Category

Blogging

Feb 21
0

One key to your YouTube channel success

By | Blogging, Trees, YouTube | No Comments

Disclaimer

Let me start by saying that my little YouTube channel is tiny; I’m far away from success but the key idea comes from another YouTube video. It’s a great, tested idea. Interestingly, I stumbled upon it by accident: I uploaded some tree videos and watched the views climb quickly. So keep reading.

ASQ

This is all you have to know: ASQ or Answer Specific Questions. People visit YouTube to find answers to their questions. What’s funny is that I published my most-watched videos without even realizing I was answering people’s questions. It become obvious after the views piled up and the videos stood out. Kind of like my “Aha” moment.

Leafiness

My video on leaf clean-up got 5.7 thousand views. I called it a leaf clean up hack, sort of tongue-in-cheek, because the idea was to simply bury lots of leaves in shrubs for later pick-up. Clearly, leaf clean up is a major pain point for people. Now I’ve given people permission to bury their leaves for later pick up.

Tree stubs

Next comes my video on tree stubs so people obviously like to know how to cut off a tree branch properly. One lady confessed to butchering trees around her campground and promised to do better! I think that’s already success, reaching one viewer.

Tree planting

People love trees! You can’t go wrong by uploading tree videos. The next two most-watched videos were shot on the same day. One shows how to find the root flare before planting; and the other discusses proper backfilling techniques. Both videos sit at 2.5 thousand views.

Tree planting is a science in itself. It’s crucial that we get this part right because it determines the tree’s long-term survival. Tree planting is an investment. Plant the tree at the right level and backfill with the original soil. Water it in nicely and possibly stake it for the first 14 months.

YouTuber Vas

Well not really a YouTuber but my channel is a companion to my West Coast Landscape Pro blog. Some people like to read, some prefer to watch. If I can answer someone’s question, life’s great.

If you’re thinking about starting your own YouTube channel, think ASQ. Answer specific questions.

Visit my blog: West Coast Landscape Pro!
Feb 10
0

Revisiting my first-ever blog post for Proper Landscaping

By | Blogging | No Comments

A rough start

This week I was searching through my Proper Landscaping blog posts when I noticed my very first technical post. It’s like seeing a younger photo of yourself several years later and noticing the progress you’ve made. Or remembering how I first walked with my son into our apartment; he could barely walk so I held his hand. Fast forward fifteen years and now he’s taller than me!

My first blog post from March 17, 2015, was very short because I was very shy about putting my words out there for Google to digest. It was exactly one paragraph long. Today I know that blog posts should be at least three hundred words long. Some of my Proper blog posts are 400-500 words, not many reach 1,000 words.

I’m also far from shy because people have to know about you. And for that to happen you have to publish lots of posts, videos, and e-books. My production has increased but it’s still work in progress. Occasionally I sell an e-book on Amazon; and occasionally one of my short videos on YouTube gets thousands of views.

One big mistake

My first blog post had a title and category but there was one huge mistake. No SEO. Search Engine Optimization is critical for success. By entering a focus key phrase you allow people searching for that phrase to find you on Google. That’s exactly what we need, eyeballs on our blog posts.

Traffic is key! That’s why companies like Proper Landscaping Inc hire bloggers to write blog posts. Without any new content you website will likely sink in Google rankings.

When Google notices weekly posts on the Proper blog, the site ranks higher. First page on Google is the goal of every blogger and company.

Topics

One of my fears early on was running out of stuff to write about. How new and naive I was. This year marks my tenth year of blogging for Proper Landscaping and there is plenty to write about. New courses are advertised, new tools are made, and workers keep making mistakes in the field. There are people to interview and books to review. I also curate content by simply adding my own comments to other people’s content. Now we have AI to test out.

As a landscape manager I get to see a lot of stuff in the landscape. I also write about my own side-hustles and what it’s like to earn extra cash on the side.

Thank you

Thank you for visiting the Proper Landscaping blog and leaving comments. If you are an existing Proper Landscaping client, even better. Make sure you renew your maintenance contract and stop by to read a few posts. There are enough blog posts in the pipeline into spring.

Have a great year in 2024!