A vanity URL is unique domain name used primarily for marketing purposes like a specific marketing campaign or print ad. Ideally it's something easy to remember and links to a specific page on your web site. If you set it up properly, you can also track how many visits that specific URL generates to your website so you can measure the effectiveness of your campaign.

For example, RunRedDeer.com organizes a race series of 3 separate races, one of which is the Halloween Half Marathon. On the event poster, they could display

• the URL of the Halloween Half event page
  https://series.runreddeer.com/halloween-half.html
  OR
• a vanity URL that is much easier to read/remember/share
  http://reddeerhalloweenhalf.com​

3. Redirect Trackable URL to Real URL
Log into your domain manager and use the "forward" or "redirect" option to paste in the URL you generated. Test your vanity URL to confirm it redirects correctly (with the tracking data).

4. Track Vanity URLs in Google Analytics
Log into GA and select the property you set up the vanity URL for.
Under Acquisitions, click All campaigns.

If you're like most people, you purchased a website domain a LONG time ago, entered your credit card info and now you're just automatically billed every 1-2 years. So ya, it's easy to forget who hosts your domain. No big deal... you can easily figure out this information using WHOIS Lookup:

1. Go to WHOIS lookup
2. Enter your domain name in the search field and click Lookup.
3. In the results page, look for the Registrar section.
   The registrar is usually your domain host. For example:
   URL: http://tucowsdomains.com
   Registrar: TUCOWS, INC.
4. Go to your registrar’s website using the listed URL. (i.e. http://tucowsdomains.com)
   Tucows is special since they are a domain reseller. It is very likely you did not buy from Tucows but rather one of their reseller partners like Netfirms.
   * In the top input box of http://tucowsdomains.com, enter your domain and click Find Provider
   * Go to your registrar's website using the URL in the Provider Information
5. Sign in with the credentials you used when you purchased (or transferred) your domain.
6. If you forgot your password, contact your domain host’s support team.

1. Sign in to your YouTube account on a computer.
2. On the left side of the page, select the playlist you want to embed.
3. i.e. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAHjTHYOLrOZxUPg6br1tnJoowuDvdHya
4. Copy the playlist ID from the URL.
5. Modify the embed code below to replace the playlist ID in red text with your new one
6. Paste the code into your blog or website using the Embed Code element

Example: 
<div class="wsite-youtube" style="margin-bottom:10px;margin-top:10px;"><div class="wsite-youtube-wrapper wsite-youtube-size-auto wsite-youtube-align-center"> <div class="wsite-youtube-container">  <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLAHjTHYOLrOad7QBANVmQJntXPPyZuS0b&wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> </div></div>

Kevin and I are both fairly 'green' on the color personality test so of course we love lists, sticky notes, and MS Excel of course. We've often said, "we need an app to share our digital to-do lists"!

Being the nerds we are, we've tested different approaches from a shared doc in Google Drive, a sticky note sprint board in our home, to various free apps and we've finally found one we like: Any.do

Check it out and let us know what you think and/or tell us your favorite to-do list.

​Here are 4 hacks that make writing easier summarized so nicely in this Podcast by Omar Zenhom at the $100 MBA Show. The objective of these hacks is to get your ideas down and get the ball rolling. Once you get more comfortable, you won't need these writing "training wheels" anymore.

Blog Writing Hack #1: Go for the "peak" first 

• start with the climax of the story first (i.e. peak of the mountain), the meat of the article
• now work backwards and write the introduction moving towards the peak (i.e. incline of mountain)
• now work on the decline of the mountain, i.e. conclusion or summary

Blog Writing Hack #2:  Speak it, don't write it

• use your phone dictation app and pretend you're being interviewed 
• once it's in text format, you can edit/rearrange after
• there are some best selling authors that actually write 'real' books this way!

Blog Writing Hack #3:  What, Why, How, Your Thoughts
Jot down your thoughts under these 4 headings, then rearrange/edit later.

• What are you talking about? What question will your article answer?
• Why is this important? Why am I writing about this?
• How do you actually do what you're trying to teach? List steps.
• Finish with your thoughts. What is your experience? Your opinion?

Blog Writing Hack #4: AIDA
From the book: This Book Will Teach You to Write Better

• [A]: Get people's ATTENTION right off that bat
• [I]: Get their INTEREST, give some interesting facts or ideas
• [D]: Get them to DESIRE whatever you want them to do
• [A]: Clearly outline the ACTION, what do you want them to do next? i.e. email signup

I'm also just starting to get into the habit of blogging (as you can tell by the small number of articles on this site currently) and I'm finding these hacks are extremely helpful with "getting it done" instead of procrastinating. 

So, tell me, what tricks/hacks do you use for blog writing? 

If you're like me, you have a bunch of aspirations to get all this stuff crossed off the To Do list every weekend, only to be disappointed Sunday night that 2/100 things were completed (or nothing at all). But what if you could have a relaxing, fun weekend AND get some shit done? You can! You just need to get organized by following this simple approach:

If you consistently dedicate 8hrs per weekend to work on your project/business, you can really maximize your efficiency on the two days that matter most and see some real progress towards your goals.

MONDAY "Get Organized" - 30min
Do some planning early in the week so you can digest it all week and gather supplies/resources needed on the weekend.

1. List tasks. What do you want to get done on the weekend? 
2. Estimate time per task. Then multiply each estimates x 2, since it always takes longer than you think
3. Prioritize. You've only got 8hrs on the weekend, so identify the most important items to finish

FRIDAY PM "Get Started" - 1hr

1. Block off an hour after work to get started on something. Create some momentum and that way Saturday you'll be able to quickly pick up where you left off
2. Get to bed early! Save the partying / late night for Sat night if that's your thing

SATURDAY AM "Early Bird Gets the Worm" - 4hrs

1. Get up EARLY. For us that's 4am so we can have 3'ish hrs before the kids wake up. TIP: When kids do wake, cue Cheerios and Sat am cartoons (I mean it didn't kill us as kids right?)
2. Rest of the day is yours to enjoy

SUNDAY PM "Over half done, don't blow it off now" - 3hrs

1. Dedicate another 3hrs in the afternoon or evening to finish up your tasks

REPEAT 
Start the cycle on Monday again, but ensure you spend a few minutes to evaluate how things went the previous weekend. Did you get everything done on your list? Get honest with yourself, why not? How can you do things differently next weekend so things go better?


References:
$100 MBA Show Podcast: How to Make The Most of Weekends to Build a Business
Blog Article: How to Make the Most of Your Weekends to Grow Your Side Business
The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking: A Thorough Spring Cleaning Checklist

If you build it they will come? I often chat with small business owners who are disappointed to learn that after investing a bunch of time/money on their website, their website traffic is still very low. There are millions and millions of websites, so how do you help people find yours?

1. Google : optimize your website for relevant keyword phrases (SEO)
2. Backlinks (inbound links) : this is a link on somebody else's website that points to your website. Links from popular, credible websites is a powerful signal to Google that your website is trustworthy and has authority and thus Google ranks your website higher in search results
3. Social media / content marketing : this includes Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Periscope, even Podcasts, email marketing. These are all types of social media platforms, different ways to publish and distribute content..... i.e. share the content you've created on your blog to which attracts people back to your website which allows them to know, like, trust and buy from you.