Amanda MacArthur

Research Director & Managing Editor

Amanda is responsible for all the articles you read on the Mequoda Daily portal and every email newsletter delivered to your inbox from us. She is also our in-house social media expert and would love to chat with you over on @Mequoda. She has worked with Mequoda for almost a decade, helping to evolve the Mequoda Method through research, testing and developing new best practices in digital publishing, editorial strategy, email marketing and audience development. Amanda is a co-author of our four digital publishing handbooks.

Co-authored handbooks:

The Organic Audience Development Strategy Handbook

The Subscription Website Publishing Handbook

The Digital Magazine Publishing Handbook

The Multiplatform Publishing Strategy Handbook

Contact Amanda:

Contact Amanda via email at amanda (at) mequoda (dot) com, @amaaanda, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Articles by Amanda MacArthur

Join Us

Live Events Internet Marketing Intensive April 23-25, 2013 - New York City SEO Basics & Beyond: Keyword Research & Campaign Management June 5-7, 2013 - Washington, DC Internet Marketing Intensive July 24-26, 2013 - New

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Online Publishing Book Review: How Not to Start a Magazine by B. Ann Bell

So, your favorite hobby has spurned your creative desire to start a new magazine. How do you decide if print or online publishing is best?

Email Newsletter Reviews

Variety Headline News: Email Newsletter Review

This daily entertainment news update has a great footer and from line, but it's first and preview screens aren't exactly star studded

Organizational Strategy

What makes a good online editor?

[question] You talked a bit, over the course of this whole program, that every online publisher needs at least one dedicated online editor. Can you list some personality traits I should

Organizational Strategy

What are the job descriptions for an online publishing business?

[question] In the beginning of this section, you went over quickly the various job descriptions required to run an online publishing business. I’d be helpful to see that list here so

Organizational Strategy

What’s the Myer’s Briggs Tool?

[question] You briefly mentioned using Myers Briggs to better understand your employees and/or co-workers. Can you talk a bit more about how you use this tool? [/question] [answer] In a smaller online publishing business,

Reporting Strategy

What is your “reader satisfaction” score?

[question] I’ve heard people refer to their email opt-out rate as a “reader satisfaction” score. Can you explain this a bit? [/question] [answer] If you want a good indicator of how satisfied readers are

Reporting Strategy

What are the 5 ratios every online publisher should know?

[question] Can you please explain how to calculate the 5 ratios every online publisher should know? [/question] [answer] Sure! Here goes: Google Visibility Index This is your estimated search impressions divided by total searches for a

Reporting Strategy

What are the links to those 9 reporting tools?

[question] Can you please list the URLs for the free tools I can use to discover the answers to those 9 questions every online publisher should ask themselves? [/question] [answer] Sure! Here goes: How

Email Newsletter Marketing

What are some ways I can increase the amount of product I sell from my email newsletters?

[question] What are some ways I can increase the amount of product I sell from my email newsletters? [/question] [answer] One key to selling more products through editorial email newsletters is learning how to

Email Newsletter Marketing

What are the best practices for different types of emails?

[question] Some publishers only put one story in any given issue of an email newsletter, while others publish multiple stories in any given issue. Can you talk about the differences and

Email Newsletter Marketing

What are some steps I can take to increase my email subscriber file?

[question] What are some steps I can take to increase my email subscriber file? [/question] [answer] In our view, building a large email subscriber file has a lot to do with the keywords you

Business Strategy

How does website architecture play into revenue generation?

[question] How does website architecture play into revenue generation? [/question] [answer] The publishers that have seen the most success in generating online revenue are those whose websites are architected to be completely in-line with

Business Strategy

What might be included in a typical sponsorship package?

[question] What might be included in a typical sponsorship package? [/question] [answer] A great sponsorship package might include (within a certain content section of a site): the leaderboard, a large ad box, a medium

Business Strategy

Why do you list the 9 ways to generate revenue in a pyramid?

[question] Why do you list the 9 ways to generate revenue in a pyramid? [/question] [answer] As you’ve learned, revenue generation can take many forms online. The hierarchy of the pyramid is meant to

Website Conversion Architecture

Please explain more about the “free on free” offer that you recommend.

[question] Please explain more about the “free on free” offer that you recommend. [/question] [answer] Ok, so we explained that the real conversion architecture that will happen on your site if you architect it

Website Conversion Architecture

Why is it important for ad-driven publishers to collect email subscribers?

[question] My site is ad-driven and most of my revenue happens at the site, so while I agree email is important, I’m not sure I should necessarily architect the site to

Website Conversion Architecture

Why should it be my #1 priority to convert visitors into subscribers?

[question] Why is it so important in your view to build a site that converts visitors into email subscribers? Shouldn’t a site also be sticky, etc. so that you can increase

Search Engine Optimization

You suggest putting “quotes” around each term when looking up competitive data. Can you explain the reasoning behind this?

[question]You suggest putting “quotes” around each term when looking up competitive data. Can you explain the reasoning behind this? [/question] [answer]Currently, our process for looking up competitive data (aka looking up how

Search Engine Optimization

How do you measure the total number of keywords you should be targeting?

[question]The Mequoda approach to keyword research begins with editors brainstorming the primary keyword phrases they think people are searching for that their content could help answer. Those primary terms then

What is a “Mequoda Website”?

[question]You talk about “Mequoda websites” being content-driven, Google-friendly, email-centic and profit-minded. Can you explain in more detail what this means?[/question] [answer]Content-driven: the idea of having lots of content on your site

What are some external examples of “Mequoda websites”?

[question]When you reference a certain site being a “Mequoda website” are you referencing only the sites you’ve built over the past several years?[/question] [answer]This is a question we often get asked.

Which business model (search, online publisher or online retailer) generates the most money?

[question]Of the three business models (search, online publishers and online retailers) which model generates the most money and how does it all relate back to us as online publishers?[/question] [answer]At the

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Online Publishing Book Review: What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting by Ted Demopoulos

Find fresh content at a trade show, seminar or conference. No doubt there are dozens of industry events happening worldwide right now. It’s impossible for your subscribers to

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Online Publishing Book Review: Producing Successful Magazines, Newsletters and E-Zines by Carol Harris

While many aspects of production are similar within conventional print and online publishing, there are significant differences. Producing Successful Magazines, Newsletters and E-Zines by Carol Harris highlights some of the

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Online Publishing Book Review: Starting & Running a Successful Newsletter or Magazine by Cheryl Woodard

Take a lesson from the mistakes of others when starting and running a successful newsletter or magazine If you are contemplating starting or converting an online publishing company, take a look

Email Newsletter Reviews

The Wall Street Journal’s Media and Marketing Edition: Email Newsletter Review

For most publishers, trying to find the right balance of free vs. paid content is difficult. Give too much away and readers won’t be willing to pay for what’s left.

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

3 Ways Google Keeps Newspapers in Business

“Search engines don't create content, it's really about helping people find content,” says Josh Cohen, Business Product Manager for Google News

Audience Development Strategy

How to Find Niche Keywords with the Google Keyword Tool

Use the Google AdWords Keyword Tool to find niche keywords that drive targeted traffic to your blogs, press releases and landing pages.

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

20+ Google Analytics Tips

20+ take-aways from the Google Analytics "Seminar for Success" in Montreal, Canada

Subscription Website Publishing

Google Website Optimizer 101

Justin Custoni of EpikOne explains why Google Website Optimizer and Google Analytics work hand in hand

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Myers Briggs Team Building – How to Staff Effectively

Learn how to communicate effectively and staff properly with the Myers Briggs MBTI personality test

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Online Publishing Book Review: From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur by Stephanie Chandler

Infopreneur (information entrepeneur) is a relatively new buzz word. Good news if your in the online publishing business. So what does it mean? Basically, an infopreneur sells information and information

Subscription Website Publishing

Understanding Website Analytics – How Visitors are Counted

Why do Compete, AWStats and Google Analytics all report different web analytics?

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Top 5 Online Publishers for Travel

What makes an online publishing website land in our "top 5"? Find out!

Subscription Website Publishing

Every Page is a Landing Page

Think about every page on your site as a landing page and start converting all of your visitors into subscribers or buyers. Many people think that a landing page

Publishing Case Studies

TripAdvisor is #1 on our List of Top Travel Sites

How TripAdvisor.com builds brand loyalty by interacting with their community

Audience Development Strategy

4 Creative Ideas for Making an eBook

Listen to your audience when making an eBook by doing keyword research, tracking your user activity, observing your competitors and just flat out asking them what they need.

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Vote in the 2nd Annual Open Web Awards

Widget for voting in the 2nd Anual Open Web Awards 2009

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Online Publishing Jobs: Who Makes a Great Online Editor?

Marketers and Editors are jointly responsible for attracting and retaining a robust online audience By now you should know that the definition of an online editor is not that different from

What People Are Saying

Testimonial #1

"When we first hooked up with Mequoda, we were in the middle of a big mistake. Other providers were just selling sites and “cool things”, where with Mequoda we got

Subscription Website Publishing

Proof that Floaters Work – From Darren Rowse of ProBlogger

Popular blogger Darren Rowse shows how floaters increased the number of subscribers to his newsletter from 40 to over 350 per day.

Subscription Website Publishing

Yahoo! Analytics – The New Kid in Town?

Yahoo Web Analytics launches this month to compete with Google Analytics.

Audience Development Strategy

How to Get an Inbound Link from Google

Grab an authoritative Google link while the opportunity still lasts!

Subscription Website Publishing

Updates to Google Analytics

Enterprise Class upgrades added to Google Analytics

What is the “Mequoda System?”

The Mequoda System, when run as a repeating cycle of management behaviors, creates an audience driven, continuous improvement media management system. To create the Mequoda System, the Mequoda Group studies

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Why Google Loves Internet Hubs

How Google chooses to rank sites on broad phrases like “investing advice”.

What does “Mequoda” mean?

We get this question all the time. The term is short for “media quote daily” which was the original name for the Mequoda Group. Mequoda is now used to describe

Who’s the team behind Mequoda?

Please see our Author pages to learn more about the Mequoda team.

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

What Search Engines Can Do For YOU

Vertical search engines, directories, PPC, paid inclusion, oh my! A list of the ways that building and using search engines can effect your online publishing business.

About the Author

Amanda MacArthur

Research Director & Managing Editor

Co-authored handbooks:

Contact Amanda:

Articles by Amanda MacArthur

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