While I’m certainly not a newbie to the whole conference thing, this was my first real networking with the big brands experience.

Throughout the two-day conference, there were various opportunities to meet with brands, play with the hottest toys coming to shelves and connect with fellow bloggers. There was plenty of food, giveaways and swag to go around. The organizers did such a lovely job!

I didn’t get to check out every single event due to some of the time conflicts and traffic jams, but from what I did experience, I found these to be some of my favorite moments and also top reasons for bloggers to consider Blogger Bash in the future:

Sweet Suite: Meeting the brands

I was bummed to have missed the opening Care Bear brunch, but I was thrilled this busy momma was able to make it for what was coined, “the biggest night of play” otherwise known as, Sweet Suite.

Sweet Suite was hosted by the Toy Insider, a website dedicated to reviewing toys year round, providing kids, parents, and other gift-givers with all of the information they need to choose the right toys. 

Sweet Suite offered the perfect opportunity to get a sneak peek into the hottest toys big brands are unraveling for the holiday season.

Top toy companies included Skylanders, LeapFrog, VTech, Hasbro, Mattel, Tomy, Spin Master, LEGO, and more.

We got a chance to test them out and really feel like a kid again…as you can see!

But most importantly, as a blogger and work-at-home mom, Sweet Suite made it possible to meet the brands or agencies showcasing the products face-to-face and learn about how they are working with bloggers.

I was beyond excited to connect with some of my favorite brands to collaborate with in the future!

BabyPalooza: Niche-specific events

As a parenting blogger, with a large focus on expectant moms and moms of little ones, I found the Babypalooza portion to be a must-see! Not only because the renowned photographer and philanthropist Anne Geddes was speaking ;), but also because it was another chance to meet with brands that have a strong relevancy to my blog niche.

There were familiar brands like, Earth’s Best, Fisher-Price & The First Years…and then there were new baby brands that I got to learn more about (baby buddy, bambinos & boon).

It was sorta like a mini Sweet Suite so I found it very beneficial for networking with the brands.

Ongoing Connections

It’s always a bit intimidating to attend conferences or blogging events solo. It’s tough when others are traveling in groups and already have a tribe to connect with on arrival. Plus, you never know how bloggers are in real-life. Some can even put on a facade when dealing with big brands or those they deem important and then act completely different in front of others.  It can be a nasty, competitive field.

But luckily there weren’t too many of those, which is always a breathe of fresh air.

You never know who you’re going to connect with (besides the brands) until you approach people. Smile, extend a hand, strike up a convo and connect. Because isn’t that what everyone is there for anyway?

I didn’t meet tons of new bloggers, but I always say quality over quantity. I was thrilled to meet a few friendly ladies, like Gan from Day to Day MOMents. She was very genuine and easy to connect with – we hit it off instantly during breakfast. Plus it didn’t hurt that she brought her adorable baby that practically stole the show with his hair :).

We had a blast at the closing Lentils Carnival!

So if you are considering attending a conference like Blogger Bash, to build quality relationships with brands and bloggers, what’s stopping you? The conference price will pay for itself in the connections you make.

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

mommysbundle.com

The post Top Reasons Blogger Bash Was Very Much Worth It appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.

Raising little ones is no easy feat. You have to attend to their every need, from prepping meals and wiping tushies to dealing with meltdowns and intervening in squabbles.

And then of course there’s always tending to the house and caring for yourself.

So there’s no surprise you may be struggling to fit time in for blogging.

But I’m here to tell you that while it may not ever be an “ideal time” to focus on a new project, you really have to make the time for things if you hope to be successful in them. Especially if you are trying to build an online presence to grow your business or keep up-to-date in the social landscape, for when you do return to the corporate world.

That’s why attending an industry relevant conference is a MUST.

I’ve had the pleasure of attending a plethora of conferences from my marketing experience in the past, so know how valuable the in-person experience can be.

If you’re looking to brush up on SEO, which is essential for anyone putting content on the web, then one conference that you should consider is SoFab On the Road NYC!

SoFabU on the Road is a unique event that allows influencers to take advantage of educational opportunities that will help set them a part from the rest.

It features hands-on, interactive sessions for influencers to implement what they’re learning on the spot. The sessions are paired with fun city-specific adventures where attendees get to practice their newly learned skills.

The keynote at this event will be “How to Use SEO to Supercharge Your Posts” by Jessica Woodbury.

Here’s a little description of the session:

SEO is SO important to our success and most of the SEO advice out there isn’t geared specifically towards single-contributor lifestyle blogs. Jessica will cover basic SEO and specific blogger strategies to work on building search traffic and how to increase domain authority.

This session is for savvy bloggers. Most bloggers at this level are experienced at retaining regular readers and increasing traffic via social media. This presentation will help bloggers consider readers who are finding their blog from search, how to attract them, how to retain them, and how to increase domain authority with a specific SEO-posting strategy so all posts rise in search. This will focus less on technical things like alt tags and meta descriptions and more on writing and photo strategies.

But that’s not all, there will also be talks focusing on Video, Email Marketing, Sponsored posts, networking, and other learning opportunities (check out the agenda on the SoFabUOTR website!)

This year’s sponsors include: Müller, Kraft and iBlog

If you are a blogger or influencer but can’t make it to NYC, you can join one of the following events:

• June – NYC
• July – Chicago
• Aug. – Minneapolis
• Sept. – Atlanta
• Oct. – Bentonville

Collective Bias® is the only shopper social media company that solves shopper marketing problems by weaving together organic social content with engaging, real-life stories to generate millions of impressions, increased share of voice, SEO and retail sales for brands and retailers.

Get your ticket for NYC HERE!

I am writing this post in exchange for a discounted conference ticket; however, all opinions are mine and mine alone.

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

mommysbundle.com

The post Mom, Take a Break and Do Something For Yourself #SoFabUOTR #cbias appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.

Important!!! It has come to our attention that some of you are not repinning the features! This is a key to making this party successful so please don’t skip it!! If this trend continues, we will begin to pick features only from those who repin.

 Welcome, Welcome!!  We are so glad you are joining us for our party!

We think it’s going to be pretty fantastic Pintastic!

First, let’s meet the hosts:

Annie from Annie’s Noms Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Roberta from Mommy Like Whoa Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Deanna from Gloriously Made Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Alli from An Alli Event Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Sarah from Creative Ramblings Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Stephanie from The Tip Toe Fairy Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Madison from The Wetherills Say I Do Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Manda from Manda Blogs About Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Ruth from Captain America & His English Rose Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Jamie, Kerry, Lucy from Coffee With Us 3 Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Here’s what your hosts have been up to this week!

Every week we will have one or two fabulous co-hosts! Every week we will have one or two fabulous co-hosts!     This week it’s Emily from Table + Hearth.  She post recipes and DIY around the house. Check out her awesome looking DIY Metal Table Top.   Show Emily some love by following on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest.  

  Our second co-host is Ana from Mommy’s Bundle.  Ana blogs recipes, parenting and being a mom.  Check out her delicious Thanksgiving Side Dish Roundup. Show Ana some love by following on Facebook, Pinterest, and/or Twitter.    

Now on to the Party!!

This week’s Features:

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.coffeewithus3.com/" title="Pretty Pintastic Party" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.coffeewithus3.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ppp-feature-button.jpg" alt="Pretty Pintastic Party" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

     Everyone else grab a button and help us spread the word about our party!!  Thanks!            

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.coffeewithus3.com/" title="Coffee With Us 3" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.coffeewithus3.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/PPP-Button.jpg" alt="Coffee With Us 3" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

By linking up, you give anniesnoms.com, mommylikewhoa.com, creativeramblingsblog.com, wetherillssayido.com, mandablogsabout.net, thetiptoefairy.com, coffeewithus3.com, cataldolife.com, gloriouslymade.com, anallievent.com, or any co-host permission to feature your post on social media and our blogs using a photo, title, and link to your site. Proper credit and links will be given to you.

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

mommysbundle.com

The post Pretty Pintastic Party: I’m Co-hosting Again! appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.

Important!!! It has come to our attention that some of you are not repinning the features! This is a key to making this party successful so please don’t skip it!! If this trend continues, we will begin to pick features only from those who repin.

 Welcome, Welcome!!  We are so glad you are joining us for our party!

We think it’s going to be pretty fantastic Pintastic!

First, let’s meet the hosts:

Annie from Annie’s Noms Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Roberta from Mommy Like Whoa Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Deanna from Gloriously Made Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Alli from An Alli Event Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Sarah from Creative Ramblings Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Stephanie from The Tip Toe Fairy Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Madison from The Wetherills Say I Do Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Manda from Manda Blogs About Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Ruth from Captain America & His English Rose Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Jamie, Kerry, Lucy from Coffee With Us 3 Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Here’s what your hosts have been up to this week!

  Every week we will have one or two fabulous co-hosts! Every week we will have one or two fabulous co-hosts!   This week it’s Emily from Table + Hearth.  She post recipes and DIY around the house. Check out her delicious looking Cardamom Orange Cookies with Brown Butter Toffee Frosting.  Cardamom is fantastic! Show Emily some love by following on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest. Our second co-host is Ana from Mommy’s Bundle.  Ana blogs recipes, parenting and being a mom.  Check out her post about How to Groom Baby: Tips for Keeping Clean and Comfy. She has some great tips. Show Ana some love by following on Facebook, Pinterest, and/or Twitter.  

Now on to the Party!!

This week’s Features:

Pecan, Pear and Mincemeat Galette from I’d Much Bake Than… Thankful Tree from Three Kids and a Fish Cornbread, Sage and Onion Stuffing from Culinary Ginger Winter Holiday Fonts & Dingbats from Made In A Day If you were featured, grab a featured button!!    

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.coffeewithus3.com/" title="Pretty Pintastic Party" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.coffeewithus3.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ppp-feature-button.jpg" alt="Pretty Pintastic Party" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

   Everyone else grab a button and help us spread the word about our party!!  Thanks!          

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.coffeewithus3.com/" title="Coffee With Us 3" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.coffeewithus3.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/PPP-Button.jpg" alt="Coffee With Us 3" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

By linking up, you give anniesnoms.com, mommylikewhoa.com, creativeramblingsblog.com, wetherillssayido.com, mandablogsabout.net, thetiptoefairy.com, coffeewithus3.com, cataldolife.com, gloriouslymade.com, anallievent.com, or any co-host permission to feature your post on social media and our blogs using a photo, title, and link to your site. Proper credit and links will be given to you.

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

mommysbundle.com

The post Pretty Pintastic Party Link-up appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.

Below are some image optimization tips I’m sharing to help increase visitors to your site and grow Google rankings!

Image Size & Quality

There’s a reason many bloggers are making the move to professional cameras. Better resolution, means better photos and therefore a better chance to engage your visitors visually. Camera phones have made leaps and bounds, but they just won’t cut it. And Google knows this. They favor quality photos in high-resolution when ranking images. Earlier this year, we invested in a professional camera [affiliate] and never looked back. The photo quality has been amazing (although I still am learning how to use all the features!).

But more important than this, is image size. Did you know that site speed is a major SEO factor? Sites with large image files that are slow to download contribute to a poor user experience. Google really doesn’t like that.

So before you hit that upload button, be sure to RESIZE your images to something that best fits your blog with an image editing tool.

Image File Name

This is one of the easiest, yet often overlooked ways to make sure your images are getting ranked highly by Google. The way you name your images when saved plays a role in how they are seen by Google.  So if you’re writing a post about cheesecake recipes it’s important to use relevant keywords in the image file name.

If you’re like most bloggers, however, you probably don’t think about this much, and upload images with a numerical string name like 23040a77.jpg. or image1.jpg. Are you guilty of this? Well, now’s the time to change!

Google needs help understanding what your images are about. In that cheesecake recipe post, your image should be saved and uploaded with a naming convention that makes sense: cheesecakerecipe.jpg or cheesecake-recipe.jpg. It’s a small tweak that can be a big boost.

Alt Tag

Whatever in the world is an alt tag, you ask? Nothing too complicated. The alt tag is an attribute of the image HTML that provides more info to a user.  It’s an “alternate text” people will see when the image does not display properly for one reason or another. It’s another piece of information that Google uses to understand a piece of content better. It’s also another opportunity to use your keyword in. But try not to keyword-stuff here…because Google hates this. Try a related, but maybe more specific phrase like “pumpkin-swirl cheesecake recipe”.

Image Title, Caption & Description

The image title and description attributes are secondary factors for ranking, but still useful. The title is often used in place of the alt text when a user mouses-over an image, while the description will appear in your media library. It’s also important to note, that the description is pulled as your pin description on Pinterest when pinning directly from the source.

The image caption, on the other hand, is great for providing a little extra info for your readers – a usability plus that Google likes and is often also used as the caption that appears in a Google image search result.

Quick Tip: If you are on WordPress, you can easily change the names of your images to something Google wants to see [image].

That’s it! Good content + simple tweaks to your images = more traffic for you!

Are you taking advantage of images to grow your traffic?

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

mommysbundle.com

The post How to Grow Your Google Traffic with Images appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.

Just a few rules for the linky party:

• Follow all of the hosts/co-hosts on their blogs by clicking on the images below (it is a clickable collage) and on social media through the Rafflecopter. We will be sure to return the love.

• Link up only what is yours. Also no links to other linky parties or blog hops or any online shops.

• Check out at least 3 other links and comment, follow, etc. (It’s a party people, let’s mingle!)

• Subscribe to our Newsletter for weekly reminders: http://mad.ly/signups/119373/join

Featured Favorites from last week:

Janine’s in the Time Out Chair!

Congratulations to Janine Huldie from Janine’s Confessions of a Mommyaholic. Her post about her daughter’s first day of Kindergarten was randomly selected as our Time Out Chair feature of the week!

If you’d like a chance to be featured in our newsletter (and on nine blogs) just enter the Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Grab our button to help spread the word:

<div align="center"><a
href="http://www.beerandgluesticks.com/let-pin-fall-favorites/"
title="Mommy Needs a Timeout Thursday Link-up"
target="_blank"><img
src="http://motherhoodandmerlot.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/momtimethurs1.jpg"
alt="Mommy Needs a Timeout Thursday Link-up" style="border:none;"
/></a></div>

If you’ve been featured in our Timeout Chair grab this button too:

<div align="center"><a href="
http://motherhoodandmerlot.com/mommy-bloggers-link-up-party/" title="I got
  put in the Timeout Chair " target="_blank"><img src="
http://motherhoodandmerlot.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/timeoutchair.jpg"
  alt="I got put in the Timeout Chair " style="border:none;"
  /></a></div>

 LINK UP BELOW

Rafflecopter: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

mommysbundle.com

The post Mommy Needs a TimeOut Link Party #2 appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.

The MOMMY NEEDS A TIMEOUT LINK PARTY  is hosted/co-hosted by an amazing group of women who enjoy a break from the hectic rush of motherhood. Join us each week to link up your favorite posts that are parenting-related or family-friendly (DIY, crafts, recipes, tips, etc.). Your links will be shared on 9 blogs. That’s 9 times the publicity for your posts.

Just a few RULES for the linky party:

1. Follow all of the hosts/co-hosts on their blogs by clicking on the images below (it is a clickable collage) and on social media through the Rafflecopter. We will be sure to return the love.

2. Link up only what is yours. Also no links to other linky parties or blog hops or any online shops.

3. Check out at least 3 other links and comment, follow, etc.

4. Subscribe to our Newsletter for weekly reminders HERE. 

Once you link up with us, we will pin your links to a party pin board.

Also each of us will pick a favorite to be featured the following week on the linky party. So be aware that by linking to the party, you are giving us permission to include your post in any round up and to be shared on social media. The links will, of course, be linked back to you.

Don’t forget to also sign up with the Rafflecopter below. A random post will be selected from the drawing to be in the “Timeout Chair” to be featured for the week.

We will be tweeting throughout the day so be sure to look for us on Twitter #MomTimeThurs

Link up your Posts Below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

mommysbundle.com

The post Mommy Needs a Time-Out – Link Party #1 appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.

I’ve so been looking forward to being one of the lucky featured bloggers on such an amazing and supportive site for female bloggers. If you are not familiar with the SITS Girls you should definitely check them out.

For those of you who are stopping by for the first time, WELCOME! Thank you for taking the time to visit and learn more about my blog.

I started blogging here at Mommy’s Bundle 2 years ago as a means of documenting my pregnancy journey as an expectant mother for the first-time.  I’ve always wanted to have my own blog and thought it would be a seamless transition, with a background in marketing and all. But then reality hit me.  A full-time job in the office didn’t leave for much blogging time, and then once the newborn arrived and I was a SAHM/WAHM even LESS time was available to devote to building my blog.  The little ones just demand so much attention and can’t be ignored.

Nonetheless, I managed to make it work…and although I haven’t quite reached my targets I am back on track.   Although as life would have it, I am expecting baby #2 now, hehe, so you can imagine how long this will last.

I don’t know how mom bloggers do it. Finding time to raise babies, handling the chores around the house and then finding time to write.  It is no easy task and I applaud those mothers who have been able to do it, and still devote all the necessary time to their family. If you did, I’d love to know the secret ;)?!

I hope you will take some time to browse around and read or bookmark some of my favorite posts:

7 Things I’ve Learned as a New Mom

 4 Germ-Infested Areas Around Your Baby (That May Surprise You)

4 Summer Activities for Mommy & Newborn

Flying With Baby: 5 Must-Haves for Your Travels

7 Ways to Make a Fussy Baby Smile

5 Ways to Use Time Efficiently With Baby

Thanks again for stopping by and if you’d like to connect with me via social media please do so as it is one of the best ways to foster new relationships and help a fellow blogger achieve her goals! I’d be happy to do the same.

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Google+

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

mommysbundle.com

The post Hooray, It’s My SITS Day! appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.