Eat Blog Talk Megan Porta

In episode 548, Luay Ghafari teaches us strategies for growing a food blog through SEO and social media and why your audience should be your main focus.
Luay is a published author, social media content creator, blogger, photographer and gardening educator. Like many other bloggers, he wears multiple hats. Luay is based in Toronto Canada and his gardening/cookbook, Seed to Table, was released July 2023. He also teaches a garden-to-table Master Class.
In this episode, you’ll learn about how Luay grew his blog sessions quickly over the last 2 years, including his unique approach to SEO, building a strong social media presence and his emphasis on E-A-T. 
Key points discussed
- Create for your reader while following Google’s guidelines: Focus on building a loyal following through consistent content creation aimed to serve your audience instead of creating for Google.
- Streamline recipes for readability and internal linking: Write recipes concisely without unnecessary photos or fluff and link related recipes to boost older posts and improve user experience.
- Consider seasonality and content clusters when planning topics: Focus content by season or topic area to provide more value to readers. 
- Invest in tools and services to help your blog business grow: If you treat your blog as a business, you would  invest in audits, keyword research and other paid services to help it grow.
- Diversify revenue streams and platforms to weather industry changes: Do not rely solely on one platform or monetization method.
- Create unique, shareable content for social media growth: Novel, interesting content is more likely to drive engagement and new followers on social media - what unique twist can you put on your content?
- Leverage redirect tools like ManyChat for social traffic: Use automation tools to easily share blog content in response to social media comments.
- Continually increase your E-A-T: Promote your qualifications and achievements on your About Page and keep it up to date.
Connect with Luay Ghafari
Website | Instagram

Burnout. Every time it hits, I act like I’m all surprised. Like, what? How can this happen? Have you ever felt the same? As I’m currently going through a bout of burnout, I want to share 5 ways in which you can recover from it.
If there is one lesson I have learned about burnout, it is: Once it happens you can’t undo what has been done. And you can’t rush your recovery. You’ll need to let it run its course. There are ways in which you can help yourself recover quicker. And this is what I’d like to share with you: practical ways to get back on track with your work and prevent burnout from happening again.
Action Plan:
1 - Acknowledge when you feel burnt out and surrender yourself to recovery.
2 - Pump the brakes, slow down work, and have grace for the healing process.
3 - Prioritize daily acts of self-care to help with recovery and continue making this part of your routine.
4 - Seek support from loved ones (or professional if needed) by openly discussing feelings of burnout.
5 - Reevaluate your goals and plans to figure out how to prevent future burnout - journal about your main goals for next year and what you need to prioritize now to achieve them.
Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover.
Website | Instagram
Resources
Ghostwriter – Terrence Roche (terrence@plantpowercouple.com)
Promote your food blogging services: www.eatblogtalk.com/audioclip
Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books.

In episode 546, Megan chats to Carl Ross about the current state of SEO and why our traffic is either dropping or increasing following changes in Google’s algorithm.
Carl is an engineer who spent many years in corporate technology consulting roles which gave him a unique perspective on the application of technology, processes, and getting a return on your investments. It means he’s spent literally decades helping customers make sense of technology products. In 2019, he started offering SEO services and the food blogging niche was an obvious fit. While Carl works with bloggers in many different niches, food bloggers are his bread and butter.
In this episode, you’ll learn about current effective strategies to rank on Google, including what is implied by ‘helpful content’ and why you should focus on user experience and backlinks.
Key points discussed:
- SEO is not dead: While some sites have seen traffic declines, Google is still sending traffic to food blogs and recipe sites through search results.
- Focus on content, technical SEO, and backlinks: These three pillars are important for SEO success according to the three-legged stool analogy.
- Optimize ad density: Reducing intrusive ads can improve the user experience and SEO performance of a site.
- Build your brand: Establishing a presence on platforms beyond your website signals to Google that you are a genuine content creator rather than AI.
- Be careful with AI-generated content: You can use AI to generate ideas, but do not copy and paste AI-generated text for your blog post.
- Evaluate affiliate links: Excessive low-revenue affiliate links may affect your site’s Google ranking.
- Experiment with changes: Disable or turn down ads to evaluate how they affect traffic and revenue.
- How to deal with algorithm updates: During an algorithm update, some blogs rise while others fall, so monitoring changes and being flexible is important.
- Focus on what you can control: Prioritize your efforts on things you can control on your blog, social media profiles, email list and other revenue streams.
Connect with Carl Ross
Website | Facebook

In episode 545, Desiree Nielsen teaches us how to find our unique voice and cooking style in food blogging through self-reflection, embracing creativity and sharing vulnerability to meaningfully connect with readers.
Desiree Nielsen is a registered dietitian in Vancouver Canada with over a decade of experience in plant-based nutrition and chronic digestive and inflammatory disease. She is the author of two Canadian bestselling and award-winning cookbooks, Eat More Plants and Good For Your Gut. Her latest book, Plant Magic, arrives April 2024.
Her work has been featured in People, Washington Post, The Globe and Mail, KTLA, WGN Chicago, The Social, Food Network Canada and Elle Gourmet Canada in addition to hundreds of media features across North America. Desiree is also a food blogger and the host of the evidence-informed wellness podcast, The Allsorts Podcast, where she hosts a diverse roster of guests from NYT bestselling authors to leading health professionals and researchers.
In this episode, you’ll learn about the importance of standing out as a food blogger, how to find your unique voice and style (while still following SEO guidelines) and how to build a community that is not reliant on social media platforms or Google.
Key points discussed:
- Reflect on your personal food interests and cooking style: Take time to understand your preferences, tastes, and approach to cooking to develop a unique voice.
- Look at what others are doing differently: Analyze popular blogs and recipes to find gaps that allow you to approach topics in a distinctive way. 
- “Write drunk, edit sober”: Write without inhibition first and then structure anecdotes and humor within a format to meet SEO guidelines.
- Prioritize search volume: Focus recipes on your blog on trending topics and keywords people are actively searching to maximize visibility.
- Develop recipes with unique ingredients: Add a flavor profile or component that is unique to you to make recipes stand out and memorable. 
- Build community consistently: Nurture readers through high-value, free content to develop loyal readership and build a newsletter to connect directly with your community.
- Embrace the unexpected: Leave space for unforeseen opportunities that could further your growth in surprising new directions. 
- Share vulnerability: Connect with readers through candid self-disclosure in small doses to form deeper relationships.
- Your Path is Your Path: Pursue your interests wholeheartedly and say "yes" to chances that excite you creatively.
Guest Details
Connect with Desiree Nielsen
Website | Instagram

Moving your body and staying physically fit has a significant impact on your mindset. Yet, many of us depioritize fitness in favor of work. In this episode, I explain why we should avoid falling into this habit and my top 5 ways to stay active.
I found that the peak of my mental performance has always aligned with times when I was prioritizing my physical health. Moving my body consistently gave me confidence and I experienced so many other physical and mental benefits, including just being in a better mood.
Action Plan:
1 - Track your steps using your watch, Fitbit or phone and find an accountability buddy.
2 - Commit to a workout program whether at home or at the gym, or choose a sport like running, cycling, CrossFit etc.
3 - Do daily bursts of physical activity like pushups, burpees or running on the spot.
4 - Double duty: Move while doing other tasks, for example you can walk while on a call.
5 - Choose the harder option such as taking the stairs instead of the escalator or parking far away from a venue.
Resources

Beach Body On Demand

Coaching and Mentorship for Food Bloggers by Brittany Roche

Promote your food blogging services: www.eatblogtalk.com/audioclip

Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover.
Website | Instagram
 

In episode 543, Megan chats to Shyanne Reynolds about why it is worthwhile to hire a food blog writer, where to find reliable writers and other tips for the hiring process.
Shyanne is a food blog content writer who helps bloggers manage editorial teams and rank in Google. She has 7 years of writing experience and a degree in English. Shyanne started her freelancing journey while in college and accidentally on purpose launched a 6 figure career.
In this episode, you’ll learn about how to outsource food blog writing, how this benefits your business and why you shouldn’t ask your VA to do blog writing.
Key points discussed:
- Where to Find Food Blog Writers: Word of mouth is one of the easiest ways to find a reliable blog writer.
- Why Should You Outsource Writing: Blog writing takes up most of our time, and can be especially overwhelming during content updates.
- What to Look For In a Content Writer: Look at a content writer’s portfolio and someone who has ideally studied English, journalism or another relevant degree. Start with a test project.
- Is Your Writer a Good Fit: Do you feel like they are matching your voice, do you have similar values and a positive base of communication?
- What is an Editorial Manager: Editorial Managers oversee the work of several writers, making sure they all stay on brand.
- What If It Doesn’t Work Out: Hiring a writer does not always work out, but it is worth trying several writers if that happens.
Guest Details
Connect with Shyanne Reynolds
Website | Instagram