “Awesome Twitter Tips for Your Small Business”
NOT this: “Social Media Tips for Small Businesses | San Diego SEO, search engine optimization agency”
NOT this: “Why A Landing Page Is Important by Marcellus G. Wallace”
NOT this: “How to Get More Backlinks – The Business Factor Blog on small business finance”
4. Create a GREAT description (blurb) for the article or video
The title of your submission is step 1 to grabbing attention, but the description is step 2. A great description is crucial if you want to lure people to click through and read the full article or view the full video.Write an original description of the article or video you are submitting. It should be about 2 to 4 sentences long. Provide enough detail so Members can get a good idea of the content. This is where you can be creative. Make it appealing. Make it for humans, not search engines. Be a tease!
Please do not hype company names, add lists of keywords, get too wordy, or throw extra links into the description. We frown upon that! :(
5. Choose the most relevant category
Make sure to choose a category that really fits your story, article or video. When readers browse the category pages looking for articles to read or videos to view, you want them to find YOUR relevant content.6. Link directly to the source content
Do not link to the front page of the blog or your website homepage - link to the exact page where the article was originally published.There should be no barriers to reaching your content: no extra windows, forms, or links out that readers have to click through to reach meaningful small business content. The article, video, podcast, or document must be on THAT page, not through another link. Also, please do not use shortened links such as bit.ly or ow.ly.
7. Types of content not permitted
The following types of content are not permitted and will be removed with no notice:- MLM or Network Marketing content
- Spam, spun, scraped, or anonymous content
- Business opportunities for people to buy or sign up for, no matter how legitimate
- Advertorials or overtly self-promotional articles
- Long-form sales pages or pages where the primary goal is to get someone to enter an email address or download something
- Content from article submission sites, such as ezine sites
- Duplicate submissions
- Redirects
- Articles that exist as merely a vehicle for links or SEO
- Forex, stock tips, real estate, job search, or personal finance content
- Adult, gambling, drug-related, celebrity or other inappropriate content
8. Other recommendations for titles
Here's how to make your titles better. For videos and podcasts, we've found that eliminating the name of a blog and/or podcast or video at the beginning of the title line, and simply placing the word [video] or [podcast] in brackets at the end of the title is more appealing to readers. Doing this attracts more votes and click-throughs.
- Examples of best practices:
“Three Great Ways to Finance Your Startup [video]”
OR
“Entrepreneur Profile: An Interview with Matt Cutts [podcast]”
“Definitely! The incredible artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is...”
“Rachel: Thanks again! :)
All the Best,
Martin...”
“Thank you for reading Martin!
Rachel...”
“Rachel: Thanks for your kind words! :) I needed to hear this, right now....”
“Hey Martin,
You have a great approach! Being an "intellectual nano...”