Yakezie.com

On January 17, 2017, I published that I was delaying updating Financial Samurai to HTTPS. The reasons were simple:

1) I wanted to give my webmaster more time to gain experience doing the conversion to minimize screwups

2) My CPC ad provider wasn’t ready for the switch and said advertising revenue would go down ~60% – 70% if I made the switch

3) I wanted to give Google, WordPress, and all plug-in developers more time to update all their code for compatability

4) I wanted to see if new plug-ins or solutions would be developed to help streamline manual updates

5) I wasn’t convinced it was necessary since FinancialSamurai.com doesn’t sell anything except for one book

Then I got this message on Google Search Console: Read More

Google and the SEO community have been encouraging website owners to convert from HTTP to HTTPS since 2014. The idea is to create a more secure internet so that hackers can’t steal passwords and information that users input online. It’s a good idea, but it’s not a thoroughly flushed out idea. As a result, it’s always better to wait until all the kinks are fixed before making any changes.

I thought long and hard about switching Financial Samurai to HTTPS when my private server administrator encouraged me to do so last November. But after reading every single authority article on the internet I could get my hands on about the topic since 2013, and going ahead and upgrading Yakezie.com to HTTPS, I’ve decided to hold off for now.

Here are my reasons. Perhaps they pertain to you. Also, feel free to share more reasons why a publisher should or shouldn’t hold off. If you’ve made the switch, I’d love to hear about any snags you experienced, and whether you saw any apples for apples improvement in traffic.  Read More

Happy holidays everyone!

It’s easy to get in the mindset of posting less because traffic is lower during the holidays. But I encourage everyone to maintain their normal cadence or even take things up a notch!

The first reason to post more when there is less traffic is to counteract less traffic. The main reason to post more during slow times is to prepare for the inevitable slingshot effect that happens in the new year. Read More

When you first begin, blogging is like fishing off a canoe in the middle of a tranquil lake. Most of the time, nothing happens. You’ll just feel some little nibbles here and there. But fish long enough and you might catch something big enough to eat.

I’m envious of all you new bloggers. Every post you publish makes an incrementally huge difference to your growth. Every new reader brings new excitement and maybe even a potential new friend. Cherish these moments if you’re just starting your blogging journey.

Some of us burn out too soon. Others start lagging after doing the same thing for so long. I’m here to say that if you can get through the inevitable dip, blogging just gets better and better over time! Read More