The Food Blogger Pro Podcast Bjork Ostrom

Why SEO is about more than building traffic, how to think more holistically about your SEO strategy, and the importance of community with Ann Smarty.
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Welcome to episode 466 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Ann Smarty from Smarty Marketing.
How to Respond to the Recent Google Updates Ann Smarty has been working in the SEO industry for over 20 years, and she has lots of expertise to share with us in this interview! Bjork and Ann chat about the current state of SEO, including a deep dive into the impact of the recent Google Helpful Content Updates.
They also discuss the history of backlinks with SEO and how to approach link-building as a content creator (and why it’s more about community than you might think).
Ann has a really great perspective on the importance of developing a holistic SEO strategy and why diversifying your income and traffic sources matters now, more than ever. Don’t miss this episode!
In this episode, you’ll learn: About the current state of SEO (is it as bad as it feels?!). Who was most impacted by the recent Helpful Content Updates. Why backlinks seem to have protected sites during these Google updates. More about the ‘backlink controversy’ in the SEO industry. How to approach link-building as a content creator. Why building a community and saying “yes” is so important in this SEO environment. What you should do to strategically take advantage of traffic when you have it (to prepare for when you lose it). The importance of diversifying your traffic and income sources. Resources:
Smarty Marketing Moz SparkToro Google SearchLiaison Pinch of Yum Search Engine Journal Tax Smart Real Estate Investors Podcast Memberful Skool Follow Ann on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Raptive. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors.
Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.
Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Welcome to Tiny Bites from the Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Ben Holland from Clariti about the upcoming deletion of Universal Analytics data — and what you need to do about it. 
Get the resources for this episode a foodbloggerpro.com/podcast/tiny-bites-universal-analytics-data.

Monetizing through a membership as a food creator, choosing a subscription platform, and marketing a membership to your community with Jen Matichuk from Memberful.
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Welcome to episode 465 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Jen Matichuk.
Creating a Subscription Platform for Your Food Blog Are you tired of brand partnerships or navigating the Google algorithm? Have you ever considered starting a membership for your community? Then you won’t want to miss this podcast episode with Jen Matichuk from Memberful.
And yes, Memberful is a podcast sponsor, but this episode isn’t sponsored by them! We were just really excited to have an honest conversation about what it looks like to create a membership as a food creator, and how you might go about doing it, and Jen is the perfect person to cover this topic.
In this episode, Bjork and Jen chat about how to determine if a membership is the right option for your business, how to choose a subscription platform, how to predict if a subscription model will be successful for you, how to market content behind a paywall, and more!
In this episode, you’ll learn: More about Jen’s career and how she ended up in her current role at Memberful. The details behind the membership that Jen started with Rhett & Link. The importance of researching and communicating with your audience before creating any new format of digital content. How to choose a membership/subscription platform. The behind-the-scenes of how and why Molly Baz came to start her membership site with Memberful. How to play the numbers game to predict how successful a membership might be for you. How to determine the price point and pricing structure for your membership. How to shift your mindset around marketing a product that you made. How to approach transitioning some of your content behind a paywall. Resources:
Memberful Rhett & Link Mythical Society Patreon Rooster Teeth Substack Molly Baz Wonderly Jo Club Discord Connect with Jen via email Connect with Jen on LinkedIn or Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group -----
This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Memberful. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors.
Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.
Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Evolving your business to fit your audience's needs, assembling a team of recipe developers, and growing an email list from 1,000 to 75,000 subscribers with Jason Norris from Recipe Teacher.
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Welcome to episode 464 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Jason Norris from Recipe Teacher.
How Email and High-Quality Content Helped Jason Norris Reach Millions of Monthly Pageviews with Recipe Teacher Jason Norris has gone on quite a journey with his site, Recipe Teacher. From trying to sell the site for $1000, to growing a site that reaches millions of monthly pageviews and is worth well over a million dollars.
In this interview, Jason shares more about the growth of his site, how he has built a team of recipe developers, his approach to SEO, and more. He also explains how he grew his email list from 1,000 to over 75,000 subscribers by working with our friend Allea at Duett and, in the process, learned that many of his readers are seniors!
Jason’s journey to success is a really fun one to hear about, and one that we know will inspire many of you to keep plugging along. Enjoy!
In this episode, you’ll learn: How he went from trying to sell his site (Recipe Teacher) for $1000 (with no offers!) to building the same site to be worth over a million dollars. How he developed and sold his first website — WindyCityFishing (and his second website)! The origin story of Recipe Teacher (and how the Instant Pot changed his life). The importance of evolving your business and being adaptable. When he first felt like he had made Recipe Teacher successful, and what it felt like when he first qualified for Raptive and saw his earnings skyrocket. How he has grown his team of recipe developers. Why he has been focusing on updating old recipes. When he decided to take Recipe Teacher full-time. His approach to SEO and keyword research. Why he prioritizes outsourcing certain aspects of this business. How he grew his email list from 1,000 to 75,000 subscribers in 3 years. How focusing on email marketing helped Jason learn more about his site’s demographics (spoiler alert: he has a huge audience of seniors!). Resources:
Recipe Teacher WindyCityFishing Flippa Quiet Light 032: Buying & Selling Websites with Mark Daoust from Quiet Light 159: Different Ways to Create an Income Online with Mark Daoust Raptive Google AdSense Upwork Pinch of Yum Keysearch Semrush Google Search Console Google Trends Duett Allea on The Food Blogger Pro Podcast here, here, and here ConvertKit Constant Contact Email Jason Follow Jason on Facebook and Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group -----
This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Raptive. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors.
Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.
Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Leaning into the science of SEO, committing to a niche, and dividing attention between three websites and businesses.
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Welcome to episode 463 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Shaunda Necole from The Soul Food Pot.
How a Love of SEO and Entrepreneurship Helped Shaunda Necole Grow Three Successful Websites and Hit 1 Million Monthly Pageviews Shaunda Necole has a true passion for being an entrepreneur — from her first business owning a cheerleading product company to today, running three websites, a food tour of Las Vegas, writing books, and more.
In this interview, she shares more about her love of SEO and keyword research and how her SEO strategy has changed in light of Google’s recent Helpful Content Updates. She also explains how she divides her time between her three websites (a food blog, a travel website, and her personal site), in addition to her SEO consulting, Las Vegas food tours, and upcoming travel book.
In a time where SEO can feel really unpredictable, Shaunda’s perspective and approach to SEO is one we all need to hear (and she clearly knows what she’s doing — her food blog hits 1 million monthly pageviews during the holiday season)! We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.
In this episode, you’ll learn: How Shaunda first got interested in SEO via Pinterest. How she first started out as an entrepreneur in the cheerleading product space. How she went from cheerleading products to MacKenzie-Childs to the food space. More about how she started with brand partnerships (and why she brought on a manager). Why (and how) she transitioned from brand partnerships to SEO. How she has committed to her niche (Southern soul food) over the years. Why she enjoys keyword research and SEO for her site. How she divides her attention between her three websites. Why she syndicates content from her travel website to MSN (hint: backlinks!). How content syndication with MSN works (plugin, canonical links, ad profit sharing, appeasing Google, and more). Her favorite keyword research tool and how that has changed since the recent Helpful Content Updates (HCUs). How she is updating and republishing content to recover from the HCU. The importance of being “well-rounded.” Resources:
The Soul Food Pot Shaunda Necole White & Sable Wix MacKenzie-Childs 406: Monetization Strategies in the Influencer Industry with Brittany Hennessy Influencer: Building Your Personal Brand in the Age of Social Media Johanna Voss Las Vegas Right Now Tiny Bites: Understanding and Reacting to Google Algorithm Updates Consulting with Shaunda Superfrico Follow Shaunda on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group -----
This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Raptive.  Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors.
Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.
Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Building three blogs in different niches, growing a team and building a community, and diversifying traffic sources with Julie Evink from Julie's Eats & Treats.
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Welcome to episode 462 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Julie Evink from Julie’s Eats & Treats.
Monetizing Three Blogs, Outsourcing Tasks, and Self-Publishing a Cookbook Julie started her first blog, Julie’s Eats & Treats, back in 2010. Since that time she has taken her site full-time, started two other blogs, grown a team, and is self-publishing a cookbook!
In this interview, Julie shares more about growing her blog and how that experience changed her approach to her other two sites. She also chats about outsourcing tasks, how she hires team members, and what she thinks is working really well in her businesses currently.
Her cookbook is being released on May 21, so we also get to hear about the process of self-publishing a cookbook. It’s always fun to hear about the journey of someone who has been blogging for as long as Julie has (14+ years!) and we know you’ll enjoy this interview as much as we did.
In this episode, you’ll learn: More about the origin story of Julie’s three blogs. What she learned from her first blog (Julie’s Eats & Treats) in 2010 and later applied to her second blog (Gimme Some Grilling) in 2018. How monetization differs between her niches. How she has built her team over the years (and why she likes having part-time employees). What her day-to-day workflow looks like. Her advice for making food blogging as a career less lonely. What she thinks is working well in her businesses these days (hint: passive income!). How she has diversified her traffic sources (and why that matters to her). The importance of growing an email list. The process of self-publishing a cookbook (including the workflow and initial investment). Resources:
Julie’s Eats & Treats Gimme Some Grilling Kids Activity Guide Asana Julie’s Eats & Treats Cookbook: Easy, Family-Friendly Recipes from a Midwestern Mom Shopify Tastes Better from Scratch Inherit Co Follow Julie on Facebook and Instagram. Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group -----
This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Memberful. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors.
Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.
Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.