Blog 101: Nofollow vs. Follow Links & Why it Matters

The new SEO has probably got you running around in circles, grabbing your hair. Chasing your tail and wondering what you’re doing. You’re probably thinking… what’s the difference? Why does it matter so much? How do I nofollow? Ugh.. frustrating, right?

Not any more! I’d been reading up on this ever since my PR flanked and dropped completely to a 0. I was completely astonished. I had been blogging for about 5 years and had over 1500 posts. I was stunned. I had went from a 3 to a 0! Holy Crap! I know.

SEO & All That

To be able to explain to you what the follow/nofollow links mean and how they work, I have to explain some SEO stuff to you.

When a site gets a link (link pointing to that web page) (from any website EVER) it gets a tiny PR boost. Each link that is sent to your website equals a higher PR rating. Think of it as a vote. Each site that links to you is a vote. Many votes=King (Well Queen, right?) of the web space (oh, and a higher ranking in Google Search Engines).

Google can see how many links you have and from what websites. Google thinks in the term of “if many people are linking to a site, it has to be a pretty popular website”.  So more links= higher popularity basically. Google only wants to give the best to its “searchers” so higher ranked websites show up first on a google search.

Say for instance you write a blog post on “20 Healthy Hair Tips.” Someone searches “healthy hair tips” and their results show. If you have a higher ranked blog, you’ll show up before a lower ranked blog would.

Follow Links

NOW, onto the actual links and what they mean. A follow link is a link that counts as a “vote” in your Search Engine popularity. If someone writes a blog post and includes a follow link to your “20 Healthy Hair Tips”, you’ll get a “vote.” PR ranking is also upped.

NoFollow Links

A Nofollow link is still a link placed to a website, it doesn’t doesn’t count as a “vote.” This link does not in NO way boost PR ranking.

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*A no follow link is created with the nofollow link HTML tag, which looks like this:

<a href=”http://www.website.com/” rel=”nofollow”>Link Text</a>

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The Nofollow tag basically tells googles web crawlers that you don’t want to place a “vote” for this particular website.

You cannot have too many nofollow links because Google will think you’re being paid for links. Then they will mark your website or blog as spammy and pull your Page Rank. So make sure you watch which websites and links you give your “vote” to.

This nofollow tag keeps spammers from blackballing the smaller guys by buying links from everybody and artificially boosting their PR. Like those pesky people who bombard online community boards and blogs with links trying to sneak in some SEO pull. No more of that.

Now there isn’t any worry that there will be 100s of nonsense posts posted everywhere. It isn’t going to get them anywhere anyway, so why waste their time?

When to USE Nofollow

• Paid links (it wouldn’t be honest and fair to buy votes, now would it?)
• Comments
• Forums

Don’t think that Nofollows are completely worthless though. Even if someone gives you a nofollow link in their blog or post, it will still send traffic to your blog.

Don’t think about SEO when you’re writing. Think about bonding with the people who are reading your blog and building your brand.

SO- just make sure if you write a sponsored post or receive a review item (even if it’s an ebook) you have to make sure to add the nofollow link. Google has crawlers searching websites looking for links out of place (randomly inserted with no content to back the link up) and paid content.

Better to be safe than sorry they say. I know- because I started blogging BEFORE the nofollow tag and have to scour my blog and add in nofollow links to almost all my old posts. I know. Great. lol

Just another thing on the to-list I guess.

 

Til next time,

Jess

 

6 Creepiest Places on Earth

There are places in this world that are far more scary than anything you could ever watch on a movie. These places are probably the main source of thinking for some of those horror films, I’m sure. I mean.. there are places that just make you SHUDDER at the sheer thought of EVER having to step foot there. Am I right?

Creepiness might not mean the SAME definition to all of us, but we can all agree that the places listed below are just MORE than strange.

 

1. Aokigahara Suicide Forest 

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Aokigahara Forest is also known as Suicide Forest and labeled “the perfect place to die”. It lies at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan and is extremely dense without hardly any wildlife whatsoever. It’s known for being exceptionally quiet and spooky.

This forest is well known in Japanese mythology to have demons. There have been approximately 100 suicides in the forest each year. So many that Japanese officials have put signs up that say “think of your family” and “please seek help”.

Yearly searches have been conducted for bodies since 1970, the highest body count was in 2003 at 103. How creepy is that? Yearly searches looking for people who have gone into the forest to hang themselves or overdose. Dead Bodies. EVERYWHERE. Jeez.

This started as far back as the 1950’s. Japanese spiritualists think that the spirits of those who committed suicide here live in the trees. So when people wander in, the spirits keep them from EVER coming back out.  That isn’t even counting that the forest is supposedly haunted by those who have died there. Even creepier.

The worst part is that the forest workers have to pack these decomposing bodies down the hill to the station. The bodies are then placed in a room specifically for those who have committed suicide. THEN to make it worse one of the forest workers must SLEEP in the room with the body.

The Japanese think that it’s bad luck for the ghost of the deceased to stay alone. If they ARE left alone, they say the soul screams and the body moves by itself. Don’t think I’ll be going there anytime soon.. lol.

 

2. Catacombs of Paris

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17th and 18th century Paris wasn’t really the picture of healthy living. There were so many dead bodies in the cemetery that the decomposition was flowing into the water supply. YES.. you can guess how unbelievably gross that is. Drinking dead body juice. eww.

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So to keep Paris healthy and sanitation free the Catacombs of Paris was created. It is an underground ossuary that holds the bodies of about six million people. That is A LOT of bodies, sheesh. As you can see they are stacked very neatly on top of each other. I’m glad I didn’t have to help build it, I’d be throwing up from fear.

 

3. Hellingly Asylum (Hellingly Hospital)

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Hellingly Hospital is formerly known as the East Sussex County Asylum. It was a large psychiatric hospital close to the village of Hellingly. We aren’t just talking about a building, they built an entire community that was basically self-contained. They even had their own railway to bring patients in and out, and to deliver supplies.

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Once a state of the art mental institution, Hellingly was 63 acres of pure creepiness. It wasn’t abandoned until about 1994, but since then it’s slid into total destruction. WITH the help of vandals, but it looks extremely hellish.

And if there ARE ghosts who roam this planet, I would imagine the worst place to run into one would be at an abandoned mental hospital. Yea, meeting some off-their-rocker psychotic mess who might be seeking revenge.. now there’s somewhere to plan visiting in the dark! <Yea right!

There’s NO way I’d ever stay a night in there by myself. NOT even for a million bucks. People mentally disturbed turned into ghosts? No thanks! Oh and did I mention they had an entire nursery? Ghost babies… I’ll pass.

There are tons of personal stories about the hospital here

 

4. Isla de las Munecas

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Isla de las Munecas, or Island of the Dolls is located in a swamp just south of Mexico City. This is a tourist attraction that was never meant to be one. This Island is the home to hundreds of creepy little dolls. The caretaker of the Island, Don Julian Santana Barrera is the reason behind these dolls.

This Island and the dolls are dedicated to a little girl that lost her life due to mysterious circumstances surrounding a drowning. Don (the caretaker) found the little girl drowned, then a little later found the floating doll. He hung the doll in a tree as dedication to the girl.

He was very troubled by the fact that he couldn’t save the girls life. He started hanging more and more dolls.. a total of almost 50 years. Julian was said to be found drowned exactly in the same spot the little girl was.. extremely weird!

These dolls even look horrendous in the daylight, I’d hate to see this place in the dark. The dolls are randomly placed in trees, hanging. Some of these dolls have no arms & legs, some are decapitated, and creepy little eyes.

They say the dolls are possessed by her spirit. There have been witnesses that claim some very strange things. Some say they seen the dolls move while others heard them whispering. And even stranger “the dolls tried to lure us in”..

I’ll skip this one too.

Read more about the Island of the Dolls here

 

5. Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre)

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This is a cave in Belize that just creeps me out. When you watch the Mummy or Indiana Jones and you see skeletons strategically placed.. that’s what this cave looks like. There are more than several skeleton bodies scattered around in there.

The picture above is a skeleton inside the cave whom is called “The Crystal Maiden.” This is a skeleton of a young teenage girl who was possibly a sacrifice victim. Her bones have been calcified and they look sparkling and crystallized.

This cave is known to be a sacrifice spot for the Mayans, so bad juju is possibly everywhere. Sacrificing children make it even creepier. There’s no way I’d visit this place. No way! It wasn’t discovered until 1989, and was viewable by the public by 1998. They give tours through the cave. Nope. Not this girl.

 

6.The Sedlec Ossuary-Church of Bones

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Can  you imagine what it would be like to walk into a “church” made of 40,000 peoples bones? Yes, bones. No, I’m not kidding. The Sedlac Ossuary is also known as the Church of Bones, and probably one of the weirdest things ever. It is located in the Czech Republic.

The inside of this medieval gothic style church is decorated with the bones of 40,000 people, They even have a giant chandelier made out of human bones, which is creepy. I think I’ll keep far away from here.. but they do offer tours if YOU are interested.

Have you ever visited any creepy places? Was it creepier than you thought?

 

-Jess

 

3 DIY Summer Foot Scrubs #Summer #DIY

Can you believe the summer heat this year? It has been overwhelmingly humid here, and the flip flops and sandals have long been brought out. Perfect for holing up at the beach. Flaunting those toes now are we? Summer can also bring sweaty feet, so here are some foot scrubs that will help you kick the heat.

What about this Snow cone sugar scrub? What about this doesn’t speak summer to you? Reminds me of chasing the Ice Cream truck down the street when I was a kid. I love the frosty icy look that this scrub gives off. I also love how it looks layered just like a snow cone! Looks good enough to eat, doesn’t it?

Coconut is very moisturizing especially for the feet. (You can even add a dab of pure coconut on the cuticles of your toes!) Not only will it help soothen the rough edges that come naturally in the summer, but it helps prevent athletes foot.

Give your feet the nourishment it needs with this amazing Homemade Coconut Oil Foot Scrub. 

The Coffee & Banana Foot Scrub doesn’t require very much at all. Coffee grounds, olive oil, kosher salt, and a 1/2 a banana. The banana naturally nourishes and moisturizes the feet while the coffee grounds make an exfoliation to get all that dead/dry skin off.

Looking for something that not only makes you feet look amazing but your bathroom too? This easy sugar scrub flowers looks amazing and isn’t very hard to make! You get to choose which colorant you put it in, so just think of the beautiful possibilities. Just think.. these would make amazing gift basket inserts!

What’s your worst summer foot dilemma?

-Jessica

11 Back-to-School Headbands & Hair Clips #DIY #Headbands

School is almost here and Adisyn could really use some headbands and clips. I was searching through Pinterest and seen some very VERY cute headbands. You can always go out and buy them, but making them by hand adds something special to the meaning for me!

Keeping her hair out of her face while she learns and plays at school never looked so good. I am loving the options of headbands, bows, and clips that are available. What reason is there to NOT make some of this goodness?

The first headband I came across was the Heart Headwrap  is just so adorable. It’s simple yet so beautiful. Easy to make and a very quick project. You could make this in every color and clip on little bows. How cute!

Image Source: PeacotsandPlaid.com

The second headband is the thread headband. I love that this is also easy. The pattern is easy to follow and has step-by-step instructions on how to make it. I love that they also have the pattern for the flower. It’s a great way to contrast color and make it unique.

Image Source: MyHobbyIsCrochet.com

The third headband is very easy to make, yet very pretty. The Button Flower Headband doesn’t a ton of time to make (so you have time to make more..shh..lol) Great way to add some splashes of color to their outfits! Any color combination you want, right here!

If you are looking for a very versatile headband that isn’t very hard to make, the Double Sided Headband would be great.

 

I am loving all the bright colored fabric, absolutely beautiful. You can also create patchwork pieced headbands out of this pattern. It does require using a sewing machine, so if you don’t have one—you might skip ahead.

I am all for repurposed t-shirts, especially with this 5 strand braided headband. What better way to get ALL the use out of them that you can. Especially if there is a tiny stain or rip that you can’t fix. These are also perfect because they are stretchy and very comfortable to wear. Also the fact that you can clip on any color hair bow to the top and make it unique. Switch it up~!

If you’re looking for something easy and quick, you should definitely give this 3 minute headband a try. All you really need is a headband and some felt. You could probably use some spray starch and use fabric instead of felt to make it even cuter.

The DIY headband below can be made for anybody, not just babies. She shows you how to measure the length, depending on who you are making it for. This would be cute in a variety of colors as well. Great for sending her back to school in style.

The Sugar Bee Website has an amazing knotted t-shit headband . It’s very easy and the sewing that is done, can be done by hand if you don’t have a sewing machine. It would be stronger of a hold if you had a machine to use, though.

For another easy, cheap, and quick headband there’s the braided bead headband. You don’t necessarily have to use the materials that are required in this. Just choose 3 different texture of materials and wrap them together. Looks pretty cool!

These DIY Flower Hair Bows below are SUPER cheap. Less than $.50 a piece and can be clipped on or hot-glued to any hairband! I love the added button too~ ! Mix it up with contrasting colors, or add buttons that have designs on them!

No little girls hair collection is complete without the all famous diy chanel inspired bow. I love the deep chocolate mixed with the gold, but you can add any color combination to make this a stand-out!

 

 

AND.. you can’t have all those pretty bows and headbands without having something to put on them, now can ya? I seen this DIY HeadBand Holder that is just simply beautiful! Also adds a little flair. You could definitely use whatever fabric matches your bathroom or her bedroom. Heck, while you’re at it, you could whip yourself one up too!

Hope you find something you like!

 

Ciao,

Jess

OtterBox RealTree Camouflage Galaxy S4 Case Review #Otterbox #RealTree #GalaxyS4

There is no way that you’ll see me packing my phone without an Otterbox case. I’d say that having an Otterbox is better than having insurance. The strong durability of the case has definitely saved my phone more times than I can count.

I love my Samsung Galaxy S4, wouldn’t trade it for any other phone on the market, so I need to keep it protected. Especially since I have a 5 year old and a 7 year old who LOVE to play games, watch videos, and create with the phone. The Otterbox not only keeps the phone safe from drops, but it keeps the screen safe from sticky fingers. Yikes.

I am a true country girl at heart and absolutely couldn’t resist the Otterbox Realtree Camo Galaxy S4 Case. I love that they have 4 different styles of camouflage (with different color shells) to choose from.

I got the orange version (picture 3) which is hands down my favorite. Take your Samsung Galaxy S4 on the hunt with you; protected and ready to blend in. Realtree camo provides the best way to blend into the environment while keeping track of weather conditions.

Even if you aren’t planning on taking a hunting trip anytime soon, camouflage is definitely popular these days. I mean, come ON, Duck Dynasty and Fast N Loud are two of my favorite shows!

I am loving how well the case fits the phone, yet doesn’t make it bulky. The case is very protective. I don’t know how many times I stepped out of my truck and forgot my phone was on my lap. DROP goes the phone. Face down on the concrete and of course I freak out, but nothing. No scratch, no crack, no lines, absolutely no damage at all. ’ve dropped it on tile, in gravel, and mud.. still protected.

 

I couldn’t think of a better case to have on my phone. Otterbox provides the quality and style that expensive smartphones need in order to stay protected. The cases aren’t very expensive, and you don’t have to spend a ton of time looking for something you like. (Believe me, there are TONS that I love). You’ll probably have a hard time NOT buying more than one. LOL.

 

The best thing about the Otterbox cases is that they are interchangeable. I now have the option of switching up my shell with the outer case. The plastic inner shell provides the stability for the phone in case of drops. Easily snaps back together and easy to take apart.

I love that they automatically send you a clip to go with your case. Not very many companies send clips, because they want you to spend more money. Otterbox knows that the size of smartphones makes it hard to pocket the phone, so they give you even MORE protection by adding in the clip!

I even went fishing at a couple creeks, wading in the water, and had my phone with me. Although Otterbox isn’t waterproof, as long as you don’t jump in the water you should be fine. The water was up to my thighs, the phone clipped at my side, and no problems here! Didn’t catch anything but still had fun.

You can’t have an amazing company with just ANY customer service. Otterbox not only has amazing quality, uniquely designed cases but they have FABULOUS customer service. They are definitely a company that will stand by their product. If something happens to your case or clip, they will replace the case for you. How awesome? Not that many companies still do that these days. They are a company of their word, which means a lot!

Otterbox on Facebook and Twitter

 

 

-Jessica