People blog for many reasons. Some blog to help and inform others, others for catharsis. Some blog because they love to write, and others to review products. Once a blog is established with a readership many bloggers look to monetise their blog. This is when S.E.O. and digital marketing becomes important. 




What is S.E.O.?

S.E.O. or Search Engine Optimisation is the practise of actively trying to improve your search engine ranking.

Why Is It Important?

It is important as all the major search engines such as Google and Yahoo use a ranking procedure to place websites in order. Those at the top of the rankings gain more exposure. If you think about it, most people don't scroll past the first couple of pages of a search engine.

There are many factors that can improve your search engine rankings and a blog or small business can get many benefits from doing their S.E.O. and digital marketing themselves.

Some Simple Tips

Domain

Call your blog something relevant and easy to remember. Will the blog address be relevant to you in ten years' time? Short and easy to spell blog addresses are preferable.

I'm a woman that likes nice underwear, don't we all? I am a pretty underwear gal, bras and pants have to have detail, be it eyelash lace, made of a silky satin material or have a cute pattern. A bra also has to lift and shape my curves.

Chantelle fits my style beautifully.

Chantelle is a French brand that you can find in recommended underwear stores and online from the likes of Figleaves.com and House Of Fraser. They are steeped in history and heritage with a tradition of excellence in their design and craftsmanship. Made in France for over a hundred years their expertise is reflected in the quality and femininity of their products whilst still producing underwear that is supremely comfortable. They also keep up-to-date with trends and innovation, to produce the best fit and support all wrapped up in a pretty underwear package. Every year they test over 200 new materials to bring new designs to market.

Attention to detail is important for the company. When I was asked if I wanted to review a set of underwear I was advised I needed a proper bra fitting first by a store that was a stockist. This was a great idea as I would have ordered the wrong size! The fitting in this brand was slightly bigger than I would normally take so it was useful to get a fitting in the independent store, Madam Foner in Swansea.



Madame Foner is in one of the small arcades in the centre of town. It's a little treasure trove of beautiful underwear from all the leading brands and is definitely worth a visit. The staff appear welcoming and knowledgeable and were extremely helpful. 

I have an ample bust so I usually go for an underwired bra with no padding. I also like underwear in neutral colours that I can mix and match.

Looking through the Chantelle brochure I spotted a set I really liked the look of. from the Opera range. The Opera demi bra is made of pretty lace and is underwired, with a delicate flower and petal lace.  The staff at Madame Foner let me try on the bra and I loved it straight away. Although they didn't have the size I wanted, after being measured I was told to get a bigger size than I normally wear. Apparently, French designs can be slightly smaller than British designs. 



Tell me, what do you think of the underwear I have chosen? Have you heard of Chantelle lingerie?

We love our home and over the years we have worked hard to transform it into a place that we love to spend time in. After all, it’s true what they say, there’s no place like home.

Although my husband and I have invested lots of time perfecting each room into a space that reflects exactly how we want it to look and feel, there’s still so much to be done. It’s a sad fact of life that home improvements do not come cheap, especially if you’re renovating areas of home such as your kitchen or bathroom, as we have quickly found out. I live in a flat and hope to move one day to a larger house but before then I need to renovate and decorate our home.



We’ve been meaning to renovate our kitchen for years now, and despite being one of the most used rooms in our home, it has kind of taken a back seat. I guess the costs involved in taking on this scale of home improvement project have always put us off! Getting reliable workmen too is incredible hard where I live.

We were right to be wary, having started to look into the costs involved, we quickly realised that this was one home improvement project that wasn’t going to happen financially overnight… With this in mind, I decided to do some research into how we could be in the best financial position to fund our dream kitchen. Here’s what I found out.

Credit

If savings are not an option, or if they don’t quite cover the amount you need to spend, it might be worth looking into taking out a credit card or loan to finance the cost of your project. Just make sure that you shop around for the best deal, check out and compare the Annual Percentage Rate (A.P.R) for loans and make use of offers like 0% balance transfers on credit cards. 




However, before relying on credit as an option and to avoid disappointment before applying, it’s always a good idea to check and make sure you understand your credit report. You credit report is important as you need to check the information on it is correct, as if not it may affect your chance of getting credit such as a loan, mortgage or credit card in the future. It is recommended that you check this once a year for inaccuracies so you can put it right. The higher your credit score the more likely it is you will be given credit.

Savings

As a family that has always saved, we have managed to save a substantial towards the cost of the project. One thing that is important to account for is unexpected expenses.

Before starting any home renovation project you should always overestimate the costs involved, and make sure that you have the money set aside to cover them. Sit down and write a list of all of the costs involved from materials to installation, then add 10% on top for unforeseen costs. It might even be that you have to take time off work to oversee the project, make sure you factor this into your costings too!

Mortgage

Another option to help fund large home improvement projects is to look at re-mortgaging your home, particularly if you are going to be renovating rooms in a bid to increase the value of your property.

These often include rooms such as your bathroom, kitchen, and extensions to your home. You should also check whether or not you have any equity tied up in your home, this could also allow you to free up some cash to cover the costs of your home improvement projects.

We are well on our way to funding our dream kitchen and I hope in the next few months to report back with photos of our renovations....If I can find some reliable workmen....

Tell me if you own your own property have you ever thought about home improvements? If so how did you manage to fund it?

*A collaborative sponsored post

With Christmas just around the corner, you are probably already wondering how you are going to pay for the gifts and items for everyone on the gift list. With this said, there are a number of ways to spread the cost over the holiday season so that you aren't burdened with one giant bill to pay off at once.

These are the top 5 tips for spreading the cost this Christmas, and affording everything you want (and need) to buy.




1. Catalogue shopping

With many online catalogues offering to finance for up to 36 months (or longer), you can truly spread the cost out. Not only that, but most catalogues sell a variety of items so you can buy several gifts on the shopping list, all in one place, rather than having to visit several department stores. Some offer interest-free credit too.

2. Online Surveys

Ever done online surveys? Seems foolish to many, but many companies are willing to pay you for your opinion or enter you for a prize draw. So, if you get a survey after shopping, consider doing it. Survey sites are worth signing up for and not only will many companies gift you gift cards or money back options, they will also offer free gifts in many cases as well.



3. Credit cards

Sure, you don't want to use them, but for many, this is an option they need. Many credit cards will offer the option for 0% interest-free financing, especially for a balance transfer. So, if you qualify for free financing, and pay off the entire balance by the promotional period, you won't have to worry about high-interest charges looming over you either. Watch out for an arrangement fee though.

4. Department store cards

They are typically very easy to qualify for, and most stores offer free promotional periods, meaning no interest if you pay the item off (typically 6 to 12 months with most stores). Some department stores offer an additional percentage discount (5 to 10% off) when you use their store card too. So, it is a double bonus as you don't have to worry about interest, and you receive an additional discount simply for using the store card.

5. Layaway

Many retailers offer the 'layaway' payment option for their shoppers. If you are purchasing a large gift, like a gold necklace, a gaming system or pricey electronics, you can pay it off over time. Some retailers offer weekly payment options, others offer monthly options. If you visit stores now, not only do you have about three months to pay off the entire purchase, most retailers offering the layaway payment option do not charge interest as long as you pay off the entire item prior to picking it up. I know when I had my own jewellers we did this and it is often seen in independent stores.

These are a few simple, and creative ways for you to go about holiday shopping this year. Not only will it allow you to buy all the items and gifts on your holiday shopping list, but it also allows you to save on interest, and receive great promotions and discounts when shopping. Consider shopping early, and getting these purchases out of the way now, so you can take advantage of these different methods of spreading out the cost of holiday shopping this year.

Do you use any of these methods wisely to spread the cost of Christmas?