410: AI, Third-Party Cookies, and Changes in Video Advertising Standards with Paul Bannister from Raptive

Welcome to episode 410 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Paul Bannister from Raptive.

If it feels like the last few years have come with a lot of changes in the online world, that’s because there have been tons of changes. We’re talking ChatGPT and AI, the removal of third-party cookies, the rapid growth of video, and more.

Luckily, our guest on the podcast today is just the person to break down these big changes and explain how it all relates to content creators. Bjork is chatting with Paul Bannister, the CSO and co-founder of Raptive (formerly AdThrive and CafeMedia) about all of these buzzy topics.

Whether you’re hoping to qualify for Raptive in the future, are already a Raptive creator, or are just curious about all of the tech news in the online space, this is a really informative listen!

Keep Reading

407: How Core Web Vitals and Image Size Impact Search Ranking with Andrew Wilder

Welcome to episode 407 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Andrew Wilder from NerdPress.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the nitty gritty tech side of running a food blog? Well then, this week’s podcast episode is for you. Bjork is chatting with Andrew Wilder, our WordPress Support Expert, and the Founder and CEO of NerdPress.

In this episode, Andrew takes a deep dive into Core Web Vitals and explains how they’re calculated, and why it’s important to optimize your site with Core Web Vitals in mind. They also discuss the best practices for blog image sizes, including the best method for compressing your images, and frequently asked questions about Featured Images.

Andrew is a frequent flyer guest on the podcast for a reason — he is super knowledgeable, and can teach us all about the tech side of blogging that many of us struggle with! If that sounds like you, you won’t want to miss this episode.

Keep Reading

392: How Pinch of Yum’s 1.1 Million Follower Instagram Account Got Hacked (and Recovered!)

A phone opened to the Instagram login page and the title of Bjork Ostrom's episode on the Food Blogger Pro Podcast, 'Hacked Instagram Account.'

Welcome to episode 392 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork explains how the Pinch of Yum Instagram account got hacked and eventually recovered.

Last month, Bjork and Lindsay went through something we all fear as content creators: they completely lost access to the Pinch of Yum Instagram account after Lindsay’s Facebook account got hacked. Talk about a scary situation!

They were eventually able to get the accounts recovered, but they went through a few very stressful days trying to get everything sorted out. In this episode, Bjork shares the entire story of how this happened, how they were able to recover the accounts, and what measures they’re taking to prevent this from happening in the future.

Last but not least, Bjork also provides some tips for how you can secure your own social media accounts to hopefully avoid a situation like this.

Keep Reading

363: What Bloggers Need to Know About Google Analytics 4 with Alison Bechdol

Hands typing on a laptop and the title of Alison Bechdol's episode on the Food Blogger Pro Podcast, 'Google Analytics 4.'

Welcome to episode 363 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Alison Bechdol, our Google Analytics Expert, about Google Analytics 4 and how it will affect bloggers.

If you haven’t heard, Google will be sunsetting Universal Analytics in July 2023, and it’s being replaced by Google Analytics 4.

But what does that mean for bloggers? At what point should we make the switch to GA4? And what do we need to do to actually make that transition?

That’s what we’re chatting about in this episode with Alison, our FBP Google Analytics Expert! She’s sharing how GA4 differs from Universal Analytics, when bloggers should make the switch, how to correctly install GA4, and more.

Keep Reading

347: Building Accessible Websites – Writing Good Alt Text, Identifying Issues, and Creating Content That’s Accessible for Everyone with Bet Hannon

An image of a laptop and the title of Bet Hannon's episode on the Food Blogger Pro Podcast, 'Building Accessible Websites.'

Welcome to episode 347 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Bet Hannon from Bet Hannon Business Websites about how to build an accessible website.

As food bloggers, it’s so important that we make our websites accessible and that we share content with the world that everyone can enjoy, including those with disabilities.

But how exactly do you create an accessible website? How do you know if your site has accessibility issues?

That’s what Bet is here to talk about today! In this episode, we dive deep into the world of accessibility, from writing alt text correctly to identifying issues that you should consider fixing on your site to ensure that everyone can enjoy the content you’re publishing.

Keep Reading

339: Tech Check-In – The Best Plugins and Tools for Food Bloggers in 2022 with Andrew Wilder

An image of laptops and headphones and the title of Andrew Wilder's episode on the Food Blogger Pro Podcast, 'Tech Check-In.'

Welcome to episode 339 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Andrew Wilder from NerdPress about the current state of tech for food bloggers.

Today on the podcast, we’re really excited to be chatting again with our WordPress Support Expert, Andrew Wilder!

Through his company, NerdPress, Andrew and his team do maintenance and support for WordPress websites, and 95% of their clients are food bloggers. Suffice to say, he knows his stuff when it comes to WordPress food and recipe sites.

In this episode, you’ll hear Andrew’s thoughts on the current state of tech for food bloggers. From an update on what’s new with Core Web Vitals to his current list of go-to plugins for food bloggers, this episode is jam-packed with information that will help you set your blog up for success in 2022. Enjoy!

Keep Reading

306: Core Web Vitals – What Food Bloggers Need to Know About User Experience and Google with Andrew Wilder

An image of a laptop on a desk with code on the screen and the title of Andrew Wilder's episode on the Food Blogger Pro Podcast, 'Core Web Vitals.'

Welcome to episode 306 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, we’re sharing part of our most recent member Q&A with Andrew Wilder from NerdPress where he talks about Core Web Vitals.

Google has already started using things like mobile friendliness, security, and intrusive popups to impact search rankings, and the big news on the block is that Core Web Vitals, a way to quantify user experience on a website, will impact rankings soon as well.

There are three signals that measure “good” user experience:

  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
  • First input Delay (FID)
  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

Google wants readers to have a good experience on the sites that are ranking in the first few spots in search results, and Core Web Vitals are one of the ways they’re tracking that.

If this all sounds confusing, don’t worry –– you’ve come to the right place! In this episode, we’re sharing part of our most recent member Q&A with our incredible WordPress and Site Speed Expert, Andrew Wilder, where he covered the ins and outs of page experience and Core Web Vitals.

Keep Reading

270: Get It Done – 11 Apps to Make You Superhuman with Bjork Ostrom

An image of A computer on a desk and the title of the 270th episode on the Food Blogger Pro Podcast, 'Get it Done.'

Welcome to episode 270 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks about his must-have apps for a productive business and personal life.

Apps are great to help you become more productive, track your progress, and optimize your day. But which are our absolute favorites? The ones we rely on day after day, week after week to help us get it all done?

That’s what Bjork is focusing on in this episode. You’ll hear about the apps and tools he uses to fly through email, stay on top of business and personal tasks, record quick videos, and stay hydrated with a color-changing water bottle.

Yes, seriously.

We’re excited to share some of our favorite apps with you today! And if you have any must-have apps, leave them in the comments below –– we’d love to hear your suggestions!

Keep Reading

268: FBP Rewind – Blogging Misconceptions, How to Choose a Host, and Why WordPress

An image of a cassette and the title of the 268th episode on the Food Blogger Pro Podcast, 'FBP Rewind.'

Welcome to episode 268 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, we’re re-sharing an episode in which we offer advice to new food bloggers.

We’re going back to basics today and re-sharing an episode from 2019 about starting a blog. If you have an idea for a blog, business, series, post, or product, we hope this episode will help give you a bit of a push to actually start.

First, you’ll hear from Bjork. He covers three of the most common blogging misconceptions we hear from new bloggers and how you can switch your thought processes around them.

Next up: Andrew, our Site Speed Expert here at Food Blogger Pro. In his section, he’s talking all about hosting. For instance, did you know he recommends changing hosts every few years?!

Last, our old WP Tasty Lead, Raquel. She’s talking all about WordPress and why it’s the CMS we recommend for food bloggers.

We think you’ll have a lot of great takeaways from this episode, regardless of whether your blog is brand new or if you’ve been blogging for years. Enjoy!

Keep Reading

236: Themes – Performance-Focused Designs with Bill Erickson

An image of a computer screen and the title of the 236th episode on the Food Blogger Pro Podcast, 'Themes.'

Welcome to episode 236 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Bill Erickson about the impact your design can have on your blog.

Bill is a WordPress developer, and he’s here today to chat about the impact your site’s design can have on performance and user experience.

Bill works with food blogs quite a bit (Pinch of Yum included), so you’ll really appreciate the advice he gives from a food blogging perspective. From figuring out what fonts to use to understanding how themes and design can impact site speed, this episode is packed with easy-to-understand tips and advice about design.

It’s a really cool interview, kind of different from our norm, but we hope you enjoy it and learn something if you’re pursuing a site redesign this year.

Keep Reading