5 of the Best Dirt Disguising Carpets

It goes without saying that carpets are great at attracting dirt. Their lush fibers seem to suck in every small crumb and each strand of dog hair that falls. Eventually, enough dirt builds up that the carpet starts to look drab, taking away from the beauty of your home.

So, what can you do about it? One of the simplest remedies is a combination of regular cleanings and investing in a dirt disguising carpet.

Nylon

Nylon carpet is popular in modern homes due to its ability to maintain its shape. It’s also good at resisting stains, hiding dirt, and taking general abuse. It’s one of the strongest types of carpets on the market and is made with synthetic material that also resists the growth of mold and mildew.

Polyester

Polyester is known for its beautiful color variations. It’s process-dyed, making for a strong resistance against fading. It isn’t as durable as polyester, but comes in a variety of textures and colors and is resistant to shedding, oil-based stains, and moisture. Another benefit of polyester is that, if you look hard enough, you can find earth-friendly polyester that is made from recycled plastic materials.

Wool

Made from natural fibers, wool carpet is both soft and great at hiding dirt and stains. Of all the carpeting options, wool is considered to be top-of-the-line when it comes to resistance and durability. With this, however, often comes a large price tag, which makes it relatively uncommon to find in a home.

Polypropylene

Polypropylene carpets -also known as olefin- are becoming increasingly popular among homeowners and building companies. It is affordable and durable, offering stain resistance and battles fading. Olefin is great in areas that are moist such as basements, and in areas that see a lot of traffic.  High quality olefin carpets can outperform nylon carpets if they are constructed and laid properly in a home.

Acrylic

Acrylic carpet is similar in appearance and texture to wool carpets. It looks and feels much the same but where wool carpets hold moisture, acrylic carpets wick it away. Acrylic carpets, in addition to being highly durable, come in a plethora of colors.

Frieze

Frieze carpets are excellent for hiding dirt and debris. They are made of twisted and knotted strands and are suitable for high traffic areas thanks to their resistance against footprint indentations. It generally comes in dark shades.

Triexta

Triexta carpets are ideal for homes with children. This being said, they are highly resistant to tearing and stains, as well as indents from furniture, and spills. All of these benefits can add up to a pricey carpet, though.

There are dozens of carpet cleaning Pleasanton companies that know how many types of carpets there are. However, you just take good care to ensure you choose a company that knows how to properly clean each type or you could end up with a bigger mess than you originally had.

Notebook Pen and Laptop

How To Master SEO Article Writing

With so many business relying on social media, SEO writing has become top priority for many. SEO writing and SEO driven articles and blog posts are designed to attract and redirect traffic to specific websites through the strategic use of keywords, sentence structure and length, and a number of other factors.

If you’re your own SEO writer, you’re going to want to learn the tricks of the trade and, to help you out, we’ve put together a short list of a few of the easiest SEO writing tips that you can adopt.

Keywords.

An SEO article without keywords is essentially useless. Good keywords are critical to the success of an article that has business minded and traffic guided goals.

choosing a keyword, conduct keyword research. There are free tools online for this, and they will suggest a variety of great keywords related to your blog’s content.

As a rule of thumb, try to use one or two keywords per page. Avoid over stuffing or using awkward-sounding keywords that don’t come naturally within your article. Your keywords should flow naturally with your content; if they don’t, consider rephrasing them.

Strategic topics.

Before writing any kind of SEO work, make sure that the content is something that people will want to read.

It doesn’t matter if your article ranks highly on Google if no one is going to read it because it doesn’t have new, useful, or interesting information. Don’t waste your time writing about trivial topics.

Word count.

Yes, 100 words of useful content is better than none. Similarly, though, 600 words is better than 100, and 1000 trumps 600 and so on.

In fact, it’s been noted in various studies that Google’s algorithms tend to favor articles with in-depth content, meaning articles of 1000 words and up. In general, it’s been found that 2000 words is the ideal length.

Monitor analytics.

A great way to ensure effectiveness of your SEO efforts is by monitoring your analytics. One of the most important things to monitor is the bounce rate of your page or website.

Essentially, this is the time that people stay on your site. If analytics reveal that people aren’t staying on your page long, it’s probably due to the lack of relevance that your keywords have to your content.

Utilize bolding and bullet points.

Surprisingly, Google’s algorithms take into consideration bolded text and bullet points. When possible, try to use both of these.

Bold keywords and/or links, and turn text-based lists into bullet point lists to boost your SEO rating. This boosts ratings because it improves a page’s readability.

Visuals.

As visual beings, humans are genetically designed to respond to images. Including a few professional, highly-relevant images to your page will work to boost SEO as it not only attracts viewers but also breaks up walls of text, much like bullet points do.

There you have it: a few highly effective, simple ways to master SEO writing and general SEO practices.

Alternative Medicine Therapies: An Overview

Alternative Medicine refers to a multidimensional view of healing that humans are not merely physical beings, but rather mental, emotional, and spiritual beings that live in a complex environmental context. Although there are many different types of alternative medicine therapies and healing techniques, some principles remain common including:

  • The human body can naturally heal itself and will stay healthy if you pay attention to your lifestyle, nutrition, emotions, thoughts, attitudes, exercise, and other factors of your overall well-being.
  • It is important to look at yourself holistically. Rather than just focusing on the physical, you should also look at the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspect.
  • Physical health can be influenced by the emotional condition and state of mind of the person.
  • One’s own positive mental perspective and attitude has a strong effect on your ability to heal yourself back to the optimum health condition.

Types of Alternative Healing Methods

Alternative medicine focuses on the natural method of healing which have been effective for years. Many of the alternative healing approaches originated in the East, and later on have also become integrated into the Western culture and across the rest of the world. Some of today’s most well-known alternative medicine therapies are the following:

Bio Energy Therapies

Also called bioenergy healing, this type of therapy involves clearing and restoring the balance in the body’s energy field to improve the patient’s health. Energy therapy practitioners are experts in healing through the manipulation of the life-force energy field that each person has.

Acupuncture

This is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy which involves the use of very thin needles to stimulate the meridian energy locations. Just like the energy therapy, acupuncture restores the natural flow of life-force energy in the patient’s body.

Reiki Healing

Originating in Japan in 1922, this alternative healing approach which was developed by the Buddhist named Mikao Usui involves the manipulation of the body’s energy field or Chi to restore homeostasis. It is only when all organ systems are working in harmony with each other can the body start to heal naturally on its own.

Herbal Medicine

As the name suggests, herbal medicine involves the use of various herbs to create remedies for health problems. For thousands of years, plants have been utilized for medicinal purposes. At present, modern medicine still uses compounds derived from plants as an integral ingredient in pharmaceutical drugs.

Reflexology

This alternative healing therapy involves applying pressure to special points or areas on the feet and hands of the patient using the practitioner’s fingers. In reflexology, balance and harmony is restored in the energy pathways that correlate with the different organs in the body.

Chiropractic

This form of alternative medicine treatment focuses on the musculoskeletal system, especially the spine. When misalignments in the spine’s vertebrae are fixed through physical pressure and manipulation, the nerves exiting from the spinal column will function as normal and dysfunctions in the body’s systems will be addressed.

Final Thoughts

Just like any other treatment approaches, it is important to note that while many attest to the effectiveness of these alternative healing methods, not all of these works flawlessly for everyone. Only when you try it for yourself can you be sure if it improves your health condition.

Top Reasons Why Content is Important

You’ve probably heard that “Content is king.” It is true. For several years, content has dominated both the digital and traditional marketing industry. Today, as brands strive to reach their target customers online, blog posts are created, engaging email marketing campaigns are launched, visual content are shared on social media, and viral videos are proliferated across the internet. In this article, we will share with you the top reasons why content is important to connect with your potential clients.

1. Content can be used to answer questions.

Buyers usually search for answers to the questions or problems they have on the internet. When your content successfully answers these questions and helps them resolve their issues, customers will regard you as reliable and relevant. Eventually, your content or website can then be pushed on top of the search results and reach your target customers more effectively.

2. Content can establish thought leadership.

It would be much easier for companies to get the word out about their products and services if they are regarded as thought leaders in their respective industries. An essential aspect in establishing thought leadership is content marketing. This includes videos, blogs, and other types of marketing content. Once you’ve established thought leadership, you may even be asked to speak at conferences and other types of networking events because of the thought leadership and strong industry knowledge that you’ve exhibited online.

3. Content allows you to speak directly to your target clients.

When you craft content that your target clients find useful, they would feel that they’re having a conversation with you or your company. Articles or videos that directly respond to questions related to your industry show clients that you actually care about solving their problems. For instance, if you have a home renovation company and you dedicate a series of blog posts or video content that shows how to remodel your kitchen or any part of the house, for instance, your potential clients will instantly see your expertise and might even contact you to get the job that they need to get done.

4. Content allows you to sell your products or services.

Creating content can be an effective way to get your sales pitch across. When you add photos of your products or services in your blog posts, you will be able to show how your employees help customers or how your products are used in real life. In short, you will be able to paint a clearer picture of your business and attract your customers to know more about your offerings.

5. Content can encourage loyalty.

When done right, content marketing has the power to engage your target customers and make your company more trustworthy in their eyes. When buyers regularly read or view your content, it is highly likely that they will be able to establish a personal connection with your brand. A well-maintained blog is one of the most effective ways to connect with your target clients, not only for business or sales purposes but also regarding issues such as social or community involvement.

Final Thoughts

Indeed, content is king and any marketing effort won’t be effective without it. Through content, you will be able to communicate relevant information to your target clients, get your brand message across, and establish solid brand awareness.

Top 5 Tips to Write a Catchy Headline

The internet is getting really crowded and there is a constant influx of content everyday. So amidst all the noise and intense competition, how do you actually get your target customers to read your content? One of the most important steps in writing is crafting a headline because it is the first thing that readers will see.

Most of the time, writing the headline is a neglected part of writing because some people think that it is just the cherry on top. However, the truth is that without an engaging headline, readers won’t even bother to read the body of your article. In this article, we will share with you some of the most useful tips to write a catchy headline that will get your target audience clicking and reading through your article.

1. Use numbers in your headline to provide concrete takeaways.

There is a good reason why a lot of copywriters make use of numbers when writing the headline for their writeup. It actually works.

Let’s do a simple experiment. Visit your local bookstore and go to the magazines section. Look at the front page of magazines—it doesn’t matter if it is a fitness or lifestyle magazine—you will see that many of the article headlines start with a number.

However, it is also important to remember not to overuse numbers. If your write-up has some key takeaways, feel free to use it, but if not, you don’t have to force adding a numeral.

2. Make use of emotional adjectives in order to catch your readers’ attention.

Adjectives make your writing much more interesting. More importantly, using emotional adjectives would appeal more to your target readers. Some examples of this kind of adjectives include:

  • Fun
  • Essential
  • Amazing
  • Effortless
  • Incredible
  • Strange
  • Awesome

3. Use unique rationale to show what the reader will learn by reading your article.

If you will write a list-type of post, make sure that it is 100% original. For instance, you can write:

  • Facts
  • Reasons
  • Lessons
  • Tips
  • Ideas
  • Strategies
  • Secrets
  • Methods

As much as possible, don’t use things.

4. Incorporate what, when, how, or why in your headline.

Effective trigger words are what, when, how, or why. By using how or why, you will be able to easily persuade or prompt action from your readers. In many cases, it is best to use either these words or a numeral—it is rare that it sounds great to use both.

5. Make a bold but realistic promise.

If your headline promises your readers something valuable, they will surely click on it and read your article. Are you going to teach them how to perform a new skill? Are you going to persuade them to try out something that they’ve never done before? Are you going to unlock a lesser known trick or fact?

Ensure that your headline dares your reader to check out your article. However, it is important not to over-promise and that you actually deliver what you promised.

Final Thoughts

While it is necessary for you to write an effective headline that gets your target readers clicking, you must avoid writing click-bait headlines that trick people into reading a boring article or a write-up that doesn’t offer what the headline promised to deliver.

Just as important as writing an engaging headline, you must also ensure that the article itself is worth reading. It takes some time to learn the trick of grabbing people’s attention while making sure that it accurately and honestly describes your content. But with constant practice and by following the tips shared in this article, you will eventually master the skill.

 

4 Tricks to Overcome Writer’s Block

Are you struggling to get words out and are experiencing a massive writer’s block? Don’t get discouraged because this happens even to great writers. If you feel like you’re stuck with the first paragraph and are starting to feel frustrated, try out these four effective tricks to get back into the flow of writing:

1. Step away from the screen and do something creative.

If you can’t get any writing done, it is recommended to step away from work and do something creative. You can paint, write poetry, make a scrapbook, build something in your garage, edit pictures—anything that you enjoy. After working on something creative for a few hours or days, try to get back to writing. When you jump into another task, it can activate your creativity and you will eventually tap back into your writing flow.

2. Do some freewriting for several minutes.

As much as you can, spend at least 15 minutes per day writing non-work related stuff—anything that comes off the top of your head. Don’t mind your grammar or punctuation too much; just write freely. Write something random.

It is okay to switch subjects several times. You can write fiction or even just vent out your frustrations into writing. By doing this, you train your brain to tap into the words in your mind and give them a place to live in your journal or laptop screen.

You can do some freewriting 15 minutes to get your thoughts running and then return to your writing project immediately. Who knows? Some of your freewriting pieces might even inspire new ideas that you can use for work.

3. Remove any distractions in your environment.

It is also possible that you are having writer’s block because there are too many distractions in your environment. With this, the best possible solution is to get rid of these distractions. Turn your phone into silent mode, disconnect from social media, use the internet solely for work purposes, clean up your work station, turn off the TV, etc.

Set a time in your schedule which you will only use for writing. Once you’ve set a schedule, ask your family and friends to respect your space so you can do your work without any interruptions. When you are having writer’s block, solitude is important so you can stay focused.

4. Write early in the morning.

When you just woke up, your brain is still in Theta mode. This refers to the brainwave pattern that your brain experiences when you are dreaming. Based on experience, it is easier to write when you wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning and then get to writing immediately.

Final Thoughts

Having writer’s block can be extremely frustrating, but trying out one or all these strategies can get you back to work in no time. Writer’s block is just a minor speed bump that you can overcome with the right approaches. Happy writing!

How to write a story

There are those who say that the story is one of the most difficult literary forms, and I have always asked myself the reason for this conviction, since it seems to me one of the most spontaneous and fundamental ways of human expression. After all, one begins to listen and tell stories from an early age, without finding anything particularly complicated. I suspect that many of you tell stories from a lifetime, yet here you are sitting, all eager to know how to do it. “
Flannery O’Connor

INTRO 
The synthesis is an indication of genius. Writing short stories means being able to move in a limited space; to know how to tell a story in the most concise way possible; be able to attract the reader in a click – if not in a few lines. There are stories that remain in the hearts of readers forever, while many novels fade into thin air. In a short story, the skill lies in seeing relationships where they do not yet exist. 

Register to read the guide and find out more

A story is a story that is told quickly and accurately; with a limited number of words and consequent images; with a few characters but unforgettable.

The famous quote by Gustave Flaubert: “Writing is a way of life” can be paraphrased in Writing is a way of reading. There is no other rule to write a good story than to read many (good). To you the choice. Among the many short story writers we advise you to read the ones you prefer. Ours are: Edgar Alan Poe, Flannery O’Connor, Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Carver, Alice Munro, John Cheever, Anton Chekhov, Joyce Carol Oates and, to stay in Italy: Goffredo Parise, Tommaso Landolfi, Dino Buzzati, Italo Calvino, Stefano Benni and many others …

PART I Writing Tips

DETAIL 
The coat is a story by the Russian writer Nikolai V. Gogol ‘who has as its protagonist a zealous employee, an alienated, who finds social benefit from the purchase of a coat. When he is robbed of the precious garment, depressed and sick, he dies. From that day on, his ghost wanders through the streets of Petersburg to rob the passers-by of their coats.

What does the Gogol coat have in this context? It got to do. We all came out of The Coat. His story shows that in a story the idea is everything. The idea understood as intuition. As a detail that makes that story more interesting than another. Only. 
You will not describe the emotions, the state of mind, the psychological condition of your characters through the use of banal expressions such as “was poor and sad”, “he suffered excruciatingly” and so on. Materialize them, condensate them into a detail instead and fill it with meaning. What are you doing this way? Nothing but a kind of metaphor that makes your story less obvious: you are using one of the most effective narrative tools, the “objective correlative”.

Be careful though. Do not abuse this expedient and carefully consider when and how to use it. 
The idea in a story must raise questions that (do not) always need answers. It must be a questioning idea, a dialogue with the reader. Before starting to write, look at what is around you. Or dug into memory. Find the detail, your unconfessable obsession. View the story before giving it a written form. Like poetry, the story requires discipline and rigor. Do not be in a hurry. If she’s usually a bad advisor, she’s certainly a bad writer. Time is the best writer to the point that he must become your favorite writer. 
In short: 
1)Before writing a story, look for that detail that starts the story as close as possible to the turning point or its climax. 
2) The first sentence is of fundamental importance, it must arrive with an energy impulse. The reader should not be able to stop reading.

How to write a really effective article

# 1: How to write an effective article? Before starting…

The main thing that you have to do before writing the very first article of your blog is to know who you are writing to . It is in fact unthinkable to be able to have a successful blog if your only purpose is to write just for yourself.

To understand what it takes to know your audience.

I’ll give you a concrete example .

Let’s say that you want to explain a rule of Italian grammar: why before -be of -p it takes me not the n (as in the word child or field )?

I could tell you that Mrs. N worked for two gentlemen, B and P, who were very demanding. Since Mrs. N had only two legs, she could not fulfill all the demands of B and P and was fired. In his place was taken mrs. M, who had three legs was much faster and could satisfy the lords. Since then, m remained always with B and with P.

Or I could explain to you that the origin of this rule is of phonoglottological derivation: pronouncing a nasal sound followed immediately by a labial sound without interruption of air between the two phons, the movement of approach of the lips following the nasal sound results in the formation natural sound [m].

The first explanation is what my teacher taught me in third grade, a story that would bore anyone over 7 years of age.

The second explanation, on the other hand, is a memo from a university language course in glottology and probably would not help many people who did not do linguistic studies to understand the rule.

Why did I tell you this story?

We are certainly not here to study Italian linguistics.

I told you this for a specific reason:

to show you that knowing those you are addressing to is of vital importance to know exactly how to tell something and how to choose the words to use.

If you do not know who will read your blog, how can you claim to be able to present the right topics that can really interest, choose the most appropriate language or even effectively present your products and services?

Each of us likes to read something personalized, something written exactly for us, something that solves our specific problem.

And if you can not address your reader exactly, you’ll never be able to capture his attention .

For this to write an effective article it is essential to create an identikit of your ideal reader.

  • How old is he?
  • Is it a boy or a girl?
  • Where do you live?
  • What are your wishes? What are your fears?
  • What are your problems?
  • What do you search online to try to solve your problems?

Answer these questions in writing, create a more or less detailed identikit of your type reader and give them a name.

Whenever you write an article, remember that you will have to address exactly this avatar you have created, to this person-type.

Secondly, but not least, you must always be well aware of the purpose of your article:

Sell ​​an infoprodotto ? Sell ​​a service? Get you know? Increase subscribers to your newsletter?

Whatever your purpose, your article will have to be the vehicle towards your goal.

And if you know your audience deeply, it will not be too difficult to reach.

How? Now I’ll explain it better.

# 2: Content is King … but is it enough?

Content is King. I guess you’ve heard this phrase thousands of times. But what does it really mean?

Nowadays we find ourselves bombarded with information: articles, news, banner ads everywhere.

How can we therefore be sure that our article will actually be read in this jungle of knowledge?

The secret – they say – is to write contents of great value .

But is it really enough?

I assure you no. Only content that is an end in itself is not enough .

Offering value is certainly essential to gain the trust and attention of your audience, but there are several other factors that you need to keep in mind if you want to get a really winning article.

Remember: it is useless to create valuable articles if nobody comes to your site. It is useless to create articles of value if the graphics of your blog makes everything illegible.

So let’s see now the basic points you need to know to write an article that really becomes the King of this jungle.

1. Make reading less difficult

Screen reading is much slower and more tiring than writing on paper. This is because the image of the monitor is not stable but is continuously updated and the light emission of the screen on which one reads inevitably tends to strain the eyes.

For this reason it is very important that when you write your articles you help the reader to orient himself in the text .

This can be done through some precautions.

Here are the main ones:

  • Subdivide the text into paragraphs that are not too long and give each one an explanatory title. Being in front of a wall of text, in fact, can make you want to read even before starting. Leave a fairly wide line (eg 1.5) and do not justify the text but prefer a flag orientation, as in the second image.
  • Use bulleted and numbered lists, just like I am doing right now.
  • Help reading using explanatory and summarizing images, diagrams and infographics of the text you wrote.
  • Prediligi a readable font and without thanks (thanks are those dashes at the ends of the letters in the font such as the Times New Roman). The characters with the graces, in fact, are more suitable for reading on paper; those without graces are instead indicated for reading on a monitor.
  • Make sure that the text contrasts well with the background . My advice is to use a dark font (black or dark gray) on a white background, even if sometimes the opposite is also acceptable.
  • Use only one color for text and one for links. Possibly you can use two colors for the links: one for those not visited (default is blue # 0000FF) and one for those visited (usually violet # 800080 ).
  • Use bold for basic steps. In fact, the reader will often not read the text in full but will tend to move the eyes along the text in search of keywords. For this reason it is important that the words in bold are those that summarize the main concepts.
  • Avoid stressed. The underlined fact often indicates a link. Underlining a sentence that is not a link will lead the reader to waste time trying to click on it. So choose bold for keywords.